alternatehistory.com

1864:
The Confederacy is under heavy pressure as immensely powerful Union armies drive into the Confederate heartland, determined to crush the rebellion by destroying the two main Confederate armies: the Army of Northern Virginia in the east and the Army of Tennessee in the West.

In late May, General Joe Johnston, commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, wins a smashing victory against the Union army by launching a devastating surprise attack at the Battle of Cassville. Having suffered heavy losses, the combined Union armies in the West are forced to halt their advance towards Atlanta. In the east, the Union drive to capture Richmond is halted on the outskirts of Richmond and Petersburg. At the same time, a Confederate force raids into Maryland and nearly captures Washington itself.

General Ulysses Grant sends reinforcements from Virginia to Georgia, forcing the cancellation of a planned offensive in the Shenandoah Valley. In response, the Confederate send reinforcements: a corps of two divisions under the command of General John Breckinridge.

The failure of the Union armies on both fronts is a political disaster for President Lincoln, who is facing a difficult reelection campaign. As the casualty lists grow longer, public opposition to the war increases. The Democratic Party moves with public opinion and calls for a cessation of hostilities and an opening of negotiations with the Confederates. To avoid charges of weakness, they nominate George McClellan as their presidential candidate, although they ensure he toes the party line regarding a cease-fire.

As summer drags on, the Union forces are unable to gain ground on either front. Confederate cavalry raids into Tennessee inflict heavy damage on Union supply lines and tying down large numbers of Union troops. Guerrilla activity increases in the border states. As morale plunges, desertion rates in the Union army increase and there are several cases of mutiny. Riots against the draft explode in New York, Chicago and other cities.

In September, the Army of Tennessee again defeats the demoralized Union army facing them at the Second Battle of Resaca, driving them north to Chattanooga. General Breckinridge and General John Bell Hood both play key roles in the victory. In early October, the Union abandons Chattanooga and falls back into Central Tennessee. Northern public opinion concludes that the Union is no closer to winning the war now then it had been two years earlier.

In early November, Lincoln and the Republican Party are heavily defeated in the Union elections. Lincoln wins Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri (where the vote was virtually controlled by occupying Union armies), Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia, but loses everywhere else. The popular vote 55% for McClellan and 45% for Lincoln. In addition, the Democrats gain control of in the House of Representatives, their unified pro-peace message contrasting with the dismay and disorder in Republican ranks.

Knowing that a military victory is impossible to achieve before he leaves office, Lincoln orders a cease-fire to go into effect. He attempts to enter into negotiations with the Confederates on his own, before the inauguration of McClellan. But McClellan issues several statements to the press against the idea, and Lincoln finds it difficult to move against public opinion. The Confederates dismiss Lincoln’s attempts to reach out to them, intending to wait for McClellan, with whom they expect to get a better deal.

1865:
Although the blockade is still technically in effect, the Union Navy makes little effort to enforce it. As a result, Southern cotton and tobacco flow out of Confederate ports to the markets in Europe, bringing in much needed hard currency, as well as military supplies and much-missed consumer goods.

In March, McClellan is inaugurated as President of the United States, and Lincoln returns to his home in Springfield, Illinois, having become a despised figure. In his inauguration speech, McClellan calls for his “Southern brothers” to “rejoin hands with their Northern brethren” and announces plans for a “conference of the states” to be held in Washington.

President Jefferson Davis states that no negotiations can begin until all Union forces are withdrawn from Confederate territory and the blockade is officially lifted. Davis also insists that any conference take place “between the two sovereign nations.” To improve his bargaining position, Davis dispatches Secretary of State Judah Benjamin to Europe to further their case for official recognition in Britain and France.

The Union armies, in the meantime, are melting away through desertion and the expiration of enlistments. The obvious fact is that hostilities cannot possibly be resumed, and this causes morale to plunge to its lowest possible level. At the same time, slaves in Confederate territory are desperately trying to reach the Union lines, hoping to secure their freedom before the Northerners withdraw. Many Confederate soldiers find themselves detached from the front lines to pursue wandering bands of slaves.

McClellan sends a letter to Davis, offering the “two sovereign states” basis for negotiations in exchange for a commitment that Union troops would not withdraw until the treaty is agreed upon. Davis accepts these terms, although their correspondence is not immediately revealed to the public and the conference will remain secret until completed.

The two sides send delegations to a meeting onboard a ship in Hampton Roads. Leading the Confederate delegation is John Breckinridge, whose political and military stature is immense. The head of the Union delegation is Governor Joel Parker of New Jersey. It is thought that Parker’s earlier support for the war effort, even as he opposed the Lincoln administration, would give the eventual result of the conference more credibility.

For nearly two weeks, the delegations engage in tough negotiations, going back and forth. Eventually, the Treaty of Hampton Roads is signed and the two delegations go home to their capitals to see if their respective Senates ratify it.

The main points of the Treaty of Hampton Roads were:
  • The United States recognizes the independence of the Confederacy.
  • The Confederacy recognizes the freedom of the slaves who had been freed by Union forces dring the course of the fighting.
  • Kentucky’s future status would be determined by a referendum. Missouri, West Virginia, Maryland and the New Mexico territories were to remain in the Union.
  • The United States would make a “good faith effort” to prevent escaped slaves from entering the United States.
When the text of the treaty is released to the public, there is an outcry on both sides of the border. While independence for the Confederacy had become inevitable, many die-hards in the North still found it difficult to stomach; Radical Republicans accused the Democrats of treason. And the possibility of Kentucky, long under Union control, becoming part of the Confederacy also outraged many.

In the South, many wealthy slave-owners are outraged that the treaty recognized the freedom of escaped slaves. At the very least, many argue, the Union should pay compensation for the loss of their slave property. And the phrase “good faith effort” strikes many as being meaningless- they predict a steady stream of slaves attempted to escape into Union territory.

News that the United Kingdom and France have recognized the independence of the Confederacy arrives as debates over ratification are beginning in Richmond. Although strong partisans of both sides make fiery speeches in opposition, the treaty is ratified by both Senates by a healthy margin. The War of Southern Independence is over.

Celebrations erupt across the South as word of the peace spreads. The armies are demobilized and the regiments march in triumph back to their homes. The general mood is one of great joy, as the South had triumphed when it appeared that all was lost. There is, however, great sadness at the immense cost in human life, and anxiety at the problems the South will face to recover from the damage inflicted on them by the war.

John Breckinridge, with his popularity before the war enhanced by his outstanding military service and his role in the crafting the peace, emerges as one of the most popular figures in the Confederacy. However, due to his willingness to give in to the North on the issue of freed slaves, he is passionately hated by a small but powerful group of wealthy slave-owners. The military heroes are, of course, Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston. President Davis also enjoys great popularity.

In the Union, there is general dismay, giving way to apathy. After suffering more than three hundred thousand deaths and expending massive resources, the North had failed to maintain the Union or to end slavery. With wartime contracts drying up, and a mass of returned soldiers and freed slaves flooding the labor force, hard economic times appear to be ahead. The North regards Lincoln with resentment bordering on hatred. After a brief honeymoon, the popularity of McClellan begins to wane as well.
Top