Long Night Over America

Japhy

Banned
So yeah, after a year and a half of barely posting here, while being active on other, smaller AH sites, I've finally gotten around to beginning a History here.
Anyway, here goes nothing...

From In the Shadow of Giants: A History of the United States 1958-1980 By Gavin F. Person. (C) 1990

"I think, with the manuscript neatly stacked next to me on my desk, all 646 Pages of non-biased work, not including the Notes and index, that I have every right, to add my own biased thoughts into a few pages at the beginning. This is one of the purposes of a Preface, and I intend to use it...

... In 1988, I was working in New York City, where the Public Libraries' newly opened archives were yielding so much information on the First Roosevelt's years in City politics. Arriving early in the day and leaving well past midnight for weeks, the only time I wasn't searching for files and taking notes, would be when I left the Library for a few minutes to get a lunch from a nearby deli and stretch my legs. It was on one of these breaks that I found the most interesting of markers, a Carved Stone in the wall of an old three story building...

The marker stated that just where I was standing:

"On the Day of July 21st , 1861,
Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, Unborn Child, and Driver were killed, when their carriage collided with a southbound train, as they crossed the unguarded track, returning to her families residence.
This marker has been placed to commemorate their tragic deaths, and those of all killed in Ground-level rail accidents in New York County, prior to her Husband Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.'s committed work to create a proper warning system on these streets and rail lines. "

Below that was a date, placing the marker's placement in 1881, the same year that Theodore Roosevelt Sr. would become the President of the United States.

I had written my college thesis on Martha's husband
, this had been the turning point of his life. Her death is what set the stage for a series of events, that would directly lead to those I was researching just a few blocks away. Here was the tragic beginning of an American Epoch. After a few minutes at my accidental discovery, I turned back, to continue writing about the end of that same era. One one level that discovery didn't mean much, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I was writing about was entirely dependent on what had occurred at that spot."

From The First American Civil War: Day by Day 1861-1865 (C) 1985
"July 21st:
Eastern Theater: The Confederate Army of the Potomac and the Federal Army of Virgina engage in the first major battle of the war...

...Other Events: Martha "Mittie" Roosevelt is killed in a Carriage accident in New York City. Her Husband, future President Theodore Roosevelt Sr, unable to accept the death when informed at work, would return to the family residence. Ignorant to his surviving children, friends, family and servants, he will remain in his study for the next several weeks, speaking to no one and never departing the house...

August 18th:
...Other Events: Theodore Roosevelt writes letters to President Lincoln, as well as the Governors of New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, requesting a commission, serving in a Union Regiment, to be engaged in the war. Lincoln is noted to have told his secretary that 'I feel for the man, but I will not push to give a man with a death-wish a regiment'. Governor Edwin Morgan of New York decides to Commission Roosevelt with a Battalion command"

From The Making of Theodore Roosevelt II by Franklin Pierce O'Higgens (C) 1952

"...It is the most interesting thing to note that, though his wife had been a staunch supporter of the Confederacy, to the extent that she flew a Rebel flag from the third story balcony, on Mittie's death the elder Roosevelt would join the Union army. Leaving Teddy, Anna and Elliot in the care of their grandfather out in Oyster Bay.
Considering the man's breakdown following his wifes death, it is highly probable that he was only doing to seek quick and honorable means to be reunited with her.
At the same time, as a Staunch Republican before the war, this may have been his patriotism being released from the constraints of his marriage. One could note the removal of his late Wife's Confederate Flag, nearly the moment he recovered from his catatonic state to support this.
Young Teddy was not in a position to truly understand his fathers motives at the time. But it is beyond a doubt that both lines of thought would develop in his mind, later, to have much effect on his future development..."
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Thoughts, comments, criticisms are all welcome.
 
Interesting TL you've got here! By all means please do continue I like your style!

So Teddy Roosevelt's dad becomes POTUS instead of Garfield? That and his service in the Union Army will certainly have a profound impact on how Teddy Jnr develops in this timeline!

I'll be watching this TL with interest! Keep it coming!
 

Japhy

Banned
Hello Straha, thanks for spaming my thread. :rolleyes:


@FL: Thanks for the support. As you say, TR Jr (Just TR in OTL) is really going to develop differently, just wait for what he's like durring his entry onto the political landscape, thats going to be very different because of his fathers time in politics.
 

Japhy

Banned
Oh, a little side note, the way I killed Mrs Roosevelt was actually very common in the 19th Century in Manhatten. The Slaughterhouses for the city were located in southern Manhattan, and the trains bringing in the cattle came in on tracks that were on ground level with absolutely nothing separating them from the road. There was no system of warning that a train was coming and hundreds of New Yorkers would die over the years crossing the tracks. Carriages getting stuck on the rails was a common occurrence with such fatalities, so I'm not being completely random in having her death occur that way.
 
Japhy

Very interesting. Plenty of scope for things to go in a lot of different directions for Teddy junior.

When I 1st read the "In the Shadow of Giants" my thoughts were that it meant a bad time for the US overshadowed by other powers. Posisbly because of the thread title with a long night, rarely a good sign. However it could mean a series of very powerful people in charge of the US. Be interesting to see which way things go. However the reference to the 1st civil war suggests the old Chinese curse is going to apply.

Looking forward to seeing more.

Steve
 

Japhy

Banned
Sorry this took so long I've been a bit busy and distracted by the Olympics every time I would go to start writing. More should come quicker.
====================
From The Archives of the New York State Military Museum, Saratoga Springs, New York
"Roosevelt, Theodore Sr
New York, New York...
Commissioned: August 22nd 1862 at 7th Regiment Arsenal, NY County, NY, as Major
Service History:
Assigned to 70th Volunteer Infantry Regiment Headquarters August 25th 1861 Col. Daniel Sickles Commanding
Assigned to Command 2nd Battalion, 70th Infantry Regiment August 26th 1861"

"70th Volunteer Infantry Regiment...
2nd Battalion
Commander: Brevet Captain Benjamen McMillan 1861 (Cadre), Major Theodore Roosevelt 1861-1862, ...
Service History:
Initial Formation, June 20 1861, as recruiting cadre at Camp Scott. Volunteers raised via bonus' from New York County, New York State
Departed for Washington DC July 23rd 1861, Arrival August 12th, 1861 at Fort Stevens.
Assigned to 3rd (Sickle's) Brigade, 2nd (Hooker's) Division, III Corps, Army of the Potomac
Brigade Reorganized, Late August 1861. C, E, H, Companies Arrive from Paw Paw, Mich.; Pittsburgh, Pa; Boston, Ma; G Company arrives from Camp Scott
Companies C, D, E, G, and K are organized as 2nd Battalion.
August 25th, Major Theodore Roosevelt arrives at Brigade HQ. Assigned to Command of 2nd Battalion.
September 23rd, Battalion re-equipped with Sharpes-Berdan Rifles, personally funded by Major Roosevelt.
October 8th, Company G decommissioned, 78 Servicemen not mustered out are reassigned to other 2nd Battalion Companies...
March 7th 1862, Loading at Docks at the Washington Naval Yard the Battalion along with the entirety of the Excelsior Brigade (70th-74th NY Infantry and the Third Indiana Cavalry) depart for Fortress Monroe, VA for operations on the Yorktown Peninsula, Brigadier General Sickles is removed from command due to Congressional refusal of commission, Col. Nelson Taylor serving in command."

From The Making of Theodore Roosevelt II by Franklin Pierce O'Higgins (C) 1952
"The trauma of their mothers death, and their father's departure for the war were almost forgotten by the Children for months. At their grandfathers small estate at Oyster Bay, out on the North Shore of Long Island, Anna, Teddy, and Elliot spent their time playing with their Grandfather, and the constant stream of family friends whom ventured out to visit them.
Anna the eldest, seems to have buried her grief in aiding her family and the servants take care of her Brothers. Servants noted that she was often crying at night, in her room, and during the day she was the quietest of the Roosevelt Children, spending most of her time with the nanny, watching and aiding in the care of her youngest brother Elliot...
Teddy was a different story. There were only few nightmares for him at the time, instead it seems that he was able with the ability that many children have at such a young age, to accept without question the answers that any adults he asked told him. To Teddy, Mama and his little unborn baby sister were in heaven with Jesus and God and the Angels. Papa was down in the war, and he's be alright because he was going to come back soon when the rebels were defeated.
Every day, when the family gathered for Breakfast, Teddy would ask his Grandfather for more "Papa News" which to him, meant anything in relation to the war. And every day, the small child received stories at the table, lacking the blood and horror of combat filled with glory, bravery, and heroes. About "Those Glorious Campaigns" that were the 1861 Campaign Season, nothing more then a series of small fights that served as a prologue to the bloodshed that was to come, introducing a cast of characters that the Boy would come to track for the rest of the war. McClellan, Lee, Butler, Jackson, commanders whom would one day make headlines in the pools of blood from the later points of the war, leading 90 day volunteers into glorified skirmishes. He heard no casualty lists, no tales of disease and death in the camps and hospitals. Only the glory. And at this point, no stories from his father in combat.
At least twice a week a letter from their father arrived at Oyster Bay, and the children's grandfather would sit them in the den, Elliot on Anna's lap and Teddy sitting cross legged on the floor, tired from a day of running through the woods and on the beach. The letters told of long marches, drilling, and the expectations of future campaigns. Events like Meeting the President, or standing at parade when General McClellan, the "Little Napoleon" took command of the New Army of the Potomac. Anna would ask when Papa would come home. Teddy asked when would "Papa's Brigade" fight the rebs..."
======================
Thoughts, comments, criticisms are all welcome.
 
Interesting stuff - I've always liked TR as a historical figure, so I'm interested to see how he ends up turning out. I will follow this TL with interest.
 
I'd imagine that TR Senior's participation in the ACW will probably lead to a more militaristic TR than OTL. As OTL's TR was motivated to compensate for his father's lack of participation where in TTL TR is motivated to live up to his father's participation etc.

All in all I'm looking forward to subsequent portions of this TL.
 
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