Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
I may just be splitting hairs, but are your sure the map of the 11 districts would look like that? I am referring to the fact that the borders of the former Central american states remain unaltered, which might be practical, but could keep local nationalism going. Politically speaking, I think it makes more sense in the long term to Partition El Salvador and Belize, and then break up Guatemala and Honduras into 2-3 pieces each with none bearing the old names so people can forget those countries ever existed.
Awesome Tl though, don't get me wrong.
Awesome Tl though, don't get me wrong.
As interesting as the Yucatan is, this is what I find myself intrigued by. Who was Cardenas as a man and a leader. And the mentioned but rarely explored filibusters and would be oligarchies that created the RRG and lost control of it. In the this TL with so much on capable and even glorious founders, it seems the opposite need to be seen. Those who failed and will be remembered by the consequences of their overreaching ambition being unable to grip what they sought.
Also, you call Rio Grande "Yucatan" twice early on in its entry.
This isn't the official update about how the Mexican War started, that's going to be Chapter 75 with an indepth look on how the Pan-Mexican rebellion in the Rio Grande happened and what Mexico's first moves are.
The Yucatan doesn't have to worry about hurricanes too much since the weather is pretty normal right now with no climate change and most Gulf hurricanes don't usually target the Yucatan as the Caribbean and Louisiana or Florida are heavy targets. Even if a hurricane hits the Yucatan, the nation is far spaced enough that as long as its not a category 5 then it wont ruin it too much.
Thanks! Look forward to more input.
The reason that the borders of the districts of the Yucatan are kept like this is for the practical sake of running your people according to already existing political borders where they have been governed for years. An important fact to remember though is that the Central American nations existed like a year at most before being conquered by the Yucatan. There is no heavy feeling of an identity towards their former nation since it barely existed in both the USCA and New Spain. The Nationalists in Central America are a minority and only want independence for the sake of independence rather than any sense of an identity. As the years go by and the Yucatan continues to do well, these sense of nationalism will die down and the people will begin to be patriotic for the Yucatan. If you were to ask a Yucatani from Central America today in TTL if they felt any connection to the old Central American republics,, 99.99% would just say no as they have no reason to. Besides the Mayans and Mestizos are soon going to outnumber the Creoles and they'll want to continue living in their Pan-Mayan state.
By that logic Germany should just break up Bavaria since having it continue to exist with its borders will only prompt further independence movements and nationalism. However Germany doesn't do that because the greater feeling of nationalism to Germany trumps that of Bavaria. Same with the Yucatan.
Sorry, I fixed the errors.
The Rio Grande is a great example TTL of a dream gone wrong as so many problems within the region would've been solved if Texas and the other powers left it in the hands of Mexico, as they will soon find out later on. The reason I tend not to go too much into the Rio Grande is because any information on Cardenas and the other founders of the Rio Grande is sparse at best so I don't have much to work on. The filibusters themselves aren't special outside of Walkers in that they are mainly just small microstates by groups of ambitious men who want to take power for themselves. Making it a very lawless version of the wild west. For years later TTL many historians will look to the Rio Grande and use it as a perfect example of the failures of a state and what not to do when founding a nation.
Next Chapter will cover Lee's adventures at Petersburg and the final allegiances of the states in the Civil War.
Chapter 73 The Battle Lines are Drawn
Chapter 73 The Battle Lines are Drawn
"By order of the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, Lieutenant General Robert Edward Lee is hereby raised as Commanding General of the United States Army."- Union proclamation to all field officers of the Army. 1861
"There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!"- Second Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer 1861
"My fellow Virginians, in the past I have tried multiple times to arrange a peace between President Lincoln and our Southern brethren. It was my great hope that our patriotism and greater love of America would triumph the divisions over slavery. Yet during our noble efforts to promote peace and compromise, the Confederate States of America has violated Virginian sovereign soil in an effort to sack the capitol. These actions show us that Toombs is nothing more than a tyrant who seeks to destroy the foundations of America which he claims to protects. The path to us is clear, Virginia must fight for the Union!" Governor John Letcher 1861
Out of all the events of the American Civil War, the one that is perhaps the most important is the Battle of Petersburg. For while the battle was not the first one of the war, and certainly had no effect in putting it to a stop, it was the event that practically defined the war and in many respects set the course for the endgame of the war. For Petersburg would become the battlefield where the battlelines of the Confederacy would be drawn and where the South would fall into divisions of loyalty to country and companionship. A place where war heroes and great leaders would rise to shape the course of not only the war, but the future of America to come. While the first shots may have fired at Fort Sumter, it was at Petersburg where the Civil War really began.
When being introduced to the American Civil War, it is easy for many people to question why the Confederacy would attempt to capture Washington or how the battle came to result in Virginia of all places when the state was in a then neutral position. To understand how the battle came to be we must look at the events immediately before and after the formation of the Confederacy that would've eventually led to war even if the Fort Sumter standoff was still ongoing and the Union defenders managed to hold out. In the immediate aftermath of secession, Governor Francis Pickens of South Carolina became struck with fear. South Carolina was the first state to go and while other states of the Deep South gave signals that they were willing to follow, they did not do so until late January. Worried over the possibility of the invasion of his state and desiring of a quick solution to oust the Republicans and secure control of the nation, Pickens devised a plan with Brigadier General P.G.T Beauregard of sending an invasion force to take the capitol and prevent Lincoln from entering into office, therefore returning control of the nation back to the people in their point of view. However as South Carolina was standing alone the plan was deemed as reckless and put on the shelf temporarily. After the other six states of the Deep South seceded and form the Confederacy, Governor Pickens once more brought his plan to the table. However this time it was not due to fear of Lincoln, but out of a more personal desire of greed. Pickens as the governor of the first state to secede thought that he should've ran the Confederacy as president, for while he deeply respected Toombs he did not think it was right to give it to the former President and Pickens thought it was unfair that he was denied a spot in the Confederate cabinet. Determined to perform an action that would eventually win him the presidency or at least secure a large position of leadership in the future, Pickens mobilized the South Carolina militia and presented his daring plan to the men of Montgomery. Pickens argument was that the plan would be more likely to succeed this time as the Union's resources would be stretched around the nation with the need to guard the borders of the entire south and that the border states would simply let the South Carolina regiments pass through unopposed due to opposition against Lincoln. The idea went under heavy debate in the Confederate cabinet with Vice President Davis leading the opposition as he called it, "a far-fetched idea that would only work in the realm of fantasy." In front of his cabinet President Toombs gave a rather neutral response of contemplation. In private Toombs was all for the plan as it was one that would allow him to return triumphantly into Washington as the true hero that the American people deserved. Sending a secret telegram to Pickens that was not discovered until years after the war, Toombs persuaded Pickens to follow through on his own initiative with the excuse being his use of powers as Governor. Happy that he now had the "official" support of the President, Pickens ordered General PGT Beauregard to assemble a force of 15,000 men to march straight to Washington and take back the capitol. Beauregard's march on Washington would begin on February 20th.
Governor Francis Pickens (Left) and Brigadier General P.G.T Beauregard (Right). Leaders of the Pickens Expedition
In many aspects it is simply astonishing to military historians on how Beauregard was able to hide what was then one of the largest expedition in American history. While contemporary Southern military historians liked to praise Beauregard as a strategic genius for the mostly successful nature of the march, in reality it mainly occurred due to a combination of dumb luck and a massive collaboration of sympathizers. Prior to the formation of the Confederacy, Governor Pickens sent out multiple scouts throughout the state of North Carolina in order to gain a feel for the best path to take. While the sparsely populated western North Carolina was strictly Unionist, the middle and seaboard sections were full of secessionists who would form the core of support for its later entry into the Confederacy. Beauregard was then given the order to form a route to follow for the eventual path to Washington. Beauregard chose to create a trail that ran strictly through the middle of both North Carolina and Virginia that would allow the army to make multiple stops at friendly southern towns and farms, all the while being kept out of the eye of Unionist sympathizers. Adding to all this as the fact that North Carolina and much of Virginia had only now just begun the path of industrialization and as such had few telegram lines or railroads outside the cities and coastal area. The plain worked relatively well as the expeditionary force was able to stay out of the way of Federal garrisons and large towns and they had managed to cross the border with Virginia by March 24th. Once the army went to Virginia however was where it started to get wrong as they ran into some pro-Unionist farmers who soon spread word of the advance of a Confederate army towards Richmond. Many of the Federal officers who were stationed in the lower sections of Virginia thought these were only mad rumors of country bumpkins as they couldn't possibly believe that rebel forces would dare invade the sister state of Virginia. One man who took the warnings seriously out of the rest was Colonel Robert E. Lee.
For a couple of years now Lee had been stationed at Fort Jefferson which was regarded as one of the most important instillations of the state for guarding the lifeline of Virginia and much of the south, the Petersburg railway terminus. Lee in his career was described by his fellow officers as a rather cautious man who always wanted to see the bigger picture to form a strategy. Not wanting to potentially allow such rumors to be true, Lee sent out multiple scouts to see if the reports were accurate. Lee came into luck when on April 16th, two of his men managed to sight Beauregard's forces being camped only 20 miles from Petersburg. The two men managed to obtain information from a couple of careless soldiers that revealed the scope of Beauregard's plan. After waiting to stick around and scout the full extent of Confederate forces, the two cavalrymen rushed back to Fort Jefferson where they revealed to Lee the approaching Confederate onslaught that would attack Washington. During the night of the 16th, Lee gathered all his men to inform them of both the start of the Civil War and the invasion of Virginia. After hearing a soldier make a shockingly treasonous comment of allowing the men to pass, Lee became outraged and reprimanded his men, telling them to do their duty to both state and country. Lee then pulled out his own sabre sword and drew a line in the sand in mirror image of William Travis at the Alamo, allowing the man to make a choice of whether to fight for the Union or resign. To Lee's great relief a strong majority of the men of Jefferson chose to stick to their loyalties of the Union. To this day it is strongly debated by historians upon whether or not Robert Lee would've joined the Confederacy without Petersburg, and if Virginia would've seceded as well. While no clear answer is agreed upon it is clear that the invasion of his home state is what drove Lee's loyalties firmly to the Union. Acting fast to defend the capitol from the rebel storm, Lee concocted a plan with his officers that night and sent messages to the state militia at Richmond to mobilize in order to meet the enemy. The battle would be fought the next day.
Since Lee had the homefield advantage of fighting in his home state he had a wide variety of environments to chose from. In order to soundly defeat the Confederate forces Lee chose to make his stand at the nearby Appomattox river that ran through Petersburg as the river was wide enough that no matter what Beauregard and his forces would have to cross it. Working together with the Virginia state millitia as quickly as possible, Lee spread most of the elements of his artillery across the northern bank of the Appomattox with a full company of artillery situated in the center of the bridge with two full companies of infantry defending it with sandbags and other defenses providing cover. Meanwhile trenches, foxholes, and other assortments of defenses were laid on the South side of the bank with the army spread out in three formations, waiting to defend the river crossing from the Confederates. Wanting to lure Beauregard into a trap with the southern forces having no knowledge of Lee's presence, Lee sent out cavalrymen from the Virginia militia who claimed that they were defecting to the southern cause and were going to lead the Confederates to Richmond. A small squad of cavalry made their way to the Confederate camps before dark under the Virginia flag an Beauregard fortunately fell for the ruse as he invited the men into his camp as "fellow southern gentlemen". The next day was when the trap was set as Lee's troops were positioned in wait for the Confederate forces. They would soon be able to get their chance as on 10:47, the Virginian cavalrymen came with the vanguard of the Confederate army. Upon reaching less than a half a mile of the river, the Virginian cavalrymen sprinted off to their lines under the false excuse that they were clearing the bridge for the army. The men managed to arrive back at Union lines ten minutes before the first Confederate forces came. When Confederate cavalry and infantry platoons cleared out into the sight of the Appomattox, they were shocked to find that they had been set up in a trap and that Virginia had apparently claimed allegiance to the Yankees. Union cavalry fired upon the Confederate forces while a volley of thousands of rifles rang out and mowed down dozens of Confederates due to the sheer shock. Virginia had been thrust into the war.
For the first twenty minutes the battle had been chaotic for the Confederate side as the southern forces were disorganized and could not retaliate to the Union formations who while hastily organized, were much more prepared and ready for a fight unlike the unsuspecting Confederates. In the first hour of the battle the Confederates had taken over 1000 casualties while the Union less than 100. Eventually Beauregard was able to catch up with his men and ordered his forces to fall back out of artillery range and form ranks to prepare for a possible assault by the Union formations. Although Beauregard had been shocked to learn that elements of the federal forces stationed in Virginia had "turned traitor" he saw this as an opportunity to clear the path to Washington and eliminate seditious elements of Virginia so that they could join the Confederacy. This however would become a major mistake for Beauregard as most historians agree that the correct course of action would've been to either camp out or retreat back to South Carolina, Beauregard's hasty actions making him look like the aggressor and lowering his chances of victory. During the organization Lee had ordered five battalions of his infantry to commence an assault of the Confederate lines, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William T. Sherman with a company of cavalry acting alongside under the command of Major J.E.B Stuart. Sherman's assault lasted for a full hour as Union troops were sent in multiple waves onto the Confederate lines and began to continuously attack the Confederate soldiers who were attempting to organize camp as well as destroying any equipment useful to the South Carolinians. Eventually Beauregard was able to consolidate his forces and repulsed Sherman back towards the river while Lieutenant Colonel Maxcy Gregg and his cavalry were able to chase off Stuart. This wasn't without a cost though as Sherman had inflicted a further 2000 casualties unto the Confederate soldiers, though the Union took 1600 in return. Seeing only one decisive chance to break into Union lines, Beauregard ordered his 3/4ths of his artillery units to aim upon the emplacements stationed at the Appomattox bridge while Gregg led his cavalry in a charge through the center. In response Union forces shifted lines to the center while Stuart led the majority of the cavalry to head off against Gregg, the artillery providing cover support. The clash between cavalry lasted for a few minutes before the Confederate cavalry broke away, leaving Union forces confused. After the Confederates seemingly retreated, Lee soon realized what Beauregard was planning as he sent 5,000 infantry troops towards the right flank which was the weakest of the Union formations and where they had already siphoned troops for the Confederate assault, the rest of the Confederate artillery also assaulting the right flank. While Lee attempted to redirect his lines to cover the gaps, it was very difficult to do so with the Confederate artillery raining constant fire while another 1,000 troops were sent to the left flank. Standing against the Southern soldiers in a 1:2 ratio stood Colonel Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and the men of the Virginia brigade, Virginia's standing militia. While the odds were stacked against him, Jackson was not deterred and ordered his men to hold the line at all costs and make sure that none shall pass. It was here that Jackson gained his legendary Stonewall nickname due to the Colonel standing proud and tall in clear line of sight while multiple rounds were flying all around him, none piercing him whatsoever. Jackson's bravery and strong leadership inspired the men under his command and they managed to repeal four different waves by the Confederate forces before a they finallly retreated to their lines. Lee seeing an opening to turn the battle into his favor at once, Ordered a daring counterattack with 6,000 Union troops across the field towards South Carolina lines, many soldiers hollering the soon to be famous "Virginia Yell". With many of his forces suffering fatigue or having taken previous casualties during Sherman's assault or the assault against the Virginia brigade, Beauregard ordered a general retreat all the way back to South Carolina. The final phase of the battle was a mopup operation as Union forces made their way to Confederate lines which forced the men to give up much of their materials in an effort to stay alive and flee. In the meantime Stuart and his cavalry gave constant chase and eliminated any South Carolina forces they got their hands upon. The battle lasted until dusk when Lee gave the general order to cease operations as his forces did not have the supply capability to follow Beauregard and he was wary of what North Carolina's position would be. The Battle of Petersburg in the end resulted in a clear Union victory with Lee having successfully driven off the Confederate forces and protecting Washington from invasion, keeping them out of harm's way for the rest of the war. The overall casualties for the battle proved how bloody the eventual war would be to come as the Union forces suffered 3,128 casualties while the Confederates suffered a far higher ratio with 5,642 casualties. Along with the casualties the Confederates had over 3,000 men captured as the first prisoners of war for the Civil War. By the time Beauregard made it back to South Carolina he only had around 2/5ths of his original forces. A clear defeat and embarrassment for the Confederacy in their first major battle.
Battle of Petersburg (Left) Stonewall Jackson, key defender at Petersburg and one of the Union's best generals (Right)
The aftermath of Petersburg was one that was very contrasting on both sides. In the North Lee was celebrated as a hero all across the various states and soon came to represent the honorable southern gentlemen that should put his loyalties of country over state. In the South it was treated as a major embarrassment for having to suffer such a major defeat right after Fort Sumter was captured. Outrage spread all across the Confederacy as most of the other states weren't even aware that such an expedition took place, most of the governors having wanted to keep their armies in the south to defend for a possible northern excursion. Though the battle was important for having stopped a potential assault on Washington that could've had the Confederacy win independence, Petersburg is vastly regarded by many historians as partly important for its shift in leadership. With the disaster of Petersburg, blame in Montgomery shifted to Governor Pickens who was used as a scapegoat for the entire expedition since he planned it. Pickens pointed out that he received permission from Toombs to do it, however Toombs shot back that he only said for Pickens to allow him to act as he see fit with his powers as governor, it was Pickens in the end who made the final call and as such the blame laid in him for ordering Beauregard. Under immense public scrutiny within Charleston for his actions, Pickens was forced to resign and spent the rest of the war in his home in Edgefield, South Carolina.
General Beauregard also suffered as a result of the battle as many Confederate officials blamed him for poor conduct in the battle. Luckily Beauregard was saved from being sacked as the Confederacy was short on experienced senior officers. So despite the failure Beauregard was promoted to Major General and retained command of the Army of South Carolina. Unfortunately for Beauregard, his earlier nomination for command of the Confederate Army was refused by Montgomery after Petersburg, causing command of Confederate forces to fall to General Samuel Cooper. A man who despite hailing from Virginia, had already declared his allegiance to the Confederacy due to his wife's families southern sympathies and close friendship to Vice President Davis. On the side of the North another major leadership change was happening as well. Union Commanding General Winfield Scott upon receiving word of Petersburg turned in his resignation to Lincoln. When word of Scott's resigning spread across the country many people claimed that it was due to political quarrels with Lincoln due to the fact that Lincoln was in the Webster camp as a Whig which opposed Scott in the 1852 elections. However in reality the truth was far from it. Scott who was the hero of the Oregon War, was 74 at the start of the Civil War and suffered from gout, rheumatism, and dropsy. The man could barely ride a horse much less lead an army. For years General Scott had been carefully watching Lee rise through the ranks due to both Lee's exemplary service under Scott in Oregon and the two's common background as Virginians. Scott saw in Lee a successor that would be very capable in leading the Union through the war, calling Lee "the very finest soldier I've ever seen". Scott suggested to Lincoln that Lee be promoted and made Commanding General of the United States Army. Though Lincoln was shocked that Scott would resign immediately after the start of the war, he knew that Lee was a fine officer and his leadership could have an immense rise in morale in the North by having the hero of Petersburg be in command while also enticing several border states to stay loyal to the Union. Lincoln would come to accept Scott's resignation and on April 21st would promote Lee three ranks to Lieutenant General and placed him in command of the Union Army. Upon hearing of his vast promotion Lee was shocked and humbly stated that he was not worthy of leading the nation's forces. However, Lee knew that after Petersburg that he would have to see that war to its finish and that there were few other officers who Lee could trust to lead the Union to victory. Lee accepted his commission and entered into Washington in early May to work out a strategy for Lincoln and prepare the nation for total war. Lee's creation of the Anaconda strategy and key placement of various generals in the Union often being cited as one of the key factors for the Union in the war.
Robert E. Lee (Left) and Samuel Cooper (Right). Respective leaders of both the Northern and Southern armies throughout the duration of the war.
The other major effect of Petersburg that has it labelled as the battle that defined the Civil War, was its effect upon the loyalties of the southern states. Until Petersburg it was only the Deep South who declared their allegiance to the Confederacy with the border states being ambivalent. The four months from December 1860 to April of 1861 were a very turbulent time as the slave states of the Union could've easily shifted to either camp. With Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call to arms it looked as though the border states were about to pledge allegiance to Montgomery, then Petersburg happened. The most obvious blunder the Pickens expedition was that it caused Virginia to stay loyal to the Union. Virginia in 1861 was the most populous of all the southern states and had a good majority of the industry within the region. Adding to that was the states prominent historical role as the leader of the South with half of the founding fathers such as Washington and Jefferson hailing from Virginia. With Petersburg came outrage from most of the Virginians as their southern brothers had violated their borders and spilled blood on Virginian soil in an effort to sack Washington, something even the secessionist camp considered radical. Seeing Toombs as having betrayed the Southern ideal, Governor John Letcher would rally the Unionists to pass a declaration of loyalty to Lincoln and the Union. The state then proceeded to mobilize its men with Virginia becoming the third largest supplier of troops behind Ohio and Massachusetts. Unfortunately for Lincoln both Arkansas and North Carolina would have a different reaction as both states were reliant on slavery for agriculture and were ambivalent to what happened in Petersburg. They cited Lincoln's call to arms as the final straw as they could not fight against their fellow southern brethren. However said call to arms did not specify that the slave states needed to send troops and was an argument used by Unionists in both states for staying loyal to Washington. In the end the Confederate camps won as ordinances of secession manged to pass in both legislatures by a majority. Arkansas leaving on April 29th and North Carolina on May 4th. Another surprising addition to the Confederacy was the Indian territory. For years the Indian territory (modern day Seqouyah) had become a huge mess as multiple different tribes had been forced to relocate from their ancestral homes into the wide prairies that they had no experience living in, tens of thousands having died over the years both during the relocation and enduring the harsh living conditions of the territory. The Indian tribes living their became resentful of Washington as they were across the border from Texas who allowed their Indian populations to keep their lands. Why should they be treated badly if Texas was doing the opposite? Upon hearing word of the formation of the Confederacy, representatives from the Five Civilized Tribes under the leadership of Cherokee Stand Watie traveled to Montgomery to negotiate for entry into the Confederacy. These representatives acting unilaterally without approval from the tribal councils, offered for the Indian territory to be annexed by the Confederacy as a state with special rights going to the Five Tribes and guarantees of protection for their tribal lands. There was heavy division in the Confederate Congress upon hearing this as many of the representatives considered the men savages that would pollute the Confederacy. However, President Toombs was all for the plan as it meant more land for the nation and the forcing of Union forces to spread west. Eventually the a treaty was passed in the Confederate Senate by the slimest of margins that officially annexed the Indian territory as a state of their own. This caused Indian territory to enter the Confederacy as the State of Oklahoma, a move that would not bode well for the American Indians after the war.
Lastly of important note was the case of Tennessee. Tennessee was a state that was most undoubtedly southern in every way as the state formed a major part of the Southern culture and President Andrew Jackson hailed from Tennessee. Despite its status in the South, the state was under major social divisions. Western Tennessee was a staunch supporter of slavery as it held a majority of the slave population and the West contained many slave plantations and held much of the wealth and industry with the location of the Mississippi. In stark contrast stood Eastern Tennessee that was staunchly pro-Unionist and held few slaves, most of the population being poor farmers who held a vast amount of resentment to the more wealthy west. Divided between the two was Middle Tennessee who held aspects of both regions. In February the Tennessee legislature passed a resolution which affirmed loyalty to the Union, though it was by a slim margin. After Petersburg the issue came to the forefront with a referendum being agreed upon for May 2nd. Shockingly to the Secessionist camp, Tennessee voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 53%, Middle Tennessee having held a key role as a swing vote and many voters choosing to say with the Union due to the apparent aggression of the South with Petersburg and Fort Sumter. In Washington there was an initial sigh of relief as Tennessee's decision to stay loyal caused Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware to vote to stay in the Union. Then tragedy came. Governor Isham G. Harris of Tennessee was known widely throughout the state as a strong supporter of secession as the man was a heavy supporter of slavery and hated the Republicans with a passion. Harris had several prominent ties to key officials in Montgomery and campaigned heavily within the state to leave the Union. After the result of the referendum, Harris became infuriated that his state would rather side with Lincoln then their cousins, he claimed that the referendum was rigged and that the people were in favor of the Confederacy. Wanting to side with the south no matter what the cost, Harris began to conspire with Nathaniel Bedfort Forrest, one of the state's wealthiest men and a staunch racist towards blacks. On May 18th the unthinkable happened when Governor Harris launched a coup within Nashville and had Forrest declare marshal law as head of the Tennessee state militia with the Brevet rank of Colonel. During what would be called as the First Battle of Nashville as pro-Union citizens came to the streets in protest of Harris to stay within the Union. Several member of the militia also deserted and fought against their comrades, unfortunately a majority of the militia in Nashville were of southern sympathies and in the end of the day took over the capitol. During the coup several prominent pro-Unionist congressmen and state legislatures would flee with covert support of the citizens. Under the leadership of Senator Andrew Johnson, the pro-Unionist camp would come to form their own secession convention in Knoxville where they would proclaim the state of Eastern Tennessee, citing the crimes of both Toombs and Harris in a declaration of loyalty to Lincoln and the Union. Citing Eastern Tennessee as an example, several Confederate splinter governments would form within the border states and territories with Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. It was the start of what would truly become a Civil War.
Map of the American Civil War at the start. Union states (Blue). Confederate States (Red). Disputed states and territories (Purple). Neutral territories (Grey)
"By order of the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, Lieutenant General Robert Edward Lee is hereby raised as Commanding General of the United States Army."- Union proclamation to all field officers of the Army. 1861
"There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!"- Second Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer 1861
"My fellow Virginians, in the past I have tried multiple times to arrange a peace between President Lincoln and our Southern brethren. It was my great hope that our patriotism and greater love of America would triumph the divisions over slavery. Yet during our noble efforts to promote peace and compromise, the Confederate States of America has violated Virginian sovereign soil in an effort to sack the capitol. These actions show us that Toombs is nothing more than a tyrant who seeks to destroy the foundations of America which he claims to protects. The path to us is clear, Virginia must fight for the Union!" Governor John Letcher 1861
Out of all the events of the American Civil War, the one that is perhaps the most important is the Battle of Petersburg. For while the battle was not the first one of the war, and certainly had no effect in putting it to a stop, it was the event that practically defined the war and in many respects set the course for the endgame of the war. For Petersburg would become the battlefield where the battlelines of the Confederacy would be drawn and where the South would fall into divisions of loyalty to country and companionship. A place where war heroes and great leaders would rise to shape the course of not only the war, but the future of America to come. While the first shots may have fired at Fort Sumter, it was at Petersburg where the Civil War really began.
When being introduced to the American Civil War, it is easy for many people to question why the Confederacy would attempt to capture Washington or how the battle came to result in Virginia of all places when the state was in a then neutral position. To understand how the battle came to be we must look at the events immediately before and after the formation of the Confederacy that would've eventually led to war even if the Fort Sumter standoff was still ongoing and the Union defenders managed to hold out. In the immediate aftermath of secession, Governor Francis Pickens of South Carolina became struck with fear. South Carolina was the first state to go and while other states of the Deep South gave signals that they were willing to follow, they did not do so until late January. Worried over the possibility of the invasion of his state and desiring of a quick solution to oust the Republicans and secure control of the nation, Pickens devised a plan with Brigadier General P.G.T Beauregard of sending an invasion force to take the capitol and prevent Lincoln from entering into office, therefore returning control of the nation back to the people in their point of view. However as South Carolina was standing alone the plan was deemed as reckless and put on the shelf temporarily. After the other six states of the Deep South seceded and form the Confederacy, Governor Pickens once more brought his plan to the table. However this time it was not due to fear of Lincoln, but out of a more personal desire of greed. Pickens as the governor of the first state to secede thought that he should've ran the Confederacy as president, for while he deeply respected Toombs he did not think it was right to give it to the former President and Pickens thought it was unfair that he was denied a spot in the Confederate cabinet. Determined to perform an action that would eventually win him the presidency or at least secure a large position of leadership in the future, Pickens mobilized the South Carolina militia and presented his daring plan to the men of Montgomery. Pickens argument was that the plan would be more likely to succeed this time as the Union's resources would be stretched around the nation with the need to guard the borders of the entire south and that the border states would simply let the South Carolina regiments pass through unopposed due to opposition against Lincoln. The idea went under heavy debate in the Confederate cabinet with Vice President Davis leading the opposition as he called it, "a far-fetched idea that would only work in the realm of fantasy." In front of his cabinet President Toombs gave a rather neutral response of contemplation. In private Toombs was all for the plan as it was one that would allow him to return triumphantly into Washington as the true hero that the American people deserved. Sending a secret telegram to Pickens that was not discovered until years after the war, Toombs persuaded Pickens to follow through on his own initiative with the excuse being his use of powers as Governor. Happy that he now had the "official" support of the President, Pickens ordered General PGT Beauregard to assemble a force of 15,000 men to march straight to Washington and take back the capitol. Beauregard's march on Washington would begin on February 20th.
Governor Francis Pickens (Left) and Brigadier General P.G.T Beauregard (Right). Leaders of the Pickens Expedition
In many aspects it is simply astonishing to military historians on how Beauregard was able to hide what was then one of the largest expedition in American history. While contemporary Southern military historians liked to praise Beauregard as a strategic genius for the mostly successful nature of the march, in reality it mainly occurred due to a combination of dumb luck and a massive collaboration of sympathizers. Prior to the formation of the Confederacy, Governor Pickens sent out multiple scouts throughout the state of North Carolina in order to gain a feel for the best path to take. While the sparsely populated western North Carolina was strictly Unionist, the middle and seaboard sections were full of secessionists who would form the core of support for its later entry into the Confederacy. Beauregard was then given the order to form a route to follow for the eventual path to Washington. Beauregard chose to create a trail that ran strictly through the middle of both North Carolina and Virginia that would allow the army to make multiple stops at friendly southern towns and farms, all the while being kept out of the eye of Unionist sympathizers. Adding to all this as the fact that North Carolina and much of Virginia had only now just begun the path of industrialization and as such had few telegram lines or railroads outside the cities and coastal area. The plain worked relatively well as the expeditionary force was able to stay out of the way of Federal garrisons and large towns and they had managed to cross the border with Virginia by March 24th. Once the army went to Virginia however was where it started to get wrong as they ran into some pro-Unionist farmers who soon spread word of the advance of a Confederate army towards Richmond. Many of the Federal officers who were stationed in the lower sections of Virginia thought these were only mad rumors of country bumpkins as they couldn't possibly believe that rebel forces would dare invade the sister state of Virginia. One man who took the warnings seriously out of the rest was Colonel Robert E. Lee.
For a couple of years now Lee had been stationed at Fort Jefferson which was regarded as one of the most important instillations of the state for guarding the lifeline of Virginia and much of the south, the Petersburg railway terminus. Lee in his career was described by his fellow officers as a rather cautious man who always wanted to see the bigger picture to form a strategy. Not wanting to potentially allow such rumors to be true, Lee sent out multiple scouts to see if the reports were accurate. Lee came into luck when on April 16th, two of his men managed to sight Beauregard's forces being camped only 20 miles from Petersburg. The two men managed to obtain information from a couple of careless soldiers that revealed the scope of Beauregard's plan. After waiting to stick around and scout the full extent of Confederate forces, the two cavalrymen rushed back to Fort Jefferson where they revealed to Lee the approaching Confederate onslaught that would attack Washington. During the night of the 16th, Lee gathered all his men to inform them of both the start of the Civil War and the invasion of Virginia. After hearing a soldier make a shockingly treasonous comment of allowing the men to pass, Lee became outraged and reprimanded his men, telling them to do their duty to both state and country. Lee then pulled out his own sabre sword and drew a line in the sand in mirror image of William Travis at the Alamo, allowing the man to make a choice of whether to fight for the Union or resign. To Lee's great relief a strong majority of the men of Jefferson chose to stick to their loyalties of the Union. To this day it is strongly debated by historians upon whether or not Robert Lee would've joined the Confederacy without Petersburg, and if Virginia would've seceded as well. While no clear answer is agreed upon it is clear that the invasion of his home state is what drove Lee's loyalties firmly to the Union. Acting fast to defend the capitol from the rebel storm, Lee concocted a plan with his officers that night and sent messages to the state militia at Richmond to mobilize in order to meet the enemy. The battle would be fought the next day.
Since Lee had the homefield advantage of fighting in his home state he had a wide variety of environments to chose from. In order to soundly defeat the Confederate forces Lee chose to make his stand at the nearby Appomattox river that ran through Petersburg as the river was wide enough that no matter what Beauregard and his forces would have to cross it. Working together with the Virginia state millitia as quickly as possible, Lee spread most of the elements of his artillery across the northern bank of the Appomattox with a full company of artillery situated in the center of the bridge with two full companies of infantry defending it with sandbags and other defenses providing cover. Meanwhile trenches, foxholes, and other assortments of defenses were laid on the South side of the bank with the army spread out in three formations, waiting to defend the river crossing from the Confederates. Wanting to lure Beauregard into a trap with the southern forces having no knowledge of Lee's presence, Lee sent out cavalrymen from the Virginia militia who claimed that they were defecting to the southern cause and were going to lead the Confederates to Richmond. A small squad of cavalry made their way to the Confederate camps before dark under the Virginia flag an Beauregard fortunately fell for the ruse as he invited the men into his camp as "fellow southern gentlemen". The next day was when the trap was set as Lee's troops were positioned in wait for the Confederate forces. They would soon be able to get their chance as on 10:47, the Virginian cavalrymen came with the vanguard of the Confederate army. Upon reaching less than a half a mile of the river, the Virginian cavalrymen sprinted off to their lines under the false excuse that they were clearing the bridge for the army. The men managed to arrive back at Union lines ten minutes before the first Confederate forces came. When Confederate cavalry and infantry platoons cleared out into the sight of the Appomattox, they were shocked to find that they had been set up in a trap and that Virginia had apparently claimed allegiance to the Yankees. Union cavalry fired upon the Confederate forces while a volley of thousands of rifles rang out and mowed down dozens of Confederates due to the sheer shock. Virginia had been thrust into the war.
For the first twenty minutes the battle had been chaotic for the Confederate side as the southern forces were disorganized and could not retaliate to the Union formations who while hastily organized, were much more prepared and ready for a fight unlike the unsuspecting Confederates. In the first hour of the battle the Confederates had taken over 1000 casualties while the Union less than 100. Eventually Beauregard was able to catch up with his men and ordered his forces to fall back out of artillery range and form ranks to prepare for a possible assault by the Union formations. Although Beauregard had been shocked to learn that elements of the federal forces stationed in Virginia had "turned traitor" he saw this as an opportunity to clear the path to Washington and eliminate seditious elements of Virginia so that they could join the Confederacy. This however would become a major mistake for Beauregard as most historians agree that the correct course of action would've been to either camp out or retreat back to South Carolina, Beauregard's hasty actions making him look like the aggressor and lowering his chances of victory. During the organization Lee had ordered five battalions of his infantry to commence an assault of the Confederate lines, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William T. Sherman with a company of cavalry acting alongside under the command of Major J.E.B Stuart. Sherman's assault lasted for a full hour as Union troops were sent in multiple waves onto the Confederate lines and began to continuously attack the Confederate soldiers who were attempting to organize camp as well as destroying any equipment useful to the South Carolinians. Eventually Beauregard was able to consolidate his forces and repulsed Sherman back towards the river while Lieutenant Colonel Maxcy Gregg and his cavalry were able to chase off Stuart. This wasn't without a cost though as Sherman had inflicted a further 2000 casualties unto the Confederate soldiers, though the Union took 1600 in return. Seeing only one decisive chance to break into Union lines, Beauregard ordered his 3/4ths of his artillery units to aim upon the emplacements stationed at the Appomattox bridge while Gregg led his cavalry in a charge through the center. In response Union forces shifted lines to the center while Stuart led the majority of the cavalry to head off against Gregg, the artillery providing cover support. The clash between cavalry lasted for a few minutes before the Confederate cavalry broke away, leaving Union forces confused. After the Confederates seemingly retreated, Lee soon realized what Beauregard was planning as he sent 5,000 infantry troops towards the right flank which was the weakest of the Union formations and where they had already siphoned troops for the Confederate assault, the rest of the Confederate artillery also assaulting the right flank. While Lee attempted to redirect his lines to cover the gaps, it was very difficult to do so with the Confederate artillery raining constant fire while another 1,000 troops were sent to the left flank. Standing against the Southern soldiers in a 1:2 ratio stood Colonel Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and the men of the Virginia brigade, Virginia's standing militia. While the odds were stacked against him, Jackson was not deterred and ordered his men to hold the line at all costs and make sure that none shall pass. It was here that Jackson gained his legendary Stonewall nickname due to the Colonel standing proud and tall in clear line of sight while multiple rounds were flying all around him, none piercing him whatsoever. Jackson's bravery and strong leadership inspired the men under his command and they managed to repeal four different waves by the Confederate forces before a they finallly retreated to their lines. Lee seeing an opening to turn the battle into his favor at once, Ordered a daring counterattack with 6,000 Union troops across the field towards South Carolina lines, many soldiers hollering the soon to be famous "Virginia Yell". With many of his forces suffering fatigue or having taken previous casualties during Sherman's assault or the assault against the Virginia brigade, Beauregard ordered a general retreat all the way back to South Carolina. The final phase of the battle was a mopup operation as Union forces made their way to Confederate lines which forced the men to give up much of their materials in an effort to stay alive and flee. In the meantime Stuart and his cavalry gave constant chase and eliminated any South Carolina forces they got their hands upon. The battle lasted until dusk when Lee gave the general order to cease operations as his forces did not have the supply capability to follow Beauregard and he was wary of what North Carolina's position would be. The Battle of Petersburg in the end resulted in a clear Union victory with Lee having successfully driven off the Confederate forces and protecting Washington from invasion, keeping them out of harm's way for the rest of the war. The overall casualties for the battle proved how bloody the eventual war would be to come as the Union forces suffered 3,128 casualties while the Confederates suffered a far higher ratio with 5,642 casualties. Along with the casualties the Confederates had over 3,000 men captured as the first prisoners of war for the Civil War. By the time Beauregard made it back to South Carolina he only had around 2/5ths of his original forces. A clear defeat and embarrassment for the Confederacy in their first major battle.
Battle of Petersburg (Left) Stonewall Jackson, key defender at Petersburg and one of the Union's best generals (Right)
The aftermath of Petersburg was one that was very contrasting on both sides. In the North Lee was celebrated as a hero all across the various states and soon came to represent the honorable southern gentlemen that should put his loyalties of country over state. In the South it was treated as a major embarrassment for having to suffer such a major defeat right after Fort Sumter was captured. Outrage spread all across the Confederacy as most of the other states weren't even aware that such an expedition took place, most of the governors having wanted to keep their armies in the south to defend for a possible northern excursion. Though the battle was important for having stopped a potential assault on Washington that could've had the Confederacy win independence, Petersburg is vastly regarded by many historians as partly important for its shift in leadership. With the disaster of Petersburg, blame in Montgomery shifted to Governor Pickens who was used as a scapegoat for the entire expedition since he planned it. Pickens pointed out that he received permission from Toombs to do it, however Toombs shot back that he only said for Pickens to allow him to act as he see fit with his powers as governor, it was Pickens in the end who made the final call and as such the blame laid in him for ordering Beauregard. Under immense public scrutiny within Charleston for his actions, Pickens was forced to resign and spent the rest of the war in his home in Edgefield, South Carolina.
General Beauregard also suffered as a result of the battle as many Confederate officials blamed him for poor conduct in the battle. Luckily Beauregard was saved from being sacked as the Confederacy was short on experienced senior officers. So despite the failure Beauregard was promoted to Major General and retained command of the Army of South Carolina. Unfortunately for Beauregard, his earlier nomination for command of the Confederate Army was refused by Montgomery after Petersburg, causing command of Confederate forces to fall to General Samuel Cooper. A man who despite hailing from Virginia, had already declared his allegiance to the Confederacy due to his wife's families southern sympathies and close friendship to Vice President Davis. On the side of the North another major leadership change was happening as well. Union Commanding General Winfield Scott upon receiving word of Petersburg turned in his resignation to Lincoln. When word of Scott's resigning spread across the country many people claimed that it was due to political quarrels with Lincoln due to the fact that Lincoln was in the Webster camp as a Whig which opposed Scott in the 1852 elections. However in reality the truth was far from it. Scott who was the hero of the Oregon War, was 74 at the start of the Civil War and suffered from gout, rheumatism, and dropsy. The man could barely ride a horse much less lead an army. For years General Scott had been carefully watching Lee rise through the ranks due to both Lee's exemplary service under Scott in Oregon and the two's common background as Virginians. Scott saw in Lee a successor that would be very capable in leading the Union through the war, calling Lee "the very finest soldier I've ever seen". Scott suggested to Lincoln that Lee be promoted and made Commanding General of the United States Army. Though Lincoln was shocked that Scott would resign immediately after the start of the war, he knew that Lee was a fine officer and his leadership could have an immense rise in morale in the North by having the hero of Petersburg be in command while also enticing several border states to stay loyal to the Union. Lincoln would come to accept Scott's resignation and on April 21st would promote Lee three ranks to Lieutenant General and placed him in command of the Union Army. Upon hearing of his vast promotion Lee was shocked and humbly stated that he was not worthy of leading the nation's forces. However, Lee knew that after Petersburg that he would have to see that war to its finish and that there were few other officers who Lee could trust to lead the Union to victory. Lee accepted his commission and entered into Washington in early May to work out a strategy for Lincoln and prepare the nation for total war. Lee's creation of the Anaconda strategy and key placement of various generals in the Union often being cited as one of the key factors for the Union in the war.
Robert E. Lee (Left) and Samuel Cooper (Right). Respective leaders of both the Northern and Southern armies throughout the duration of the war.
The other major effect of Petersburg that has it labelled as the battle that defined the Civil War, was its effect upon the loyalties of the southern states. Until Petersburg it was only the Deep South who declared their allegiance to the Confederacy with the border states being ambivalent. The four months from December 1860 to April of 1861 were a very turbulent time as the slave states of the Union could've easily shifted to either camp. With Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call to arms it looked as though the border states were about to pledge allegiance to Montgomery, then Petersburg happened. The most obvious blunder the Pickens expedition was that it caused Virginia to stay loyal to the Union. Virginia in 1861 was the most populous of all the southern states and had a good majority of the industry within the region. Adding to that was the states prominent historical role as the leader of the South with half of the founding fathers such as Washington and Jefferson hailing from Virginia. With Petersburg came outrage from most of the Virginians as their southern brothers had violated their borders and spilled blood on Virginian soil in an effort to sack Washington, something even the secessionist camp considered radical. Seeing Toombs as having betrayed the Southern ideal, Governor John Letcher would rally the Unionists to pass a declaration of loyalty to Lincoln and the Union. The state then proceeded to mobilize its men with Virginia becoming the third largest supplier of troops behind Ohio and Massachusetts. Unfortunately for Lincoln both Arkansas and North Carolina would have a different reaction as both states were reliant on slavery for agriculture and were ambivalent to what happened in Petersburg. They cited Lincoln's call to arms as the final straw as they could not fight against their fellow southern brethren. However said call to arms did not specify that the slave states needed to send troops and was an argument used by Unionists in both states for staying loyal to Washington. In the end the Confederate camps won as ordinances of secession manged to pass in both legislatures by a majority. Arkansas leaving on April 29th and North Carolina on May 4th. Another surprising addition to the Confederacy was the Indian territory. For years the Indian territory (modern day Seqouyah) had become a huge mess as multiple different tribes had been forced to relocate from their ancestral homes into the wide prairies that they had no experience living in, tens of thousands having died over the years both during the relocation and enduring the harsh living conditions of the territory. The Indian tribes living their became resentful of Washington as they were across the border from Texas who allowed their Indian populations to keep their lands. Why should they be treated badly if Texas was doing the opposite? Upon hearing word of the formation of the Confederacy, representatives from the Five Civilized Tribes under the leadership of Cherokee Stand Watie traveled to Montgomery to negotiate for entry into the Confederacy. These representatives acting unilaterally without approval from the tribal councils, offered for the Indian territory to be annexed by the Confederacy as a state with special rights going to the Five Tribes and guarantees of protection for their tribal lands. There was heavy division in the Confederate Congress upon hearing this as many of the representatives considered the men savages that would pollute the Confederacy. However, President Toombs was all for the plan as it meant more land for the nation and the forcing of Union forces to spread west. Eventually the a treaty was passed in the Confederate Senate by the slimest of margins that officially annexed the Indian territory as a state of their own. This caused Indian territory to enter the Confederacy as the State of Oklahoma, a move that would not bode well for the American Indians after the war.
Lastly of important note was the case of Tennessee. Tennessee was a state that was most undoubtedly southern in every way as the state formed a major part of the Southern culture and President Andrew Jackson hailed from Tennessee. Despite its status in the South, the state was under major social divisions. Western Tennessee was a staunch supporter of slavery as it held a majority of the slave population and the West contained many slave plantations and held much of the wealth and industry with the location of the Mississippi. In stark contrast stood Eastern Tennessee that was staunchly pro-Unionist and held few slaves, most of the population being poor farmers who held a vast amount of resentment to the more wealthy west. Divided between the two was Middle Tennessee who held aspects of both regions. In February the Tennessee legislature passed a resolution which affirmed loyalty to the Union, though it was by a slim margin. After Petersburg the issue came to the forefront with a referendum being agreed upon for May 2nd. Shockingly to the Secessionist camp, Tennessee voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 53%, Middle Tennessee having held a key role as a swing vote and many voters choosing to say with the Union due to the apparent aggression of the South with Petersburg and Fort Sumter. In Washington there was an initial sigh of relief as Tennessee's decision to stay loyal caused Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware to vote to stay in the Union. Then tragedy came. Governor Isham G. Harris of Tennessee was known widely throughout the state as a strong supporter of secession as the man was a heavy supporter of slavery and hated the Republicans with a passion. Harris had several prominent ties to key officials in Montgomery and campaigned heavily within the state to leave the Union. After the result of the referendum, Harris became infuriated that his state would rather side with Lincoln then their cousins, he claimed that the referendum was rigged and that the people were in favor of the Confederacy. Wanting to side with the south no matter what the cost, Harris began to conspire with Nathaniel Bedfort Forrest, one of the state's wealthiest men and a staunch racist towards blacks. On May 18th the unthinkable happened when Governor Harris launched a coup within Nashville and had Forrest declare marshal law as head of the Tennessee state militia with the Brevet rank of Colonel. During what would be called as the First Battle of Nashville as pro-Union citizens came to the streets in protest of Harris to stay within the Union. Several member of the militia also deserted and fought against their comrades, unfortunately a majority of the militia in Nashville were of southern sympathies and in the end of the day took over the capitol. During the coup several prominent pro-Unionist congressmen and state legislatures would flee with covert support of the citizens. Under the leadership of Senator Andrew Johnson, the pro-Unionist camp would come to form their own secession convention in Knoxville where they would proclaim the state of Eastern Tennessee, citing the crimes of both Toombs and Harris in a declaration of loyalty to Lincoln and the Union. Citing Eastern Tennessee as an example, several Confederate splinter governments would form within the border states and territories with Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. It was the start of what would truly become a Civil War.
Map of the American Civil War at the start. Union states (Blue). Confederate States (Red). Disputed states and territories (Purple). Neutral territories (Grey)
Good update. Methinks Tennessee will become two states postwar. As for the Indian tribes, prepare escape routes into Texas, because, while Texas ain't perfect in its relations with Indians, it will be far better than what the Indians will go through postwar. Traitors (or even perceived traitors) aren't forgiven too easily.
Eastern Tennessee should be named Franklin (that was one proposed name for the OTL eastern Tennessee/western North Carolina in the 1700s)...
Keep it up...
Eastern Tennessee should be named Franklin (that was one proposed name for the OTL eastern Tennessee/western North Carolina in the 1700s)...
Keep it up...
Well, I wasn't expecting the Civil War to be civil, so when the bloodshed and future stepping stones for more bloodshed came out in this chapter I wasn't surprised. All I can do is feel sorry for this America. This war will likely be its bloodiest and most divisive.
Well the Bahamas should fall quickly to the Union navy. And with the Confederacy short one and a half States and wo of their best OTL generals, might this be easier than OTL?
Hmm, so no West Virginia. But it looks like we will see secession intrastate more this time.
So has Texas embargoed the CSA or anything? Or is it business as usual on that frontier.
Hmm, so no West Virginia. But it looks like we will see secession intrastate more this time.
So has Texas embargoed the CSA or anything? Or is it business as usual on that frontier.
You are right in that Tennessee will be split into original Tennessee and East Tennessee. Since Virginia stays loyal to the Union TTL, East Tennessee will be the replacement for West Virginia. The two halves of the state are already vastly different in culture so this would be considered natural for those who live in the East. It would especially be something that the Republicans would be gun-ho for as it gives them 2 seats in the Senate. In the future it may or may not also include other sections of its neighboring states as Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia had some pro-Unionist elements. Whether or not that happens depends on how the war is conducted and what Lincoln's plans for reconstruction will be.
You are right about the status of American Indians post-Civil War. OTL they were treated the same as before since very few knew of the Oklohoma front as most payed attention to Virginia or the Mississippi. Here Indian territory is now a direct part of the Confederacy and the Yankees will see Oklahoma as a collection of "ungrateful" Indians who stabbed them in the back. No matter what the policies of Lincoln and his successors are, there is bound to be heavy backlash against the American Indian which will force them to flee to Texas. I never said that the Southern Exodus had to just be of states from the Deep South.
Unknown is right Jon in that the state in the corner is the Bahamas. They were conquered by US Marines in the Oregon War and the British sold it to the US in the Treaty of Lisbon. TTL they are on the side of the Confederacy since the islands got overrun by slavers in the 1850's in an effort to add another slave state. They will be focused on in the first year of the war.
While the Civil War TTL will be extremely more divisive, there's not garuntee yet that it will result in a bloodier outcome. The body count all depends on how Lincoln and Lee conduct Northern strategy and when the war ends. For all we know the war could end with less bloodshed and earlier than OTL. Or it could be the opposite and be longer and bloodier. We shall wait and see.
Like I said before the Bahamas will be dealt with before the end of the year. Said operation involving the US Marines and helping to establish its identity in the post-Civil War era. As for the state of the war on the Union's side, while they do have several benefits with the addition of Virginia and half of Tennessee, it's not going to be a cake walk at the same time.
West Virginia TTL shall only exist as a region in Virginia much as the same way that the Panhandle or Big Bend county are for Texas OTL. This will bode well for Virginia in the future as they shall keep their vast coal reserves and get a higher population for representation and the electoral college. As for the intrastate secession, most of those areas which have splinter governments are pro-Confederate in Union territory. The key area to look out for are the Unionist areas along the Appalachia.
Texas' reaction to the Civil War will be shown next chapter which covers the first half of the Segiun presidency prior to the start of the Mexican War. No matter what Seguin and the Texas Congress have planned for the Confederacy though, they wont be able to do a thing once Mexico has declared war.
Maybe Texas could intervene late in the war and acquire the Indian territory
I have been thinking about that, however doing so would be the downfall of Seguin. First of all, unless Mexico is dealt with completely, Texas will not have nearly enough troops to conquer Oklahoma as doing so would only happen if they enticed the local tribes to help them, which they wouldn't for it would be attacking fellow Indian nations. At the same time if the Mexican War never happened and Seguin did so anyways, he would esentially be declaring war on the United States. Just because Indian Territory is considered a barren land now and there's nobody there but the Indian reservations, it doesn't mean that Lincoln would give it up to a hostile power as he considered all states and territories, even the ones rebelling, as a core part of the United States. If Seguin were to invade then Lee would come down with tens of thousands of troops and take some territory from Texas. I have thought of Texas gaining it in peace through a treaty with them buying the Indian territory, but I'll have to do further research and see if such a thing is plausible. For the United States has in its entire history bought multiple territories, but never sold one.
Texas' current views on the Civil War and potential plans with the Army will be discussed next chapter. Once again I must stress that Mexico is going to be the bigger threat so Austin won't get directly involved. That doesn't mean that Texas itself wont see some involvement though.
Battle flag of the Confederate States of America, "The Freedom Cross", adopted in September of 1861. The Freedom Cross was adopted by Confederate Forces five months after the war's beginning due to the need to have a flag that can be distinguishable from the Stars and Stripes due to frequent mistaking of units on both sides with the Confederate Stars and Bars. The design is that of a Nordic cross with the colors being a mirror image of the modern Icelandic flag in order to contrast to the dominant Red and White of the Stars and Stripes. Special attention must be placed to the 13 stars of the flag with the last three on the top symbolizing Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky; which the Confederacy claimed throughout the entire war. The flag was created by Jacob Featherston Sr., a Virginia native who joined the North Carolina 7th.
Well I was meaning maybe they could take it through a deal with Lincoln. You know they enter the war against the Confederacy and fat in the trans-mississippi theatre freeing up Union troops to fight in the east and west and in exchange for helping they are giving the Indian Territory or some of it anyway. At least Greer County LOL
Don't forget northern Alabama. The Nikajack state proposal involved them and east Tennessee.
No you didn't. A shame things are going to get worse though.
If Britain decides to have ships filled with guns and munitions keep "accidentally" getting past the Union blockade and then *gasp* run aground on a regular basis this could get drawn out for awhile. At least until Washington decides to make some threatening noises about Canada.
After a civil war to preserve the Union, and patriotism running high any politician who dared to speak of selling US territory would be lucky just to be run out of town on a rail. American may not like the Native Americans, and relations with them are going to become worse, but the government is far more likely just to tell them "You don't like it, move to Texas" than it is to let Texas come to them. Heck once the war is over the Indian territory is probably going to be open to settlement, and you can say good bye to the native majority at that point. After that things will be in the past and the non-Indian majority will make the point moot. My two bits.
I see what you did there.
Anywho, good update, and seeing as it is 1861 and the Confederate borders are in place do you want to PM me any details about the map you left out, or should I just post the thing?
Hopefully Jacob Featherston Sr. wears a condom or nuts into his wife's mouth ITTL.
Because I have nothing better to do as I drink my coffee this morning (well, untrue, but I like AH.com enough I'm here anyway) have the map of the world of this timeline circa 1861!
