Guns of the South Speculation Thread

[Ismaili777]

Thread for speculating the future of that world.
With Britain and union at war, with the unions reverse engineered weaponry the British will get smacked. But once they pack their bags they will also probably take tech too.
Line is, eventually tech will spread, though for some time confederates will have the advantage.
The CSA may attempt it’s own Panama Canal.
You can also suggest with the selective technologies introduced how it will evolve.
Like the butterflies will be insane.
Go wild.

 

[Ismaili777]

The two guns on top probably won’t be used, by after the book CSA has mostly started fully adopting automatic weapons

The uniforms are good, since tech didn’t progress in ALL directions the steel combat helmet akin to the ones above will be used, I will say due to AWB uniforms, I think the confederates will learn to soon adopt camo.

 

[the Imperium of Canada]

So what's the chances of the Union reconquering the Confederates at some point?

 

[Ismaili777]

Home was for the rich southern aristocracy, but fluorescent bulbs and air conditioning was introduced, so they will probably be the earlier benefactors of electrification.

Already nitroglycerin pills have been introduced plus modern sanitation, so the butterflies in terms of medical science should be very interesting.

Canada will likely be lost, but it is curious to see how African expansion will occur in this... will any native states get the tech to have more of an edge somehow? Will Britain’s loss slow down or increase their African domains? In terms of India, how might new tech be applied?

Russia with it likely getting hands on new tech will rush and smash a Persia to get a warm water port, and try and go for the third Rome mojo, but the ottomans will also likely get the tech soon enough.

Meiji restoration will likely still occur, and Japan will be a force to be reckoned with. Probably will empire build early, I don’t think Korea has much of a better future and with Britain, probably a lot of the west of the west, Russia, likely this Japan going at China, this will be a bit of a screw for them sadly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian–Egyptian_War
Egypt will likely get modern weapons, yet on the other hand when they probably conquer Ethiopia and put it under loose control, Europe will get concerned about a African power.
Culture should also be interesting...
19th century culture with many aspects of 20th century technology...

 

[Kerney]

So what's the chances of the Union reconquering the Confederates at some point? None. The CSA has access to early 21st century tech. While they can't exploit it fully, they can reverse engineer enough to have a significant tech advantage with both the remaining Rivington men probably immigrants attracted to the strange tales of tech. Think Nicoli Tesla setting up his labs in North Carolina. One thing in this TL, with the Brits, Americans, and presumably others copying the AK-47, Colonialism/white nation are probably stronger. Think no Little Bighorn or the Boshin war going differently, say when France intervienes. Imagine the Franco Prussian war being altered when one side has better guns.

 

[LiquidOxygen]

Well, the AWB managed to steal what one would presume to be the world's only functioning time machine, so perhaps they brought along some battlefield nuclear weapons too, just for chuckles.

And even if not, how long is this nice alt-CSA going to last? Lee isn't going to live forever, and I can envisage a new generation of politicians voted in on a pledge to 'go back to the old days' who refuse to accept the available documentary evidence, which can't be shown to the public.

Also the Confederates will have an incentive to go all in on attacking another countries, because their advantage in weaponry isn't going to last forever. I don't think (unless the AWB really did bring Pandora's Box with them) that means world conquest or even conquest of North America, but it probably involves the CSA throwing their weight around to an even greater extent than they manage in the Timeline-191 series.

Hmm, that was a fun scenario, wasn't it? I am also available for children's parties and bar mitzvahs.

 

[Catsmate]

For my Infinitwe Worlds campaign I retconned the AWB's "time machine" as a parachronal conveyor, i.e. they came from a parallel Earth that was more advanced in history (what GURPS Infinite Worlds called an 'echo') than the ACW line but the same history, which eliminated much of the paradox problem.

 

[A Piece of History]

And even if not, how long is this nice alt-CSA going to last? Lee isn't going to live forever, and I can envisage a new generation of politicians voted in on a pledge to 'go back to the old days' who refuse to accept the available documentary evidence, which can't be shown to the public.

I think it's important to remember that in the book, the Confederates just barely beat Nathan Bedford Forrest's Patriots. When Lee dies, the Confederates will either have to distance themselves from Lee's abolitionism or find another famous war hero to lead them. Maybe Stonewall Jackson?

 

[rob2001]

The book takes place after Jackson had died.

 

[mspence]

I thought the North had caught up by this world's version of WW2? At any rate they could reverse engineer the future tech they captured from any victories against the South they had.

 

[Coiler]

For my Infinitwe Worlds campaign I retconned the AWB's "time machine" as a parachronal conveyor, i.e. they came from a parallel Earth that was more advanced in history (what GURPS Infinite Worlds called an 'echo') than the ACW line but the same history, which eliminated much of the paradox problem.

IIRC, I think that's actually canon of some sort-that they weren't, and weren't expecting to change their own timeline.

 

[Catsmate]

IIRC, I think that's actually canon of some sort-that they weren't, and weren't expecting to change their own timeline.

But even after events changed they continued communication with 'their' future, the time machine was still working during the assault on the AWB base (before it exploded).

 

[Deleted member 103950]

Does anyone think we can expect something similar to Turtledoves other 'Southern Victory' timeline? Do you think Featherston and his Ilk could rise to power in this south?

 

[A Piece of History]

Does anyone think we can expect something similar to Turtledoves other 'Southern Victory' timeline?

Well, with the US conquering Canada, I doubt the British would be in a position to get involved if the US started a war with the CSA over Sonora and Chihuahua. Remember, in How Few Remain, the only reason why the CSA went ahead with the purchase was because they knew they could count on British support.

Plus, Lee seemed like he wanted to get along with the USA, so I doubt he would want to ruffle their feathers by trying to buy Mexican land. Though, of course, that could change when Lee's term ends in 1874.

 

[Odinson]

Maybe Stonewall Jackson

James Longstreet or John Mosby seems like a plausible choice