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.