Telling a new story from the discussion from my first attempt. I like the political intrigue I've brainstormed and believe it may work. Of course, some may always disagree about whether the PODs are realistic. I don't think all of this is a reach, although I am far from a military expert. I will place in some exceptions in the narrative that will hopefully forgive any grievous sins.
JULY, 1864
The past few months had been both joyous and mournful in Richmond. The tides of the war had tilted clearly in the Confederacy's favor.
Robert E. Lee had narrowly won the cataclysmic Battle of Gettysburg. While the greys endured much carnage and loss, their Union rivals fared worse. The Army of the Potomac's will was heavily cracked. Many of its surviving members joined those who surrendered after battle ended, fleeing back to the towns and cities of the northeastern seaboard.
General Meade's army was surviving by its strings and retreated south, into Maryland, near Taneytown.
Both sides rested for some weeks, preparing for another inevitable battle. The ANV had found itself able to feed itself from the rich farmland, as well as by force. In addition, a carriage supply line was also established, allowing the troops to replenish.
The remnants of Meade's forces, however, faced more tough times. They did not receive the number of troops hoped for, as the poor of the cities were increasingly agitated against the war, thanks to the spreading words and influence of the Copperheads. They received hostile treatment from many of the central Maryland residents, a lot of whom still identified themselves with the South, others who did not want to risk losing themselves by being in the crosshairs of a losing battle. Occasional skirmishes with local militias, fearing Lincoln's habeus corpus rules, also broke out on few occasions. Despite being the Army of the Potomac, they were treated like hostile invaders.
In October, Lee made his advance. The AOTP troops, already doubting their leadership and purpose, had no chance. The battle lasted two days. The first hours were a slaughter. The next saw regiments and units wave flags of truce and surrenders. The night saw desertion. Hours in the next day, Meade had no choice but to message Lincoln. The Army of the Potomac was no more.
Lee now had many options. A turn east would bring him towards Baltimore and Philadelphia. A turn South would bring him to the nigh-impenetrable DC. Lee was politically astute, but not so much as the CSA's Secretary of State, Judah Benjamin. Benjamin and Jefferson Davis conferred.
The strategy: Move towards the Capital. But don't invade. A siege around the city's perimeter, with the threat of a future invasion, would tighten the noose around Lincoln's neck.
This strategy worked well. Increasingly, the Democrat-fueled newspapers begged Lincoln to sue for peace. Draft riots, attacks on freed blacks, and arsons to abolitionist places of meeting became more and more common. The Copperheads had gained more and more influence outside of the rural expanses of Ohio and the west. Their arguments rang true with the North's urban population; poor Irish-Catholics, had no reason to support abolition. They would face competition for jobs, housing and opportunities.
In addition, the treatment of Clement Vallandigham had become a cause celebre -- he had been turned over to the Confederacy in 1863, before exile to Canada. There, a series of letters he wrote were published in Peace Democrat newspapers. Lincoln, faced with charges of tyranny for banishing an outspoken irritant, faced the political pressure. He relented and allowed his enemy back. Vallandingham then stormed throughout the nation to fuel his rage. He would speak to thousands, and then tens of thousands.
Meanwhile, the Southern Theater had turned. With artillery fire periodically erupting directly over his head, Lincoln had hoped a victory in the south would turn the tide in the Union's favor. It was hoped that capturing Atlanta would have crushed the Confederacy's supply lines, allowing the Union forces to storm north to Richmond and return the favor.
***
JULY, 1864
The past few months had been both joyous and mournful in Richmond. The tides of the war had tilted clearly in the Confederacy's favor.
Robert E. Lee had narrowly won the cataclysmic Battle of Gettysburg. While the greys endured much carnage and loss, their Union rivals fared worse. The Army of the Potomac's will was heavily cracked. Many of its surviving members joined those who surrendered after battle ended, fleeing back to the towns and cities of the northeastern seaboard.
General Meade's army was surviving by its strings and retreated south, into Maryland, near Taneytown.
Both sides rested for some weeks, preparing for another inevitable battle. The ANV had found itself able to feed itself from the rich farmland, as well as by force. In addition, a carriage supply line was also established, allowing the troops to replenish.
The remnants of Meade's forces, however, faced more tough times. They did not receive the number of troops hoped for, as the poor of the cities were increasingly agitated against the war, thanks to the spreading words and influence of the Copperheads. They received hostile treatment from many of the central Maryland residents, a lot of whom still identified themselves with the South, others who did not want to risk losing themselves by being in the crosshairs of a losing battle. Occasional skirmishes with local militias, fearing Lincoln's habeus corpus rules, also broke out on few occasions. Despite being the Army of the Potomac, they were treated like hostile invaders.
In October, Lee made his advance. The AOTP troops, already doubting their leadership and purpose, had no chance. The battle lasted two days. The first hours were a slaughter. The next saw regiments and units wave flags of truce and surrenders. The night saw desertion. Hours in the next day, Meade had no choice but to message Lincoln. The Army of the Potomac was no more.
Lee now had many options. A turn east would bring him towards Baltimore and Philadelphia. A turn South would bring him to the nigh-impenetrable DC. Lee was politically astute, but not so much as the CSA's Secretary of State, Judah Benjamin. Benjamin and Jefferson Davis conferred.
The strategy: Move towards the Capital. But don't invade. A siege around the city's perimeter, with the threat of a future invasion, would tighten the noose around Lincoln's neck.
This strategy worked well. Increasingly, the Democrat-fueled newspapers begged Lincoln to sue for peace. Draft riots, attacks on freed blacks, and arsons to abolitionist places of meeting became more and more common. The Copperheads had gained more and more influence outside of the rural expanses of Ohio and the west. Their arguments rang true with the North's urban population; poor Irish-Catholics, had no reason to support abolition. They would face competition for jobs, housing and opportunities.
In addition, the treatment of Clement Vallandigham had become a cause celebre -- he had been turned over to the Confederacy in 1863, before exile to Canada. There, a series of letters he wrote were published in Peace Democrat newspapers. Lincoln, faced with charges of tyranny for banishing an outspoken irritant, faced the political pressure. He relented and allowed his enemy back. Vallandingham then stormed throughout the nation to fuel his rage. He would speak to thousands, and then tens of thousands.
Meanwhile, the Southern Theater had turned. With artillery fire periodically erupting directly over his head, Lincoln had hoped a victory in the south would turn the tide in the Union's favor. It was hoped that capturing Atlanta would have crushed the Confederacy's supply lines, allowing the Union forces to storm north to Richmond and return the favor.
***
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