If Buttercups Buzz'd After the Bee: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire
- Thread starter Schnozzberry
- Start date
Chapter 6
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
This is going to be a bit smaller (and slightly choppier) of an update, but this is some of what I salvaged from before I reworked Horn's story.
Also, no song this time because the song that keeps coming to my mind might be seen as distasteful.
“You think of George Washington, this man who was larger than life, and in some ways he was. But at the same time, he's just a person.”
--Benjamin Walker
A most Abhorrent Violence: The Death of the First American Republic by August H. Drake. USA, 2037.
After the retreat to Newark, the Union forces would be formally reorganized by the Congress of the Confederation. The First American Regiment, the last organized remnants of Continental was recalled from western Pennsylvania back east, and Wayne’s forces were organized into the Second through Tenth American Regiments [1] with calls to reinforce the now highly below strength regiments being put out. While General Wayne would remain in command for the interim, General George Washington was requested to come back to command the newly reformed army. This was the last act by the Congress of the Confederation (other than disbanding itself) as by May, the House of Representatives and Senate created by the Second Constitution would finally establish themselves in the nation’s provisional capital of Baltimore.
Washington re-assuming control of the United States Army
General George Washington would accept the position, ultimately sealing his fate. This was incredible critical for the fledgling Second Constitution’s government however as Washington was at the time the only figure every actually intended to be appointed Monarch of the United States, and Washington’s assumption of the command of the army was seen as implicitly accepting the role. This would only prove more likely when Washington accepted the position of Regent a few months later. [2] For the suppression of the Regulators, Washington assuming command of the Union Army would prove crucial as well as General Washington’s prestige would see the Union Army receive more enlistees than actually required to reinforce the already formed regiments, with the Union Army swelling to nearly eleven-thousand by July.
The growing disparity between the Regulator’s strength and the Union’s strength was not lost on Luke Day who was actively working on stabilizing Regulator control of Connecticut and “Hudson.” Day had attempted to cross the Hudson in May however the crossing attempt had failed in spectacular fashion, seeing men and material be lost with virtually no loses from the Union side. This loss had led to morale plunging in the remaining Regulator forces under Day’s command. Further weakening the Regulator position was Executive Goodluck’s decision to try and annex the Republic of Vermont by force which had technically succeeded but had led to Vermont turning into a bleeding ulcer for Regulators. With these mounting issues, Day began to consider his infamous plan to fragment the Union's army and achieve victory…
Vermont irregulars pledge to keep fighting after the republic's surrender
…On August 6th, George Washington and the Union Army crossed the Hudson River to no opposition. Luke Day and the Regulators fled from the Union Army, allowing General Washington to do without any serious danger what he had been denied doing half-a-decade prior: liberate New York City from occupation. While the Regulators were far less threatening than the British, it was no doubt a small triumph for Washington. But, as the Union Army marched into New York City on August 10th without resistance, there is no doubt that something seemed wrong to Washington. Luke Day did not seem to be the kind of person who would have simply abandoned New York City without a fight; he must have a purpose for doing so, and the fact that Washington and his officers couldn’t piece it together troubled the General.
He was completely right to be troubled however for a young and radical Charles Oswald remained in the city, ready to act upon Day’s master plan…
Killing Washington by William Reilly II. [3] USA, 2017
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1788
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
1:00 PM
“Wayne,” George Washington says to his right-hand man, “something with this victory feels false. I do not find it possible that the Rebels should abandon this city so easily.”
The two generals are planning the next operation against the Regulators in Fraunces Tavern. Washington wants the war to be ended as soon as possible as the issue of the American monarchy rests on his shoulders more than before as very recently Congress has appointed him Regent of the United States. Wayne is less troubled, but he too wants a swift end to the war and presses for a more aggressive approach, while Washington prefers a more cautious approach. The two men continue to discuss for a few minutes before the heat and stuffiness of the room prompts the two to take a brief walk as they continue their discussion. They step outside of the Tavern and begin to walk north on Pearl Street.
Charles Oswald is waiting for them.
--{}--
As Charles Oswald walks up the stairs to his room, he checks his rifle one last time. Everything has been planned out in advance and now Oswald would go down in history as the man who decapitated the monarchist beast. He had spotted George Washington and Anthony Wayne leave the Tavern and begin heading his way. As he goes to the window, he sees the generals slowly walking down the street amongst the bustle of the city. Heart racing, he opens his window, takes aim and pulls the trigger.
Regent and General George Washington, the man who successfully fended off the British and preserved American Independence, shutters as the bullet strikes his neck. [4] He tries to turn to Wayne, but he can’t. His body loses strength and crumples as blackness consumes him. For a split second, Wayne is shocked in place, but he swiftly regains his composure and snaps towards the direction the bullet came from. Seeing the open window and a rifle’s barrel quickly retreating inside, he runs towards the building as he draws his sword. People on the streets begin to realize what is happening as well. Some scream, a few act to try and save the already dead Washington and some others follow Wayne inside the building in pursuit of Oswald.
Oswald can hear the men storming the building and ascending the stairs towards his room as Oswald swiftly reloads his rifle. The door in the room over slams open and seconds later the door to his room begins to shake as Wayne and the other men begin to force their way inside. Oswald levels his rifle towards the door as the sound of wood cracking accompanies the pounding. A final snap sees General Wayne push through the door. Oswald fires once more, downing “Mad” General Anthony Wayne.
Oswald has little time to enjoy successfully assassinating both generals though as the men who accompanied Wayne stream through the door and descend upon the assassin with fists and bludgeons… [5]
[1] This correlates to about 7,000 men.
[2] Some ITTL might try to argue George Washington was the "first Monarch" of the United States similarly to how some argue John Hanson was the first President IOTL.
[3] Yes, this is TTL's version of who you are thinking of.
[4] This isn't accurate to the events of Washington's assassination, he gets hit in the head, not the neck.
[5] Unmentioned is the fact that Oswald is also defenestrated which is what actually kills him.
Also, no song this time because the song that keeps coming to my mind might be seen as distasteful.
“You think of George Washington, this man who was larger than life, and in some ways he was. But at the same time, he's just a person.”
--Benjamin Walker
A most Abhorrent Violence: The Death of the First American Republic by August H. Drake. USA, 2037.
After the retreat to Newark, the Union forces would be formally reorganized by the Congress of the Confederation. The First American Regiment, the last organized remnants of Continental was recalled from western Pennsylvania back east, and Wayne’s forces were organized into the Second through Tenth American Regiments [1] with calls to reinforce the now highly below strength regiments being put out. While General Wayne would remain in command for the interim, General George Washington was requested to come back to command the newly reformed army. This was the last act by the Congress of the Confederation (other than disbanding itself) as by May, the House of Representatives and Senate created by the Second Constitution would finally establish themselves in the nation’s provisional capital of Baltimore.
Washington re-assuming control of the United States Army
General George Washington would accept the position, ultimately sealing his fate. This was incredible critical for the fledgling Second Constitution’s government however as Washington was at the time the only figure every actually intended to be appointed Monarch of the United States, and Washington’s assumption of the command of the army was seen as implicitly accepting the role. This would only prove more likely when Washington accepted the position of Regent a few months later. [2] For the suppression of the Regulators, Washington assuming command of the Union Army would prove crucial as well as General Washington’s prestige would see the Union Army receive more enlistees than actually required to reinforce the already formed regiments, with the Union Army swelling to nearly eleven-thousand by July.
The growing disparity between the Regulator’s strength and the Union’s strength was not lost on Luke Day who was actively working on stabilizing Regulator control of Connecticut and “Hudson.” Day had attempted to cross the Hudson in May however the crossing attempt had failed in spectacular fashion, seeing men and material be lost with virtually no loses from the Union side. This loss had led to morale plunging in the remaining Regulator forces under Day’s command. Further weakening the Regulator position was Executive Goodluck’s decision to try and annex the Republic of Vermont by force which had technically succeeded but had led to Vermont turning into a bleeding ulcer for Regulators. With these mounting issues, Day began to consider his infamous plan to fragment the Union's army and achieve victory…
Vermont irregulars pledge to keep fighting after the republic's surrender
…On August 6th, George Washington and the Union Army crossed the Hudson River to no opposition. Luke Day and the Regulators fled from the Union Army, allowing General Washington to do without any serious danger what he had been denied doing half-a-decade prior: liberate New York City from occupation. While the Regulators were far less threatening than the British, it was no doubt a small triumph for Washington. But, as the Union Army marched into New York City on August 10th without resistance, there is no doubt that something seemed wrong to Washington. Luke Day did not seem to be the kind of person who would have simply abandoned New York City without a fight; he must have a purpose for doing so, and the fact that Washington and his officers couldn’t piece it together troubled the General.
He was completely right to be troubled however for a young and radical Charles Oswald remained in the city, ready to act upon Day’s master plan…
Killing Washington by William Reilly II. [3] USA, 2017
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1788
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
1:00 PM
“Wayne,” George Washington says to his right-hand man, “something with this victory feels false. I do not find it possible that the Rebels should abandon this city so easily.”
The two generals are planning the next operation against the Regulators in Fraunces Tavern. Washington wants the war to be ended as soon as possible as the issue of the American monarchy rests on his shoulders more than before as very recently Congress has appointed him Regent of the United States. Wayne is less troubled, but he too wants a swift end to the war and presses for a more aggressive approach, while Washington prefers a more cautious approach. The two men continue to discuss for a few minutes before the heat and stuffiness of the room prompts the two to take a brief walk as they continue their discussion. They step outside of the Tavern and begin to walk north on Pearl Street.
Charles Oswald is waiting for them.
--{}--
As Charles Oswald walks up the stairs to his room, he checks his rifle one last time. Everything has been planned out in advance and now Oswald would go down in history as the man who decapitated the monarchist beast. He had spotted George Washington and Anthony Wayne leave the Tavern and begin heading his way. As he goes to the window, he sees the generals slowly walking down the street amongst the bustle of the city. Heart racing, he opens his window, takes aim and pulls the trigger.
Regent and General George Washington, the man who successfully fended off the British and preserved American Independence, shutters as the bullet strikes his neck. [4] He tries to turn to Wayne, but he can’t. His body loses strength and crumples as blackness consumes him. For a split second, Wayne is shocked in place, but he swiftly regains his composure and snaps towards the direction the bullet came from. Seeing the open window and a rifle’s barrel quickly retreating inside, he runs towards the building as he draws his sword. People on the streets begin to realize what is happening as well. Some scream, a few act to try and save the already dead Washington and some others follow Wayne inside the building in pursuit of Oswald.
Oswald can hear the men storming the building and ascending the stairs towards his room as Oswald swiftly reloads his rifle. The door in the room over slams open and seconds later the door to his room begins to shake as Wayne and the other men begin to force their way inside. Oswald levels his rifle towards the door as the sound of wood cracking accompanies the pounding. A final snap sees General Wayne push through the door. Oswald fires once more, downing “Mad” General Anthony Wayne.
Oswald has little time to enjoy successfully assassinating both generals though as the men who accompanied Wayne stream through the door and descend upon the assassin with fists and bludgeons… [5]
[1] This correlates to about 7,000 men.
[2] Some ITTL might try to argue George Washington was the "first Monarch" of the United States similarly to how some argue John Hanson was the first President IOTL.
[3] Yes, this is TTL's version of who you are thinking of.
[4] This isn't accurate to the events of Washington's assassination, he gets hit in the head, not the neck.
[5] Unmentioned is the fact that Oswald is also defenestrated which is what actually kills him.
Last edited:
I apologize greatly for the bump/alert, but I wanted to say that I’m very happy that Death of a Republic is being rebooted. I absolutely loved the first version and so far, I’m enjoying this updated version even more. Funnily enough I was thinking about the faceless men from the first thread yesterday and was going back to reread the TL when I discovered that this thread was here. I remember that some issues were brought up back when you put the thread on indefinite hiatus, but I am very glad to hear that things seem to be getting better.
Also, love the What Madness is This references. Keep up the great work but don’t let the stress get to you again!
Also, love the What Madness is This references. Keep up the great work but don’t let the stress get to you again!
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
Thank you for reading, I'm glad you enjoy it! I don't plan to let things go wrong again, although that isn't necessarily perfectly in my hands.
And for all readers, I'm sorry for the slow rate of updates, work and university are taking time to get back into, but it will continue.
Chapter 7
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
A most Abhorrent Violence: The Death of the First American Republic by August H. Drake. USA, 2037.
In the immediate aftermath of General Washington and General Wayne’s assassinations, it almost seemed as if Luke Day’s plan to fragment the Union Army might actually be successful to some degree. General Putnam suffered a second and smaller stroke shortly after receiving the news; whether or not Putnam’s angered reaction to the news prompted the stroke remains a matter of debate, but nevertheless it ended Putnam’s career, making him the third General lost by the army on that day. With the death of the three generals, confused orders briefly led to the army splitting into two, one group hunkering in New York, and another attempting to retreat back across the Hudson. General William Heath would put an end to the chaos however, successfully wrangling control of the army and keeping it intact. While General Heath did successfully maintain it intact, morale plummeted due to the loss of the three generals, all of whom were seen as heroes by the Union soldiers. Desertion swelled with the army shrinking at a rate of hundreds per day through August.
General Josiah Harmar
With the death of Washington, the most senior officer of the United States Army was Brigadier General Josiah Harmar. Harmar had actually been the senior officer before Washington had been recalled to command the Union Army, but as he was in the Northwest leading the fight against the natives, his position as senior officer was somewhat ignored. With Washington dead however, Harmar was recalled back east to take command of the Union Army, which Harmar would do on September 27th. On the political front, Robert Morris would be appointed Regent in Washington’s stead, much to his chagrin. [1]
General Harmar was considered one of the best officers in the Union by General Washington during the War for Independence, and while his career on the frontier was somewhat lacking due to his skills laying within a more classical military focus than those suitable for warfare on the frontier, [2] his reputation remained high. When he assumed command from General Heath, morale improved somewhat amongst the Union army, although desertions continued at a slower rate through the remaining fall and winter as General Harmar began to prepare for an offensive when the thaw in 1789.
An unnamed Regulator politician, believed to be Edward Price
Luke Day’s view of the event was also mixed. Day did express a degree of triumph for his plan succeeding beyond what he even thought could happen, but Day was also saddened by Washington’s death. He wouldn’t let this stop him however, Day would attempt to break the Union army after receiving confirmation of Washington’s death with a second attack on the Union Army, but he was once more repulsed. With this second defeat, Day was recalled back to Boston by Hopswood (a further abuse of Hopswood’s power) and replaced by Executive George Goodluck. After being recalled, Day would be informed of Hopswood’s plans for publishing (and implementing) The Principles, with Hopswood revealing to Day that he wanted Day to assist in maintaining order as the Confederation’s government restructured along the lines of The Principles. Most critically for Hopswood was his fears over unrest due to his planned land reforms…
Radicalism From Apotheotic Anarchism to Ultra-Nikism: A Brief Guide by the Committee for the Preservation of Democracy. Dixie, 1961
HOPSWOODISM
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: Physiocratic Minarchism, Regulatorism
Origins:
Hopswoodism’s origins are within a period of unrest and revolt in the late first republican period of the United States. An agrarian revolt that spanned the New England region was led for a time by Clark Hopswood, a printer turned revolutionary who sought to establish a “perfect” form of governance that solved the issues of those he led in revolt. During his time leading the revolt, Hopswood would write The Principles of a Regulated State, a novelette length treatise that would outline the ideology that would eventually be known as Hopswoodism although Hopswood himself called it Regulatorism.
Theory:
As outlined in The Principles, a Hopswoodist state would be near-anarchistic in structure with a very weak government that only stood the purpose of defending the state from outside invasion, collect tariffs, and ensuring that land reform was continued “in perpetuity.” This land reform marks the most distinguishing element of Hopswoodism. According to Hopswoodism, all large scale farms are to be broken up and all public lands are to be distributed to any citizen who desired a plot of land. The plots given to a citizen were supposed to be livable via farming and once given to a citizen, the plot was supposed to be unable to be taken from a citizen, sold or otherwise kept from a citizen after given… [3]
A most Abhorrent Violence: The Death of the First American Republic by August H. Drake. USA, 2037.
…Immediately upon the passing of the Land Reform Bill through the Confederation’s Congress, Executive Shattuck vetoed the law. Shattuck’s veto was ignored, and radical regulator supporters took to the land reforms readily. As the rhetoric around the land reform began to escalate, Shattuck would return to his hometown of Gronton as he feared for his life as radical thugs began to attack those opposed to the land reforms, as well as the remaining well-to-do merchant classes. Hopswood and Day supported these actions, polarizing even more the situation between the radicals and the moderates. As the fall finally gave away to winter, the violence continued to simmer in the Confederation. After a brutal blizzard, the Regulator government would finally being to collapse as the Rector of Merrymack, Jonathan Moulton, caught ill during the storm and died on January 26th. Executive Nathaniel Peabody would be called back to Merrymack, only to find that the policies of land reform and the violence of the radicals were devastating the state. Peabody would denounce the actions of the radicals, leading to a split between Merrymack and the remaining of the Confederation. Chief Executive Hopswood would send a letter to Peabody demanding his resignation in response. Peabody refused.
Throughout Merrymack, Peabody would turn out the Merrymacker militia to stop the radicals’ violence, triggering an effective low-level civil war as radicals and moderates clashed openly. When the winter frosts thawed, Hopswood would send Day north to “restore order” to Merrymack with five-hundred men. In response, Peabody would declare the State of New Hampshire restored on April 7th, placing the imprisoned John Sullivan back in charge of the state. When General Harmar launched his offensive to push back the Regulators that April as well, the victory which had seemed so close to the Regulators only a year before now finally slipped away entirely…
[1] The financier of the United States under the First Constitution and one of the only other figures considered an option for head of the Constitutional Convention.
[2] IOTL this led to Harmar being disgraced.
[3] The Principles wouldn't have been published widely, but Hopswoodism's ideal government resembling Thomas Jefferson's vision of America does make the idea less popular when the political situation stablizes.
Last edited:
Chapter 8
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
"I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."
--Benjamin Franklin
The Importance of the Second Constitution from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
Today, most Americans are familiar with the structure of our current government; the Imperial Congress of Representatives serves as the nation’s legislative body with the head of the legislature, the President of Congress, taking up the executive functions of the state as well with the Empress (or Emperor) being a figurehead. This parliamentarian type of government is a fairly recent development in American history [1] and came about during the denikification of the 1970s as separating the new Democratic government from the Nikist regime. Before then, apart from the First Republic, America’s governments were at least nominally based on the government created by the Second Constitution from 1787.
While controversial when it was passed, the Second Constitution is both the second longest lasting constitution used by the United States and the most revolutionary. The first constitution in the world to provide explicit protections for basic human rights such as the Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press, the first to provide for a democratic government, and one of the first to properly attempt to separate the powers of government. [2] These revolutionary aspects would guarantee that even after James Polk overthrew the government in 1842 and established the Conductorate, countries from across the world would take inspiration from the Second Constitution in forming their own governments…
The only Niepcegraph [3] of the US Congress building used under the Second Constitution
…In contrast to what our current Eleventh Constitution has established, the legislature established by the Second Constitution was bicameral, with the lower house being the House of Representatives, headed by the Speaker of the House, and the upper house being the Senate, headed by the Speaker of the Senate. In the House of Representatives, the number of Representatives were distributed by the population of the states and elected by the people, while in the Senate, each state received two Senators who were chosen by the state governments. This system was put into place as a compromise between the large and small states, a necessary compromise as the early United States placed a far higher amount of power in the states’ hands than successor governments.
Any law which was to be passed required being passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and would then require approval of the executive branch. The executive branch consisted of three offices, the Director of the People, the Director of the State, and the Monarch, each of which held different powers. Arguably the most powerful office was the Director of the People who was elected via popular vote to serve for a six year term, although during some period of where the office wasn’t filled, the House of Representatives could appoint an officeholder until new elections were held. (This was how the first Director of the People, John Jay, would come into office.) The Director of the People’s powers included the ability to veto legislation, although the veto could be blocked by an agreement by both the Director of the State and the Monarch or overwritten by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress, as well as appoint many of the offices such as the Justices of the Supreme Court, Federal Judges or Secretaries, and the ability to issue executive orders, although the order could also be vetoed via an agreement by the Director of the State and the Monarch.
Director John Jay
The Director of the State on the other hand was appointed by the Senate for a term set upon their appointment. The term had a maximum of six years although shorter terms were occasionally given, such as the first Director of the State, George Clinton, who was appointed for a two-year term. [4] The Director of the State was tasked with appointing ambassadors, could veto legislation which could in turn be overwritten by either agreement by the Director of the People and the Monarch, or by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress, and sign treaties with foreign states. In contrast with the Director of the People, the Director of the State could not issue executive orders, although the Director of the State could be re-elected where the Director of the People could not be, although only Director Thomas Jefferson was the only Director to ever be re-elected. [5]
The final executive position was the Monarch. In contrast to the Empresses/Emperors of today, the Monarch was an elected, not an inherited position under the Second Constitution, with the Monarch serving for life or until abdication. For the first few years under the Second Constitution, the official title of the Monarch was simply “Monarch of the United States,” being changed in 1794 to “Princeps” before finally becoming Emperor after the annexation of Louisiana…
…While the Second Constitution was a radical change, it should be noted that the change from a republic to a monarchy was in many ways the least radical change. It was a large point of contention during the adoption of the Second Constitution, but following the adoption, it actually changed surprisingly little as the Second Constitution guaranteed the states the right to choose their government structure as long as it was a “representative” form of government, as well as affording them considerable autonomy. This meant that, immediately after the Second Constitution was adopted, the same republican governments remained in place in the states, and far more change was noted by the new Congress and the Directorships by even the most ardent republicans from the time… [6]
The Ratification of the Second Constitution and the Provisional Congress of 1788-1789 from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
When the Congress of the Confederation ratified the Second Constitution on October 3rd, it allowed for the new House of Representatives and Senate to assemble on a provisional basis with members coming from each state regardless of that states’ ratification status. May 1st,1788, was set for the date of the first meeting of the provisional Congress.
While opposition to the Second Constitution did see some violence in New Jersey and led to the Regulator revolt spreading to New York, most of the opposition was done peacefully through pamphlettering and letter-writing than revolt. The greatest concerns amongst the “Anti-Federalists,” or those opposed to the Second Constitution, was the abandonment of republicanism and the establishment of a monarchy, although other concerns such as the fear that the federal government would be too unresponsive to local communities or seize power from the states were also expressed frequently.
The Anti-Federalist movement was extremely unorganized, hindering efforts by the Anti-Federalists to block the ratification of the Second Constitution despite the fact that it is believed that somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of Americans at the time supported Anti-Federalist causes. Furthermore, popular Anti-Federalist fears were able to be at least somewhat dealt with by pro-Second Constitution Federalists who were more organized although split between the “Princely” pro-monarchy Federalists, and “Caton” pro-republic Federalists. These two factions both argued for the Second Constitution in different ways, the Princely faction arguing that the new monarchy was actually more republican (at the time, republican did not necessarily mean the same as it does today, some argued that a republican government is representing its population, not that it isn’t a monarchy) [7] than the First Constitution thanks to the existence of the House of Representatives. The Caton Federalists on the other hand argued that the Second Constitution could be reverted back into a republican form relatively easy, and that with its distribution of power and the built-in Bill of Rights, it allowed for the benefits of a strong government without an easy potential for abuse.
Articles such as these were the main method of public argument
For both Federalist factions, the greatest boon was the ongoing Regulator Revolt which cast serious doubt on the practicality of a weak republican government and soured the prospects of a republic in general for many Americans. This souring drove many who would have otherwise been Anti-Federalists into being Caton Federalists, leading to a more rapid adoption of the Second Constitution by the states than likely would have happened had there been no ongoing revolt. The Bill of Rights too was almost certainly another deciding factor in the ratification, perhaps more so than the ongoing revolt with many accounts from several states’ ratification conventions critically noted that many who voted for ratification in those conventions referenced the Bill of Rights explicitly.
The first six states to ratify the Second Constitution did so before the Provisional Congress assembled, starting with Pennsylvania on November 25th, 1787, followed by Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and finally Maryland on March 6th, 1788. South Carolina would begin to ratify the Second Constitution in 1787, but ongoing disruption from a Regulator-backed slave rebellion led to the South Carolinian convention agreeing to postponing until July 1788 when it would ratify in a virtually unanimous vote, allowing New Jersey to ratify the Second Constitution before South Carolina on June 22nd. With South Carolina’s ratification, only one more state’s ratification was required for the Second Constitution to become official, however that ratification would only come a year later in 1789 as the Regulator Revolt was crushed…
[1] Not the truest statement, at least depending on how strictly one defines the term Parliamentarian as arguably the Second Constitution is at least quasi-parliamentarian.
[2] Once more, not a 100% true statement.
[3] OTL's daguerreotype.
[4] Technically a flawed statement as well, the Second Constitution is imperfectly worded on the definition of the Director of the State's term. Depending on the interpretation it might set no term definitions.
[5] Whether a Director of the People could be elected a Director of the State, or vice-versa, is undefined in the Second Constitution.
[6] Since the Second Constitution empowered the Monarch so little the "Republican" elements of government (Congress, the Directors, etc.) are dominant and the changes these elements bring are far more visible.
[7] IOTL James Madison argued the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a republic, and that the House of Commons of Great Britain was a republican body so the argument that the Second Constitution just creates a "crowned republic" or something similar wouldn't be too out there.
Last edited:
Chapter 9
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
The fall of the Rebels was a most disgraceful affair.
Half were in possession of only a bludgeon for Arms,
many wore raggs and near-all were without shoes.
Sir, I can not claim this as a victory for to do so would be to
imply there was an enemy of capacity that we fought...
--Josiah Harmar in a letter discussing the Battle of Farmington
A most Abhorrent Violence: The Death of the First American Republic by August H. Drake. USA, 2037.
…General Harmar’s offensive tore through the remaining forces of the Regulator’s “Republic of Hudson,” hammering the most cohesive unit of the Hudsonian defenses in the Battle of Bedford on April 19th with only token resistance being offered by the remaining elements of Hudson through the rest of April. After the victory at Bedford, Harmar’s army would cross the border into Connecticut.
Executive Goodluck would lead the Regulator’s defense of Connecticut, attacking Harmar’s forces in a series of hit-and-run fights as the Union army drove ever further. Goodluck would be forced to make a stand against the Union army in the Battle of Farmington as the continually unwinding situation in the Confederation had led to a pro-Union uprising by the residents of Hartford who gave the boot to the Regulators “Free Connecticut” government. With the uprising at his back, there was no longer the luxury of retreat for the Executive. The Battle of Farmington was surprisingly a close affair, the Regulators held a position behind a short stone wall that allowed for a successful defense against the first Union assault. As the second assault was about to begin, the first drops of rain began to fall from gloomy clouds, and for a fateful moment, General Harmar would pause, uncertain whether to call the assault off due to the potential impending thunderstorm.
The rain did not begin to pour however, so Harmar would order the assault to proceed. Executive Goodluck, seeing the Union forces move towards a second assault would raise his sword to rally his men, to signal that yet once more the wave of war would breach upon their rock. A flash of light would fill the grey, shaded day with a brilliant, piercing illumination as a bolt of lightning shot from the skies straight and true through George Goodluck on its journey to the ground. [1] Horrified and now with their morale thoroughly shot, the second Union assault would shatter the Regulator army. Surprisingly, Goodluck was still alive after having been struck by lightning, although he was far worse for wear. Singed badly, his left arm was paralyzed and his eardrums were burst, Goodluck was captured by the Union forces after having been abandoned by his men on the battlefield, although he would only live for a few more days as on the fourth day after having been struck, Goodluck would suffer a series of violent seizures and perish.
Regulators fleeing Farmington
In New Hampshire, President Sullivan successfully ousted the radical Regulators by March, although he would hesitate to pursue the Regulators into Massachusetts due to memories of last invasion. In a somewhat interesting turn of events however, Nathaniel Peabody would lead a small band of three-hundred former moderate Regulators across the Vermont border in an attempt by Peabody to seek redemption for his treason. Linking up with Vermontoise [2] irregulars, Peabody and his band would assist in the ousting of the Regulators from Vermont with President of the Republic of Vermont, [3] Thomas Chittenden, returning to the capital, Castleton, on June 6th.
Governor Chittenden
The defeat of Goodluck finally pushed Shattuck and the conspiracy to overthrow Hopswood to action. On the 15th of June, Shattuck returned from Gronton to Boston and met up with the other conspiracy members, launching the plan. Shattuck and a dozen loyal men would march into the State House to arrest Hopswood, Taylor Hammond would go to free Daniel Shays from his arrest, and Elijah Price with the rest of the conspiracy would go to arrest Luke Day. The plan’s implementation went well for Shattuck and Hammond, but Price would end captured by Regulators loyal to Day and Hopswood. In a grisly display, Price would be beheaded, and his dismembered head raised upon a pike by the Regulator army that would proceed to march into Boston to free Hopswood from the other conspiracy members. Day’s exact role in this isn’t certain, no primary sources discuss it, with the accounts that stated Day personally held the pike with Price’s head upon it coming from a second-hand account written decades later.
Taylor Hammond freed Daniel Shays surprisingly easy, claiming that it had been ordered that Shays was to be taken to the State House to meet with Hopswood, and Shays was freed from the Boston Gaol almost immediately, far worse for wear as he was visibly emaciated upon his release. While Hammond was taking Shays to meet up with the other conspiracy members, the two would spot the anti-conspiracy army, and realizing that the plan had failed, they would flee the city.
Shattuck would successfully arrest Hopswood, and while he along with the other conspiracy members were escorting Hopswood out of the State House, an angry crowd would begin to build, preventing the conspiracy’s members from leaving. Shattuck would attempt to address the crowd in a speech outlining Hopswood’s actions as treason, but in the middle of the speech, the anti-conspiracy elements would arrive, killing several of the conspirators including Shattuck and freeing Hopswood. The conspiracy was broken, with the only successful part being Hammond and Shays escaping. Shattuck’s head, as were several other conspiracy members had their heads raised on pikes as well and raised outside the State House along with two empty pikes. The Regulator Revolt would now only be spared descending into a period of violence thanks to the Union army which was slowly closing in on Boston…
Celebration of the defeat of the conspiracy
…General Harmar and the Union army entered Massachusetts on May 23rd, not encountering serious resistance from the Regulators, although their advance was slowed as Regulator irregulars struck repeatedly. By June 25th, Waltham fell to the Union army, putting the Union army only about ten-miles from Boston. Executive Day worked tirelessly to prepare Boston for the oncoming battle, focusing on constructing improvised fortifications on the Boston Neck. When the Union Army arrived at Boston, the fortifications prevented the Union from entering Boston. After a skirmish on June 29th proved to General Harmar that it wasn’t possible for a conventional assault to break the Regulators’ defenses, Harmar would take an action that mimicked some of the opening moves of the War for Independence.
Dorchester Heights, Bunker Hill and Charlestown Hill would see the Union’s artillery placed upon them in preparation for laying siege to the Regulators. On June 30th, the Regulators were given an ultimatum of surrender by General Harmar. Somewhat anti-climatically, a weary and resigned Eli Parsons would surrender to the Union forces at that point. Clark Hopswood and Luke Day had disappeared, and Parsons did not have the will to pursue the siege alone, and so, on June 30th, 1789, the Confederation of Free American Republics ceased to exist after only five-and-a-half hundred days of existence, bringing the Regulator Revolt to its conclusion although some Regulator irregulars would remain fighting for a few more months in the Berkshires, and Martin Horn’s mad campaign continued in the southwest. [4]
Now came the difficult task of surviving the peace…
[1] Dramatic? Perhaps. However this wouldn't be the first time in history that holding a metal sword aloft in a relatively open area during a thunderstorm ended poorly, similar situations arose IOTL.
[2] So, it probably goes without saying by now that a decent number of the demonyms used in Buttercups don't correlate correctly with OTL's demonyms. The reason for this is that spell check on my computer dislikes all US state demonyms so it's more often than not a mistake that I've decided to keep as TTL's demonym for the respective state.
[3] The correct title would be Governor, but President is used retroactively ITTL.
[4] Technically it hasn't begun yet, Horn went south less than three weeks before the fall of Boston
Last edited:
Chapter 10
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
Sorry for the delay again everyone, class is taking up a lot of time and I just haven't been able to focus to work on a single update. Anywho, the Marquis de Lafayette is finally making his way to the USA in this update, although it's at a far more inopportune time this time around than in DoaR.
The Trial of Getting a Monarch from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
The Provisional Congress would largely push the actual question of the Monarchy aside, leaving Regent Robert Morris in place as the United States began to slowly settle into peace and governance under the Second Constitution. The ratification of the Constitution by New York in October, 1789, would see the formal ratification of the Second Constitution, and thus the First Congress assembled in 1790.
Director Rutledge
Director Clinton would be replaced by John Rutledge, a member of the Caton faction of the Federalists, who would argue that since the obvious intended candidate for the Monarchy, George Washington, had been assassinated, the country should abandon the monarchy. Congress would vote against this proposal, leading to a further intensification of the debate. In April, 1791, the resignation of Regent Morris would lead to John Adams ascending to the Regency. [1] Regent Adams would negotiate a compromise between the Caton and Princely Federalists, leading to the Declaration of Intent which would affirm that the Union would elect a monarch so long as the monarch accepted a “republican title” of Princeps, and swear their acceptance of their constitutional obligations.
The first candidate to be put forward under these conditions was Prince Henry of Prussia who was proposed in large part because of the Prussian Scheme which had seen Prince Henry put forward as a potential monarch, with an offer actually being extended to the Prince. Henry flatly rejected the offer however, claiming that “no man would possess the patience to stand the burden of ruling the [United Statesian] people for more than a week.”
Undeterred, Congress would continue to debate over who should be the next candidate, throwing a number of names into the ring only to reject them without even sending an offer to be monarch to the proposed candidates through the remainder of 1791. The Second Congress which assembled in 1792 saw a larger Federalist majority, leading to renewed vigor in the monarch debate. The second candidate to be put forward, and to actually have an offer sent was the Hero of the Two Worlds, the Marquis de Lafayette, Gilbert du Motier.
The Monarch-Elect Gilbert du Motier
The Marquis’ acceptance wasn’t believed to be likely as Lafayette had established himself as a critical figure in the ongoing first French Revolution, and many believed Lafayette wouldn’t abandon his homeland during what was increasingly seeming to be the most chaotic period in living memory. However, unbeknownst to the United Statesians upon sending the offer, the French Revolution was beginning its descent into radicalism, and the offer would reach the hands of the American minister to France, William Short, on August 13th, only a day before Lafayette would attempt to goad the army to march on Paris to free the French Royal Family from the grasp of the radicals.
Minister William Short
On August 14th, Lafayette would fail in his plan to secure a march on Paris and was subsequently declared a traitor with an order being put out for his arrest. Minister Short, unaware of all of this, would meet with Georges Danton, the Minister of Justice and one of the arch-Revolutionaries in an attempt to secure an agreement with the Revolutionary government to allow Lafayette at least the option of becoming the United States’ Monarch. Danton would flatly inform Short that even if Danton hadn’t declared Lafayette a traitor that day, he would not have supported such a measure. Frustrated, Minister Short would return to his residence, however after a few days, Short would learn that Lafayette had fled to the Austrian Netherlands with the intention of embarking to the United States. [2] This was done all without knowledge of the United Statesian offer, leading to Short writing to the United States’ Congress that Lafayette was coming to the United States without knowledge of the offer, and that Congress could just give Lafayette the offer in person. Short would then move to The Hague as he had been appointed Minister to the Dutch Republic in order to try to secure better terms for the US’ significant debt.
Unfortunately, however, Lafayette would be recognized in the Austrian Netherlands and was arrested for being a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary government, falling into the custody of the Kingdom of Prussia. [3] When Minister Short learned of this, he made the journey to Berlin to meet with the King of Prussia, Frederick William II, arriving in early October. Frederick William refused to free Lafayette to the United Statesians, and after a week of attempting to negotiate, Minister Short would proceed to Trier where the brothers of King Louis XVI, the Count of Providence and the Count of Artois had created a French Court in exile. One success which American diplomats would achieve however was the successful smuggling of the Marquis’ son, Georges Washington de Lafayette, to the United States. [4]
Charles, Count of Artois
In Trier, Minister Short would meet with the Regent of the court-in-exile, the Count of Providence, who refused to even listen to Short’s pleas for leniency for Lafayette. Instead, the Count of Artois would meet with Minister Short, telling Short he was “elated” the United States had adopted a “proper” form of government, and that if the Americans so desired, the Count would be willing to offer his services as a “proper” monarch in place of Lafayette. [5] Minister Short would use this offer as a pretense to keep his position in Trier as he developed a new plan of attack to release the Marquis. While Minister Short was making his way to Trier however, Francis Kinloch Huger, a South Carolinian studying medicine in Vienna and noted admirer of Lafayette decided to attempt to break the Marquis out of prison. [6] Huger and Short would end up in contact with each other while Short was embroiled in Trier.
Huger would get into contact with Short, and the two men planned out the prison escape. On November 5th, Huger would successfully bribe two guards in the Magdeburg prison to smuggle Lafayette out. From there, Huger and Lafayette would flee across Prussia and several of the minor Holy Roman Empire’s states to the Free City of Hamburg, successfully making it there on November 21st and departing for the United States. [7] From there, Lafayette would successfully make his way to the United States, putting an end to the tribulations of the Union’s quest for a Monarch.
Francis Huger (later in life)
The Marquis’ prison escape and departure for the United States was not without consequences however. Minister Short would be arrested when news reached Trier, then mock-executed before being released and sent back to The Hague. More importantly however was status of Adrienne de Lafayette, the Marquis’ wife. United Statesian diplomats had been negotiating for Adrienne’s release, along with the Marquis’ daughters from their imprisonment by the Revolutionary French government. They had been released to be exiled to the United States, however when news of the Marquis’ escape reached Paris, Adrienne would be re-imprisoned. The Marquis’ daughters would be smuggled out of France by America’s new Minister to France, Gouverneur Morris, likely saving their lives as Adrienne would be executed by the French government in 1793…
[1] Adams wasn't a volunteer for the office, he was a Republican. He accepted however for what he believed to be the good of the country. It does make the accusations Adams was a closet monarchist he receives later seem somewhat more reasonable.
[2] Lafayette actually attempted to flee to the United States IOTL as well.
[3] Also OTL.
[4] Once more OTL.
[5] The Count of Artois was King Charles X IOTL, and considering Charles attempted to bring back the Royal Touch, this would have been a horrifying nightmare if it were to somehow go down.
[6] Huger did this IOTL as well.
[7] IOTL Huger successfully broke Lafayette out of prison with this exact plan. It didn't work IOTL however.
Minister Short, I declared him a traitor to the French people not three hours ago…
--Minister of Justice, Georges Danton
--Minister of Justice, Georges Danton
The Trial of Getting a Monarch from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
The Provisional Congress would largely push the actual question of the Monarchy aside, leaving Regent Robert Morris in place as the United States began to slowly settle into peace and governance under the Second Constitution. The ratification of the Constitution by New York in October, 1789, would see the formal ratification of the Second Constitution, and thus the First Congress assembled in 1790.
Director Rutledge
Director Clinton would be replaced by John Rutledge, a member of the Caton faction of the Federalists, who would argue that since the obvious intended candidate for the Monarchy, George Washington, had been assassinated, the country should abandon the monarchy. Congress would vote against this proposal, leading to a further intensification of the debate. In April, 1791, the resignation of Regent Morris would lead to John Adams ascending to the Regency. [1] Regent Adams would negotiate a compromise between the Caton and Princely Federalists, leading to the Declaration of Intent which would affirm that the Union would elect a monarch so long as the monarch accepted a “republican title” of Princeps, and swear their acceptance of their constitutional obligations.
The first candidate to be put forward under these conditions was Prince Henry of Prussia who was proposed in large part because of the Prussian Scheme which had seen Prince Henry put forward as a potential monarch, with an offer actually being extended to the Prince. Henry flatly rejected the offer however, claiming that “no man would possess the patience to stand the burden of ruling the [United Statesian] people for more than a week.”
Undeterred, Congress would continue to debate over who should be the next candidate, throwing a number of names into the ring only to reject them without even sending an offer to be monarch to the proposed candidates through the remainder of 1791. The Second Congress which assembled in 1792 saw a larger Federalist majority, leading to renewed vigor in the monarch debate. The second candidate to be put forward, and to actually have an offer sent was the Hero of the Two Worlds, the Marquis de Lafayette, Gilbert du Motier.
The Monarch-Elect Gilbert du Motier
The Marquis’ acceptance wasn’t believed to be likely as Lafayette had established himself as a critical figure in the ongoing first French Revolution, and many believed Lafayette wouldn’t abandon his homeland during what was increasingly seeming to be the most chaotic period in living memory. However, unbeknownst to the United Statesians upon sending the offer, the French Revolution was beginning its descent into radicalism, and the offer would reach the hands of the American minister to France, William Short, on August 13th, only a day before Lafayette would attempt to goad the army to march on Paris to free the French Royal Family from the grasp of the radicals.
Minister William Short
On August 14th, Lafayette would fail in his plan to secure a march on Paris and was subsequently declared a traitor with an order being put out for his arrest. Minister Short, unaware of all of this, would meet with Georges Danton, the Minister of Justice and one of the arch-Revolutionaries in an attempt to secure an agreement with the Revolutionary government to allow Lafayette at least the option of becoming the United States’ Monarch. Danton would flatly inform Short that even if Danton hadn’t declared Lafayette a traitor that day, he would not have supported such a measure. Frustrated, Minister Short would return to his residence, however after a few days, Short would learn that Lafayette had fled to the Austrian Netherlands with the intention of embarking to the United States. [2] This was done all without knowledge of the United Statesian offer, leading to Short writing to the United States’ Congress that Lafayette was coming to the United States without knowledge of the offer, and that Congress could just give Lafayette the offer in person. Short would then move to The Hague as he had been appointed Minister to the Dutch Republic in order to try to secure better terms for the US’ significant debt.
Unfortunately, however, Lafayette would be recognized in the Austrian Netherlands and was arrested for being a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary government, falling into the custody of the Kingdom of Prussia. [3] When Minister Short learned of this, he made the journey to Berlin to meet with the King of Prussia, Frederick William II, arriving in early October. Frederick William refused to free Lafayette to the United Statesians, and after a week of attempting to negotiate, Minister Short would proceed to Trier where the brothers of King Louis XVI, the Count of Providence and the Count of Artois had created a French Court in exile. One success which American diplomats would achieve however was the successful smuggling of the Marquis’ son, Georges Washington de Lafayette, to the United States. [4]
Charles, Count of Artois
In Trier, Minister Short would meet with the Regent of the court-in-exile, the Count of Providence, who refused to even listen to Short’s pleas for leniency for Lafayette. Instead, the Count of Artois would meet with Minister Short, telling Short he was “elated” the United States had adopted a “proper” form of government, and that if the Americans so desired, the Count would be willing to offer his services as a “proper” monarch in place of Lafayette. [5] Minister Short would use this offer as a pretense to keep his position in Trier as he developed a new plan of attack to release the Marquis. While Minister Short was making his way to Trier however, Francis Kinloch Huger, a South Carolinian studying medicine in Vienna and noted admirer of Lafayette decided to attempt to break the Marquis out of prison. [6] Huger and Short would end up in contact with each other while Short was embroiled in Trier.
Huger would get into contact with Short, and the two men planned out the prison escape. On November 5th, Huger would successfully bribe two guards in the Magdeburg prison to smuggle Lafayette out. From there, Huger and Lafayette would flee across Prussia and several of the minor Holy Roman Empire’s states to the Free City of Hamburg, successfully making it there on November 21st and departing for the United States. [7] From there, Lafayette would successfully make his way to the United States, putting an end to the tribulations of the Union’s quest for a Monarch.
Francis Huger (later in life)
The Marquis’ prison escape and departure for the United States was not without consequences however. Minister Short would be arrested when news reached Trier, then mock-executed before being released and sent back to The Hague. More importantly however was status of Adrienne de Lafayette, the Marquis’ wife. United Statesian diplomats had been negotiating for Adrienne’s release, along with the Marquis’ daughters from their imprisonment by the Revolutionary French government. They had been released to be exiled to the United States, however when news of the Marquis’ escape reached Paris, Adrienne would be re-imprisoned. The Marquis’ daughters would be smuggled out of France by America’s new Minister to France, Gouverneur Morris, likely saving their lives as Adrienne would be executed by the French government in 1793…
[1] Adams wasn't a volunteer for the office, he was a Republican. He accepted however for what he believed to be the good of the country. It does make the accusations Adams was a closet monarchist he receives later seem somewhat more reasonable.
[2] Lafayette actually attempted to flee to the United States IOTL as well.
[3] Also OTL.
[4] Once more OTL.
[5] The Count of Artois was King Charles X IOTL, and considering Charles attempted to bring back the Royal Touch, this would have been a horrifying nightmare if it were to somehow go down.
[6] Huger did this IOTL as well.
[7] IOTL Huger successfully broke Lafayette out of prison with this exact plan. It didn't work IOTL however.
Last edited:
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
Whoops, forgot to threadmark the last update.
Anywho, one of the things I was working on for an update is now just going to become junk, so instead of just forgetting about it, I figured it'd work nicely as a little teaser for the next update.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain wracked his body, cutting and blazing throughout ever fiber of his being.
That bastard Pinckney had won. His men were slain, butchered like hogs by Pinckney’s army. Smalls and some of the rest had escaped into the swamps but it wasn’t possible that the “New African Army” would last long.
Marion would find them.
Another labored breath, hot and putrid would whistle through the hole in his cheek. Then, blackness engulfed him once more.
Feverish dreams would pass through the restless black, none lingering enough to remember. One memory would linger, a figure impossibly tall would haunt him through each hazy dream. Claws, iron and sharp would press against his throat and chest as the figure loomed over him. Without eyes or a mouth, the thing tormented him, and yet, he could see the appearance of countless others in the figure’s form. Washington, Pinckney, Putnam, Smalls, all of them seemed a part of the figure.
And yet, they were trapped by it too, tormented the same as he was. Some fought it but others were so tightly held they simply gave in. And yet the thing
the demon
brought them all to ruination. He couldn’t be the only one who saw what the thing was doing. How it was controlling them. How it was killing them. And yet, through the dreams he could see how they were blind to the thing.
The torment dragged on endlessly, its grip growing ever tighter against his chest. He could feel the life slipping from him, each breath slightly more labored. He tried to call out, to scream, to somehow escape the clawing grasp of the thing.
It laughed and pressed down even tighter, causing him to choke. This was it. The thing was going to choke what last bit of his life Pinckney’s men hadn’t taken.
A blazing cross emerged behind the thing, causing the thing to loosen its grip, followed by a voice calling his name.
His right eye flicked open, dragging Martin Horn back into the waking world. He was still torn to hell, but Pinckney had failed to kill him. As had Israel Putnam, George Washington, Robert Smalls and the thing. Despite everything, he was alive. No doubt, God had saved him to stop the thing from ruining any more of his creation. Even as he lay there, his body broken and beaten, somehow, he knew he would do it. He would defeat the thing and free them all. Washington, Smalls, Pinckney, all of America.
He would save them from its clutch, living or dead, he would free them.
Anywho, one of the things I was working on for an update is now just going to become junk, so instead of just forgetting about it, I figured it'd work nicely as a little teaser for the next update.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain wracked his body, cutting and blazing throughout ever fiber of his being.
That bastard Pinckney had won. His men were slain, butchered like hogs by Pinckney’s army. Smalls and some of the rest had escaped into the swamps but it wasn’t possible that the “New African Army” would last long.
Marion would find them.
Another labored breath, hot and putrid would whistle through the hole in his cheek. Then, blackness engulfed him once more.
Feverish dreams would pass through the restless black, none lingering enough to remember. One memory would linger, a figure impossibly tall would haunt him through each hazy dream. Claws, iron and sharp would press against his throat and chest as the figure loomed over him. Without eyes or a mouth, the thing tormented him, and yet, he could see the appearance of countless others in the figure’s form. Washington, Pinckney, Putnam, Smalls, all of them seemed a part of the figure.
And yet, they were trapped by it too, tormented the same as he was. Some fought it but others were so tightly held they simply gave in. And yet the thing
the demon
brought them all to ruination. He couldn’t be the only one who saw what the thing was doing. How it was controlling them. How it was killing them. And yet, through the dreams he could see how they were blind to the thing.
The torment dragged on endlessly, its grip growing ever tighter against his chest. He could feel the life slipping from him, each breath slightly more labored. He tried to call out, to scream, to somehow escape the clawing grasp of the thing.
It laughed and pressed down even tighter, causing him to choke. This was it. The thing was going to choke what last bit of his life Pinckney’s men hadn’t taken.
A blazing cross emerged behind the thing, causing the thing to loosen its grip, followed by a voice calling his name.
His right eye flicked open, dragging Martin Horn back into the waking world. He was still torn to hell, but Pinckney had failed to kill him. As had Israel Putnam, George Washington, Robert Smalls and the thing. Despite everything, he was alive. No doubt, God had saved him to stop the thing from ruining any more of his creation. Even as he lay there, his body broken and beaten, somehow, he knew he would do it. He would defeat the thing and free them all. Washington, Smalls, Pinckney, all of America.
He would save them from its clutch, living or dead, he would free them.
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
I probably should save this for later, but I'm so excited about it now that I can't wait.
When I started to write again, I ordered a flag that I made for DoaR. The New Legion hasn't surfaced yet as I've decided to retool them somewhat, but they'll make their debut very soon. Sorry for the low quality photo though, I do not have any good cameras.
Long live the Republic! The New Legion fights on so that the Republican form of Government shall rise again from the Ashes of Imperial tyranny!
When I started to write again, I ordered a flag that I made for DoaR. The New Legion hasn't surfaced yet as I've decided to retool them somewhat, but they'll make their debut very soon. Sorry for the low quality photo though, I do not have any good cameras.
Long live the Republic! The New Legion fights on so that the Republican form of Government shall rise again from the Ashes of Imperial tyranny!
Chapter 11
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
There is a blight in America.
A blight, I tell you all that is poisoning the
souls of the people of this fair nation!
The blight of slavery.
Many out there will argue that slavery is moral,
that slavery is just,
that slavery is the natural order of things
as the Negro is a son of Ham and therefore cursed!
Well, I say to you that the Negro is yoked by Ham,
that he is bound to be a slave to others.
But!
That does not make slavery moral,
the same as how gaining knowledge of
what is good did not make eating the fruit moral!
Indeed, the only way to cure this blight is to ensure
Ham’s curse shall no longer continue to be spread…
--Martin Horn, 1801
The Finley expedition’s landing at Georgetown would prove to be a rather fortunate affair for the expedition as the Georgetown region was far more suitable for the ensuing conflict. This was due to the plan for a “general uprising” of South Carolina’s lower classes never coming to fruition, forcing the Hopswoodists to flee into the Georgetown District’s many swamps and forests.
Without the general uprising, Horn would switch tactics to attempting to provoke a slave uprising instead of an agrarian one, with the Hopswoodists attacking and raiding the numerous rice and indigo plantations in the Georgetown district. Through the winter and spring, the Hopswoodists guerillas would rapidly expand in numbers as more and more slaves were liberated in the raids. However, as more and more of the Hopswoodist forces were freed slaves, Smalls began to have an increased level of influence over the Hopswoodist forces. Smalls’ ascending star and the lack of a large victory to call his own would lead to Horn’s insecurities to spur Horn to a rash action, launching an all-out attack on Georgetown in April, 1789.
The attack failed miserably, and Smalls would usurp Horn’s position as commander of the expedition, returning to the tactic of raiding plantations and slowly expanding the guerilla campaign. With his position lost, Horn would begin to act irrationally and violently, a far cry from the quiet and nervous demeanor Horn usually possessed. It is commonly believed by most psychohistorians that this personality change was the first manifestations of some form of psychosis or dementia praecox which Horn would suffer his remaining life.
Despite his frayed mental state, Horn’s military prowess remained and when the Swamp Fox, General Francis Marion, was called out by the South Carolinian government to defeat the Hopswoodists during a particularly hot July, Horn knew that the Hopswoodists were staring defeat in the face if they didn’t move deeper inland to the frontier. Marion’s knowledge of guerilla warfare sprang from his time waging a guerilla campaign against the British within the Georgetown District, and with the hot summer drying some of the swamps, Horn knew that the situation was rapidly turning against the Hopswoodists. Smalls however argued that the vast plantations of Georgetown were perfect for the origins of a massive slave revolt, and that they should continue stoking the fires. This would lead to Horn and Smalls cutting their ties, with Smalls reorganizing the escaped slaves into the “New African Army” (no relation to the modern day New African Autonomous Republic within Dixie) while Horn and the small contingent loyal to him attempted to flee to the interior.
General Marion would learn of Horn’s flight almost immediately. And, on August 16th, at the Battle of St. Stephen, Horn and his men were slaughtered with nearly two-hundred Hopswoodists being killed in a daring night attack by General Marion. Horn would survive, albeit severely injured as he was cut down by a South Carolinian militiaman with a slash to the left side of his face. The injury would permanently destroy his left eye and scar Horn’s face, as well as giving Horn a speech impediment due to damage to his cheek and jaw as well. After the injury, Horn collapsed and while several Hopswoodists would attempt to save their leader, a charge by the South Carolinians would lead to Horn being trampled by his own men, further inuring the unconscious Horn. In a somewhat miraculous event for Horn, he would be dragged back to St. Stephen by some South Carolinians who thought he was a member of the South Carolinian militia where Horn would be taken in by the head of the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Reverend Willian Meiners.
Reverend Meiners would slowly nurse Horn back to health and although Horn would recover physically, his mind was far more damaged than before with products of Horn’s sick mind blending with religious and racist ideas preached by Reverend Meiners. The end result was Horn viewing himself as some sort of prophet of God with a divine mission to complete. After recovering, Horn would leave St. Stephen to preach his newfound revelation and rally support for it. 1790, the year Horn had begun preaching, was also the beginning of the Second Great Awakening and with the general increase in religiousness, Horn and his new movement would see rapid success throughout much of the United States south of the Potomac.
What Horn preached too was without a doubt an important element of his success for Horn would preach that God had revealed to him that the United States was on the verge of creating the New Jerusalem, that they were on the verge of creating a perfect and divine society. There was just one issue in the way preventing the establishment of this divine society: the decadence and “atheistic tendencies” of the plantation class in the southern United States. Horn’s solution was rather simple, all that had to be done was to end slavery as that would strip the planters of their economic means and force them to a “godly life full of labour.”
Normally, anti-slavery messages were unpopular in the ante-abolition United States however Horn’s message found far greater success as in contrast to most anti-slavery messages which argued some moral reason for abolition, Horn didn’t use morality to justify his message. Instead, Horn argued that people of color were under the “Curse of Ham” and that the only way to end slavery was the eradication of black people of color as due to the Curse of Ham they would inherently be enslaved regardless of their legal status as free or slave.
Modern readers will no doubt find this idea both utterly repulsive and insane. Putting aside the fact that the Curse of Ham as it is given in the Christian Bible does not match with this racist justification for slavery, the idea that the only solution to slavery was the eradication of the slaves simply doesn’t seem like it would have made sense even when Horn was preaching. Indeed, many commentators noted that Horn’s preachings were irrational and made little sense. Horn’s message instead found popularity, not for as it actually was, but because it provided a solution to a growing fear over what was to be done with the slaves when slavery’s inevitable end came. This day seemed to be not too far off for many United Statesians at the time although slavery would drag on into the 1840s because of how often slaves were being manumitted during this time period, and the increasingly unviable economics of slavery. With the day seemingly approaching, many white United Statesians were afraid of having to compete with the freed people of color and thus joined with Horn to prevent such future competition.
Horn’s message would spread rapidly through the first years of the 1790s, with Horn drawing crowds of thousands by 1794. During this time, Horn would begin preaching at night with a large flaming cross behind him, supposedly to represent God’s divine light. This burning cross is what would give Horn’s followers their name: the Red Crosses.
As their popularity grew, the Red Crosses would come into conflict with the plantation class, free people of color, and those other peoples who were opposed to Horn’s idea of extermination. This conflict would boil over in the 17th April, 1795, riots in Charleston that saw the governments of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia take measures to clamp down on the Red Crosses with Governor of South Carolina, Arnoldus Vanderhorst declaring the Red Crosses to be the “gravest threat to the stability of South Carolina.” In response, Martin Horn would begin to take the Red Crosses in a more aggressive direction.
On a humid, May night, Horn would hold a night rally near Charleston, not dissimilar to any of his others. However, part way through, Horn would announce his intention to begin their campaign to end slavery by attacking a plantation that night which was overwhelmingly met with cheers and applause. And so, Horn and nearly a thousand of his followers would brand torches and march on Snee Farm, the plantation owned by former Governor Charles Pinckney where they would attack all slaves on the plantation. Eighty-seven slaves would be slaughtered in an orgy of violence, with Pinckney and several other plantation workers being dragged out of their residences and lynched as punishment for their “decadent and demonic actions” as Horn would put it later in life. This action was the beginning of the Red Cross War that would terrorize tens of thousands of people in the southern United States for decades to come...
I'm guessing the New African Army and the Red Crosses are going to be effectively competing to see which faction does the most damage to the peculiar institution and the South as a whole. It's not going to be fun time to be apart of the South's plantation class.
Chapter 12
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute
the Office of Monarch of the United States,
and will to the best of my Ability,
Preserve, Protect and Defend
the Constitution of the United States.
--Gilbert I
Federal Hall, where Gilbert I was sworn in as well as all Directors before 1800
the Office of Monarch of the United States,
and will to the best of my Ability,
Preserve, Protect and Defend
the Constitution of the United States.
--Gilbert I
Federal Hall, where Gilbert I was sworn in as well as all Directors before 1800
The Election of 1790 from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
One of the last acts of the Provisional Congress was to set the date for the first election for Director of the People to be March 1st, 1790. While the election would be contested by twelve major candidates, only four candidates would receive national attention: Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr II. Notably, only one major candidate, Alexander Hamilton, was pro-monarchy with all other candidates being anti-monarchical or neutral on the matter.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was a planter and lawyer from Virginia, the United States’ former minister to France, the author of the Declaration of Independence, an Anti-Federalist, and republican. While not necessarily a pragmatic politician, especially on the monarchy question, Jefferson nevertheless chose to focus on other political issues during his campaign. When speaking on the matter, Jefferson stated that maintaining the Regency and averting the election of a monarch would inevitably lead to a swift restoration of the Republic; Jefferson would argue that if the country was perpetually under a Regent, bound to continually elect a monarch but never doing so, the Republic would be restored if not in name, at least in spirit. [1] On other domestic issues, Jefferson promoted the idea of the United States as an agrarian nation of small farmers, with a limited government taking a strict interpretation of the (Second) Constitution.
Aaron Burr II
Aaron Burr II was also a lawyer and Lieutenant colonel from Newark, New Jersey, although by 1790 Burr had become heavily involved with the politics of New York State, having been appointed Attorney General of said state by Governor Robert Yates. Burr’s politics were somewhat less defined than his rivals as Burr operated with realpolitik than political idealism, although Burr’s known anti-slavery stance [2] made him fiercely unpopular with the planter classes of the southern United States. Despite his realpolitiking, Burr would make one thing very clear: while the decision had been made to switch to monarchism had been made, and the country ought to elect a monarch, however that elected monarch would be the first and last monarch of the United States. The sentiment was summed up by a popular slogan championed by Burr: “One thousand kings England may have, only one will be our own.”
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was the current Secretary of the Treasury, having been appointed by Director of the State George Clinton, a staunch Federalist and the chief architect of the current monarchy. This status as America’s foremost monarchist made Hamilton far less popular amongst the American people who were still predominantly lukewarm to the monarchy and viewed Hamilton as being “too monarchist.” Indeed, many suspected Hamilton of being a quasi-Loyalist, or supporting an absolute monarchy as in France. [3] None of these fears were put aside by Hamilton’s advocacy for a Federal government that would be so strong that the states would be reduced to mere provinces and counties akin to how they were in England.
The election was carried out in a confused, but calm manner that would set the precedent for no future Directoral election under the Second Constitution. [4] Little campaigning would occur during the election, with most campaigning that was done by local supporters of some candidate or another. Additionally, without organized political parties, the election saw many candidates who were effectively only voted for in their native regions as word of mouth managed to secure votes for them, and the major candidates only managed to achieve widespread success as their names were spread by their supporters through pamphlets, articles and other means. The timeframe of the election was also far shorter than normal and held over a period different than any other under the Second Constitution. [5]
On June 1st, the results of the election were announced, with Aaron Burr II securing the Directorship with forty-one percent of the vote, beating out his closest rival, Thomas Jefferson, by over thirteen percent. Director Burr, along with the newly elected Director John Rutledge would now face the task of dealing with the question of the monarchy, as well as forging the new direction the United States was bound for.
Crowning of Gilbert I from ITTS:usa.was.americanhistory.gov, 2042
Gilbert du Motier
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, was an accomplished man despite his relative youth, being only thirty-four when he was selected by the United States government to serve as Monarch of the United States. The Marquis had served as an aide to George Washington during the Revolution and an officer outright, had been a critical figure during the early and moderate period of the French Revolution and was one of the authors of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. When the Marquis arrived in New York City on April 17th, much of that success however was imploding as the French Republic descended further into Terror and Tyranny, tearing up the Declaration and claiming the Marquis as a traitor.
The citizens of New York City, and indeed the whole of the United States, did not care much about that, greeting the Marquis with banners, cheers and teeming, happy crowds. Despite the Marquis being French, many United Statesians viewed the Marquis as one of their own; many viewing the relationship between him and the late General Washington as making the Marquis Washington’s successor. Even many Republicans, including figures like Thomas Jefferson and Director Aaron Burr, were finally able to breathe a small sigh of relief with Lafayette’s arrival; the Marquis was perhaps the only man alive who could become the United States’ Monarch that the Republicans could agree was not destined to tear down the liberties they held so dear.
Oliver Ellsworth
So, on May 15th, 1793, when Congress voted to finalize the recognition of Lafayette as Monarch, only three dissenting votes were cast. One hour later, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, would be sworn in as Gilbert, by the Grace of the People of the United States of America, Monarch of the United States. Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth would administer the Oath of Office, which Gilbert would swear, his left hand upon a book of law rather than a Bible due to a dispute over Gilbert’s religion, [6] as well as to show that Gilbert was swearing to uphold the (Second) Constitution.
In contrast to his successors, Monarch Gilbert would not be coronated with a large ceremony and a grand crown. Instead, after being sworn in by Justice Ellsworth, Regent Adams would place a leafy crown (often referred to as a crown of laurels, although this is unconfirmed) upon Gilbert’s head and then Gilbert would proceed to the balcony of the Federal Hall and give a speech to the cheering crowds below. It was this humble beginning that set the stage for Gilbert’s forty-five year reign, and the beginning of the United States’ “Golden Age.”
[1] Miklos Horthy would disagree, but semantics I suppose.
[2] This was one of many political stances Burr held that makes his OTL status as a Democratic-Republican seem kind of unfitting.
[3] Mostly baseless rumours
[4] As calm as can be at least. The situation in the USA under the Second Constitution is always a tad rowdy but a lot of historical work ITTL will tend to glaze over the situation a little due to the perception of the era as a golden age.
[5] As per OTL's first set of elections.
[6] He's Catholic and it's the beginning phase of the Second Great Awakening so the Catholic-Protestant antagonism is going to be a little sensitive.
Last edited:
Well, things seem to be starting out much better for the United States in comparison to the earlier version of the timeline. Gilbert I, long may he reign!
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
I definitely did intend for the USA to have a bit smoother of a time going on in the beginning this time around, but there will still be a baptism in fire of sorts for Gilbert's reign.
After all, making a wanted man in much of Europe your monarch doesn't necessarily come without consequences.
The word "parvenu" seems like it'll be tossed around European circles, and "unbearable insult to the dignity of our honest people" in American papers.
I assume the Coups,revolutions,insurgencies and Civil Wars will start soon enough.
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
While I was somewhat thinking that Gilbert I ought to have an epithet like "the Great" or "the Good," but "the Parvenu" would be somewhat funny, perhaps it would be used in a derogatory manner by anti-US elements.
While the coups, revolutions and civil wars will be in a bit, there are definitely insurgencies going on now. Of course, the Red Crosses are doing their genocidal thing, but there are also the Radical Republicans who I haven't mentioned that are fiddling around on the frontier.
I don't usually like pre 1900 TLs, but I love this one. Such a realistic and well written timeline. Monarchist USA is not something I would ever have considered plausible before reading. Can't wait to read more 
Long live Gilbert I!
Long live Gilbert I!
Schnozzberry
Gone Fishin'
I don't usually like pre 1900 TLs, but I love this one. Such a realistic and well written timeline. Monarchist USA is not something I would ever have considered plausible before reading. Can't wait to read more
I'm real sorry for not responding to this earlier, I just missed the alert, which I think's a shame because that was a really nice thing to hear! I also totally agree with you on how implausible a Monarchist USA seems because the republican nature is so far ingrained into OTL USA from the beginning that it seems impossible. It still seems somewhat implausible to me, even though one of the main reasons behind me rebooting DoaR into Buttercups was to try and make it somewhat more realistic.