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A question I've wondered recently is what would happen if North Carolina decides to maintain itself in the Union in some form rather than seceding. I'm not sure how to have this occur; my best thought would be to have the secession vote put up to a popular vote. Then, possibly, the vote remains close enough that it comes out for the Union but both sides accuse each other of fraud. Unionist and Secessionist governments are both set up.

I'm trying to achieve a situation as in Missouri and Kentucky with North Carolina; also, no Tennessee remaining in the union in this scenario. I will suppose that the pro-secessionist movements in both states are whipped into a rabid fervor by their loss to the east and ensure that both other states secede, even if it means fixing the election. I personally think that if North Carolina remains, there's a good chance that Tennessee might similarly be split, but I'm curious what might exactly happen if North Carolina finds itself a neutral state surrounded on all sides.

If that scenario managed to come about, what would: a) The effects on the initial war plans for both sides (especially concerning Virginia's now-relative isolation from the rest of the South) and b) The longer term effects on the war and the neutral states.

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