alternatehistory.com

OOC: So yeah. Trying my hand at an alternate American Civil War timeline, with the POD being in the War of 1812. Here it begins.

Preface

The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitors, up with the stars;
While we rally around the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!”

The Presidential Election of 1868, was considered to be one of the harshly fought Presidential elections in the history of the Union. Issues such as slavery, whether Kansas and Nebraska could become states, and other such issues reigned over the election. The Republican Party (founded in 1863), the Democratic Party, and the National Union Party were the main parties within the Presidential election. The Republican Party, in the conventions in Philadelphia, would choose to nominate Abraham Lincoln as President, with Cassius Clay as his Vice-President. The 1864 Presidential disaster, because of the Seward/Wade ticket, would force the Republicans to choose Lincoln due to his moderate position. The Democratic Party would after a hard-battled convention in New Orleans, would choose to nominate Thomas A. Hendricks, with Robert M. T. Hunter nominated as Vice-President. The National Union Party, formed from a splintering of the Democratic Party and Republican Party, to seek a more 'moderate' party, and to prevent a possible Civil War, would choose to nominate James Guthrie as President, with John Bell chosen as Vice-President. The three parties would engage in a hefty battle and debate over the election, with areas seeing heavy debate over the issues.

The 1868 Presidential Election, would show upon the results, to be a complete 'disaster', in ways. The Republican Party would secure the states of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut, securing an electoral college majority. The National Union Party would secure Oregon, Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland. The Democratic Party would secure California, Texas, Rio Grande (OTL Tamaulipus), Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana. The victory by the Republican Party would be astounding, and nonetheless, would lead directly into the American Civil War. Sitting President Breckinridge, would state that, “Brother against brother. War has now come to the Union,” in a letter found in a drawer, as the North and South readied to go against one another in a full-blown Civil War.

The South, since 1861, had increased in terms of industrial growth, along with a slow growth in railroad mileage. However, the 'Deep South' had seen little growth, with much of it centered along the border states, areas of heavily debated influence, where slavery was becoming less and less used, and areas in which could determine the war. Nonetheless, starting on December 7th, 1868, the first states would begin to secede from the Union. South Carolina would start first, followed throughout the rest of December followed by Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. In January, Louisiana, Georgia, and Rio Grande would secede from the Union. In February, Texas would secede from the Union following a referendum. On February 26th, delegates from the seceding states would meet in Montgomery, Alabama to discuss the issues at present, and if they should form a new country. Eventually, on March 3rd, 1869, they would create the 'Confederate States of America'. Nonetheless, militia from various Confederate states would begin to organize themselves, with Federal armories and such being seen as areas to be handed over to the Confederacy. Fort Pulaski near Savannah, GA would be seen as a target, with orders for it to be turned over to the state of Georgia, and in turn the Confederacy. Thirty-seven US Army soldiers, under command of Ohioan, James Rivers, would refuse to turn it over. On March 11th, 1869, the Confederacy would launch attacks against Fort Pulaski, eventually seizing it, but killing nineteen of the US Army soldiers, with five of the Georgian militia troops being killed. This would force action by the Union.

As such, on March 14th, 1869, Lincoln would call for ninety-thousand militiamen under Federal command to respond to the 'rebellion' as such. However, anger would occur from that, and lead to further secession. Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri (south of the River), and California would secede from the Union over March to late April, however Kentucky would be thrust in the support of the Union, after Confederate troops marched into Kentucky, forcing it into the Union's side. The American Civil War for all intensive purposes had reached both sides of which they were at. However, exceptions existed to the states that seceded, with the northwestern area of Virginia, and Eastern Tennessee fully refusing to secede from the Union, with meetings between delegates of the counties to discuss where to secede from their own states, and to rejoin the United States.


The map of the world in the start of May in 1869.
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