Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
The POD was February 3rd or 4th depending on how long it took Bowie's letter to reach Fannin. Due to butterflies Bowie doesn't become sick, OTL he became bedridden on February 24th. That's roughly a 20 day difference where anything could've happened that would've prevented Bowie from becoming sick. I would've been more specific but historical records never stated what his disease was. Main reason i did that was so he could see more action in the battle instead of shooting Mexican soldiers from his bed. Someone important from the Texans will die though, not revealing who until next update.
Chapter 4 The Shot Heard Round the World
Chapter 4. The shot heard round the world
EL PRESIDENTE ESTA MUERTO! EL PRESIDENTE ESTA MUERTO!- Unknown Mexican soldier 1836
I got him! I got that bastard!- Davy Crockett 1836
After Santa Anna died the Tejanos swarmed upon us like a pack of viscous dogs, all around, mi compadres were being hacked down one by one in the most horrible manner of deaths. I think the Lord and our Blessed Mother everyday that i got out of that hellhole alive.- Pvt. Juan Gonzales 1851
For a single second the fighting stopped, for a single second everyone watched as the most powerful man in the southwest fell to the ground, never to rise up again. Then the battle resumed with the entire Mexican army panicking in massive fright and hysteria. Most of the remaining soldiers for the Mexican army were made up of raw recruits who until just a few months ago were simple farmers tending to their land in the Mexican countryside. The sight of seeing their leader brought down by one of the most legendary marksmen of the enemy was the final straw in this long bloody battle. Not wanting to fight for a cause anymore that was seen as pointless, and now a loss for Mexico, most Mexican soldiers scrambled in a massive stampede towards the north wall, determined to get off the battlefield and back to their homes. Unfortunately for them the death of Santa Anna lit up a fire in the Texan troops and gave them new determination to take the fight to the enemy and claim victory. The men who until just a moment ago were fleeing to the chapel, were now charging wildly at the highly demoralized foe, shooting left and right at any Mexican they could find, taking the fight in hand-to-hand when running out of ammunition. At the same time Fannin's artillery was cutting down entire squads of the enemy as they tried desperately to climb over the walls that just minutes ago they were trying to get in from. For a whole 20 minutes this carnage took place until the last of the enemy scrambled over the walls.
"The Alamo Stands" by Robert Jenkins
However conditions would be made worse once the Mexican remnants escaped outside. By that point in the battle most of the senior officers were killed off during the assault, the highest ranking officer remaining was Colonel Morales, who was too badly wounded to provide any sense of order during the retreat. Left and right chaos was on the rampage as hundreds of soldiers found themselves in enemy territory with no sense of where to go. Some of the remaining cavalry attempted to help cover an escape but with the large loss of cavalrymen during the assault, many horses went wild and stampeded due to a number of recruits attempting to take the horses and escape for themselves, the main issue though was that most of these men hadn't ridden a horse properly before and only helped to make the horses go wild. A small contingent of men decided to take out their anger upon the town of San Antonio as they saw the place as a filthy nest of traitors. During the early morning some of the town's stores were looted or burned to the ground while the remaining Tejano civilians were being beaten or raped by the deranged renegades. Thankfully these deplorable actions would stopped at 7:00 AM when Travis rode out of the Alamo with his group of regulars to secure the town. Approximately 45 men would be hanged the next day for their crimes against the townspeople. The remaining Mexican forces who didn't escape surrendered around noon under the leadership of Captain Eduardo Rivera. Rivera was able to gather the remaining men who were too wounded or weren't able to escape in the morning, he was able to convince them that by surrendering to the Texans they had nothing to lose and just because Santa Anna offered terms of no surrender it didn't men that the Texans wouldn't show them the same mercy. So on 12:15 P.M March 6th 1836, the battle of the Alamo officially ended.
Davy Crockett, slayer of Santa Anna
While many of the defenders were jovial and celebrated the fact that not only did they win a major battle against a superior force, they also brought down Santa Anna, the cost of victory was still high. During the battle 219 Texans died with 100 wounded in Action. Among the dead was Colonel James Neill, the man who made it his mission to defend San Antonio from Santa Anna and who gave courage to the Texan troops to fight on in the name of independence. Although unconfirmed it was said that he was wounded during the third wave in a pistol shot by General Juan Amador. He lasted roughly until the retreat after the fourth wave, his last words where "The Alamo stands". On the Mexican side the casualties were more severe, with 1021 dead, 536 wounded in action, and 348 taken prisoner. Along with the death of Santa Anna this battle would be remembered throughout Mexico as one of the single most devastating defeats in the nations history, for Texans it would be known through generations as the battle that protected their independence.
The Alamo Monument
After a few days of tending to the wounded and civilians, and sending couriers throughout Texas to inform them of their victory, the men of the Alamo set out on March 11th. During this time Travis took command in Neill's place, though he was outranked by Bowie and Fannin both men agreed to it since Travis was the main force that kept the men together throughout the assault, especially after Neill was wounded during the third wave. Approximately 613 Texans marched out of San Antonio with the remaining prisoners and a number of civilians who were either families of the defenders or lost their property in the pillage of Bexar. Along with the men were the Alamo's 23 remaining cannons, which they had taken to prevent the enemy coming back and adding more firepower to their arsenal. Their destination was Gonzales, Texas; which the men sought to go to after the remaining Gonzales volunteer survivors informed them of the remaining 300 men who were waiting on the outcome of the battle. Their goal was to link up with the volunteers and possibly form a combined army under Houston to drive out the remaining Mexican forces. Little did these men know of the far ranging effects their victory would have upon the Western world.
EL PRESIDENTE ESTA MUERTO! EL PRESIDENTE ESTA MUERTO!- Unknown Mexican soldier 1836
I got him! I got that bastard!- Davy Crockett 1836
After Santa Anna died the Tejanos swarmed upon us like a pack of viscous dogs, all around, mi compadres were being hacked down one by one in the most horrible manner of deaths. I think the Lord and our Blessed Mother everyday that i got out of that hellhole alive.- Pvt. Juan Gonzales 1851
For a single second the fighting stopped, for a single second everyone watched as the most powerful man in the southwest fell to the ground, never to rise up again. Then the battle resumed with the entire Mexican army panicking in massive fright and hysteria. Most of the remaining soldiers for the Mexican army were made up of raw recruits who until just a few months ago were simple farmers tending to their land in the Mexican countryside. The sight of seeing their leader brought down by one of the most legendary marksmen of the enemy was the final straw in this long bloody battle. Not wanting to fight for a cause anymore that was seen as pointless, and now a loss for Mexico, most Mexican soldiers scrambled in a massive stampede towards the north wall, determined to get off the battlefield and back to their homes. Unfortunately for them the death of Santa Anna lit up a fire in the Texan troops and gave them new determination to take the fight to the enemy and claim victory. The men who until just a moment ago were fleeing to the chapel, were now charging wildly at the highly demoralized foe, shooting left and right at any Mexican they could find, taking the fight in hand-to-hand when running out of ammunition. At the same time Fannin's artillery was cutting down entire squads of the enemy as they tried desperately to climb over the walls that just minutes ago they were trying to get in from. For a whole 20 minutes this carnage took place until the last of the enemy scrambled over the walls.
"The Alamo Stands" by Robert Jenkins
However conditions would be made worse once the Mexican remnants escaped outside. By that point in the battle most of the senior officers were killed off during the assault, the highest ranking officer remaining was Colonel Morales, who was too badly wounded to provide any sense of order during the retreat. Left and right chaos was on the rampage as hundreds of soldiers found themselves in enemy territory with no sense of where to go. Some of the remaining cavalry attempted to help cover an escape but with the large loss of cavalrymen during the assault, many horses went wild and stampeded due to a number of recruits attempting to take the horses and escape for themselves, the main issue though was that most of these men hadn't ridden a horse properly before and only helped to make the horses go wild. A small contingent of men decided to take out their anger upon the town of San Antonio as they saw the place as a filthy nest of traitors. During the early morning some of the town's stores were looted or burned to the ground while the remaining Tejano civilians were being beaten or raped by the deranged renegades. Thankfully these deplorable actions would stopped at 7:00 AM when Travis rode out of the Alamo with his group of regulars to secure the town. Approximately 45 men would be hanged the next day for their crimes against the townspeople. The remaining Mexican forces who didn't escape surrendered around noon under the leadership of Captain Eduardo Rivera. Rivera was able to gather the remaining men who were too wounded or weren't able to escape in the morning, he was able to convince them that by surrendering to the Texans they had nothing to lose and just because Santa Anna offered terms of no surrender it didn't men that the Texans wouldn't show them the same mercy. So on 12:15 P.M March 6th 1836, the battle of the Alamo officially ended.
Davy Crockett, slayer of Santa Anna
While many of the defenders were jovial and celebrated the fact that not only did they win a major battle against a superior force, they also brought down Santa Anna, the cost of victory was still high. During the battle 219 Texans died with 100 wounded in Action. Among the dead was Colonel James Neill, the man who made it his mission to defend San Antonio from Santa Anna and who gave courage to the Texan troops to fight on in the name of independence. Although unconfirmed it was said that he was wounded during the third wave in a pistol shot by General Juan Amador. He lasted roughly until the retreat after the fourth wave, his last words where "The Alamo stands". On the Mexican side the casualties were more severe, with 1021 dead, 536 wounded in action, and 348 taken prisoner. Along with the death of Santa Anna this battle would be remembered throughout Mexico as one of the single most devastating defeats in the nations history, for Texans it would be known through generations as the battle that protected their independence.
The Alamo Monument
After a few days of tending to the wounded and civilians, and sending couriers throughout Texas to inform them of their victory, the men of the Alamo set out on March 11th. During this time Travis took command in Neill's place, though he was outranked by Bowie and Fannin both men agreed to it since Travis was the main force that kept the men together throughout the assault, especially after Neill was wounded during the third wave. Approximately 613 Texans marched out of San Antonio with the remaining prisoners and a number of civilians who were either families of the defenders or lost their property in the pillage of Bexar. Along with the men were the Alamo's 23 remaining cannons, which they had taken to prevent the enemy coming back and adding more firepower to their arsenal. Their destination was Gonzales, Texas; which the men sought to go to after the remaining Gonzales volunteer survivors informed them of the remaining 300 men who were waiting on the outcome of the battle. Their goal was to link up with the volunteers and possibly form a combined army under Houston to drive out the remaining Mexican forces. Little did these men know of the far ranging effects their victory would have upon the Western world.
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I think I remember them saying it was typhoid or tb or something. Anyways hed been sick quite a while
My research shows that Bowie started showing symptoms the week before, an exact date isn't given but it's probably around the 16th/17th; well past the POD. Also while typhoid fever is a popular theory for the ailment there is never a clear confirmation of what disease it was. Once again i would have him bedridden but primary accounts are so few and unclear that its hard to determine when or how he got infected. I'm aware I'm taking a few liberties but the outcome of the Alamo would've have been the same TTL whether or not he was sick. Another reason i chose to make him healthy was because i don't know the possibilities of him living from the disease after a victorious Alamo.
You could most likely butterfly the severity of his disease away for a partial time, but the stress of the battle itself is going to make it worse. Bowie fighting at "full strength" or giving it everything he does have, and not being fully recovered, is going to somehow bite him in the rear in some manner. For all intents and purposes he could dies some days after the battle. Having a disease like typhoid, tuberculosis or even pneumonia (or whatever he had) especially in the 1800s would be hard to get rid of completely, especially considering the condition of the Alamo itself was contributory enough to him getting worse...
Chapter 5 Birth of Independence
Chapter 5. Birth of Independence
I will do everything in my power to avenge you presidente and destroy this rebellion!- General Jose de Urrea 1836
Our independence won't be secure until every last Mexican is driven across the Rio Grande- Sam Houston 1836
While the defenders of the Alamo were enduring the two week siege from Santa Anna's army an important event in Texan history was underway in East Texas. At the start of the Revolution while many were for total separation from Mexico, the official goals of the rebel Texan army were to wright the unlawful laws of Santa Anna, support the re-establishment of the 1824 Constitution, and complete separation from Coahuila as a separate state (at the time Texas was de jure under the rule of Coahuila as the state of Coahuila y Tejas). To decide their course of action a convention was called for March 1836. On February 28th, 41 delegates arrived at Washington-on-the-brazos, a small settlement along the Brazos River where the nation of Texas would be born. Upon meeting on the 1st, the delegates unanimously agreed to a deceleration of independence. The reasons for this were due to all but 2 members of the delegation being recently arrived Americans, in addition till the day of the convention the war had been going well with no losses and there was a chance that the Texans could win the Alamo. Upon the next day a Deceleration of Independence was drafted modelling the American version with a list of grievances pertaining to the injustices of Mexico. The Republic of Texas was born. Among the signatories David Burnet was chosen as the interim President of the new Republic, while Sam Houston who was until that point posted as Major General, was selected as commander-in-chief of the Texan Army. Houston's first assignment was to travel to Gonzales and form his army, while collecting information of the then ongoing battle of the Alamo. In the aftermath of the signing delegates then moved to create a constitution for the new republic, on March 17th the official Constitution of The Republic of Texas was signed and drafted.
Independence Cabin, Washington-on-the-Brazos Texan Deceleration of Independence
To say that Houston was shocked upon hearing the outcome of the Alamo is quite the understatement. While Houston never wanted the garrison to lose and he prayed for a victory, the odds just didn't seem in their favor. Yet not only did they crush the enemy army, Santa Anna had been brought down in the midst of battle. On March 11th Houston arrived at Gonzales where he began training his poorly equipped army of then 374 volunteers. Two days later they were joined by the survivors of the Alamo. Houston consolidated his army with Travis promoted to Colonel and acting as his second in command, Fannin placed in charge of the artillery, Juan Seguin promoted to Major and placed in charge of the Tejanos, Crockett given the commission of captain and head of the Tennessee riflemen, and Colonel Mirabeau Lamar placed as head of the Calvary. Unfortunately James Bowie could not join the upcoming campaign as he was infected with typhoid on the last day of the siege, he would spend the rest of the revolution resting in Gonzales, though his spirit and bravery was never forgotten. For the next month Houston's army retreated towards the Brazos River, where he trained his newly established army of recruits much like Washington had in Valley Forge, all in preparation for the final battle.
Among the remaining Mexican forces the reaction to the Alamo quite differed. Upon hearing of Santa Anna's defeat and death, General Vicente Filisola decided to retreat across the Rio Grande and head back towards Mexico. During the march East among the Camino Real Filisola and his men faced several difficulties. Supplies were low amongst the army and there were few farms or settlements along their route to replenish, in addition the army had faced several attacks by Comanche raiders, killing in total about 63 Mexicans; the worst aspect of the march was the late winter snows in Texas that brought about 16 inches of snow, causing many soldiers to collapse who were unused to the climate. With his troops weak and demoralized due to no contact with the enemy, Filisola thought the best option was to call it quits and head home. While he could have continued the campaign with Urrea, the generals main reason for doing so was a fear of the potential unrest domestically with the death of Mexico's dictator, seeing the possibility of other secession movements and political coups unfolding, Filisola reasoned that it was best to give the Texans what they want and secure the rest of the country, after all it was just one big area of prairies and deserts. Urrea on the other hand was absolutely livid. The general was very loyal to the late president and he saw his death as a terrible tragedy. One that could've been avoided by reinforcements or a retreat, but a tragedy nonetheless. In Urrea's mind, to let the Texans achieve independence was a disgrace to Santa Anna's legacy and a sign of weakness to nearby powers such as the United States. Upon reaching the now abandoned Goliad on the 21st, Urrea and his army would rest for a few days then continue the march east to obliterate Houston's fledgling army. Little did Urrea know however of events being set in motion within Mexico once word of Santa Anna's death arrived, events that would forever change Mexico and prove Filisola's suspicions to be correct.
I will do everything in my power to avenge you presidente and destroy this rebellion!- General Jose de Urrea 1836
Our independence won't be secure until every last Mexican is driven across the Rio Grande- Sam Houston 1836
While the defenders of the Alamo were enduring the two week siege from Santa Anna's army an important event in Texan history was underway in East Texas. At the start of the Revolution while many were for total separation from Mexico, the official goals of the rebel Texan army were to wright the unlawful laws of Santa Anna, support the re-establishment of the 1824 Constitution, and complete separation from Coahuila as a separate state (at the time Texas was de jure under the rule of Coahuila as the state of Coahuila y Tejas). To decide their course of action a convention was called for March 1836. On February 28th, 41 delegates arrived at Washington-on-the-brazos, a small settlement along the Brazos River where the nation of Texas would be born. Upon meeting on the 1st, the delegates unanimously agreed to a deceleration of independence. The reasons for this were due to all but 2 members of the delegation being recently arrived Americans, in addition till the day of the convention the war had been going well with no losses and there was a chance that the Texans could win the Alamo. Upon the next day a Deceleration of Independence was drafted modelling the American version with a list of grievances pertaining to the injustices of Mexico. The Republic of Texas was born. Among the signatories David Burnet was chosen as the interim President of the new Republic, while Sam Houston who was until that point posted as Major General, was selected as commander-in-chief of the Texan Army. Houston's first assignment was to travel to Gonzales and form his army, while collecting information of the then ongoing battle of the Alamo. In the aftermath of the signing delegates then moved to create a constitution for the new republic, on March 17th the official Constitution of The Republic of Texas was signed and drafted.
Independence Cabin, Washington-on-the-Brazos Texan Deceleration of Independence
To say that Houston was shocked upon hearing the outcome of the Alamo is quite the understatement. While Houston never wanted the garrison to lose and he prayed for a victory, the odds just didn't seem in their favor. Yet not only did they crush the enemy army, Santa Anna had been brought down in the midst of battle. On March 11th Houston arrived at Gonzales where he began training his poorly equipped army of then 374 volunteers. Two days later they were joined by the survivors of the Alamo. Houston consolidated his army with Travis promoted to Colonel and acting as his second in command, Fannin placed in charge of the artillery, Juan Seguin promoted to Major and placed in charge of the Tejanos, Crockett given the commission of captain and head of the Tennessee riflemen, and Colonel Mirabeau Lamar placed as head of the Calvary. Unfortunately James Bowie could not join the upcoming campaign as he was infected with typhoid on the last day of the siege, he would spend the rest of the revolution resting in Gonzales, though his spirit and bravery was never forgotten. For the next month Houston's army retreated towards the Brazos River, where he trained his newly established army of recruits much like Washington had in Valley Forge, all in preparation for the final battle.
Among the remaining Mexican forces the reaction to the Alamo quite differed. Upon hearing of Santa Anna's defeat and death, General Vicente Filisola decided to retreat across the Rio Grande and head back towards Mexico. During the march East among the Camino Real Filisola and his men faced several difficulties. Supplies were low amongst the army and there were few farms or settlements along their route to replenish, in addition the army had faced several attacks by Comanche raiders, killing in total about 63 Mexicans; the worst aspect of the march was the late winter snows in Texas that brought about 16 inches of snow, causing many soldiers to collapse who were unused to the climate. With his troops weak and demoralized due to no contact with the enemy, Filisola thought the best option was to call it quits and head home. While he could have continued the campaign with Urrea, the generals main reason for doing so was a fear of the potential unrest domestically with the death of Mexico's dictator, seeing the possibility of other secession movements and political coups unfolding, Filisola reasoned that it was best to give the Texans what they want and secure the rest of the country, after all it was just one big area of prairies and deserts. Urrea on the other hand was absolutely livid. The general was very loyal to the late president and he saw his death as a terrible tragedy. One that could've been avoided by reinforcements or a retreat, but a tragedy nonetheless. In Urrea's mind, to let the Texans achieve independence was a disgrace to Santa Anna's legacy and a sign of weakness to nearby powers such as the United States. Upon reaching the now abandoned Goliad on the 21st, Urrea and his army would rest for a few days then continue the march east to obliterate Houston's fledgling army. Little did Urrea know however of events being set in motion within Mexico once word of Santa Anna's death arrived, events that would forever change Mexico and prove Filisola's suspicions to be correct.
Great update, I'm looking forward to how Texas deals with the US annexation movement. I hope it doesn't turn into one of the "Mexico collapses into many nations subservient to the brave Americans "TLs here.
In the aftermath of the Revolution many Texans like OTL will want to join the US. Future events in the US will show why it will remain independent. I can understand your pain about Mexico as i am Mexican American, while i do love some of those TL's where US conquers some more Mexican states it does sadden me to see how far the country falls. I don't want to reveal to much right now but events in the next update will show that Mexico is going to enter some dark times, you have my word though that the country will pull through and not become a total American puppet.
LBJ and Hutchinson are strong contenders for future presidents, especially Hutchinson as the first female president. As for Garner he might become a force in politics but i don't know currently if i want to make him president.
Chapter 6 All Good Things
Chapter 6. All good things
"I was never a big fan of that tyrant Santa Anna, in truth i welcomed his death at first. Sadly along with his death came the death of Mexican unity"- Benito Juarez 1846
"Our pact to Mexico died within the Alamo, it is time to take the destiny of the Yucatan into our own hands."- Miguel Barbachano 1836
"For the Constitution" - Battle cry of Federalists 1836
The past 10 years for Mexico since its voluntary transition from Empire to Republic have been unstable to say the least. Originally Mexico had designed the creation of a democratic republic with its own constitution and a large amount of federalization. However, conflicts soon arose between various factions of conservatives, liberals, federalists, and centralists. Each had their own idea of how the country should be run. Fortunately, things for the most part were gearing towards a democracy that might become a US of Latin America. Fate had other plans when Santa Anna abolished the constitution in 1835 and took steps to make Mexico a unitary state. The Zacatecas rebellion and the ongoing Texas Revolution were proof enough of the people's dissatisfaction with the new government. When Santa Anna died while some were saddened many people welcomed it as the beginning for change. Many federalists called for new elections to determine a new president to fill the vacancy. These reformers would be met with conflict from the Centralist faction, specifically Jose Justo Corro. Corro was an ultra-conservative that was also a diehard supporter of Santa Anna's regime. Under Santa Anna, Corro hoped for Mexico to become a Catholic republic that would be based on conservative principles. When Santa Anna left to Texas he left one of his supporters Miguel Barragan as interim president (as one cannot be president and lead an army at the same time). Barragan however, died on March 1st of typhus, leaving Corro to fill his role as interim president. When Santa Anna died this meant that Corro's 4 day presidency should have ended and a transition to elections for the next one (as there was no vice president in the constitution). Corro refusing to see his dreams of a holy Mexico die, decided to declare himself as the rightful president of Mexico and declared that elections could not take place due to Texas's ongoing rebellion. Federalists were outraged and immediate demanded his resignation. A crowd of 5,000 gathered in Mexico City on March 23rd to protest Corro's continued rule and demand the constitution be reinstated. A group of inexperienced guards were soon ordered to contain the crowd and order them back home. Unfortunately like many such events before, it turned deadly. As the hours went on the crowd began to become increasingly more violent and soon objects were being thrown at the guards, when a rock struck a private on the head and caused him to collapse. The captain of the guard panicked and ordered his men to fire. In the ensuing chaos 18 civilians and 2 soldiers were killed, 57 were wounded. The Mexico city massacre as it would soon be called, was the last straw for the federalists. Under the leadership of Valentin Gomez Farias, the federalists advocated rebellion in order to overthrow Corro and reestablish the constitution. Corro then decided to dissolve the Mexican congress and called upon General Anastasio Bustamente to organize an army to crush the rebels. The Mexican Civil War officially began.
Jose Justo Corro (Right), Valentin Gomez Farias (left). Leaders of the respective Centralist and Federalist factions
Meanwhile far south another revolution was brewing, one for independence. The people of the Yucatan peninsula were unique in that there were a large mixture of Creole and Mayan Indians. During the rule of New Spain this region was granted substantial autonomy, and when they achieved independence as the first republic they peacefully joined the Mexican federation in 1823. For the next decade there was peace between the Yucatan and Mexico City due to the latter giving the former a great deal of autonomy. All of this would end when Santa Anna came to power in 1835, one of his several acts of centralization including increasingly limiting the autonomy of the Yucatan and taking away the rights of the Mayan peoples. Over time more and more people advocated for independence. Their answer for a course of action came with news of the Alamo and Santa Anna's death. Immediately Yucatan Federalists took control of the regions major cities and demanded that the central government reinstated the constitution. When Presidente Corro declared war on all federalists, at first the Yucatan would fight for the federalist cause. Then during a city meeting in Merida, Yucatan on April 4th, Miguel Barbachano stormed in with his supporters and declared that Yucatan should be its own independent country. Afterwords members of the city council would remove the Mexican flag and raise the flag of the Yucatan. Revolutionary fervor spread throughout the peninsula and on July 4th, the state of Yucatan declared secession and the formation of the Republic of the Yucatan.
Flag and territory (lime green) of the Republic of Yucatan
During all of these activities of revolution a meeting was called on April 11th in Orevena Ranch(near present day Laredo) between important businessman, land owners, politicians, priests, and lawyers from the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas to discuss the possibility of secession. Here the idea of the Republic of the Rio Grande was born.
Flag and territory (Red official, light red claimed) of the Republic of the Rio Grande
"I was never a big fan of that tyrant Santa Anna, in truth i welcomed his death at first. Sadly along with his death came the death of Mexican unity"- Benito Juarez 1846
"Our pact to Mexico died within the Alamo, it is time to take the destiny of the Yucatan into our own hands."- Miguel Barbachano 1836
"For the Constitution" - Battle cry of Federalists 1836
The past 10 years for Mexico since its voluntary transition from Empire to Republic have been unstable to say the least. Originally Mexico had designed the creation of a democratic republic with its own constitution and a large amount of federalization. However, conflicts soon arose between various factions of conservatives, liberals, federalists, and centralists. Each had their own idea of how the country should be run. Fortunately, things for the most part were gearing towards a democracy that might become a US of Latin America. Fate had other plans when Santa Anna abolished the constitution in 1835 and took steps to make Mexico a unitary state. The Zacatecas rebellion and the ongoing Texas Revolution were proof enough of the people's dissatisfaction with the new government. When Santa Anna died while some were saddened many people welcomed it as the beginning for change. Many federalists called for new elections to determine a new president to fill the vacancy. These reformers would be met with conflict from the Centralist faction, specifically Jose Justo Corro. Corro was an ultra-conservative that was also a diehard supporter of Santa Anna's regime. Under Santa Anna, Corro hoped for Mexico to become a Catholic republic that would be based on conservative principles. When Santa Anna left to Texas he left one of his supporters Miguel Barragan as interim president (as one cannot be president and lead an army at the same time). Barragan however, died on March 1st of typhus, leaving Corro to fill his role as interim president. When Santa Anna died this meant that Corro's 4 day presidency should have ended and a transition to elections for the next one (as there was no vice president in the constitution). Corro refusing to see his dreams of a holy Mexico die, decided to declare himself as the rightful president of Mexico and declared that elections could not take place due to Texas's ongoing rebellion. Federalists were outraged and immediate demanded his resignation. A crowd of 5,000 gathered in Mexico City on March 23rd to protest Corro's continued rule and demand the constitution be reinstated. A group of inexperienced guards were soon ordered to contain the crowd and order them back home. Unfortunately like many such events before, it turned deadly. As the hours went on the crowd began to become increasingly more violent and soon objects were being thrown at the guards, when a rock struck a private on the head and caused him to collapse. The captain of the guard panicked and ordered his men to fire. In the ensuing chaos 18 civilians and 2 soldiers were killed, 57 were wounded. The Mexico city massacre as it would soon be called, was the last straw for the federalists. Under the leadership of Valentin Gomez Farias, the federalists advocated rebellion in order to overthrow Corro and reestablish the constitution. Corro then decided to dissolve the Mexican congress and called upon General Anastasio Bustamente to organize an army to crush the rebels. The Mexican Civil War officially began.
Jose Justo Corro (Right), Valentin Gomez Farias (left). Leaders of the respective Centralist and Federalist factions
Meanwhile far south another revolution was brewing, one for independence. The people of the Yucatan peninsula were unique in that there were a large mixture of Creole and Mayan Indians. During the rule of New Spain this region was granted substantial autonomy, and when they achieved independence as the first republic they peacefully joined the Mexican federation in 1823. For the next decade there was peace between the Yucatan and Mexico City due to the latter giving the former a great deal of autonomy. All of this would end when Santa Anna came to power in 1835, one of his several acts of centralization including increasingly limiting the autonomy of the Yucatan and taking away the rights of the Mayan peoples. Over time more and more people advocated for independence. Their answer for a course of action came with news of the Alamo and Santa Anna's death. Immediately Yucatan Federalists took control of the regions major cities and demanded that the central government reinstated the constitution. When Presidente Corro declared war on all federalists, at first the Yucatan would fight for the federalist cause. Then during a city meeting in Merida, Yucatan on April 4th, Miguel Barbachano stormed in with his supporters and declared that Yucatan should be its own independent country. Afterwords members of the city council would remove the Mexican flag and raise the flag of the Yucatan. Revolutionary fervor spread throughout the peninsula and on July 4th, the state of Yucatan declared secession and the formation of the Republic of the Yucatan.
Flag and territory (lime green) of the Republic of Yucatan
During all of these activities of revolution a meeting was called on April 11th in Orevena Ranch(near present day Laredo) between important businessman, land owners, politicians, priests, and lawyers from the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas to discuss the possibility of secession. Here the idea of the Republic of the Rio Grande was born.
Flag and territory (Red official, light red claimed) of the Republic of the Rio Grande
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The states of Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo would not "exist" (as in, partitioned out of Yucatan) until 1852 (and in the case of Quintana Roo, until the next century, and if it's going to go as this, Bacalar should be a more fitting name, after all you would not like to name a state after the man that tried to bring Yucatan back into Mexico). Yucatán at that time was only a single state that encompassed the whole peninsula.
And those five stars refer to how the same Republic of Yucatán divided its own districts.
Be aware that the plot to separate the states of the Rio Grande republic was done to spite Santa Anna at that time.
That being said, I am expecting to see more on how you end up developing Mexico and Texas. I just hope that you won't go for the cliché of having Texas go from sea to sea.
Great update. Yucatan splitting and a Civil War are believable and I got no issue with them. Dark times in Mexico is like saying water's wet, after all (my issue is usually with the "Mexico loses almost OTL yet immediate balkanizes" trend). But I'm a bit iffy about the Rio Grande Republic. OTL they lasted about 8 months and didn't do anything, plus they had issues with Texas, and at the end all the leaders agreed to throw the project under a bus for better positions in the army.
I fixed the Yucatan mistake so now it's one state. As for the Rio Grande Republic here are my points for them in the story:
1. They have not formally declared independence yet or have started rebelling, the idea is just there.
2. This era was full of filibusters trying to carve their own country. With the country falling into civil war and two independence movements growing its the perfect time to form your own country.
3. So far nothing has gone too wrong with Texas that would discourage a revolution for independence.
4. With two sides claiming to be the legitimate government it's going to be hard to bribe the leaders like OTL.
That all being said and done though, even if Rio Grande will secure independence it's going to be far from stable as there will be many Mexicans who want to remain with Mexico. Even in the possibilities i planned with an independent Rio Grande scenario it's not going to see the 20th century.
1. They have not formally declared independence yet or have started rebelling, the idea is just there.
2. This era was full of filibusters trying to carve their own country. With the country falling into civil war and two independence movements growing its the perfect time to form your own country.
3. So far nothing has gone too wrong with Texas that would discourage a revolution for independence.
4. With two sides claiming to be the legitimate government it's going to be hard to bribe the leaders like OTL.
That all being said and done though, even if Rio Grande will secure independence it's going to be far from stable as there will be many Mexicans who want to remain with Mexico. Even in the possibilities i planned with an independent Rio Grande scenario it's not going to see the 20th century.
Sounds quite interesting. Definitively there is going to be a warlord era on the country. And in any case, you ought to read on how Sonora and Baja California were defended from these invasions. It is awesome.
One of the things that might cause a flashpoint (and a good excuse for Mexico and Yucatan to come to blows) would be that Tabasco was considered to be a part of Yucatan, and both parties would be eager to come to blows on this.
Hello readers, i would just like to have a quick update on my plans in the future. First of all school is starting tomorrow which means i won't be able to have my full attention on the TL. Fear not though as i will still try to work as much as i can on the TL. Tomorrow i will post the prelude to the Battle of San Jacinto and i will have the main part of the Texas Revolution finished by the end of the week. Next week we will turn our attention back to Mexico and a certain European nation will start getting involved.
If you're curious about the poll, here is my concern. OTL in the Constitution a President of Texas could not be re-elected to a consecutive term. This didn't stop a man from running again as Houston was the First and Third President but because of the law he couldn't run for re-election and Lamar was electedas the Second President. I want to know your opinion on whether or not the rule should change as i always thought it would be stupid and it seems very limiting to have a President only serve three years before he's kicked out. Since we have a 6 week divergence before the constitution is published this means i have leeway and can change it to allow re-elections. My endplan for possible consecutive terms is a max 3 term limit with 3 years each, honoring Washington's rule. This vote is important as it will impact my writing of the Presidents in the TL, however feel free to vote for what you think is best. Thanks again for reading and looking forward to more feedback.
If you're curious about the poll, here is my concern. OTL in the Constitution a President of Texas could not be re-elected to a consecutive term. This didn't stop a man from running again as Houston was the First and Third President but because of the law he couldn't run for re-election and Lamar was electedas the Second President. I want to know your opinion on whether or not the rule should change as i always thought it would be stupid and it seems very limiting to have a President only serve three years before he's kicked out. Since we have a 6 week divergence before the constitution is published this means i have leeway and can change it to allow re-elections. My endplan for possible consecutive terms is a max 3 term limit with 3 years each, honoring Washington's rule. This vote is important as it will impact my writing of the Presidents in the TL, however feel free to vote for what you think is best. Thanks again for reading and looking forward to more feedback.
