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

[Alt History Buff]

January, 1891

Saskatoon

The Territory of Saskatchewan had spent over a year preparing for its formal request for admission to the Union. It had been delayed not for any reason in Washington but due to an internal dispute of the Territorial Legislature regarding the Capital. Saskatoon had long been the territorial capital but many residents believed Edmonton would make a batter long-term site. Naturally, this resulted in regional rivalries that spilled over to the application. Until that matter was resolved, the application had been put on hold.

February, 1891

Managua

The city of Managua had been selected as the capital of Nicaragua as a compromise between the elites of Leon (north) and Granada (south). Most of Nicaragua's population lay in the western (Pacific) part of the country near the great inland lakes of Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua.

By the 1890's, the two feuding cities would, once again, divide over political differences. Thirty years of military rule didn't help either.

With the annexation of Guatemala and British Honduras to Mexico and the approach of Honduras as well for union, the elites of Leon, long excluded from power, would begin to explore possible unification with Mexico as well.

March, 1891

Cordoba

Within months of the first approach, the proposed (and perhaps unnatural) alliance between Chile and the Argentine collapsed. This was not due to regional rivalries directly....but the very fact that Chile got a better offer.

Throughout the winter of 1890-91, the French diplomats had busily organized an alliance with Brazil (and her client state in Paraguay) in hopes of reestablishing their hegemony in South America. The border conflict over Gran Chaco seemed unlikely to end any time soon and Brazil wanted some allies should yet another war erupt.

Chile, which didn't really care about Gran Chaco, actually was more interested in claiming the Bolivian Litoral Department (which the United States had prevented Chile from conquering) and perhaps even further north along coastal Peru. Unlike most of the regional nations, Brazil and Chile did not have any direct conflicts of interest. Alliances had been built on less.

Thus, almost overnight, the Balance of Power in South America rapidly changed as the two most powerful economic and military nations on the continent aligned with one another....and France and Italy.

 

[Memo777]

If I recall correctly, I did so in order to give America a bit more access to coastal towns at the north end of the Bay of California.

I mean the area is gonna be pretty desolate specially as Tijuana as a major city has evaporated as even if the prohibition still occurs it’s gonna move to other areas and Baja by itself lacks resources and farmable land to see any type of growth in the area in that aspect while the Magdalena bay could make for a really nice port how far away it is from any population center plus it needing to pass trough mountainous terrain kills it as an economic port

 

[Alt History Buff]

April, 1891

Moscow

Czar Nicolas II and Czarina Maria Feodorovna (of Denmark) would prove to have an exceptionally happy marriage. However, the nine children born of his marriage, only one, Tsarevich Alexander, would be morn male and he would die at age three of influenza. However, seven of their eight daughters yet lived, the eldest being Princess Anna. Intelligent and serious, the Princess' virtues made up somewhat for her incorrect gender.

However, the Czar and Czarina were deeply fond of their daughters and the Czar, in a bit of a departure from 18th century Royal doctrine, held no reservations upon his daughter someday becoming his heiress.

Now 22, the Czar was inclined to find a husband for Anna (and her younger sisters). However, he knew that he could not just pick ANYONE as the future Czarina Anna's spouse would likely have great influence in Russia. This largely eliminated a local Romanov Prince or nobleman as this would create an uproar among the noble classes should one faction be favored over the rest. The Czar also did not care for even more incest in the Royal bloodline. A foreign prince was preferred if only for domestic peace.

May, 1891

Kingdom of Morocco

Since the acquisition of so much of Northern Africa, the King of Morocco occasionally struggled to keep the tribal and ethnic strife under control.

In 1891, the long series of minor insurrections were somewhat complicated when French weapons were discovered in the hands of local Berber tribesmen. Another large stash of weapons and ammunition would be discovered in Tunis, this one with actual paperwork leading back to Italy.

The King would immediately appeal to Great Britain for support, protesting that the Latin Alliance was actively supporting rebels in Morocco. The French and Italian attempts to regain a foothold in Africa had been a matter of public record for years and few doubted that the Latin Alliance would have been happy to arrange a rebellion in some corner of Morocco and then claim it as a "Protectorate".

Immediately, Great Britain offered aid to the King of Morocco and quietly warned France and Italy from further attempts to create unrest. The latter nations, naturally, denied any wrongdoing.

June, 1891

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The new city of Addis Ababa had been recognized only a few years before but was already a vital economic cog. The new railway to the coast ran directly to it.

However, the local northern Dir Somali Sultan (though only a few tens of thousands of people resided in that region so "Sultan" was a bit of a stretch), would seek to overthrow their Ethiopian overlords by enticing French support.

Unlike the King of Morocco, Emperor Yohandas would be ruthless in his suppression. The northern Somalis, Muslim almost to a man, would be wiped out or forcibly evicted south towards the Horn of Africa where Ethiopian overlordship was less pronounced.

French dignitaries would decry this mass slaughter to the world, making the Emperor out to be a monster....and making their own claim to the bulk of the Somali lands as their own "protector".

Embarrassed by their ally's actions, Great Britain could only weakly reply that they would not allow French presence in East Africa.

July, 1891

Calcutta

The new Viceroy of India would spend his first four years engaging in many structural reforms - expanding schooling, infrastructure improvements, railroad construction, etc - but the Viceroy was NOT a man interested in further concessions of political power. There had been no semblance of democracy in India prior to British conquest. The subcontinent was a mass of petty potentates and religious strife. Great Britain had ENDED this and India prospered in a way never before seen via use of European technology and British organization. Few would debate this.

But now?

The Indians were claiming the same rights as Australia, the Cape Colony and the Maritimes to govern themselves. There could be no doubt that, if given actual power, the Indians would declare full Independence.....and then fall upon themselves in a fratricidal slaughter.

Though Lansdowne could not reverse previous decisions to place Indians on the various governing councils and assorted higher positions....but he could slow the expansion to a crawl. by 1891, four years after his appointment, the rapid progress of Indian administrators and politicians had slowed to a crawl despite the rapid proliferation of college educated Indians emerging from newly founded Universities.

The result was predictable and a series of protests and strikes would plague the Viceroy through the early 1890's.

 

[Alt History Buff]

I mean the area is gonna be pretty desolate specially as Tijuana as a major city has evaporated as even if the prohibition still occurs it’s gonna move to other areas and Baja by itself lacks resources and farmable land to see any type of growth in the area in that aspect while the Magdalena bay could make for a really nice port how far away it is from any population center plus it needing to pass trough mountainous terrain kills it as an economic port

I was thinking more along the lines of interest in a naval base.

 

[Alt History Buff]

 

[Alt History Buff]

August 1891

Edmonton, State of Saskatchewan

Having finally resolved their internal dispute regarding the Capital, the Saskatchewan Territory would become the 58th State in the Union. In only about a decade, the region went from fewer than 5000 non-native residents to over 170,000.

Many Americans suspected that this would be the last American state to join the Union as few of the remaining North American territories - Lower California, Vancouver, the Yukon, etc - were likely to ever reach the necessary population requirements.

Guyana

As for overseas possessions, it was even more questionable that Samoa or the assorted glut of lands along the Guyana Shield or seized from Venezuela would reach self-government. Guyana was remove and impassible, as was most of the Venezuelan territories. Only the lowland region seized from Venezuela north of the Orinoco River seemed a good candidate for populating. But here, there was a light population of Mestizos and Indians. To settle the region, the old Caudillo plantations were divided up among the local peasants and a settlement program of Americans. Plots were offered first to soldiers and then to other Americans.

The local Indians, mostly south of the River in the highlands of the old Amazonas and Bolivar states, would negotiate their own reservations under terms never offered by Venezuela. Similarly, huge swathes of land in Amazonas and Bolivar were explored by American expeditions and would eventually be segregated into vast National Parks.

By 1891, over 20,000 Americans, Guyanans and various non-Spanish-speaking settlers would arrive along the northern shores of the Orinoco. Here, most of the regional American soldiers would similarly be barracked (and lay claim to homesteads) in this area. Plots would be allocated to those soldiers but, as they remained on duty, most leased out the land to neighbors to graze cattle. The income barely covered taxes but, like most men of the 19th century, merely owning land was considered a mark of achievement even if it turned out to be useless.

Marriages, naturally, would become common between local mestizo women and the American soldiers and disproportionately male settlers.


Bombay

Having seen the Indian national movement stall, Bal Gandaghar Tilak would invite a series of high level Indian nationalists to his home in Bombay to organize a nation-wide boycott of British goods, wide-reaching strikes, etc which was not to halt until full "Home Rule" was granted to India.

 

[Alt History Buff]

September, 1891

London

Secretary of Indian Affairs Lord Randolph Churchill was something of a mercurial personality. He had spent years agitating against Gladstone on behalf of the Conservatives and his speeches often garnered public support.

On a personal level, the Secretary was witty, sarcastic, offensive, vindictive and a host of other terms of less than endearment. While publicly popular (usually), he irritated his colleagues to the point where Lord Salisbury was happy to give Churchill Indian Affairs of only to reduce his influence on wider British Ministry policies.

It has been Churchill's recommendation that Lansdowne had been appointed Viceroy of India (If Salisbury thought Churchill would accept, he would have happily sent Churchill to the other side of the world himself) and Churchill fully supported Lansdowne bringing political change to a halt. Funds initially intended to for infrastructure improvements were moved instead to the Indian Army.

Churchill also full supported the idea of arresting as many Indian political agitators as possible.

Springfield, Illinois

Ex-President Abraham Lincoln had returned to America after a two year world tour in 1890 but was soon finding his hometown to be somewhat.....dull. Now into his 70's, Lincoln had seen the world to an extent the lad born into a log cabin in 1809 could scarcely comprehend. He'd been feted by King, Chieftains, Viceroys, Prime MInisters, Emperors and Presidents during the extended voyage from Africa, Morocco, Egypt, the Holy Lands, India, Southeast Asia, China, Australia and Hawaii with his old friend, Frederick Douglass.

Though exhausted by the travel...he was also exhilarated. Being home to say hello to old friends was one thing......but spending his days acting as a consultant on petty local lawsuits and overseeing the status of the railroad and banking stock he had accumulated by sitting on various Boards (this was how he afforded his long voyage) did not seem a fine way to go out into the night.

Throughout his house were the gifts and mementos accumulated in his travels:

Under glass was a silk banner from the Mandarin himself. Another shelf held a small pot dug up from a archeological expedition in the Holy Lands, believed to be formed around the age of Christ. An ancient sarcophagus of wood presented by the Khedive (complete with mummy).......a tribal wooden mask from West Africa.....a spear granted by a East African Chief....a letter written by President Washington himself to the King of Morocco's ancestor thanking him for recognizing the United States....a brass elephant given by the King of Siam.....the list simply went on and on.

Lincoln had enough knickknacks for a museum....indeed, he intended to donate the generous gifts to the Chicago Museum upon his death along with a large list of items acquired over a lifetime.

But, 73 and fading, Lincoln knew his time for travelling was probably running short. In the end, he could choose to die quietly in Springfield....or on the open road.

In the months following his return, Lincoln had received a note from the Russian Ambassador stating that the Czar himself had been dismayed that Lincoln and Douglass did not take the opportunity to visit Russia. In truth, the idea hadn't crossed Lincoln's mind.

Thus, the President would write to Douglass (who had returned to Washington) and arrange a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to see if the offer still stood.

Lincoln also regretted not having the chance to visit Rome and Athens during his long voyage. Maybe he could stop there as well.

Lincoln's grandson Abraham (better known as Jack) would be applying to college next year...but perhaps Jack's father Robert may be enticed to allowing his son to take his own "Grand Tour" with his "Grand Father" prior to entering law school. Robert, unlike Abraham, was rather cold and distant at times, resenting his father's shadow but willing to get rich by accepting positions because of his father's name.

Jack, on the other hand, held far more of his grandfather's charm. While Abraham would not overrule his son's decision, he did write a pointed message stating he would very much enjoy Jack's company "in what would probably be the last adventure of his life".

 

[Phradmon]

September, 1891

London

Secretary of Indian Affairs Lord Randolph Churchill was something of a mercurial personality. He had spent years agitating against Gladstone on behalf of the Conservatives and his speeches often garnered public support.

On a personal level, the Secretary was witty, sarcastic, offensive, vindictive and a host of other terms of less than endearment. While publicly popular (usually), he irritated his colleagues to the point where Lord Salisbury was happy to give Churchill Indian Affairs of only to reduce his influence on wider British Ministry policies.

It has been Churchill's recommendation that Lansdowne had been appointed Viceroy of India (If Salisbury thought Churchill would accept, he would have happily sent Churchill to the other side of the world himself) and Churchill fully supported Lansdowne bringing political change to a halt. Funds initially intended to for infrastructure improvements were moved instead to the Indian Army.

Churchill also full supported the idea of arresting as many Indian political agitators as possible.

Springfield, Illinois

Ex-President Abraham Lincoln had returned to America after a two year world tour in 1890 but was soon finding his hometown to be somewhat.....dull. Now into his 70's, Lincoln had seen the world to an extent the lad born into a log cabin in 1809 could scarcely comprehend. He'd been feted by King, Chieftains, Viceroys, Prime MInisters, Emperors and Presidents during the extended voyage from Africa, Morocco, Egypt, the Holy Lands, India, Southeast Asia, China, Australia and Hawaii with his old friend, Frederick Douglass.

Though exhausted by the travel...he was also exhilarated. Being home to say hello to old friends was one thing......but spending his days acting as a consultant on petty local lawsuits and overseeing the status of the railroad and banking stock he had accumulated by sitting on various Boards (this was how he afforded his long voyage) did not seem a fine way to go out into the night.

Throughout his house were the gifts and mementos accumulated in his travels:

Under glass was a silk banner from the Mandarin himself. Another shelf held a small pot dug up from a archeological expedition in the Holy Lands, believed to be formed around the age of Christ. An ancient sarcophagus of wood presented by the Khedive (complete with mummy).......a tribal wooden mask from West Africa.....a spear granted by a East African Chief....a letter written by President Washington himself to the King of Morocco's ancestor thanking him for recognizing the United States....a brass elephant given by the King of Siam.....the list simply went on and on.

Lincoln had enough knickknacks for a museum....indeed, he intended to donate the generous gifts to the Chicago Museum upon his death along with a large list of items acquired over a lifetime.

But, 73 and fading, Lincoln knew his time for travelling was probably running short. In the end, he could choose to die quietly in Springfield....or on the open road.

In the months following his return, Lincoln had received a note from the Russian Ambassador stating that the Czar himself had been dismayed that Lincoln and Douglass did not take the opportunity to visit Russia. In truth, the idea hadn't crossed Lincoln's mind.

Thus, the President would write to Douglass (who had returned to Washington) and arrange a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to see if the offer still stood.

Lincoln also regretted not having the chance to visit Rome and Athens during his long voyage. Maybe he could stop there as well.

Lincoln's grandson Abraham (better known as Jack) would be applying to college next year...but perhaps Jack's father Robert may be enticed to allowing his son to take his own "Grand Tour" with his "Grand Father" prior to entering law school. Robert, unlike Abraham, was rather cold and distant at times, resenting his father's shadow but willing to get rich by accepting positions because of his father's name.

Jack, on the other hand, held far more of his grandfather's charm. While Abraham would not overrule his son's decision, he did write a pointed message stating he would very much enjoy Jack's company "in what would probably be the last adventure of his life".

By now, you could write a whole book on Lincoln's journeys alone, Joule Verne's ,, Round the world in 80 days " would be far less exciting than Old Abe has to say

 

[Alt History Buff]

October, 1891

Washington

The Bolivian Ambassador, having been alerted to the new alliance between Brazil and Chile, would realize just how isolated his country was and duly requested an audience with the President. Bolivia was somewhat backwards, still very much stuck in the 18th century (or 17th, let's be honest), in development.

When Chile demanded annexation of the Litoral department a decade earlier, only the United States Navy had prevented this. Bolivia (and Peru) largely proved ineffective in putting up any resistance themselves.

London

In the meantime, the Argentine, which had started to gravitate towards Great Britain years before as their sponsor, would dispatch an urgent plea to the Queen. The Brazilian-Chilean-French (and Italian) alliance would plainly alter the balance of power in South America.

The Queen would approve Lord Salisbury to dispatch his Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Sir Stafford Northcote, to America to discuss the deteriorating situation in Africa and South America....and Europe.

If America wanted to play world power....now was the time to back it up. Either they had to commit to protecting the Co-Protectorate....feign give up her pretense of international importance.

Esquimalt, Vancouver Island

Lieutenant Leland Stanford (Jr.) would be assigned to the new flagship of the Pacific Squadron, the USS Yakima, the latest of the Nevada-Class Heavy Cruisers. It was a prestigious posting and Stanford hoped his wealthy father, Senator Leland Stanford of California, had not arranged it on his behalf.

As the only child, one born only to his parents after 18 childless years of marriage, when his mother was 39 years old, the Lieutenant was naturally the apple of his parents' eye. Neither desired young Leland to attend the Naval Academy....or at least not make a naval career.

But the young man desired to branch out on his own. Maybe some day he'd take over his father's businesses or even go into politics but, for now, the Lieutenant was happy to sail upon the finest ship on the seas.

The American Pacific fleet was based out of San Diego and Esquimalt.

Japan

For nearly two decades, the Empire of Japan had not only undergone perhaps the most rapid modernization in world history but had also become a colonial power in itself. However, the acquisition of the Philippines and the larger of the East Indies would not bring the prosperity Japan desired. High administration and military costs would largely exceed the benefits.

Japanese Ministers would debate if colonialism was even worth the effort. Some high-ranking official opined that Japan would be better off evacuating the conquests....but those were in the minority.

The prevailing view was that Japan should redouble their efforts at acquiring colonies but there was a debate as to how. Some recommended seizing mineral rich regions like Sakhalin and Siberia or even Borneo and Australia. There were lightly populated but wealthy in natural resources. It was not believed that the Russians or British would be able to put up much of a defense against the rapidly expanding Japanese Imperial Navy, not when Japan had the great advantage in regional superiority.

Others viewed raw materials but PART of the role of Empire. They pointed out the wealth Britain had drained from the huge manpower of India. For the first time in history, the Japanese could actually conceive of extending their influence in China directly. Previously, the worst Japan could ever realistically do was harass China, not threaten it. But modern technology would make this at least feasible, if not probable, as China was also pouring her apparently enormous resources into modernization.

The debates waged back and forth. Eventually, the majority deemed China too great a meal to swallow and only the most ambitious naval officers believed that Japan could successfully launch a war of aggression towards Australia while Britain maintained such a powerful stronghold in India.

Eventually, the consensus was that the easiest path to acquisition of resources would be Russia, whose Pacific outposts were separated from European Russia by 10,000 miles by sea or 6000 by land (most of which did not possess a railroad).

There had been an attempt to lower tensions with Russia over the Sakhalin (also known as Kita-Ezo in Japan) and the Kuril Islands (also known as the Chishima or Kiruru islands in Japan) situation in the 1870's but that had fallen through. The large island was still mostly unpopulated by Russians. The prison colony which provided nearly 2/3's the population of Sakhalin had been shut down in 1880 and most of the population promptly departed. Japan held nominal claim to the southern portion of Sakhalin but similarly didn't do much to colonize either.

In 1891, there were an estimated 15,000 Russians, 4000 natives and perhaps 2000 Japanese on the island. However, the extensive exploration by both Japanese and Russian explorers would provide ample evidence of sizable coal and other natural resource deposits.

What was more, the seizure of Sakhalin would also give Japan a significant advantage should the Emperor command future invasions of Russian Siberia or the Joseon Empire (or maybe even China). In late 1891, the Japanese Ambassador had been ordered to present a "request" to the Czar that was just short of an ultimatum to resolve the long-standing territorial dispute left open from the 1870's. It was phrased just provocatively enough to ensure that the Czar's court would reject it without hesitation.

That would be all the diplomatic cover Japan required to act.

The Admiralty was quite confident that the Russian Pacific Squadron, which was usually aged ships and below the readiness and capability of the Russian Black Sea and Baltic Fleets, could be easily defeated provided that they Imperial Navy was not split between multiple objectives. The strategy would be to rapidly sink the Russian fleet, seize Vladivostok prior to reinforcements reaching the Pacific and force the better part of the Russian fleet to fight without benefit of a supply line.

By the early spring of 1891, the Japanese Imperial Navy would be ready....and the Russians would not.

 

[Alt History Buff]

November, 1891

Honduras

President Barrios, seeing repeated unrest in Honduras' more populated neighbors of El Salvador and Nicaragua, would managed to gain enough support from his cadre of elites and soldiers to apply for admission as a Mexican state.

This would cause a great deal of internal debate. Perhaps more ominously, the government of El Salvador would look in in dismay as, should Honduras be admitted to Mexico, El Salvador would be surrounded. Though Mexico had not shown any aggression in the past towards her Central American neighbors, he though still greatly concerned El Salvador's ruling elite.

December, 1891

Nicaragua

After several decades of military dictatorship by elites from Granada, their competing party in Leon would launch another rebellion against the authority.

January, 1892

Washington

Sir Stafford Northcote would arrive in Washington in 1892. His intent was to gain America agreement that Africa would be defended against foreign incursion (namely French and/or Italian).

Great Britain had compromised a great deal with their former Colony in the Co-Protectorate. Most of the heavy lifting of creating the Co-Protectorate had been British and yet America possessed the same trading and harboring rights.

If America wanted to continue this pretense of global power, she must give up this "neutral" policy once and for all. Great powers are not "neutral".

Realizing that to refuse was to effectively cede Africa to the British (a humiliation no American could bear), President Sherman would agree to a limited alliance regarding Africa only. He knew that Great Britain was also sounding out the German Confederation as an ally but America had no intention of getting involved in European affairs.

Perhaps more important to America than Africa was the Franco-Italian alliance with Brazil and Chile. Having finally reached a level of power where the Monroe Doctrine could be enforced by American might, the nation was not inclined to see another European power gain influence in the Americas.

February

Japan

For months, the Japanese Imperial Navy would gather their forces ship by ship. Dozens of warships purchased abroad or constructed domestically would run perform maintenance, run gunnery drills and assemble supplies.

An invasion force of 5000 men were prepared to sail for Sakhalin. However, this was simply a distraction. The intent was to force the Russian fleet from their harbor at Vladivostok. Once that fleet was destroyed, the invasion of the port would be relatively simple.

At the end of February, the ships would sail.

Bombay

Tiring of the strikes, the Viceroy of India would order the arrest of hundreds of political agitators, including Bal Tilak, as well as ordering the closure of the Congress Party and other political reform organizations.

 

[Alt History Buff]

March 1892

Gran Chaco Region, South America

Having tired of the endless threats from Brazil, the leadership of the Argentine determined to act quickly and seize the mouth of the Uruguay River and marched forces into the region of the Gran Chaco also claimed by Paraguay (and maybe some claimed by Bolivia). As one required control over the rivers to even access the region (unless one wanted to cross huge distances of mountain and rainforest and prairie on foot).

Within weeks, the Brazilian Navy blockaded the mouth of the Uruguay and the standoff officially began.

Litoral Province, Bolivia

Years before, the Chileans were stymied in seizing the coastal region of Bolivia and parts of southern Peru by the American Navy.

With tension apparently building in Africa and the Rio Plata, it seemed unlikely that America would be overly interested in interfering in South America once again, at least not this region.

Once, this area had been a hotbed of interest due to the nitrate boom along the Chincha Islands of Peru (where the guano deposits had run out) and the Bolivian Litoral and Peruvian Tarapaca Region. But now, the explosion of nitrate production worldwide made the Bolivian and Peruvian exports less vital...at least to the great powers.

Given the mess the political world appeared to be in these days, it seemed unlikely that American intervention was coming.

Northern Sakhalin

The Japanese Army disembarked upon half a dozen different "ports" (i.e. seaside villages) expecting resistance. However, the Russian military forces had been so depleted following the closure of the gulags that only a few hundred wretched punishment post soldiers remained under arms. There was no real combat and Sakhalin fell immediately.

To ensure that the Russian commander in Vladivostok grasped the point, the Japanese would seize a number of fishing boats and transports but letting enough escape to pass on the word of Japanese aggression (a declaration of war would be getting handed to the Czar's ministers on March 15th in Moscow. Naturally, it would be months before the word would reach Vladivostok via official Russian channels.

By that point, the Russian sailors and soldiers would be well aware of the matter.

Sea of Japan

The Russian Navy, having spent three days attempting to do last-minute repairs and provisioning as best they could, sailed out into the Sea of Japan, apparently unaware that they were sailing into a trap.

The Russian Pacific fleet was underfunded and generally possessed obsolete ships. The best sailors in the Russian Navy preferred posting to the Black Sea or Baltic. Siberia was a bit less desired and often considered a punishment detail. Worse, the generally improved relations with China, the lack of relations with the Joseon Kingdom and Japan's focus elsewhere for the past decade had left the Russians with an attitude of complacency.

The Imperial Japanese Fleet, on the other hand, bore the absolute best of the Japanese sailors and technology. Indeed, virtually ALL of the top vessels in the Navy were present in the Sea of Japan when the Russian Admiral sailed heedlessly forward.

The outcome was predictable when twelve Japanese ships commenced fire upon the nine Russian vessels.

Calcutta

Riots erupted throughout India as the outraged natives demanded the release of the thousands of political prisoners seized over the past months by the Raj.

Paris

By the miracle of telegraph across the world, it only took a few weeks for Napoleon IV to learn of the latest mass revolt in India.

If there was ever a time to act, it was now.

But where?

The Emperor supposed that he could attempt to seize a few ports in Africa....but to what effect?

The Royal Navy had still maintained a large advantage at sea, even if it was scattered across the globe. The United States Navy would almost certainly come into play if the Latin Alliance sought to bring the war to Africa.

However, America would not be inclined to interfere in a European conflict directly. And the loss of Luxembourg, Alsace and Lorraine still stung French pride. What was more, the German Confederation population growth was enormous, at least relative to the French. In 1800, the French well outnumber the then-divided Germans. By 1891, that advantage had reversed as the French population increase fell well behind her neighbors in Britain, Germany and Italy. It that demographic continued....then France would be permanently weak compared to the Confederation and reliant on allies to even hope to hold their own.

Italy still had territorial claims against Austria as well.

Over the course of the past year, the various squabbling Germans had fallen upon one another again as the Prussians evicted huge numbers of Jews and Poles from her territories (much to the disgust of the rest of the Confederation). The Confederation annual war maneuvers had even been cancelled for two years straight.

If there was a time to move, it was now.

Napoleon IV would dispatch an urgent missive to Rome. It was now or never.

 

[Alt History Buff]

April, 1892

New York Republican Convention

Though there was plenty of outcries from both Republican and Democrat alike, President John Sherman would announce he would run for a "2nd Term of Office", retorting back that this was NOT in violation of previous tradition of Presidents limiting themselves to 2 terms of office as the first two years in the Presidential Mansion had been as "Acting President", not one which had been elected. He rather enjoyed throwing that back in the faces of rivals who had derided him for assuming powers beyond his ken while "Acting President".

1888 had been his first term as "President" and Sherman was not inclined to let that stymy his plans. In the face of all the vitriol, Sherman was generally pleased with the state of the country. The economy was strong enough and Sherman had managed to thread the political needle of tariffs and money supply to satisfy all well enough. He was sure that the Midwest and Plains would support him again in 1892.

Whoever the Democrats ran would likely find their path to the Presidential Mansion difficult from an electoral vote point of view. As long as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio voted Republican (and the internal Party peace of the past few years indicated this to be the case), the Presidential election would strongly favor Sherman.

Never a "foreign policy" man, Sherman looked askance at the petty rows throughout the world and doubted that border conflicts in the middle of South America or Italian ambitions along the Somali Coast or the recent demands by Japan for the Kuril Islands or any host of petty disputes would significantly affect world peace.

If some corner of the world DID go to war......then it was unlikely enough that America would be dragged in. After all, Sherman's home had two oceans protecting it. America could stand to remain aloof to petty problems of the rest of the world.

May, 1892

Alsace

Having summarily demanded the return of Alsace, Lorraine and Luxembourg.....and receiving no response from the Confederation than sharply written letters of protest.....the Emperor ordered his forces into Alsace and Lorraine.....and to cross the Rhine with barely a breath taken in declaring war.

Tyrol, Austria

Though Italy had longed for expansion into Africa, the fact remained that the Royal Navy made this problematic. Even if the Roya Navy was eliminated as a threat, that would not mean that Italy could simply sail into Egypt or Morocco or Ethiopia and assume a profitable colonial relationship. This would take years...or even decades....to accomplish.

But the border conflicts in the Tyrol with Austria would prove much more vexing for some portions of the nationalistic Italian population. The Tyrol was a mountainous region of mixed Italian and German stock. The southernmost area had fallen to Italy long ago but there remained some 150,000 Italian-speaking peoples under German rule who longed for Unification with Italy.

Typically, this would not be a just cause for conflict. However, the French Emperor's decision to forcibly regain her Rhine properties from Germany would lead the King of Italy to make a decision: does he opportunistically join in or abandon his ally.....and therefore any likely chance of Italian expansion in Africa (without French support, Italy wouldn't even consider challenging Britain at sea).

This was the sort of decision which most of the world's powers were facing. Later historians would ask the simply question "Why did this shockingly widespread and destructive war occur?"

The answers would not be simple or necessarily rational.

Some of the more esoteric reasons were:

1. Unrest by rapid technological change which upset long-established social mores.
2. The need for raw materials to feed the new industrialization....and fear that other colonial nations (i.e. Britain) may use their control over raw materials or the seas to destroy economies with the sweep of a pen.
3. Age-old rivalries spurred to further heights by the expansion of the written word in print and among the ever more literate and therefore politically charged populations.
4. Public schooling also leading to an increase in nationalism.

More concrete reasons included:

1. The proliferation of alliances, often formed as much for lack of a common conflict than necessarily common interests, which brought nations to arms over conflicts which often in no way whatsoever applied to them (did France, Britain or America REALLY care about the Gran Chaco?).
2. The desire to proactively damage an enemy in order to weaken them before they could strike at YOU with the same intent (i.e. French and Italian support for Irish and Indian separatists).

All of these reasons were partly right and all of them partly wrong. It was more a matter of degree in the eyes of academics for the following centuries.

What could not be denied is that war soon spread throughout the world over what really amounted to petty border disputes and conflicts over remote and low value colonies.

 

[Alt History Buff]

May, 1892

Chicago

The Democratic National Convention was, once again, an ideological battle between the "hard money" under former New York Governor Grover Cleveland and "free silver" factions under New York Senator David Hill. The two had been rivals since Cleveland beat out Hill for the Governor's office and Hill was relegated to Lieutenant Governor.

Cleveland would win the convention but at the loss of support among the Western and Southern Democrats.

Washington

Alabama would, once again, seek readmission to the Union. President Sherman would hardly roll out the welcome mat but nevertheless agreed to allow the State to prove it could obey national suffrage law.

Moscow

Over the past four months, Abraham Lincoln, his grandson Jack and Frederick Douglass would greatly enjoy their visit to Europe. Having stopped in Italy in February, the trio would explore the great art collections of that ancient nation, from Florence to Rome. Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln had, in his wealth and prosperity, become a benefactor of the Chicago Museum and instructed his father to purchase some "ancient art" if he came by some for sale. As Lincoln knew next to nothing about "ancient art", he would end up spending $5000 worth of Robert's money on what turned out to be forgeries.....BAD forgeries.

The truth would be revealed in their next stop in Athens where an Anglo-Greek art dealer would barely contain his laughter at Lincoln's gullibility. However, the art dealer would invite the party to his home where his wife and daughter would prepare a traditional Greek meal much to the enjoyment for all. The ex-President and Douglass would find the man's dissertation on the European art market fascinating and requested that the man aid them in finding REAL European treasures.

Young Jack, on the other hand, would find the man's daughter Anna infinitely more fascinating. Able to speak five languages and possessing an encyclopedic memory for art, the two young people would steal away whenever possible as the party explored Athens. The two months spent in Athens could not have been more pleasant and Lincoln was able to buy some legitimate artifacts from Austrian paintings to Greek busts to Egyptian relics.

The situation got a bit more complicated when Jack and Anna announced their plan to wed. In truth, the art dealer was not disinclined. Given that Robert Todd Lincoln was well on is way to becoming a millionaire, the match seemed quite profitable. However, the father would insist that the young couple remain in Greece for at least the time being.

Ex-President Abraham Lincoln would caution his grandson to wait a few years for marriage but refused to forbid the matter. Knowing the probable reaction of Robert when he got home, Lincoln looked on at the wedding and wondered if perhaps he may die on the voyage back to America.

As it was, by April Lincoln and Douglass, now without Jack, stopped in Constantinople for two weeks, admiring the Hagia Sofia, before sailing across the Black Sea to Russia and, with the aid of a translator, boarded a train for Moscow. The Czar had invited the pair to his Grand Kremlin Palace, built about fifty years prior. It was opulence almost to the point of vulgarity. However, Czar Nicholas II was quite hospitable and, via his translator, Lincoln expressed his gratitude for the moral support provided by Russia in the American Civil War.

The Czar would offer a "Faberge Egg" to each Lincoln and Douglass (it was not divulged that these were two Eggs that Faberge had produced for the Czar's family and found them rejected) as pricy momentos of their visit.

Unfortunately, the visitation would end on a sour note as the news of the shocking Russian defeat in the Sea of Japan. While the Czar had, many weeks before, learned of the Japanese declaration of war, the political classes of Moscow were not exactly alarmed with the prospect of fighting an Asian nation.

Embarrassed, the Czar would bid the Americans adieu and commanded a young nobleman to escort the gentlemen to St. Petersburg in June prior to returning to Athens to reunite with young Jack.

Norfolk

Years before, the Norwegian Arms and Naval Engineer Thorston Nordenfelt had arrived in America having lost his position in Great Britain. Nordenfelt and his English wife would arrive bearing several patents related to cannon and repeating machine guns but, by the 1890's, was more interested in Naval Technology. In particular, he desired someone to pay for the construction of his submersible. By happenstance, the Americans had been experimenting for years on submersibles and, perhaps even more importantly, had long been the employer of the English torpedo designer Robert Whitehead.

Between the pair of them, the American naval yard in Norfolk would construction a pair of steam powered submersibles armed with two of Whiteheads' most modern torpedoes.

"American Venezuela"

As one would expect in bureaucracy, the American government would only slowly determine what to name the lands seized from Venezuela. Eventually, the larger portions of "Bolivar" and "Amazonas" would be allocated directly to Guyana as they possessed little population (mostly Indian) and was so remote and inaccessible that even exploring was proving arduous, much less planning to exploit resources.

But the lands taken north of the Orinoco - the southern portions of Monagas, Anzoategui and Guarico states - were a different matter. Still lightly populated and mostly serving agricultural purposes, it was at least arable and America actively sought to colonize....or at least distribute land about in an effort to gain local support among the Mestizos. The American surveyors allocating plots of land to settlers would often find pools of viscous oil bubbling beneath the surface. Eventually, several oilmen would arrive and excitedly come to the conclusion that the land not only held oil...but particularly dense or "heavy" oil. Within weeks, half a dozen concerns based in Texas or other states arrived in the region to prospect themselves.

It was only in 1892 that the southern 2/3's of these three states were formally reorganized into a single entity. Naturally, arguing in Washington would waste more time than actually DOING something.

Eventually, the locals were asked what they wanted to call the new territory comprised of land north of the Orinoco.

They opted to call it.........Orinoco Territory.

 

[A Random Man]

Nice chapter, America is going to be wealthy with all that oil they have. Nice to see the adventures of President Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass. Will we be seeing Jack Lincoln in the future as a politician? Keep up the good work.

 

[Alt History Buff]

 

[Alt History Buff]

June 1892

Athens

Having returned to Athens from Moscow, Abraham Lincoln and his friend Frederick Douglass would be delighted to discover young Jack Lincoln and his wife were expecting their first child. Jack had been in intensive study of Greek (he had studied ANCIENT Greek, which was only a starter for the real language) and art history for months. Apparently, he and his wife had found time to create Abraham's first great-grandchild as well.

Jack had been accepted into the International University of Athens and stated he intended to remain under the warm sun of Greece and enter his father-in-law's business in a couple of years. Abraham could already hear his son Robert's outrage when he returned home.

"How could you let my SON marry some.....some.....Greek girl?!"

The former President was not looking forward to that. Thus, when the Porte invited the pair to visit the Ottoman's new capital of Ankara. Having no desire to go home, the itinerant American travelers would happily accept. Like most of the crowned heads of the nations they'd visited in the past four years, the Porte would be welcoming and enjoyed showing off the rapid modernization of his nation in the past 20 years. Like Egypt, the Ottoman was a Muslim nation seeking to prove it could be as modern as any European country.

As a special honor, the Porte would grant both men a diamond chelengk, an honor usually only offered to soldiers but both Lincoln and Douglass had participated in the Civil War and thus the Porte deemed this leadership equal to fighting men.

The Litoral - Bolivia

Almost without resistance, the Chilean Navy swept into the undefended coastal towns of the Bolivian Litoral. These towns had not recovered from the eviction of the Chilean settlers years before despite the nitrates of this region being Bolivia's sole export product.

Within weeks, the Chileans would also seize several of the southern Peruvian towns of the Tarapaca Province.

Years before, Chile had been stymied by the provident arrival of an American flotilla. By 1892, Chile had purchased half a dozen ironclad ships, include two that were considered modern.

Germany

Within weeks, the French Army had overrun most of the border of Germany, even reaching as far as Hanover. The disunited German states, mired in internal disputes for years, would only slowly dispatch reinforcements to the Western German Confederation.

The Italian invasion of the Austrian Tirol would be blunted more by the topography than the Austrian Army. The Italians may have also made an error by splitting its focus between the Tirol and the Kingdom of Croatia and Slovenia.

The Black Sea

After weeks of preparation and the transfer of several ships from St. Petersburg, the Russian Black Sea squadron would depart the Mediterranean via the Suez and sail to the Far East to confront the Japanese Imperial Navy. Still hoping for an alliance, Great Britain, which largely controlled the Canal, would offer refueling stops in India and Malaya to the Russians as a "courtesy".

Alabama

To the surprise of all, the summer election in Alabama would be relatively free from interference. President Sherman would begrudgingly allow the State Legislature to be seated (which promptly elected two Democrats to the Senate) and agreed to allow the Federal Congressional election to take place in November.

 

[Alt History Buff]

 

[Alt History Buff]

June, 1892

Western Nicaragua

Once again, Civil War convulsed Nicaragua as political and regional differences between Leon and Granada reared its ugly head. Forces emerging from the government capital of Managua (controlled by the Granada faction) would converge upon the northern cities like locusts.

London

The assorted German Ambassadors of the Confederation would petition the Queen and Her Ministers to provide immediate assistance. However, the treaty of "Amity" signed between the Confederation and Great Britain was hardly a binding contract and the Government could not countenance the idea of intervening directly into a European land war.

The British Army amounted to perhaps 160,000 men worldwide and most of those were in India where the colony convulsed with her own rebellion. Launching expedition to the Continent was simply impossible from both a material and political standpoint.

The German request was denied....with regrets.

Internally, the Salisbury Ministry would debate how France and Italy may be hindered without directly waging war upon the Latin Alliance.

Paris

As reports slowly came in from French agents in London, Napoleon IV was gratified to find he was right. Great Britain had no intention of waging an expensive war on the Continent, not when it was experiencing a rebellion in India. As long as the Latin Alliance did not take any provocative measures against the British or British allies (Italy had been warned to cease funding the rebels in Morocco or the Somalis), the peace would stand.

Vladivostok (picture below courtesy of Wikipedia) in 1890's.

The fortifications of Vladivostok had not been fully constructed by 1892 and the city of 29,000 Russians (and about 3500 Asians, mostly Chinese and Koreans) was expanding rapidly as the economic center of the Russian Pacific.

When the first Japanese ships arrived within sight of Vladivostok Harbor, the Russian commander, Governor-General Kuropatkin, counted the sheer number of personnel transports and realized that at least 10,000 Japanese soldiers were about to disembark. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the General would not mistake the Japanese as little yellow men who could not wage war against Europeans. If nothing else, the apparent destruction of the Pacific Fleet proved that.

With only 2400 Russian soldiers, poorly armed, paid, trained and generally on punishment detail, Kuropatkin had no intention whatsoever of facing off against the vast numbers of Japanese sure to come. Thus, he made what was, to him, the only logical decision. Even as the first Japanese landing craft began to dip oars into the water, the General ordered the city of Vladivostok burned.

Most of the Russian population in the Far East was actually located in towns and villages to the north. Taking with him every morsel of food, every animal and everything the town could carry......Kuropatkin burned the rest right down to the wharf, the churches, the boats, even the outhouses.

If the Japanese wanted to play on land, they would have to follow the Russians north into the wilderness. And here the Russian bear was supreme, especially in winter. And winter came very, very quickly in Siberia.

Let them come.

July 1892

Straight of Malacca

What the Russian General did NOT know was that, after the destruction of the Russian fleet, the Japanese Imperial Navy was already preparing for the next war. The Japanese General Staff had calculated how quickly the Russian Imperial fleet based in the Black Sea would be able to arrive in Asia. Most expected that it would take at least three months given it would likely take several weeks just for word to REACH Moscow of the defeat due to the less than efficient telegraph across Siberia. Most likely, the news of the defeat would reach Moscow via trading vessels arriving in India which would then pass it along via the telegraph through Central Asia (recently completed in 1889).

No directly witnesses were likely to reach European Russia until late summer at the earliest.

However, certain Japanese Admirals were convinced that the Russians could see reinforcements arrive from Europe (Black Sea) in as little as 10 weeks. Thus, they Imperial Japanese Navy would split the best of her forces. 10 of the most modern ships would sail to the Japanese East Indies (Sumatra) and sit in ambush. Any Russian squadron would have sailed for thousands of miles and would probably be in poor shape for immediate and sudden combat.

In reality, the Russian vessels would not even reach the Indian Ocean until late July, much less all the way to the East Indies. However, the rather aggressive young Japanese commanders would spy two warships sailing past Sumatra on the night of July 28th and fall upon the ships without mercy.

Only the dawn would prove that they had just mauled two British Royal Navy Warships en route to Australia. Both would take shelter in Singapore where news of the unprovoked assault would be widely reported around the globe.

August, 1892

Calcutta

Though the British officials in Calcutta were outraged at the Japanese attack on two Royal Navy Ships, they had their own hands full. Just when the worst of the 3rd Mutiny was underway, the news that the mighty Royal Navy had been laid low by Asiatics was enough to hearten the rebels once more.

Washington

Though he loathed the idea of sending men into danger, President John Sherman would agree to dispatch elements of the Pacific Squadron to Peru and Bolivia to "keep the peace". Years ago, the British Ambassador had smugly looked upon him and commented that America's "peacekeeping" in South America would come with a cost.

Now, that prophesy was coming true.

Brazil was plainly resentful of America's expansion from Guyana into Venezuela. Worse, the Brazilian Navy, supported by French and Italian experts, had just initiated a blockade of the Uruguay, effectively cutting off the Argentine.

Now, Chile was causing trouble on the Pacific.

Even Nicaragua appeared to be tearing itself apart.

Beyond the promise of the eventual completion of the Columbian Canal, the entire Continent of South America was looking like a sinkhole of money, resources and attention without any real payoff in sight.

 

[Phradmon]

so, Georgia is the last unreconstructed state . It is going to be interesting when they will try to return to the Union

 

[Don Corleone]

so, Georgia is the last unreconstructed state . It is going to be interesting when they will try to return to the Union

Maybe on 2-8-03?