Fenians, Brits, Mexicans, Canucks and Frenchies....OH, MY! An alternate American Civil War

Very doubtful that Juarez, would have been willing or even able to accept, what would be perceived as a devil 's deal, with Seward.
Basically, cause even if out of necessity, he would have thought to accept it, it would have as immediate consequence the loss of any kind of legitimacy and even his own life...
Given that when the news would reach to his supporters, he would have felt after a coup and/or killed shortly after... Without mention that it would be very harming (politically) for the war effort against the French.

Thing was, this actually did happen (except for the immediate handoff of Baja California). Juarez agreed to a deal similar to what I had in this TL in 1861 but it was Congress which refused to accept.
 
Thing was, this actually did happen (except for the immediate handoff of Baja California). Juarez agreed to a deal similar to what I had in this TL in 1861 but it was Congress which refused to accept.
Which, aside to show as desperate was Juarez, that the US Congress had refused, IMO, 'd be possible that it'd had saved him from the aforementioned probable consequences. Which, IMO again, would turn the whole ongoing political and military situation in ITTL Mexico more chaotic and even more unforeseeable than OTL.
 
Chapter 26
December, 1862

London


Having written articles for several years for the New York Tribune, Karl Marx and his friend Frederick Engels would, once again, be put under government scrutiny after a series of articles condemned the war with America as a feudal war of oppression. He called for workers to rise up against the slavers. Having lived in London for over a decade, this was a step too far.

Marx and Engels were arrested and deported back to their homeland: Prussia.

Immediately, the radicals were imprisoned by the reactionary Prussian government.

Englishmen still had the right to protest....to an extent. Foreigners were only tolerated until they weren't.

New York

Dozens of American warships had spent the past months almost straining to get at the British fleet at the harbor mouth of New York. But orders were orders and instead, the naval commanders worked hard to coordinate a defense with the assorted fortifications throughout the expansive harbor, Forts Hamilton, Shuyler, Tompkins, Sandy Hook and Richmond.

General McClellan had worked assiduously to build up the fortifications but the massive harbor could not be covered from all angles.

Over the course of the past years, the Union shipbuilders in St. Louis, Cincinnati, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities had been designing new ironclads (mostly river monitors) or converting merchant ships to armored vessels.

New York Harbor included several of these including the armored gunboat USS Naugatuck, the newly completed Passaic-class USS Montauk and several other conventional ships to which armor plating had been added.

However, the dozens of American ships had little on the massive fleet of ocean-going vessels dispatched by the British. But convinced of their technological superiority after the victory of the Chesapeake, the American sailors, working well with McClellan's fortifications, felt they could defend New York if necessary.

Orders finally arrived from Britain. The Americans must be taught a lesson.

New York harbor had a habit of freezing over for long periods, thus the attack must occur now. The British fleet entered the harbor with the Black Prince at the head and the Americans foolishly left the relative safety of the Forts. This was a significant error bourn out of arrogance.

The British fleet would tear through the weaker and small American ships almost at will. The Montauk's green crew had barely managed to learn how to steer when they were ordered into battle.

The Union Ironclads were mostly intended for rivers. Even the waves of the Harbor put the heavy, slow ships at risk. The lack of speed proved critical as the battle became a free for all. Those Union ships who survived the few hour would take the strategy of steering near assorted landward defenses in hopes of receiving aid.

Within 4 hours, the bulk of the Union fleet had been sunk or taken. The Montauk sank, though it was uncertain if it was even enemy fire which caused the loss as no survivors emerged from the frigid waters. The Naugatuck was severely damaged and forced to beach under the dubious protection of Fort Richmond.

Still in a frenzy, the British ships began targeting even unarmed merchants an anchor. Finally, the Royal Navy vessels committed a terrible atrocity. Avoiding the American landward fortifications, the British ships sought revenge for the humiliation in the Chesapeake. Cannonballs heated in onboard furnaces were launched into the center of Manhattan. Within hours, much of Manhattan was burning in a conflagration that made the Great New York fires of 1845, 1835 and 1817 look like mere cooking fires.

After a 14 hour assault which left dozens of ships burning or sinking and a great city ablaze, the British determined they'd done enough. The weather was turning too cold to maintain the blockade with so many ships. Sailing for Halifax and winter quarters, the Royal Navy retreated having taught the Americans a lesson.
 
That's gonna be the end of Canada being a British holding. Burning New York City like that will destroy any future alliances for damn near a century. Especially during a Civil War.
 
Britain has earned America's unending hatred. Also given the Civil War going like this, chances of the South reconciling are iffy. America will annex Canada and buy Alaska, and then they will reconstruct the South properly. Ain't no Jim Crow, ain't no Lost Cause here.
 
After a 14 hour assault which left dozens of ships burning or sinking and a great city ablaze, the British determined they'd done enough. The weather was turning too cold to maintain the blockade with so many ships. Sailing for Halifax and winter quarters, the Royal Navy retreated having taught the Americans a lesson.
Lincoln: "Oh, now you have gone and done it. When I'm finished with you, there won't be a British Empire anymore!"

Beware, beware, the Emancipator comes...
 
Chapter 27
December 25, 1862

Vicksburg


With deep satisfaction, the commander of the Western Theater would dispatch a message to Washington.

"I present a gift to the President of Vicksburg. The Union now controls the Mississippi from her headwaters to her delta. Ulysses Grant."

Unfortunately for the General, the long awaited victory would not bring Lincoln much joy.

New Jersey

Robert Lee gazed across the Hudson upon the billowing clouds of smoke erupting from Manhattan. He'd resented his son asking him to be away from Virginia for Christmas on an errand to help the Department of War's prisoner section. By happenstance, he'd bourn witness to dozens of British ships fire what had to have been thousands of "hot shot" into the defenseless city.

There was no military purpose, just petty revenge.

Lee had suffered terribly knowing that he could serve his country (Virginia) during the war. But knowing that Virginia had been conquered and was no longer in peril had placated the old Virginia's mind.

Seeing this crime before him only open up the wounds.

For the first time in 2 years, Lee was not conflicted. He would take the next train to Washington and belatedly take up Lincoln on his offer.

January 1863

Charleston


Leonidas Polk, despite having 30,000 men under his command, would choose against defending Charleston. The city was difficult to defend from the landward side and he had no interest in backing himself into a corner. Thus Polk would leave the cradle of the Confederacy to its fate.

South Carolina had not been popular in the North for two years. Receiving news of the burning of New York only sparked the rage of Union troops to a previously unknown degree.

A vengeful Union army under Kearny would no be so forgiving to South Carolina than they had been to the civilian populations of North Carolina and Virginia. Blamed for starting a bloody two-year war cost over a quarter million lives to combat and disease, the Union would wreak havoc throughout South Carolina. Great plantations were put to the torch out of spite. Entire cities were burned. Columbia was put to the torch by Sheridan and Charleston would follow when Kearny entered the environs of the port city. Attempts by the local garrison to defend would only enrage the Union troops further.

A week after investing the city, the Union force broke through. Soon, barely two bricks stood together.

Atlanta

During his long retreat from Wilmington, Beauregard had despaired for the people of the South in the aftermath of the Lost Cause. Slaves travelling north barely bothered to conceal their movements. The entirety of the Confederacy seemed to know what was happening.

Beauregard was moderately surprised that Charleston was not more vigorously defended. While the soldier understood the tactical decision, retreating from state after state would no doubt reduce the morale of an army to unprecedented levels. While loathing the concept, Beauregard could not help but notice that the remaining Confederate armies of Bragg, Longstreet and Polk now pulling back into Georgia numbered less than 60,000 hungry scarecrows in threadbare clothing. Unpaid for months (not that the Confederate currency was worth much).

Almost hilariously, a British squadron managed to break the Union blockade of one of the smaller port cities and purchased a large quantity of cotton from the warehouses. In trade, they offered nearly a hundred cannon and a quantity of gold. However, the cannon did not come with any shot, shell or powder and would eventually still be sitting on the docks when the Union army arrived a few weeks later.

Beauregard's mirth was somewhat dampened by the company he was forced to keep over the past weeks. The Booth brothers had been sent to Britain as part of an embassy to reduce the then-simmering tensions between Britain and America (obviously failed). The Booths would ironically get passage home on a Confederate ship as Britain's hostility made Union transport more perilous.

Somehow, the Booths, minus Junius, would travel in his entourage south. John Booth was something of a loud-mouthed martinet (which is amusing given Beauregard was considered an effete dandy himself) and an ardent pro-Southerner. For reasons Beauregard could not comprehend, both John and his obviously pro-Union brother Edwin travelled south with the retreating Confederates. Apparently, John talked his brother into it somehow. Edwin was a Tragedist to John's comedy and was prone to fits of depression.

By January, the remnants of the Confederate armies were converging upon Georgia's borders under command of Bragg, Polk and Longstreet. Like Beauregard himself, all of these men had seen their home states occupied. Only Georgia and Florida were relatively unscathed.

Also arriving was the news of the fall of Vicksburg and the destruction of New York.

The former meant that Grant would no doubt be marching east soon himself.

The latter, though it provoked a few cheers, jokes, etc....was perhaps worse news as it would only enrage the Union forces (as the burning of Charleston would evidence) and ensure the harshest of measures to the Confederacy.

Beauregard, like most of the men present, knew the cause was lost. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were already being freed. Even if some miracle occurred, like the entire British and French armies arriving in Savannah the following week, the old plantation lifestyle was likely forever altered. And, of course, Beauregard knew that no help was coming from Europe. Britain dithered for far too long and France never cared about the Confederacy at all. The were just buzzards feeding off of Britain's scraps.

Naturally, the remnant of the Confederate government that arrived in Atlanta, the remaining Generals and the luminaries of Georgia gathered in the Georgia Capital building and commenced arguing. Plenty of men gave grandiose speeches on fighting to the last and countering overwhelming numbers and material with superior southern "elan"....then quietly wondered what kind of peace they may expect.
 
I wouldn't be shocked if some of the Canadians see the writing on the wall and start preparing for annexation.
 
Yes yes! With the South being blamed for New York burning we will see a vengeful North crushing them underfoot, breaking slavery properly. No sharecropping BS no Jim Crow. The South will be properly punished for their treason and Federal troops will be sitting there for decades. This will ensure a moderate voterbase comes into power and ensures Republican dominance of politics for several years(ironically this is something to hope for given the Republicans are the better party at this time) and prevent Jim Crow and segregation etc.

In the other direction, vengeful America will not stop until Canada is taken entirely and annexed. With Alaska so close they either but it from Russia or seize it by force. This United States basically doubles in size, breaks the Confederates properly and hates Britain. What an interesting and potentially better US than OTL.
 
In the other direction, vengeful America will not stop until Canada is taken entirely and annexed. With Alaska so close they either but it from Russia or seize it by force. This United States basically doubles in size, breaks the Confederates properly and hates Britain. What an interesting and potentially better US than OTL.
I wonder if the Russians might sell them it on the cheap for help with getting some tooling set up for arms factories?
 
I wonder if the Russians might sell them it on the cheap for help with getting some tooling set up for arms factories?
Maybe given Russia also hates Britain and at this time they had good relations with each other. In any case Britain messed up bad and will fall hard.

As for Europe I honestly think Russia is intervening against France and Austria. Not only do they have a secret pact with Prussia for that scenario they hate France for Crimean War and Austria for abandoning them in said war. This war likely sees German unification with Russia maybe taking Galicia-Lodomeria and maybe even annexing Romania given the short timespan since Crimea when they were a protectorate.
 
Maybe given Russia also hates Britain and at this time they had good relations with each other. In any case Britain messed up bad and will fall hard.
Wouldn't be surprised if many European powers offer somewhat favorable loans to America to repair their country after all is said and done, anything to damage long-term British goals. The other thing that I can see happening is the Bureau of Ordnance trying to speed up their research into the needle rifles. There's no chance the Americans will ever allow a weak military after what just happened to New York, even the Southerners know by now.
 
Maybe given Russia also hates Britain and at this time they had good relations with each other. In any case Britain messed up bad and will fall hard.

As for Europe I honestly think Russia is intervening against France and Austria. Not only do they have a secret pact with Prussia for that scenario they hate France for Crimean War and Austria for abandoning them in said war. This war likely sees German unification with Russia maybe taking Galicia-Lodomeria and maybe even annexing Romania given the short timespan since Crimea when they were a protectorate.
Russia would not have to actually intervene to give Austria a bad time - just mobilize some forces on the border and make threatening moves. Though the best time to do so would have been before the Prussians beat back the Austrian attack. Of course at the end of the day, Russia would benefit from a central Europe where Prussia and Austria are balanced against each other, but the bad feelings caused by Austria's role in the Crimean war seems to have prevented Russia from realizing this in OTL, so the odds are the same thing would happen here.
 
For the first time in 2 years, Lee was not conflicted. He would take the next train to Washington and belatedly take up Lincoln on his offer.
Great plantations were put to the torch out of spite. Entire cities were burned.
Lee: "They are calling it The Rape of New York... My son was nowhere close to Manhattan when it happened, but many others weren't so fortunate. I know plenty of people in the South that lost family or friends in that blasted fire."
Lincoln: "I assure you, the British will answer for their act of barbarism. In fact, I'm counting on you-"
Lee: "And what about the barbarism of some of the Union generals, Mr. President?"
Lincoln: "...I suggest you to choose your next words very carefully."
Lee: "In their righteous anger for the British crimes, Federal troops are commiting quite similar actions. What happened in Columbia and Charleston-"
Lincoln: "They were rebels and they were resisting. Some say, cheering for what their British allies did."
Lee: "What allies, Mr. President? What did they do for the South? Too little, too late... I assure you, there is no love for Britain there."
Lincoln: "We did not start this war, but we shall finish it by any means necessary. The rebels made their bed, now they get to lay in it. Some would say they had it coming-"
Lee: "Your generals are burning down American cities!"
Lincoln: "..."
Lee: "New York was not an attack on the North, it was an attack on the whole Nation... We already have many wounds to heal. Please, don't make it even worse! Not when we have yet to face a greater and common foe."
 
Chapter 28
January, 1863

Washington DC


Lincoln glowered at the British diplomat, who sweated under his jacket despite the harsh cold of the day.

"Do you know why I did not declare war upon Her Majesty when the Government of Great Britain chose to do so with us, Sir?"

The diplomat shook his head.

"It was because that I believed that the half century of good relations between American and Great Britain outweighed a fit of pique. Even when your warships blockaded New York and Boston, I spent months holding off my own Congress in order to give diplomacy a chance!"

Lincoln clearly did not want to be interrupted.

"Lord Lyons was a good man. I would happily hang whoever murdered him. I believe he would be shamed that Her Majesty's government used his death as a pretense for war."

Just getting into his rage, the normally even-tempered Lincoln railed, "Even when the "blockade" as you call it, turned into an open attack in the Chesapeake in an obvious attempt to aid a slavocracy., I still withstood public harangues by my OWN SUPPORTERS to declare war in hopes that level heads could prevail."

"But then you damned people burned a defenseless Manhattan," Lincoln declared coldly.

The result was obvious. By best estimates, half of Manhattan's buildings had burned. Thousands were dead, maybe tens of thousands. Nearly 300,000 people were homeless and being spread throughout the surrounding areas in search of shelter. McClellan, McDowell and Hallock had been tasked to use all local forces and the huge numbers of recruits in New York to build shelters. The nation's charities would be strained to the breaking point. Many of the homeless and destitute were Irish, the same people who arrived on these shores with little more. The city's expanding population of freedmen were also among the hardest hit.

"Well, Mr. Interim Ambassador, your government determined to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy because it felt perhaps a united America may become a threat to your precious Empire in the future?" His eyes flashed, "Please don't insult me by trying to state Great Britain was so terribly offended by the stopping of a few ships and the tragic death of Lord Lyons that this cause Her Majesty to draw her dainty sword?"

Even the diplomat could not bring himself to state as such.

"Well, Mr. Interim Ambassador, I fear your nation has created an enemy out of nothing. Per the resolution of Congress this morning, WE NOW DECLARE WAR UPON YOU!"

As the attack on New York had occurred over Christmas, much of Congress was not in Washington. However, the President's call for an early vote for war brought adequate numbers back for a vote. The House alone voted 100 to 3 in favor. Lincoln handed the formal declaration to the man and noted that he had another appointment. Taking his cue, the inexperienced deputy to the late Lord Lyons stumbled out of the room having barely said a word.

It took a long moment for Lincoln to compose himself. The destruction of so much of Manhattan cost millions upon millions in property damage and cost thousands of lives. Who knew how many more would come from exposure during the winter?

Finally, his Secretary brought in his next appointment and Lincoln smiled, "Ah, Colonel.....er, my apologies. MAJOR GENERAL Lee."

The Virginian shook the President's hand, still looking a bit out of place in the blue uniform he'd once been so comfortable within. Having witnessed the destruction of the American economic capital firsthand, Lee finally agreed to accept a commission. Virtually every high level officer in Washington had recommended the man as well as both Grant and Thomas out west, the Federal pursuit of Lee became almost a standing joke in Capital.

"Thank you, Sir," Lee replied in his elegant Virginia accent. "I regret that I was unable to accept until now."

"All in the past, sir," Lincoln replied. He then made the standard polite inquiries regarding Lee's wife (her arthritis was acting up) and children (his sons were making do, the eldest now in charge of Confederate prison camp inspections). Lee's second son was dealing with the loss of slaves on his plantation (mostly not freed by the Emancipation Proclamation but his material grandfather's will). His third son was joining the Union army as a Lieutenant that very day.

"General," Lincoln finally got down to business, "with the Confederacy currently down to one or two states still under rebellion, I believe that we may turn our attention upo our British friends." He pointed to a map on his desk. "General Fremont out in California has been given orders to prepare the entire summer and fall for an invasion of Her Majesty's lands bordering the Pacific. After the Christmas attack, I wired Fremont to commence that attack at literally the earliest moment. The weather is fair on the coast and Fremont resentful of not getting into the war. He states that he can take the lightly populated and defended region in no time, the only matter is if the British have powerful enough warships in the area. Fremont says he'd take the coast either way, it just may take a bit longer to do so by land."

Lee nodded. He had never served in the region but had spoken to many who had.

"I'm dispatching several experienced brigades to the border towns of Detroit, Buffalo and Plattsburg as well as a number of the newly raised regiments," Lincoln looked up and noted, "There will be no more raising full regiments when the previous ones were worn out. That was Stantons decision as he expected the war to be measured in months. The South were bright enough to use new recruits to fill out the gaps in previous regiments, thus allowing a a mix of veterans to educate the newbies."

"I must concur," Lee replied evenly. He thought it was a stupid policy too. "I suspect many battles would have gone better for the Union had Stanton not made such a directive. A thousand raw recruits is not a regiment but a mob."

Lincoln pointed to the map and stated, "This, however, must be the priority. Portland. This is the end of the Grand Trunk Railroad through which much of Canada's trade must pass. There has been talk of Britain and Canada developing a series of locks through the St. Lawrence....indeed, America had been approached as part of the initiative....but prior to the war, nothing was accomplished. It must have been disconcerting that so much of Canada's lifeline to the world revolved around this little American port."

"You are expecting an attack?" It was as much a statement as a question.

"Yes, I believe that the British are finally desperate enough to face us on land. I wish you to go north with another 10,000 men to augment the Maine garrison," Lincoln replied. "You are in complete command. Once there, I want you not only to prepare for defense but, by spring, have a plan to advance to the Maritimes and bring an end to British North America."

"I shall do my best, sir."

"I have no doubt, General, I have no doubt."

25 miles west of Atlanta

General Grant felt somewhat guilty of resuming control over Thomas' army. For months, the man had done brilliant work driving Bragg eastward through Mississippi and Alabama. Having taken Vicksburg, Grant followed as quickly as he could with a reinforced Corps intent on being in at the death of the Confederacy. However, General George Thomas was not a vain man and made no complaint of resuming his previous role as second in command of the Western Theater Forces as they moved east.

A joke went about the campfires of a race to the tip of Florida between Grant, Sheridan and Kearny. Grant didn't halt the laughter as it showed the improved morale.

Crossing into Georgia with little resistance, Grant was certain he'd beaten Sheridan and Kearny to the new Confederate Capital. However a day or two's march out, his advance column met a Confederate force bearing a white flag. Fearing some sort of ruse, Grant spread out his forces to avoid a flank. At is happened, the bearer of the flag was quite well known to him.

"PETE!" Grant called out in joy, shaking James "PETE" Longstreet's hand. The South Carolinian had been best man at his wedding. "I'm glad to find you alive and well, though many of the Union men whose swords you cross may disagree."

"I imagine that many Confederates out west would say the same about you, Sam," his old friend replied easily. "And this must be General Thomas of whom I've heard so much."

Thomas nodded politely, "I believe we may have met in Washington some years ago, sir. And in Indiana before that."

"I apologize for not remembering, if that is correct, sir."

"Not at all."

The officers sat and spoke of old friends, many now dead.

Finally the men got down to the matter of it, "What can I do for you, Pete?" Grant inquired.

"Accept my surrender," Longstreet replied evenly, only a slight hint of regret in his voice. "After the events in Atlanta, I see no reason that a single further man in my command lose his life for this cause."

"Events in Atlanta?"

Longstreet offered an incredulous look, "You don't know?"

Grant and Thomas exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Spitting out a bitter laugh, Longstreet stated, "Atlanta is destroyed. If it had been you who did it, I would feel better. What happened is far stranger and vomit-inducing than losing the city to an enemy's torch......"

Longstreet went on to describe an incident almost impossible to believe.

Two weeks earlier, the bulk of three Confederate armies, the only ones in existence of any note (Kirby still had about 10,000 in central Texas at this point) left in the Confederacy. Most of the other Confederates in uniform were stationed in port city garrisons.

Bragg arrived from Alabama, Longstreet from western North Carolina and and Polk from South Carolina. Even Beauregard showed up from Wilmington's garrison, for some reason travelling with two actors from Maryland.

Almost immediately, the assorted Generals fell into quarrel about the next step and, taking FAR more time, assigning blame to how the Confederacy came to this. Just when you think the unprofessional conduct could not get worse, the Confederate Cabinet entered followed by the Georgia government.

Georgia, in particular had been resistant to any commands, demands and requisitions from Richmond since the start of the war, her governor Joe Brown always claiming "State's rights". Georgia's two Senators, Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs had served as the Confederacy's first two Secretary of States but eventually resigned after disagreements with Jefferson Davis. The three Georgians used the opportunity to lambast Davis' leadership as the cause of Southern Peril and demanded he ordered the remaining Confederate forces to protect the borders of Georgia.

Naturally, this was not well received by Davis who made his own accusations.

Then, the conference broke down as assorted Generals and politicians made impromptu speeches about fighting to the last man only to later recommend coming to terms, surrendering outright or fleeing the continent. Whenever one man pointed out the hopelessness of the military situation (nearly 150,000 men were converging on Georgian borders from three directions), another man would use the opportunity to build themselves up by calling the man a coward. Then, a short time later, when those same Patriotic men conceded victory was impossible, the men they accused of cowardice were happy to throw their words back upon them.

At length, one of the actors, the elder Edwin Booth, asked to speak and was granted permission. It wasn't until this point that most of the attendees learned Edwin was a diehard Unionist and most wondered why the hell he was there (not that it mattered in any way given the military situation). Edwin gave a moving speech pointing out that Lincoln has always stated he would give a "soft peace" to the rebels and that the mass exodus of slaves from the remaining Confederacy pointed to the fact that the very issue the war had been fought over (not "STATE'S RIGHTS" as was commonly called) had become a moot point.

He inquired how many lives must be lost on both sides merely for the pride of a few great men. Longstreet could not help but agree at the time. Even Davis was moved.

Then, the younger brother, John asked to speak. In an over-the-top oratory, he expounded upon the superiority of the southern man and the plantation way of life. He believed that soon the tide would turn and the South would "rise again". He then called anyone willing to seek peace or flee the country a "coward".

This was evidently too much for Nathan Bedford Forrest, possibly the most deadly and toughest man in either uniform. Wounded a dozen times in as many engagements, his ferocity knew no bounds. Hearing some effete, pretentious ACTOR referring to men who'd spent the past two years fighting as "cowards" was plainly too much. The Fire-eater of all Fire-eaters gripped Booth by the throat, lifted him six inches off his feet and inquired in a low growl, "Sir, if you are so patriotic towards southern interests, may I inquire why YOU didn't enlist in the army? What great deeds did YOU commit on behalf of the Confederacy?"

Booth visibly blanched, unable to speak as his legs kicked vainly in the air. At length, the elder stated in a dead monotone, "General Forrest, is this worth your time?"

The cavalryman thought for a moment, looked at the younger Booth in disgust and let the man fall bodily to the floor. He then turned his back upon the assembled politicians and Generals and stalked out, never to return.

Finally, after several more rounds of mutual recriminations and accusations of cowardice, it became apparent that the government had collapsed. Perhaps his broke Davis more than any defeat on the battlefield. He stated in a somber tone (Davis had endured repeated fits of blindness over the past two years due to ill-health and stress), "Gentlemen, I fear that our cause is lost. Perhaps it IS best for us to depart these shores? The Yankees will not occupy the south forever. Eventually, they will tire of the expense and trouble and perhaps then the Confederacy can be reborn. The gold received last week from the British should allow any of you gentlemen a comfortable exile in Europe or......."

John Wilkes Booth, still struggling to regain his breath and, more importantly, his dignity, would be aghast that the Confederate President was openly preparing to abandon his government, his people and, most importantly, his way of life.

Pulling a revolver from his jacket, the Actor cried out "Traitor! Let you rot with Cassius and Brutus and Judas in the lowest rung of hell!"

He fired a round from ten feet away. His elder brother, Edwin, acted without thought and threw himself at the Confederate President. The bullet entered his back just below the heart and he fell heavily upon Davis. Beauregard was closest to the younger Booth and wrestled the gun downward. Unfortunately, Booth got off another shot, this one hitting Beauregard in the leg. Though more than a bit of a dandy, that did not make Beauregard any less tough. He twisted Booth's wrist until it snapped and the gun dropped into Beauregard's hand. Still standing upon his trembling wounded leg, the Louisianan calmly turned the gun on John Wilkes Booth (who now sit sprawled upon the floor looking at his shattered wrist) and shot him in the base of the neck, killing him instantly.

Longstreet would pull Edwin Booth off the President only to see the man's eyes glazing over in death. He breathed a few more times and then no more.

Davis, shaken, was pulled from the room and never returned. Hours later it was reported he had departed from the coast.

Things only went downhill from there. Bragg and Polk, more out of rivalry and personal hatred than any concrete plan, claimed command of all local armies. Whether they intended to fight the Yankees further without benefit of a government or surrender on their own remained unclear. Partisans from both would start battling in the street.

Meanwhile, Governor Brown of Georgia, his allies Toombs and Stephens, and native Georgian General Hardee would see the damage caused to the Capital and attempt to drive the "foreigners" out. Again, no one knew if they wanted to fight Georgia's enemies alone or if they wanted to surrender on their own terms. It was somewhat confused. But a street battle would result in a conflagration which set much of Atlanta ablaze.

What was NOT under debate was the last semblance of Confederate government had collapsed into anarchy and Longstreet had no interest in waiting around. He gathered up his forces, now down to about 12,000 men, and marched westwards toward Grant and Thomas.

With a flourish, Longstreet finished recounting the story to a stunned Union audience. It all seemed so absurd and Thomas stated that.

"Isn't all war absurd, General?" Longstreet replied wryly. Turning serious, he stated, "My men, mostly Alabamans, Mississippians, Virginians and Tennesseans, by now, only want to go home. From what I see in Atlanta, the war is over even if there is no one in authority to declare it so. What are your terms?"

Grant nodded, happy that the long war appeared to be over, offered surprisingly gentle terms to his old friend. The Confederates would be disarmed, of course, but none would be sent to interment camps. They would be granted provisions, medical care and passes to return home through Union lines. Most would be given an escort in Union supply trains transporting wounded to functioning rail stations at which point the Confederates may go any direction they wished on parole. Officers may keep their swords, side-arms and other personal property.

Grant, when learning that many of the cavalry rode their own mounts, not Confederate issued, agreed that they may take these horses home as well to "help with the spring planting". Thinking about the matter more, Grant would assign Union cavalry to the escort as some trigger-happy Blue-bellies may not take the time to ask why so many Rebs were wandering about. Grant even offered a few dollars in Union script should the Confederates need to purchase a meal or two on their travels home.

Longstreet's eyes watered in gratitude and relief.

The senior officers, of course, would be required to travel to Washington to personally present their surrender and seek pardons, etc. Grant stated that he was sure, after an interview or two, when the officers signed their parole, that they would be free to go where they like. A few senior officers were exempted from this task to retain control over the Confederate men during the long march home.

Longstreet, his cavalry commander the Virginian Jeb Stuart and a dozen or so senior officers would accompany General Buford to Washington where they would present the government with their surrender.

Then, Grant and Thomas proceeded east, uncertain of what they would find in Atlanta. It would turn out Sheridan beat them there and the feuding Confederates had accidentally burned it to the ground already. The Confederate national government was nowhere to be seen. The Georgian government had retreated to Savannah. While the evaporating armies of Bragg and Polk had retreated to northern Florida, firing occasional verbal and, on more than one occasion, actual cannonballs upon one another as they argued about who commanded the 20,000 or so starving Confederate soldiers stumbling southwards.

Given that any local personage of authority had departed days before, the city of Atlanta was surrendered by the senior Confederate present, General P.T. Beauregard whom was recovering from his leg wound inflicted by John Wilkes Booth.
 
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I wonder if they'll bring Sherman up North to be part of Lee's staff? That would be a hell of a joke to a time traveller, I assume the staff he'll put together will be unique.
 
I wonder if they'll bring Sherman up North to be part of Lee's staff? That would be a hell of a joke to a time traveller, I assume the staff he'll put together will be unique.

Not as much as you would think. In OTL he really was the first president of LSU. In fact, the LSU ROTC building has two of the cannons from the battle of Fort Sumter.
 
Longstreet and Grant weren't just friends, they were related to each Other as in-laws. Julia Grant was a cousin to Longstreet.
 
Longstreet and Grant weren't just friends, they were related to each Other as in-laws. Julia Grant was a cousin to Longstreet.

Longstreet and Beauregard are my favorite Confederates. Both of them sided with the good guys during Reconstruction (especially Longstreet).
 
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