So.... uh, Hello! I'm a new member, I've been observing the website for a year or two, and I've been fascinated by it. So... introductions out of the way, this is my first Timeline.
The year was 1819 in the US State of Illinois. There was a mill worker who, in a fit of anger, kicked a rock before leaving his shift. Later that day, a young man who worked with the donkeys arrived. He quickly got to work, hooking the beast into it's harness. Cracking his whip, he shouted "get on you old hussy!" He cracked the whip again. "Get on you old hus-" BAM. The donkey kicked him in the face, sending him back. In one world, this would put him in a comma for two days. But in this one, young Abraham Lincoln smacked his head against the kicked rock, and instead died of a head injury two days later.
1861
President Stephen Douglas was sitting in the oval office. Head in his hands, he groaned. The southern states had declared secession from the union and proclaimed them the confederate States of America. He had been hoping for a compromise to bring them back into the fold. The Fort Sumpter incident put an end to that. He looked out the window across at the still being built Washington monument. The army of the Potomac would deal with them soon enough.
1862
The Army of Northern Virginia marched through Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Weeks earlier, the army of northern Virginia had met and effectively destroyed the already depleted army of the Potomac at the battle of antietam. Perhaps the confederates could have been repelled if President Stephen Douglas had introduced conscription. But it was not the time for pondering what ifs. Today, there were more important things to do.
December 12, 1862
The Confederate armies were marching in formation in Richmond, Virginia. There was much jubilation, as the United States had officially recognized the independence of the confederate States of America. "Happy days, happy days" newspapers across the south proclaimed. Of course, the gold years of the confederacy would soon pass by the end of the decade....