Peshawar Lancers Redux: North America

[chris N]

President Arthur in one of his acts Had appointed Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt as the Governor of the Northeast region of the United States. There were few people living in New England and New York and New Jersey so it was decided that someone needed to do something and Arthur decided that Teddy was the Man to get it done. He expanded the outpost on Staten Island and used that as a base. He proceeded to establish a foothold on Manhattan and had work begun clearing the Harbor with another base at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It was slow progress but people began to see something happening

 

[chris N]

General Roosevelt had made progress in cleaning up the mess that was New York City. He had made a dent in the piles of rubble and finally there appeared to be a sense that life was getting better. The General had had the Brookly Naval Yard cleaned out and he proposed to have some ships built there to assist in getting thing going. He had received a letter from the Secretary of the Navy regarding whether the yard might be able to help in building ships for the new US Navy.

 

[chris N]

The Nationalist were now looking for a candidate to run for President and some Republicans were considering endorsing the Nationalist. The Democrat Party was so discredited that Democrats that still existed were attempting to form a new Party to have any chance at winning seat in the Congress and hopes to win the Presidency.

 

[chris N]

General Roosevelt continued to make progress in his task. He was so busy that he missed the Presidential election but the new President called him to the capital as he was being considered for a new position in the Administration which might require him to live in the new capital of the nation.

 

[chris N]

General Roosevelt arrived in the capital and met with the President. He was asked if he would accept the position of Secretary of the Navy. in the Administration. The General had been working on a History of the US Navy during the War of 1812 and he accepted the offer to help rebuild the US Navy.
Another man who had survived The Fall was also from New York. His family had been out of the city when the Tidal wave had hit it. He had made a pledge to return and help rebuild the city that he loved. When General Roosevelt had looked for people the help him he had found Alfred E Smith as one of the first volunteers.

 

[chris N]

Teddy accepted the new position as Secretary of the Navy and was soon confirmed by the Senate. He met with the staff and began to push forth plans to rebuild the Navy. He studied the capacity of the yards and looked at reports regarding the capacity. Brooklyn Naval Shipyard was just about as far north as one could go until the weather changed back to normal.

 

[chris N]

By the late 1880s the Norfolk Naval Shipyard was capable of doing shipbuilding work as a lot of work had been done tp clean up the are both on land and in the water.
The Secretary of the Navy knew that there was some ship building capacity at Long Beach California and in the San Francisco Bay region..

 

[chris N]

Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt got the Congress to authorize the construction of some steel warships. Work began in Northforlk,Va Long Beach, Ca and Brooklyn, NY. A destroyer was being built in Brooklyn and cruisers at the other two shipyards. Since Brooklyn was still close to the edge of the bad weather the Secretary wanted to try a smaller ship there.

 

[chris N]

The Secretary was determined to get the US Navy back on track. His goal was to get the three ships built and then build three more and then expand it to twelve ..He knew that he could not press the rebuilding too fast as there was a limit to the amount of money and resources that were available. Steel production was slowly increasing and the demand for it was growing.

 

[chris N]

As 1892 drew nearer the Nationalist Party looked for a candidate to run that might inspire the people. The Republican Party had returned but seemed to still be seeking its footing. The Democrat Party had been so tarnished by the corruption with Mexico that it had vanished . Replacing it was the Liberal Reform Party which hell some seats in the Congress.

 

[chris N]

James Longstreet had retired from politics as he felt he was getting way too old to engage in the struggle. He would give advice but he spent his time with his family and tell the children and grandchildren it would be their job to insure the country for the future. He did look at who want to run for President and raised his eyes at some of the names.He said one was totally lacking any intelligence.

 

[chris N]

Former General Moseby had run for Governor of California and had been elected. He had helped to straighten out the state. He had worked with State Represenative Joaquin
Murrieta to pass laws that helped protected the Hispanic population that had remained loyal to the United States. Governor Moseby had been re-elected as Governor and had retired to his ranch after serving 8 years as Governor. He prefered to spend time with his wife and children rather than run for any further office.

 

[chris N]

Teddy was enjoying rebuilding the US Navy but he was also beginning to wonder if he should enter politics both the Nationalist Party and the New Republican Party wanted him to consider running for office.. Talk was that New York would be restored as a state and would need a new Governor.

 

[chris N]

Every one was wondering as to wwho would run for President in 1892. Congressman Richard McMasters Nationalist Texas 4th announced as had former Colonel William Randolph MacKenzie of Oklahoma. Teddy Roosevelt was seeking the Republican Nomination for Governor of New York.

 

[chris N]

Theodore Roosevelt received the nomination of both the Nationalist and the Republican Party to be the Governor of New York > He was elected and in 1893 he was sworn in as the youngest Governor in the History of the state. He resigned as the Secretary of the Navy and took his new job as Governor very seriously. Over the next four years he moved to get the state going. He fought corruption and restored the faith of the people in the government.

 

[chris N]

The Liberal Reform Party Nominated Grover Cleveland for President.Cleveland was an unusual choice in that he lead the Party's Anti-corruption wing. Many believed that Cleveland only won because the Republicans and the Nationalist were divided over a candidate.

 

[Alien and Sedition Bat]

The Liberal Reform Party Nominated Grover Cleveland for President.Cleveland was an unusual choice in that he lead the Party's Anti-corruption wing. Many believed that Cleveland only won because the Republicans and the Nationalist were divided over a candidate.

Again we have prominent OTL political figures emerging like clockwork after huge world changing and U.S. changing butterflies. Given that Cleveland was born in 1837, became a lawyer, and had obvious natural talent for politics (he would start his political rise OTL by becoming Mayor of Buffalo in 1881), it is certainly plausible that he would become President in TTL sometime after the 1878 Fall in a Redux thread where portions of the U.S. survive. It is also plausible that Theodore Roosevelt would become a major figure.

But the use of OTL historical personages should not be overdone, since it would cancel out the butterfly effects on (a) the course of individual lives of those already born and even grown to adulthood after the Fall; and (b) the possibility of prominent OTL figures born far after the Fall becoming prominent figures in TTL. The chance of someone like JFK being born long after the Fall with the same parents, the same name, the same dna, and a closely comparable upbringing after the butterflies having already multiplied to "infinity" the detailed changes in history over several decades, seems to require an ASB explanation. This problem does not plague SM Stirling's Peshawar Lancers or, as I recall, the fascinating Hawaii Redux thread. But perhaps I am missing something?

 

[chris N]

Garland Longstreet ran for Congress in 1892. A graduate of the VMI class of 1869 he had decided to run for office so as to insure the Nationalist Party cause.

 

[chris N]

In 1894 the Vice President Lost his footing while disembarking from a train and fell hitting his head on a concrete step He was rushed to the hospital but fell into a coma and died two days latter. This left the President without a vice President. Paul Winfield was the Nationalist Speaker of the House. In August 1895 the President was rushed to the Hospital in the capital complaining of heartburn. The Army doctor who saw him said that it wasn't heartburn but a heart attack. Everything possible was being done but Grover Cleveland was incapable of forfilling his duties and Rep Paul Winfield the Speaker was sworn in as acting President.

 

[chris N]

President Cleveland never returned to the Residence and in fact resigned the Presidency. With Cleveland's resignation Acing President Winfield became the President completing Cleveland's term in office. He informed the Party that he would be returning to the House in the next election. Garland Longstreet was Nominated by the Nationalist Party in 1896.