Photos from Featherston's Confederacy/ TL-191

Oh! That's a good point! You know I like the implications of that. Different population centers and ethnicities will form in different areas of the United States, with different ethnic enclaves. Certain sections of Boston become the equivalent of Harlem perhaps and a different "Harlem Renaissance" happens in Boston, if it does happen.

 

Any ATL Boston Renaissance would be very different, much more homegrown rather then the OTL Great Migration, and all that. The South's being beaten in the First Great War would help it get started.

 

"Disturbed"

Painted by a German artist sometime during the early 2000's, this parody was based off the original painting, Ten Thousand Fists of Freedom For Featherston, a pre-GWII Confederate propaganda that was commissioned during Featherston's first term in office. Several historical characters; such as Anne Colleton, Black traitor Cambyses and other people who were supporters and sympathizers to Confederate Freedomism; were included in the painting. Featherston, however, was painted as a chained, smiling demon with glowing red eyes and his face in the shadows inside his hood. Despite being banned in the United States, the work was meant as a condemnation of the Confederacy and its political ideology during Featherston's rule. The artist's choice of the painting's title was based on how he felt after he finished.

 

Büffel-Soldaten: The Black and German Experience in the American Wild West - 1881-1911



^^^ --- Led by white officers and closely observed with interest by German advisors, Buffalo Soldiers of the US 10th Cavalry, one of only a few units of US Army Colored Troops, charge an Apache raiding camp in New Mexico. Despite the expansion of the Army and the massive manpower demands of manning two long borders across its frontiers, the US Government was still reluctant to authorize the recruitment of Black-Americans into its ranks. However, after lengthy legislation and first hand testimonies from veterans of the War of Secession that fought in Missouri with the 1st Kansas Colored, the government allowed certain US states and territories to recruit blacks into its ranks for the purpose raising all black cavalry and infantry regiments to help pacify the frontier territories and to patrol the Canadian and Confederate borders.



^^^ --- German Schutztruppen ("protection forces") in a training exercise in the New Mexico Territory. Very similar to the other colonial armies used by Europeans, the German Schutztruppen consisted of all-volunteer European commissioned officers, NCOs, medical, and veterinary officers. Although most enlisted ranks were generally recruited locally within the German African colonies, troops in the German South-West Africa colony were almost entirely European, with very few African recruits. The terrain and climate of the American South West proved an excellent training ground for Schutztruppen intended for service in South-West Africa, with German cavalry in particular working closely with Buffalo Soldiers when circumstances allowed for it.

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In the aftermath of the Second Mexican War in 1881, the United States Army when through a period of massive overhaul largely based on Prussian style organization and doctrine, creating a general staff and instituting compulsory military service and conscription. The United States Army effectively doubled its size and funding in the immediate years since the war out of necessity, contending with two hostile countries to its North and South - the Confederacy and the Dominion of Canada, and by extension the British Empire. Such vast borders across virtually untamed and harsh environments would prove a challenge to the new United States Army. In addition, territories within the United States' borders were still populated by hostile Indian tribes resisting encroachment by settlers, often crossing Confederate and Canadian borders to avoid pursuit by the US Army.

Faced with such a daunting task, many US officials worried that the Army was not up to the task based on the experience of the Second Mexican War. Such a challenge, however, presented a unique opportunity for the newly reorganized US Army to truly prove itself. In the years just before the Great War, despite the shocking revelations of modern weaponry on a new battlefield, the US Army gained valuable insights and experiences from taming the West that helped mold it into the fighting force that would allow it to adapt and claim victory over its adversaries.

It was during this time that a truly unique opportunity presented itself that would allow the US to strengthen its ties with its new found ally - Germany. From 1881-1911, it was well known that US officers and soldiers cooperated closely with German advisors and observers. What is not well known is the fact that German colonial troops bound for service in South-West Africa received additional training in the United States. In a peculiar twist of circumstances, veteran US soldiers of the frontier found themselves working as advisors and instructors for these German colonial troops in training, with units working along side each other to gain experience.

It was in this capacity that German troops and Buffalo Soldiers encountered each other for the very first time. And it was in this curious capacity that some Buffalo Soldiers found themselves playing the parts of instructors for white men or fighting along side them.



^^^ --- German South-West Africa. By the 1890s, large groups of German settlers journeyed to the colony to set up businesses. Hostilities with the local African tribes there were frequent and bloody, requiring the Imperial German government to authorize the formation of volunteer colonial units. With so few African locals to recruit from due to hostilities in the area, German authorities relied on European Schutztruppen to protect settlements and pacify rebellious regions of the colony.

Due to the climate and geography of South-West Africa, Imperial officials desired to acclimatize their new colonial troops to better prepare them for their new postings. While the hot weather of the Upper-Rhine in Baden offered new recruits in training some preparation, German advisors returning from the United States proposed that training could be better achieved on the American Frontier. They highlighted that the harsh environments were roughly similar and that practical experience could be better applied through US advisors. Though reluctant due to the vast distance in transporting these recruits, German officials agreed to send small contingents to the United States to "learn from the Americans as students, so as to become teachers themselves to new volunteers".



^^^ --- Buffalo Soldier of the US 10th Cavalry in the Dakota Territory, winter, 1889. Winter conditions unique the American frontier was something the Germans learned to adapt to thanks to no small part to the Buffalo Soldiers. While the majority of Schutztruppen cooperated with white US soldiers, German experiences with the Black soldiers of the US cavalry and infantry had a profound impact on them.

The few black regiments of cavalry and infantry were primarily posted to forts and garrison across the frontier, with their primary missions being to guard and patrol mail and travel routes, control the movement of Indians, provide protection from raids, laying telegraph wire, and to scout uncharted terrain. These missions that the Buffalo Soldiers undertook had them travel through some of the harshest environments of the frontier from desolate plains to rocky passes. All the while the soldiers had to remain vigilant of ambushes set by Indians. Attacks and raids were frequent, with the Buffalo Soldiers gaining much experience and earning a reputation for tough soldiers used to the harsh environment with few comforts. Some scholars suspect discrimination was involved in the posting of the Buffalo Soldiers to posts were deemed very dangerous. Regardless the men managed to accomplish there duties.

What complicated the their missions, however, was when Indian raiders slipped over the border to the Confederacy. Numerous reports from Buffalo Soldier often complain about the strict limitations on them when approaching the border with the Confederacy, unable to pursue racing parties. On more than one occasion Confederate cavalry was encountered, with tense yet bloodless stand offs occurring over the pursuit of raiding parties. In this way, certain war chiefs were able to slip away many times, exploiting the intense rivalry between the US and CS to their advantage. And while certain tribes from Sequoyah were given protection under the Confederacy, other tribes were mutually attacked by both sides with only unwillingness of the US and CS to cooperate allowing them to fight another day.

For the Confederate cavalrymen that encountered the Buffalo Soldiers on the frontier, they had nothing but extreme disgust for them. Stand-offs on the border often garnered much attention in local news and national new, and several bloodless incidents involving the Buffalo Soldiers resulted in a diplomatic crisis at point between the Confederacy and the United States.

On several known occasions, with likely dozens, if not hundred more undocumented ones, the Buffalo Soldiers found themselves thrust into a moral dilemma when encountering escaped slaves from the Confederacy that tried to slip across the border. Officially they were required by strict orders to stop all efforts to cross the border, whether by Confederate whites or Confederate blacks. On more than one occasion slaves encountered by the Buffalo Soldiers on the frontier were forced to turn back under orders by their white officers, often into the chains of pursuing bounty hunters or Confederate cavalrymen. On other occasions however, escaped slaves were allowed to cross with Buffalo Soldiers giving them assistance... though all of these incidents of insubordination and defiance of orders were kept secret. That's not to say that any of these secrets weren't revealed. In several cases Buffalo Soldiers were court martialled for helping escaped slaves cross the border, often resulting in imprisonment, or even execution. Incidents like these gave the Buffalo Soldiers a bad reputation and often put the future of black recruitment in army in a bad light. The new army, with its emphasis on Prussian doctrine, organization, and discipline, insubordination was severely punished. This resulted in the Buffalo soldiers being posted to places away from the Confederate border and into the interior, sometimes even up north along the Canadian border.

It was the reputation for toughness that prompted some German official to request their units be trained by Buffalo Soldiers despite the reluctance of the US government to do so on account of incidents of insubordination when it came to escaped slaves. With conditions in Africa harsh, German officials wanted their new colonial troops to be well acclimatized to humid environments and to gain valuable experience in conducting patrols, raids, marches, and scouting duties. Although the majority new German colonial troops received training with US whites, some went on to be trained by Buffalo Soldiers. Often posted to tough garrisons in dangerous territories, the experiences gained by the Germans with the Buffalo Soldiers proved invaluable when applied to their colony in South West Africa. Working along side them, they gained practical experience in how to conduct themselves in a dry environment with little water, enduring harsh conditions with very little comforts.

One German schutztruppe officer, named Hans Geiszler, a veteran cavalryman from the Franco-Prussian of 1870-1871 that volunteered to serve in Africa, described his training in America with the Buffalo Soldiers as, "An odyssey of extreme peril, punishment, privation, and adventure". He went one to say that, "Even with the onset of winter in France and the occasional skirmish with the bloody franc-tireurs, we enjoyed a tolerable measure of comfort. Here in New Mexico the conditions with which we must endure are beyond anything I have ever experienced. The weather is unbearably hot, the land barren and vast and rocky, the local settlements deplorable and ragged and nearly lawless, with drunken brawls in the streets and gunfights every other week, and the indian tribes always on the prowl, ever hostile and elusive. I never thought such a wild savage place could exist."

The Germans gained much respect for their American counter-parts due to this close cooperation and the Buffalo Soldiers were no exception. A German advisor, Captain Paul Bohm, said, "I commanded troops at Sedan and saw many a man fall to French volleys. These negro soldiers fight, work, and conduct themselves as if they have something greater to prove. They have earned my undying respect. Their discipline and courage in face of the indian tribes here matches that of the finest Prussian soldiers. Their spirit and camaraderie amongst themselves is something to be admired. They complain little and endure much despite the derision given to them by their own NCOs and officers. Had I a company of these brave negros at Gravelotte I would happily fight with them as if they were my own countrymen."

On numerous occasions both Buffalo Soldiers, Germans advisors and recruits fought along side each other against the Indian tribes of the Great Plains and New Mexico. While Schutztruppe recruits were not meant to be apart of the fighting that occurred the frontier, the unpredictable and indiscriminate nature of Indian tribes meant that these recruits, while on training exercises with their American counterparts, would often be ambushed. Skirmishes took places as a harsh "baptism by fire" and it was in these instances that respect for the Buffalo Soldiers came through. In the New Mexico Territory, they fought numerous skirmishes with the Apache, while in the Great Plains the Sioux proved a tough adversary. With the hostile stance taken toward Canada and the Confederacy the suppression of the Indian tribes of the American west proved a great challenge, with both nations using some of the tribes as proxies, arming indians with rifles when possible and making the act of taming the West that much more difficult.

Some German advisors had mixed feelings about the Buffalo Soldiers however. One was at the court-martial of a soldier that was found guilty of helping an escaped slave cross the border from the Confederacy, "... the proceedings revealed that he had defied orders and helped the slave get to a town near the border. The soldier said he'd be damned if he was the leave him to his fate. The slave was a wretched soul, his back covered in scars and his cheek bones sharp, but the officers at the hearing would have none of it. Discipline and punishment would be enforced. While it is highly commendable that the Americans are willing to follow our methods of discipline, something I highly approve of, I must confess that in this moment I wished morality and compassion would have prevailed. Such is life as a soldier."




^^^ --- Black schutztruppen in German South-West Africa, c. 1907. For the German officers and men departing for Africa to posts in the colonies, their experiences with the Buffalo Soldiers had a curious impact on them. One officer, Lieutenant Otto Dekker, who helped to take part in the suppression of the Apache in New Mexico with the Buffalo Soldiers, wrote "... It was so strange for me when I arrived in Africa. Here, I am the commander, the master and father figure of negros, with which I have authority to use as I deem necessary to keep the peace with the tribes. In America, I was the student, the bumbling foolish child, one in which I owed my very life to a buffel-soldaten that whipped me into fighting shape, to be a proper soldier. It was a humbling experience burned into mind, just as the sun burned my skin in the deserts of New Mexico. I wonder now whether we have the right to be the overlords over the people here in Africa."



^^^ --- German schutztruppen patrolling the frontier in South-West Africa. When the Great War erupted in 1914, the experiences learned in the American West carried over to training new recruits in the colony and contributed immensely to the dogged resistance offered by the Germans when the British and South Africans invaded. Methods taught by the Buffalo Soldiers were still being used by the Schutztruppen in the colony.

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@cortz#9 @Allochronian @Historyman 14 --- What do you guys think of this? Please let me know.

 

Very interesting, fits right in TL-191. Like the pics too. You should do a post from Buffalo soldier or Schutztruppen POV over on FanOfHistory's Tales From TL-191 thread.
You should also do a post on the Native American war chiefs of the time and their relations with the North and South.

 

@Alterwright, I honesty love this. The hardship of Buffalo Soldiers faces, and the friendship that develops with the Germans and African-Americans is honestly nice to see.

 

My logic was that with the Great Migration not happening because of the hard US-CS border, and no massive migration of African-Americans to the north, there'd be no rise in the Black population and thus no Harlem renaissance. I'd say either Beacon Hill and West End in Boston would be the centers of Black life in the United States. If I had to choose, I'd say Beacon Hill as TL-191's Harlem.

 

I will admit its a bit optimistic considering TL-191 is kind of grim when it comes to African-Americans, but I figure a break like this might be cool. I feel like the period between the end of the Second Mexican War in 1881 and the Great War in 1914 would be where the Buffalo Soldiers would be most active. In our timeline it would have been after the Civil War, but here I figure their formation would occur much later and over a shorter time span, with less black regiments in the Army.

I also figured that, while probably unlikely, it could be fun to have German colonial troops training in the American West. I chose the Schutztruppe from South West Africa since the climates there resemble the American West the most. In our timeline Germans bound for Africa would go to Baden on the Upper Rhine to get used to hot weather. I figure here the Germans would get a much better feel for the rigors of colonial life in Africa through training in the American West.

One thing that I think would be interesting is the idea of the Buffalo Soldiers being encountered by Confederate Cavalrymen on patrols near the border. One of the things that I thought could happen that would put the Buffalo Soldiers in a moral dilemma would be the issue escaped slaves trying to flee to the United States. Throughout this period I imagine that escaped slaves would still be an ongoing issue. I feel that the Buffalo Soldiers, if they were active, find themselves split between following orders in a new US Army based upon Prussian lines and helping slaves escape. Ultimately they would probably not be deployed so close to the border after incidents like that, but it would be an experience.

I didn't touch upon how the US Army might be seen as in the Utah Territory after the Second Mexican War by the way.

 

Oh that would be a good idea I think! I'll admit I wasn't sure if something this would work, but I just did it. I thought it would be interesting since there is no info on the time period between 1881 and 1914 - a time period where the west was still being settled, but now the US must deal with hostile borders from the north and south.

 

I think the whole premise is very interesting, buffalo soldiers, American Indians, Confederate cavalry and schutztruppen. I want to read more about this.

 

Soldier of the U.S. Sixth Army taking up defensive positions in the ruins of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Circa June, 1917.

 

Good pic, no tell tale insignia.
Is it from WWI?

 

Yes it is. I believe it's from the Somme.

 

Newly promoted US sniper looks at his newly given Springfield with telescopic sight.

 

I like it, a lot. This really does give life to TL-191's gaps.

Just so you know, it appears that the Buffalo soldiers were established in 1866 OTL. However, it is plausible that in TL-191 they wouldn't exist until a later time. That being said, there wouldn't be any Confederate slaves during the time of the Buffalo soldiers in TL-191; they would be illegal immigrants/refugees. Perhaps you should fix that.

Regardless, I love the idea of German soldiers being involved in the training of the Buffalo soldiers and vice-versa.

 

A song written in between the Second Mexican War and the Great War, 'Over There' was written to drum up support for any future wars with the Confederacy, with the lyric 'Send the word to beware' being meant as a warning to the Confederacy. In the Great War, it became a popular pastime to shout the lyrics to Confederate trenches to mock the opposing soldiers. In the Second Great War, when Richmond fell, a newspaper headline read 'WE ARE OVER HERE' alongside a image of a burning Richmond skyline.

 

In real-life, this song was written in mid-1917.

However, I suppose some kind of variant of the song could have been made earlier and contained anti-Confederate lyrics that bring back memories of the War of Secession and the Second Mexican War. I can also see the song having some lyrical additions during and after the First Great War

Good job, Nathan Bernacki.

 

Alterwright, here are some more names for your Reputation Reports for Pre-Secession individuals:

Toussaint L'Ouverture
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Nat Turner
Harriet Beecher Stowe
John Brown
Frederick Douglass
Clara Barton
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon III

 

@Alterwright, me and @Joshua Ben Ari talked about it, and want would be most interesting is Canadian Reputation Reports for Pre-Secession individuals.

1: James Wolfe.

2: Guy Carleton.

3: Sir Isaac Brock.

4: William Lyon Mackenzie.

5: Laura Secord.

6: Lord Durham.

We think the US demonizes most Canadian historical figures, while the CSA and Britain portrays them in a far more positive light. And in Occupied Canada, they're damn near mythologized. Especially Lord Dorchester (Carleton), Brock, Wolfe, and Laura Secord. (More so when Canada gains independents in oh say 1990.)

Mackenzie would be the most interesting case. The US portraying Mackenzie as the future of Canadian integration into the United States - the idea of Canadian republicanism, throwing the British out, pointing that Mackenzie drew on the inspiration from the US itself and his exile in New York. The CSA might have a more complex view of the man, if only because they're allied to the British and Canadians, but they are a republic. So they might portray Mackenzie as a man who had good intentions but fundamentally flawed.

Diehard Canadian nationalists demonizing Mackenzie.

 

A squad of U.S. paratroopers checking their machine gun prior to the assault on Missionary Ridge. The man in the middle with his head lowered is Sergeant Jared Barowski. His actions during the assault would earn him the Medal of Honor.