America, A City on a Hill: The Presidency of Joseph Smith Jr. and Beyond

[Neshomancer]

The election of 1844 set in motion a new direction for the United States. A direction that would of course be fraught with peril in its own right, but would lead to a transformation like no other. This change would be set in motion by one man: Joseph Smith Jr.

To say that the eleventh President of the United States was a divisive figure prior to his election into office and even during his tenure is a gross understatement. His founding of the Latter-Day Saint Movement had not made him popular by any stretch and many accusations, some true some not circulated around him. The fact that he won the election is oft considered a historical miracle. One largely attributed to his oratory skills as well as that of those who campaigned for him.



29 January, 1844, Nauvoo Illinois:



Joseph Smith Jr., President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints smiled as he looked at the faces in the mayor's office. It had been decided that he would make a run for the highest office in the land. The Presidency of the United States. “I don't expect to carry Missouri.” The comment brought a laugh to the room despite the painful memories of what their faith had gone through in that state. Once the brief moment of levity had passed Smith's face turned somber. “This is not a step I take lightly. It is something I have prayed a great deal about. As a result of my prayers the Lord has seen fit to give me a new revelation: We are to cease the practice of plural marriage at once and dissolve all existing marriages of that nature.”

The room was silent for a moment before Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke up. “Brother Joseph, it was you who taught that doctrine. Surely it was divinely inspired. Why would the Lord command us to cease?”

“Brother Brigham, the wisdom of the Lord is far beyond the confines of man. Such practices have their time and place. The Bible teaches that great patriarchs took part in the practice such as Abraham and Jacob, among others. The fact that such unions have been divinely appointed in the past is not in dispute.

“The truth is that we were hasty in our application of the practice. A time may come when it will need to be implemented again, but this is not the time nor the place. The people of this nation frown on the practice and to continue will only harm our church. So sayeth the Lord. He has spoken and we must obey. Though brethren I also council you that we do this quietly. Drawing attention to it will do us no favors.”



So to explain the point of divergence here. Basically Joseph Smith ends polygamy in the LDS church forty-six years early and nullifies all previous plural marriages. The idea is that this practice being a large part of what was criticized in the Nauvoo Expositor, that it being done away with butterflies that incident and thus his assassination. Thus allowing him to finish his campaign for, and ultimately win the Presidency in 1844.

Is this implausible? Yes. Before people claim that this should be in ASB though let me point out this post that outlines what should and shouldn't be in ASB. This does not fit the criteria for ASB. That said I welcome any help to keep this timeline as plausible as possible. Starting of course with the campaign trail.

Thank you in advance for your readership and help. I'm well aware we're dealing with a divisive figure in Joseph Smith, please keep discussion civil.

 

[Neshomancer]

The campaign of Joseph Smith Jr. and the newly formed Reform Party during the election of 1844 is often looked at as a blueprint for grassroots movements. Over three hundred electioneers departed from Nauvoo, going to every state and territory to spread Smith's platform. In general people were impressed with the platform and many of the church's most affluent speakers including ten of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were counted among the electioneers.

Of course these electioneers also took time to proselyte and faced many adversities because of their faith. Still the efforts of these men did much to spread the word of Smith's candidacy and win voters, as well as bring to light the plights the Mormons had faced in places like Missouri.



Joseph Smith himself was not idle often campaigning throughout Illinois. Smith also appealed to his acquaintance in Washington and future Attorney General and President Stephen A. Douglas, then a member of the House of Representatives to lobby for him. The following is a Smith sent to Douglas:



Dear Representative Douglas,



I hope this letter finds you well. As you are no doubt aware I am running for the office of the Presidency. When we met last year you made a very good impression on me. I ask for your help in my campaign. I petition for you to lobby for me in Washington. I feel this campaign is the only way for my people to find restitution for the crimes committed against us in Missouri. Even if you do not feel inclined to endorse me politically I implore you to at last support me in this matter.



Sincerely,

Joseph Smith Jr.



Douglas' interaction with Smith in 1843 is well-documented and it was recorded that he was sympathetic to the Saints. Douglas became an outspoken advocate for the LDS church and Smith's candidacy, even going so far as to join the reform party.

The reasons for this may have been more selfish than altruistic however. During that dinner in 1843 where the two future Presidents met Joseph Smith made a prophecy concerning Douglas:

Dined with Judge Stephen A. Douglas, who is presiding at court. After dinner Judge Douglas requested President Joseph to give him a history of the Missouri persecution, which he did in a very minute manner, for about three hours. He also gave a relation of his journey to Washington city, and his application in behalf of the Saints to Mr. Van Buren, the President of the United States, for redress and Mr. Van Buren's pusillanimous reply, "Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you;" and the cold, unfeeling manner in which he was treated by most of the senators and representatives in relation to the subject, Clay saying, "You had better go to Oregon," and Calhoun shaking his head solemnly, saying, "It's a nice question—a critical question, but it will not do to agitate it."

The judge listened with the greatest attention and spoke warmly in depreciation of the conduct of Governor Boggs and the authorities of Missouri, who had taken part in the extermination, and said that any people that would do as the mobs of Missouri had done ought to be brought to judgment: they ought to be punished.

President Smith, in concluding his remarks, said that if the government, which received into its coffers the money of citizens for its public lands, while its officials are rolling in luxury at the expense of its public treasury, cannot protect such citizens in their lives and property, it is an old granny anyhow; and I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left, for their wickedness in permitting the murder of men, women and children, and the wholesale plunder and extermination of thousands of her citizens to go unpunished, thereby perpetrating a foul and corroding blot upon the fair fame of this great republic, the very thought of which would have caused the high-minded and patriotic framers of the Constitution of the United States to hide their faces with shame. Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of this day will stick to you through life.

He [Judge Douglas] appeared very friendly, and acknowledged the truth and propriety of President Smith's remarks.

-Taken from the diary of William Clayton, Joseph Smith's secretary.



It's quite possible that with Smith's platform gaining steam, his ideas for abolition with compensation even being well received in Kentucky tat Douglas saw a potential Smith presidency as his own ticket to the top. The prophecy no doubt echoed in his head as he made these decisions.



- Excerpt from The Presidency That Changed America, Frank Louis, 2014.

 

[Neshomancer]

1 August, 1844, Nauvoo Illinois:



Joseph crumpled the newspaper he was reading in frustration. His wife Emma looked on with concern and warmth. Joseph's ending of polygamy had done much to heal the growing rift in their marriage. “What is the matter my dear husband?” She asked.

“Let it never be said that I do not bring people together Emma. The growing popularity of my candidacy has brought together James Polk and Henry Clay. The two men who were such bitter rivals in running for the highest office have now taken it upon themselves to band together and slander me.”

“It seems to me that in a way this is a good thing. It means they see you as someone they need to campaign against. The fact that they've put their differences aside shows how well received your candidacy has been.” Emma consoled.

“Yes, that much is true, still I can't let their attacks go unanswered.” Joseph said.



James K. Polk and Henry Clay's attacks on Joseph Smith were largely focused on the angle that his election would see the United States turned into a theocracy. The two men while on opposite sides of many issues such as the annexation of Texas joined together to warn against what they considered the dangers of electing a man who claimed to be God's spokesman on the Earth.

This message had its audience of course. There were many places in which the Mormon religion and by extension future President Smith were very unpopular. As such these accusations could not go unanswered, otherwise the damage to the campaign would have been immense. To the end Joseph dictated an open letter that was sent to newspapers nationwide. The following is an except from that letter:



Recently my opponents have seen fit to claim that if I am elected I would make the United States a theocracy under my church. Such accusations could not be any further from the truth. I write this to assure every man, woman, and child in this great nation that the Latter-Day Saints have nothing but the utmost respect for the First Amendment and the other institutions that are the cornerstone of the United States.

Indeed it must be so, my people have been chased out of state after state for our beliefs. How could people who have been subjected to such crimes inflict that suffering on others? I have no intention of stripping away the rights of anyone. To do so would make me no better than those that persecuted my people.

This attacks on me are nothing more than blatant fear mongering. They wish to discredit my candidacy with these cheap attacks. If Mr. Polk and Mr. Clay wish to engage me on the issues that face the United States I will happily rise to the occasion, but these attacks do little more than reflect poorly on my opponents.



- Excerpt form Prophet and President: A Biography Joseph Smith Jr. by Caitlin Young published 2000

 

[Neshomancer]

The election of 1844 was a landmark event in American history. The thing about such events is that they are rarely expected. Such was the case with this election. Going in no one honestly expected Joseph Smith to win the presidency, except perhaps the man himself and his most ardent supporters.

It was known that Smith and his Reform party were gaining support, but the Whigs and Democrats were powerful political machines so it was fully expected that Clay or Polk would carry the day. Until the results came in.

Smith's victory would send shock waves through not just the United States, but all of North America. While Smith won the White House he did so winning the bare minimum of electorate votes. His victory put the divisions the United States was facing into sharp relief. Divisions that would define the coming years.

Of the states Smith carried only one was in the South, that being Kentucky, which was open to his gradual emancipation plan. The stark political divide spurred by Smith's anti-slavery sentiment would be the recipe for kicking off the American Slave War in 1845.

James K. Polk/George M. Dallas (Democrat) 73 total EV
Henry Clay/Theodore Frelinghuysen (Whig) 64 total EV
Joseph Smith jr./Sidney Rigdon (Reform) 138 total EV

 

[Neshomancer]

January 30, 1845, Washington D.C.:



President John Tyler cursed the name of Joseph Smith. The Union was falling apart at the seams and it was all because of that man. Smith's victory in the election, carrying mostly northern states with the exception of Kentucky, as well as his abolitionist leanings had set the South on edge. So much so that some were breaking from the Union!

Tyler looked down at something that had been brought to his attention when this whole thing had started. It was a written copy of a “prophecy” that Smith had made in 1832:

Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

That first part had certainly come true, this whole secession business had started in South Carolina, and no less than five other states had followed them. Missouri had been the next to go. Tyler could understand that to an extent, Missouri didn't have the best opinion of Smith or his Mormon followers, given the trouble that had taken place there. Including the attempted assassination of Lyman Boggs. It was actually more surprising that South Carolina had beaten them to the punch than anything else.

Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana had all followed suit shortly after. Even Florida which wasn't even a state yet had decided to break away. Tyler could send troops down to Florida to do something about that since it was still a territory, but that would mean marching troops through these secessionist states which would no doubt trigger a war.

It was bad enough that this was happening during his final days in office, but to add insult to injury negotiations with Texas had broken down as since they were pro-slavery they didn't want to live under a Joseph Smith administration either. Honestly Tyler found himself between a rock and a hard place. To not do anything would make the US seem weak, but to send troops would mean starting a war of aggression that would no doubt prompt more states to leave. Perhaps it would be better to just try and keep things stable and pass the mess on to Smith when he took office.

Tyler looked at the “prophecy” on his desk once more and sighed. Perhaps Joseph Smith was a prophet. Strangely Tyler found himself hoping that was the case because right now it looked like only God could save America.




February 4, 1845, Montgomery, Alabama:

Anson Jones smiled as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected him interim President, He like many took a dim view of the so-called Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith, but right now he loved the man. His election as President of the United States had scared him at first thanks to his abolitionist tendencies. Mexico had already gotten rid of slavery so if the United States did as well that would leave Texas between to giants who had abolished an institution that Texas held dear.

Most Texans despite Jones' own wishes had wanted to join the United States before the election. Smith's election had tempered that, but the offer to join the Confederate States had been too good to pass up without political suicide.

So Jones had worked out a deal to join the CSA and as a bonus was now the interim President. This was mainly due to his good relationship with Great Britain as the new nation was hoping for recognition that would dissuade the United States from making any moves against them. Of course there was still the matter of Mexico, but surely they were in a better bargaining position as part of the Confederacy than they were alone...

 

[Neshomancer]

March 3, 1845, Washington D.C.:


Joseph found himself unable to sleep. On the morrow he would assume the office of President over a divided nation. He had known of course that this division would come, he had prophesied it himself, but he had never expected to be in this position when it happened. The course was clear, the Confederacy had to be defeated, he could not let his fellow man rot in slavery, the Lord had revealed such to him.

His trip to Washington had been enlightening to say the least. As soon as they could his party had taken the train, making stops so he could speak to the people. There had been assassination attempts of course, poor Porter Rockwell had worked himself ragged protecting the party, Joseph made a note to himself to create some sort of bodyguard force while in office.

Of course, not everything that had come from the rebellion was negative, his prophecy on the subject was circulating in the papers, and as such had been a boon to the spread of the gospel. Granted there were those who claimed that this whole mess was in fact his fault and that the prophecy meant nothing. Joseph did his best to not let that bother him, there would always be people like that.

It had also necessitated the need for a clear line of succession in the church. It had taken much prayer of course but with two members of the First Presidency in Washington someone would have to take over the daily affairs of the church. After much meditation Brigham Young as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was declared the presiding authority on daily matters while he and Brother Rigdon were in Washington, and that should something happen to him while in office, Brother Brigham would be his successor.

That hadn't sat well with some, but Sidney Rigdon would be stuck in Washington as the new President if that were the case and the Quorum of the Twelve was the highest body outside the First Presidency which couldn't really meet as things were. Brother Brigham would likely be named his successor even after he vacated the Presidency, the people in Nauvoo and the general membership would be used to him leading because of this time, Joseph made a note to himself to make it official at a later date; that seemed to be where the Spirit was pointing.

Of course Joseph would correspond with the members as often as he could, but with the Presidency taking up much of his time that would likely be confined to any new revelations or clarifying important matters. At least now the church would not be left floundering should the worst happen. He looked back through the darkness to where Emma was sleeping and sighed. He best try again to get some rest before the inauguration tomorrow.


March 4, 1845:

The crowds waited with baited breath as Joseph Smith Jr., the so-called Mormon prophet and newly sworn in President of the United States prepared to give his inaugural address. The was a historical first, this inauguration would be reported on by telegraph and be all over the papers. It was a stormy day, but most people saw that as fitting considering the crisis that the United States was going through at the moment.

In front of them stood the youngest man ever elected to the office at only thirty-nine years old. A man who now held the fate of a nation in his hands. There was no doubt that this man could lead, after all he had founded a growing faith, no matter what one thought of said faith.

He walked with a slight limp, reportedly from a surgery he'd undergone when he was quite young to remove an infected piece of bone and had a chipped front tooth from a tar and feathering incident, but otherwise looked to be in good health and of a somewhat athletic build and at a little over six feet tall he cut an inspiring figure.

“My fellow people of the United States. I am humbled to take up this most prestigious of offices. I know I could not have gotten this far without the aid of the Lord my God. At this time our great nation faces a dire threat to its very soul. Even now states are in rebellion so that they may preserve the most abominable practice of slavery.

“This nation sits on a land that is choice above all other lands, a land blessed by God himself. I quote from the Book of Matthew, Chapter 5 verse 14 and 16: 'Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.' I say to you now that the United States is that city on a hill. That we must let our good works shine forth to the world that we may glorify the Father in Heaven. I ask you, would our Savior Jesus allow his fellow men to endure the evils of slavery?

I say to you, nay! The Savior would often go to those considered the dregs of society to heal and forgive them. Lepers, prostitutes, even the thief on the cross, none were too lowly for Him. It is said in our very Declaration of Independence 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' How can we claim these things and yet hold so many of our brothers and sisters in bondage? I fear that Christ were he to come now would damn us all as hypocrites.

If we are the city on a hill then we must consider what deeds our light shines upon and how those reflect upon us and our Creator. I can upon the so-called Confederacy to cease its rebellion and the practice of slavery. You will be compensated as I outlined in my campaign. However if you refuse to come to the table and make peace in good faith then such promises are rescinded.

“The United States is well within in its rights to put down such a rebellion and while I take no pleasure in war that will lead to the termination of many souls, I do see it as a holy duty to do so. The Negro are just as much children of God as any other. In His name I solemnly swear that I will see them liberated from their chains one way or another.”




President Smith's “City on a Hill” speech would only add fuel to an already burning fire. While he would begin work on putting through the promised legislation to phase out slavery by 1850, he made it clear that it would only apply to those states that considered themselves part of the United States. It was clear to all at this point that a war was on the horizon.

 

[Neshomancer]

March 5, 1845: Washington D.C.:



Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the United States Army, sat across from his Commander-in-Chief. He like many, many others did not have a high opinion of Joseph Smith as a man. Mainly due to the strange religious sect he led. With that said however, Smith was still the President and he'd still taken an oath to serve him.

“Thank you for coming to see me, General Scott, I assume you know why I called you here,” Smith said.

“I have a good idea, it's about those states trying to secede from the Union,” Scott practically spat the words. The people of the United States had voted for Smith, if there had been secession like this every time an election went a way some states didn't like, the United States would have ceased to exist long ago.

“Indeed, they are demanding that we give up Federal property to them. In particular Fort Pickens in Florida. As far as I'm concerned, as far as the law is concerned Florida is still a United States territory, not even a state. I will not give it up so easily,” Smith said.

“Are you certain that is a good idea, Mr. President? We would have to reinforce the port by sea. To supply it through land would mean marching troops through rebellious territory and escalating an already tense situation,” Scott said.

“I am well aware of the difficulties, General, but we cannot show weakness to those who would undermine our great nation. We simply cannot give into their demands. If we did they would simply demand more,” Smith replied.

“If we do not had over the fort the rebels will try to take it by force. There will be war,” Scott cautioned.

“I fear that a war is inevitable, General, the Confederates, as they call themselves will not rejoin us peaceably, and we cannot in good conscience let them go, it would only cause more problems for our country in the future, for the moment however I only wish to keep hold of our property. Perhaps if we show them that we will not back down they will see reason,” Smith said.

“Mr. President, I understand your position, but if it does come to war I fear that more states will join the Confederates,”

“I see, fear not, General Scott, no matter what happens, the Lord our God stands with the United Sates, we will emerge victorious and whole,” Smith said.

“I hope so, Mr. President, I truly do,” Scott said.



March 5, 1845, Montgomery, Alabama, Confederate States of America:



Confederate President Anson Jones, would have much rather been back in his home state of Texas, but Montgomery had been agreed upon as the capital so here he was. That said he still had a soft spot for his home, and that was what the current meeting. Across from him sat a the man Jones wanted to lead the new Confederate Army, Zachary Taylor.

“General Taylor, I wish to offer you command of the new Confederate Army, I trust there are no objections? You've proven yourself to be a capable military man, and being a slave holder, your appointment will appease many states,” Jones said.

“No, sir, I thank you for the honor,” Taylor said.

“Good, I also want to give you your first assignment, you are to take men to Texas and secure the Nueces strip,” Jones said.

“With all due respect, Mr. President, shouldn't we be focusing on the Yankees instead of the Mexicans? I don't think that Mormon firebrand in Washington is just going to give in to our demands,” Taylor said.

“I wouldn't worry too much, General, the Mexicans couldn't beat Texas alone. I doubt they would challenge the whole of the Confederacy,” Jones said with a laugh, “As for Joseph Smith, the man claims to see visions. He probably expects God to punish us. I'm sure God likes us good Christians more,” Jones said.

“And if it does come to war with the Yankees?” Taylor asked.

“Then will lick the damnyankees and their heathen President.”

 

[Neshomancer]

The American Slave War (1845-1847), also known as the American Civil War, or the Confederate-Mexican War in Mexico was a landmark conflict in North America as it marked the last gasp of the institution slavery on the continent. Initially it started as a conflict between the United States and the rebellious Confederacy.

The first shots were fired on April, 12, 1845, when the Confederates fired on the Union-held Fort Pickens in Florida. The siege was short-lived because of the difficulty of resupplying a fort deep in Confederate territory.

However this provided the United States President Joseph Smith all the reason he needed to call up troops to put down the rebellion as it had now turned violent. He didn't just call for troops however, he also declared that the states in rebellion were now exempt from his plan to compensate slaveholders for emancipation of slaves.

Five days later after the Battle of Fort Pickens, and a mere two days after Smith call up for troops, Virginia would provisionally secede from the Union pending a referendum. Three other states Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee were also well on the path to secession, or at the vey least considering it.

Historians agree that the war would likely have lasted much longer, if it weren't for the Thornton Affair, better known as “Jones' Folly”. General Zachary Taylor had been dispatched by Confederate President Anson Jones to secure the new country's Rio Grande claims in Texas. Jones thought that Mexico would not resist given now that Texas now had the backing of the Confederacy. He was very wrong.

Although the Confderate States had annexed Texas, both the Confederates and Mexico claimed the area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. Jones had ordered Taylor's Army of Occupation to the Rio Grande early in 1845.

Mariano Arista assumed command of the Division of the North on April 4 and arrived at Matamoros on April 24, making the total force there about 5000 men, and notified Taylor hostilities had commenced. Arista promptly ordered General Anastasio Torrejón to cross the Rio Grande fourteen miles upstream at La Palangana.

Taylor received two reports on April 24 of Mexicans crossing the Rio Grande, the first crossing below his camp, the other a crossing upriver. Taylor ordered Captain Croghan Ker to investigate downriver and Captain Seth B. Thornton with two Dragoon companies to investigate upriver. Ker found nothing but Thornton rode into an ambush and his 80-man force was quickly overwhelmed by Torrejon's 1600, resulting in the capture of those not immediately killed.:48 Thornton's guide brought news of the hostilities to Taylor and was followed by a cart from Torrejón containing the six wounded, Torrejon stating he could not care for them. War Between the Confederacy and Mexico had begun.



From American Slave War: The War the Shaped a Continent Steve Ackerman copyright 2009



Author's Note: Information about the Thornton Affair taken from Wikipedia and modified. Yes, dates are lining up with OTL's Civil War and Mexican American War a bit, but that should change very soon.

 

[Neshomancer]

April 29, 1845, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:



Emma Hale Smith tried her best to keep the socialites busy. This whole thing had started as a trip to show her children Harmony where she grew up, all of them had been born after they had left the area, but now that she was First Lady things could never be that simple. With a war on now public appearances to drum up support for her husband was one of the few things she could do to support him.

So, they'd taken a detour to the great city of Philadelphia, and the elites had made certain to do everything they could to impress. She'd grown up a rural farm girl, so Emma might have been impressed by the splendor of it all if she hadn't been in the throes of morning sickness. Still things weren't all bad. She could see that her oldest Julia, her and Joseph's adopted daughter was hitting it off with a boy around her age. She quickly excused herself from the gaggle of hangers-on so that she could investigate this further.

“Julia, perhaps you would like to introduce me to your friend,” Emma said kindly.

“My name is Theodore, ma'am, Theodore Roosevelt,” the boy said, “My brother Silas and I just happened to be visiting. Our father Cornelius is a wealthy businessman in New York. I must say you have a most enchanting daughter.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you Theodore, I'm sorry to have interrupted,” Emma said.



The meeting of Julia Murdock Smith and Theodore “Thee” Roosevelt [1] was one of pure happenstance, the two just happening to be visiting Philadelphia at the time. Theodore accompanying his older brother Silas on a business trip and Julia and her adoptive mother and sibling being on a sightseeing tour. The Smiths wanting to get out of the White House for a bit because of the mounting pressure of the war. By all accounts the pair were immediately smitten.

After the initial meeting the two would exchange letters and with the help of their families arrange times to meet, and Theodore was a great comfort to Julia after Emma died in childbirth in 1848. Theodore's father, Cornelius, was less than enthused about the relationship because of Joseph Smith's reputation and disowned his some when he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and married Julia in 1850.

The pair would settle in Nauvoo and have five children together. Their son Henry, would become a celebrated general and their family line would produce a future President of the United States.



Taken from Lineage of Light: A History of the Smith Fily, Sara Peterson, 1970



[1] For anyone confused this would be Theodore Roosevelt Sr., the father of Teddy OTL. Of course Teddy doesn't exist TTL. I will get back to the war next update, just had this idea and wanted to show some butterfly effect in play in action.

 

[Neshomancer]

May 5, 1845, St. Louis, Missouri:



Ulysses S. Grant, Second Lieutenant in the United States Army couldn't believe the situation that he'd found himself in. Everyone had expected their assignment to Jefferson Barracks to be a quiet one, and it had been when they got here. Then Joseph Smith had been elected President and things had gone crazy with states trying to leave the Union over slavery. Missouri itself being one of the first. He was indifferent to slavery himself, but he was staunchly a Union man. Some had given up their commissions and sided with the rebels, but Ulysses Grant was no traitor.

That said, he wasn't indifferent to the plight of the people of Missouri. His thoughts of course went to his fiance Julia Dent, the sister of his West Point friend Fred Dent. Her family own slaves and Grant knew the army would not take well to that. He hoped sincerely for her safety in this conflict.

Grant shook his head, he couldn't think about that right now. Brigadier General Kearny had ordered the 4th Infantry and a few other units to secure this city.

Ulysses hadn't wanted to serve in a war, and he'd certainly not expected the war to be like this. Door to door fighting with no way of knowing if a rebel was hiding behind the next corner. All this because that Mormon Prophet had won the White House. In truth he wasn't sure how he felt about Joseph Smith, at the moment none of that really mattered to him. Here he was up on night watch hoping some rebels didn't ambush him. The smell of smoke filling his nose, both from expended gunpowder and the houses and other buildings that were burning in the city. War wasn't supposed to be fought in fields, cities were besieged yes, but something like this... So many of his comrades had already died...

Grant was drawn out of his thoughts by the approach of a Union courier. “Lieutenant Grant? I was asked to deliver this to you, I had a devil of a time finding you in this mess,” the courier said before handing him a letter. He opened it to find that it was from Julia. He had to read it three times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was.

Julia was breaking off their engagement. Union soldiers had come to their plantation to free their slaves as per President Smith's orders. Her father had tried to resist and had been shot dead, their home ransacked and pillaged. She could no longer love him because he wore the Union uniform, and she never wanted to see him again. Grant crumpled up the letter his heart shattering from grief. The slavery issues didn't matter to him, but he'd lost the woman he loved because of Joseph Smith. Grant knew the preserving the Union was more important than any romance, he would not abandon his post, but when it came to the President he'd made up his mind. He hated Joseph Smith.

 

[Neshomancer]

May 20, 1845. Montgomery, Alabama:



Anson Jones found himself cursing a lot lately. The war was going badly for the Confederacy, and things were unlikely to get better any time soon. Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina had all declared that they would be staying with the United States. Kentucky had voted for Smith, so it was a lost cause, and given these developments Tennessee wasn't likely to join either.

Which meant Missouri was isolated and likely to fall in short order. This war was turning into a disaster quickly and people were likely going to blame him. After all, it was Texas that had gotten the Confederacy into a two front war. He'd underestimated Mexico's backbone. Texas had won independence from them so what threat could they be to the Confederacy?

Alone, they surely would have been able to take Mexico, but they weren't fighting alone, they were fighting Mexico and the United States. The Confederacy was caught in a vice. If things kept going the way they were the blame would fall on Texas and Jones himself. Having to split troop focus was not going to make this war any easier

In a way he couldn't blame the Uper South for sticking with the United States, yes they'd lose their slaves, but Smith was at least promising them compensation. Something had to be done to turn the tide and fast. His neck was probably quite literally on the line.

There was only one sane option: They had to knock out Mexico and secure the southern border, Then they could move troops up north and give the Yankees a real fight, perhaps impress Britain and France enough that they would send help.

There was on bright side though, the newspapers were already railing against the slave states that hadn't joined, Calling them traitors, and “Masoners” after the Mason-Dixo line, just as the Deep South was called Dixie. The betrayal had given the soldiers just one more reason to fight harder in the border states. Hopefully that ferocity wouldn't be all for naught.