Stonewall Jackson's Way: An Alternate Confederacy Timeline

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter One: Lee's Greatest Victory Part One

A cropping of the famous painting, The Gods Amongst Generals, which is currently hanging in the Confederate White House. The painting depicts General Lee riding with his senior subordinates Generals Thomas, Jackson, Longstreet, A.P. Hill, D.H. Hill, and Stuart, while speaking with General Jackson.
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Despite it not being Lee's most important or decisive victory, Chancellorsville is still referred to by historians as his greatest victory due it being the battle in which he faced his greatest numerical disadvantage in terms of soldiers. It would also set into motion the chain of events that would ultimately lead to Confederate independence. The stage was set for the battle in the aftermath of Battle of Fredericksburg, and the subsequent Mud March, which brought Union morale to an all time low. Seeing the need for change, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln would accept General Ambrose Burnside's offer to resign from the command of the Army of the Potomac on January 26, 1863. Burnside's replacement would Major General Joseph Hooker.

Major General Joseph Hooker, Commander of the Army of the Potomac​

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Hooker had first risen to prominence serving as a division commander at the Battle of Williamsburg during the Peninsula Campaign, where he earned his nickname "Fighting Joe Hooker" through a clerical error. Rising through the ranks, and serving with some distinction, Hooker would serve as commander of Burnside's Center Grand Division during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Following that debacle, Hooker would be one several officer who connived to get Burnside relieved of command, with the hope he would receive Burnside's role as commander of Army of the Potomac. With Burnside's resignation, Hooker would assume that role, and promptly start working on reforming the army, including improving rations, changes to camp sanitation, hospital reforms, an improved furlough system, better drills, and more officer training, all of which improved the morale of his men. He also consolidated the army's cavalry units into one corps, at the head of which he placed General George Stoneman.

General George Stoneman, 1st commander of the Cavalry Corps, AotP​

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Unfortunately for Hooker, many of the senior officers of the Army of the Potomac had left the army following Fredericksburg, leaving him many posts to fill. Hooker would abandon Burnside's grand divisions system, and return to the traditional corps system. The commanders of the I, II, and XII Corps remained the same from Fredericksburg, while the open posts for command of the III, V, VI, and XI Corps were filled by Generals Daniel E. Sickles, George G. Meade, John Sedgwick, and Oliver O. Howard respectfully. With his army reformed, Hooker began his movements against Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

From left to right: Daniel Sickles, George Meade, John Sedgwick, and Oliver Howard.​

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After several plans, Hooker finally settled on one involving double envelopment. Stoneman and the cavalry corps would launch a deep raid into Virginia, hoping to draw Lee’s attention to themselves. Meanwhile, the V, XI, XII, and two divisions of the II under Henry W. Slocum would stealthily cross the Rappahannock River, and attack Lee from the West, meanwhile the I and VI under John Sedgwick would cross the Rappahannock and seize Fredericksburg, which would threaten the Confederate right. All the while, the Confederates would be distracted by Hooker’s remaining forces, the III Corpsand the II Corps’ remaining division. Hooker planned that this maneuver would force Lee to either retreat, at which point he would vigorously pursued, or attack the Army of the Potomac on ground unfavorable to himself.

Hooker's plan for his campaign
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Hooker could not have decided to strike at a more opportune time. Lee had dispatched two divisions from his I Corps, Longstreet's and Pender's, under the command James Longstreet, to face the threat the Union IX Corps was creating on the Virginia peninsula, and to test James Longstreet at independent command. This left him with only six infantry divisions and his Cavalry Corps to face off against Hooker's advances. Hooker set his plan into motion, and at first, it went off unabated, with Lee completely unaware of what was happening. Lee only became aware of the threat when the movements of the enemy were detected J.E.B. Stuart and his Cavalry Corps. Realizing the peril he was in, Lee had to devise a plan quickly.

James Ewell Brown "J.E.B." Stuart, commander of the Cavalry Corps, AoNV
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Lee would violate one of war's basic principles, never divide your force in the face of a superior enemy, with his strategy. Lee would leave I Corps commander General George H. Thomas and one of his divisions under Richard Anderson to defend Fredericksburg, while he and and II Corps commander, Stonewall Jackson maneuvered with the rest of the army to try and drive the force under Hooker and Slocum back. With his plan decided on, Lee would move the planned forces out of Fredericksburg, and start marching towards the Union forces under Hooker.

The three senior CSA officers at the Chancellorsville battle: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and George H. Thomas
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The Battle of Chancellorsville would begin on March 1, 1863 with Lee's and Hooker's main forces colliding in their movements. Initially, the Confederacy was able to force the Union back, but they managed to regroup, and regain their lost ground. Despite their offensive success, Hooker would put on stop to the movements, as he hoped for a defensive battle, and feared an offensive one might bring about another Fredericksburg. He also believed that their maneuvers were sufficient enough to force Lee to make an offensive action, which was Hooker's goal. When Hooker's subordinates were informed of Hooker's orders to halt, several were incensed, but the orders were followed, and the day's fighting came to an end with the Union forces digging in to their position.

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Lee and Jackson would discuss the next day's actions in the now famous scene of the two of them sitting on two boxes. Jackson assumed the Union forces would withdraw, while Lee's belief was that Hooker had invested too much into the action to withdraw now. It was decided that if Hooker was still in position the next day, the Confederates would attack. The plan for attack was developed when Stuart's cavalry brought the information that the Union right flank, the XI Corps under Oliver Howard, was in the air with no cavalry guarding it, as they were all raiding deep into Virginia, leaving it vulnerable to a flanking movement. To successfully reach this flank, Lee would have to march his entire force across the Union front without them noticing. Luckily for Lee, a newly constructed road through the forest which would shield his movements from the Union lines was identified by Jackson's cartographer, Jedediah Hotchkiss. With this determined, Lee ordered Jackson to move his command across the whole Union front using the road, and to attack the exposed Union flank. With this order, Jackson set off into the most risky maneuver of the war.

A depiction of the famous meeting between Lee and Jackson​

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Two: Lee's Greatest Victory Part Two

Jackson's Flank Attack by Daniel Troiani, one of the most prolific modern day U.S. Civil War painters
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With his orders in place, Jackson would begin the risky march. Against all odds, Jackson would manage to march across the whole Union front on the road Hotchkiss discovered without the Union army moving in to destroy his vulnerable marching column. Despite his success in the maneuver, the plan of Lee and Jackson nearly ended in disaster. From the first day of battle, Hooker had realized that Lee was not leaving a large portion of his troops defending Fredericksburg, and was instead moving the great majority of them against the column under himself and Slocum. With this in mind, Hooker decided to reduce the force threatening Fredericksburg to only the VI Corps, and to bring John F. Reynolds and his I Corps to his column to guard and anchor the Union right on the Rapidan River. If this was to happen, the Union's right flank would no longer be vulnerable, forcing Jackson either attack a well fortified position, or to retread his steps across the whole Union front again, but this time in daylight.

General John F. Reynolds, I Corps commander​

Luckily for Jackson, due to miscommunications and misunderstandings, Reynolds and his corps would not be able to reach the Union line in time to guard the Union right, which remained in the air by the time Jackson had his men ready for the attack. Observations of the XI Corps found them resting and unprepared for actions, despite orders from General Hooker, who had began suspecting an attack on his right, to post picketts and to be ready for action. At 5:30 P.M., Jackson's attack was ready. The divisions of D.H. Hill and Raleigh Colston would lead the attack, with A.P. Hill's division behind them in support. With everything ready, Jackson ordered the attack, and his men charged out of the woods and into the Union flank. The XI Corps was completely unprepared for the attack, and already having poor morale since they disliked their commander, Oliver O. Howard, and having never before tasted victory, they dissolved into a complete rout.

An image from the 1884 book, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, which was a joint effort between Northern and Southern officers, depicting the rout of the XI Corps
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News of the rout would reach Hooker's headquarters at the Chancellor House when mobs of routing XI Corps reached there. Hooker would mount his horse, and try and bring order out of the panic to no avail. By the end of the second day of the battle, Jackson and the men under his command his pushed roughly 1.25 miles, but his command his disorganized following the chaotic attack, and the rest of the Union line still held. The battle came to a stop by nightfall, and both sides tried to reorganize and prepare for the next day. Jackson favored continuing the attack on the Union line despite the coming of nightfall with the hopes of keeping the Union line confused. According to the post-war memoirs of two of his staff, Alexander "Sandie" Pendleton and Henry Kyd Douglas, Jackson planned on personally going out to survey the Union lines to decide if a night attack was possible, but decided not to when Raleigh Colston, a division commander and one of Jackson's favorite and most trusted generals, rode up and reminded him of the advice General Thomas had given him before departing with Lee, "Don't risk your life and get yourself killed, Jackson, I might need you and your command if it gets too hot on my line." Colston would volunteer to do the scouting, and Jackson, after some debate, allowed him to do so. Many say this decision saved Jackson from wounding or possibly even death, as on his way to the Confederate lines, Colston and his staff would be mistaken from Union cavalry and fired upon by 18th North Carolina Infantry under Major John D. Barry, with Colston being fatally wounded.

Brigadier General Raleigh Colston: 1825-1863​

With Colston's death, Jackson decided not to launch an night attack, and to wait until morning to continue operations. Jackson would send for General Robert E. Rodes, a brigade commander with a reputation for aggression and a capable officer, from D.H. Hill's division and assign him to lead Colston's division for the battle. The third day of battle would find several new developments. First, the VI Corps under John Sedgwick, supported with a II Corps division under John Gibbon, would finally begin an attack against Marye's Heights, which Generals George Thomas and Richard Anderson held with only one division. Despite this, they would manage hold back repeated attacks from Sedgwick in some of the finest defensive fighting in the entire Civil War, serving the double purpose of protecting the rear of the CSA lines under Lee and Jackson, and also tying up thousands of troops that could have been serving in Hooker's main line. Secondly, John F. Reynolds and his I Corps arrived at Hooker's line, replacing for the most part the Union losses of the last day's fight. Third and finally, Lee's two forces were divided into by Sickles' III Corps, which was preventing Lee from being his full weight to bear against the formidable Union lines. Once again, Hooker provided Lee with another advantage when he ordered Sickles to move further back into the Union lines, not only allowing Lee to consolidate his forces, but to also use Sickles' former position in Hazel Grove as a strong artillery position. With this artillery position (a shot from which would concuss Hooker temporarily, which some say was a factor in his later decisions) and repeated assaults, Lee made the Union line untenable, while also severely damaging the III Corps. All the while during this action, Jackson was riding with only a small party of six staff officers, Douglas, Pendleton, Hotchkiss, Hunter McGuire, the II Corps' chief surgeon, James K. Boswell, chief engineer, and Stapeton Crutchfield, the II Corps' chief of artillery, up and down his lines, constantly exposing himself to enemy fire. By the end of the night, Hooker agreed to have a council of war with his senior corps commanders. Several, including Darius Couch, II Corps commander and 2nd-in-command, Slocum, Sickles, and Meade, were in favor of staying and fighting it out. Hooker decided, however, that a withdrawal his necessary, and ordered that the preparations for it be set in motion. It was decided that the I Corps and Hancock's division of the II Corps would serve as a rearguard, while the rest of the army withdrew. The next day, the Army of the Potomac recrossed the Rappahannock River while Jackson launched more attacks against the defending Union rearguard. By the end of May 4, the Union had completely withdrawn from both Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, ending the battle. Stoneman and his cavalry, who had ineffectively been raiding in central and southern Virginia, returned to the Union lines by May 7, ending the campaign.

A picture of the Confederate defensive line at Marye's Heights following the battle​

Chancellorsville would cost both heavy losses, with the Union losing a little over 18,000 men, and the CSA losing a little less than 12,000. Both sides also took heavy hits in terms of officers. The Union would lose two division commanders killed, both from the III Corps, Hiram Berry (who commanded Hooker's former division) and Amiel Whipple. Six brigade commanders would also be killed, Gershom Mott, Joseph Revere, and Charles Graham of the III Corps, William Hays and Joshua Owen of the II Corps, and Thomas Rowley of the I Corps. The III Corps would take terrible losses in this battle, forcing into the to be consolidated from three divisions into two. In terms of Rebel losses, the senior loss was Raleigh Colston. Three brigade commanders were killed as well, Alfred Colquitt, John R. Jones, and Edward T.H. Warren. Interestingly, almost all of Lee's best brigade commanders, including John B. Gordon, Stephen D. Ramseur, Robert F. Hoke, Samuel McGowan, Cadmus Wilcox, and George Doles, were wounded in the action, but all would recover in time for Lee's next campaign. One however, Elisha F. Paxton, commander of the famed "Stonewall" brigade, would be wounded and put out of active command for the rest of the war, along with such capable colonels as Philip Cook, William Cox, and Thomas Garnett.

A picture of wounded Union troops following the battle from the National Archives of the U.S.
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With such an overwhelming, and seemingly impossible victory under his belt and the Union army in complete panic and disarray, Lee would again look north, hoping to bring an end to the Civil War, once and for all.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Three: The Road to Gettysburg

Hampton's Duel by Daniel Troiani, which shows General Wade Hampton III personally fighting in the Battle of Brandy Station​

Following his crushing victory at Chancellorsville, Lee prepared for what he hoped would be the decisive campaign of the war, a second invasion of the North. He hoped that victories in the North, and possibly even capturing major Union cities like Baltimore, Annapolis, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, or possibly even Washington D.C., (which was Lee's ultimate goal), would ruin what Northern morale was left after two bloody defeats in the East. He also hoped that invading the North would bring the armies of the North into northern soil, letting farmers in the South have an uninterrupted harvest, while Union farmers would have to provide for the two armies. He further believed that a successful campaign in the East would force Union forces in the Western Theater, particularly those sieging Vicksburg and Port Hudson, to be pulled out to support the Eastern Theater. With the approval of President Davis, and supremely confident in the superiority and invincibility of his troops, Lee began his invasion of the Union. Before he did, however, he did something he had been planning for a while, a reorganization of his army. Hoping to relieve Generals Thomas and Jackson of the stress of commanding four divisions, Lee had been planning to form a third corps for a while, but was unsure of which of his senior division commanders, Major Generals James Longstreet, D. H. Hill, and A.P. Hill, to give the command. With Longstreet and the two divisions under his command returning from his time with independent command during the Chancellorsville campaign, Lee made his decision. Longstreet, the senior of the three generals, would be given the command of the new III Corps, which consisted of his division, now under newly promoted Major General John B. Hood, from Thomas' I Corps, D.H. Hill's division from Jackson's II Corps, and a newly created division under Isaac Trimble, which was formed by taking Heth's and Archer's brigades from A.P. Hill's division, and transferring in the brigades of Joseph Davis and James Pettigrew in exchange for some of the Army of Northern Virginia's brigades. With the transfer of the cavalry brigades of Beverly Robertson and Albert Jenkins into Stuart's Cavalry Corps and John Imboden's men being placed under Stuart's command, and Robert E. Rodes being confirmed in command of the Stonewall Division following his temporarily appointment to command in during the Battle of Chancellorsville, Lee's reorganization was complete. With his army ready, Lee began his invasion of the North.

Distant Thunder by Matthew Kunstler, the most prominent CSA Civil War painter, and fierce rival of Daniel Troiani
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As Lee planned and began his invasion of the North, Hooker seeked someone who he could blame for the defeat at Chancellorsville. Ultimately, Generals Stoneman and William Averell, a division commander in the Cavalry Corps, would be Hooker’s victims, and they would be sacked, with their replacements being Alfred Pleasonton and David McM. Gregg respectively. Hooker would also have to assign the II Corps a new commander, as Darius Couch had requested and received reassignment, leaving the position open. Hooker would fill it with General Winfield S. Hancock, Couch’s most trusted subordinate and who had distinguished himself in the retreat from Chancellorsville. Meanwhile, the Army of Northern Virginia had begun its northward movements by moving down through the Shenandoah Valley, and Stonewall Jackson engaged in two of his classic lightning campaigns. In rapid succession, Jackson captured the garrisons at Harper’s Ferry and Winchester under the command of Generals William H. French and Robert Milroy respectively. Hooker, meanwhile, had not started moving, instead planning a campaign to capture Richmond. President Lincoln would personally veto this plan, and ordered Hooker to begin a pursuit of Lee, while making sure that Washington and Baltimore remained protected. Hooker would follow these orders, and began his pursuit of Lee. All the while, Hooker’s senior subordinates began a whisper campaign behind his back questioning his ability to command.

From left to right: Alfred Pleasonton, David McM. Gregg, Winfield S. Hancock, William H. French, and Robert Milroy
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As both armies moved north rapidly, Hooker’s worry began to grow. Receiving reports that J.E.B. Stuart had established a camp near Culpeper, Virginia, Hooker feared that Stuart was planning a raid of his lines of supplies. He would dispatch the Cavalry Corps, along with two infantry brigades to attempt to at least disrupt and disperse, but hopefully destroy Stuart and his Cavalry Corps. The result was the Battle of Brandy Station. In preparation for the attack, Pleasonton divided his force into two wings, each with an attached infantry brigade, and under the command of Generals John Buford and David Gregg. When the attack began, Pleasonton would manage to catch Stuart by surprise, and Buford’s advancing Union cavalry wing, led by a cavalry brigade under Col. Benjamin F. Davis, a fighting commander if there ever was one, was opposed merely by Stuart’s horse artillery. Unfortunately for the Union, the artillery was under the command of Major John Pelham, a brilliant artillerist. The Confederate batteries blunted the Union attack, killing Davis in the process, and managed to buy time for Stuart’s cavalry to form. Pelham's valiant actions at Brandy Station, along with those at Fredericksburg, would earn him promotion to Colonel.

Benjamin F. Davis and John Pelham
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Despite Pelham’s heroics, Stuart and his cavalry were not safe yet. Pelham had been forced by overwhelming odds to pull back, and Gregg’s wing, which had planned to attack with Buford, but had been delayed by a forced reroute, also began their attack. Pleasonton’s two wings trapped three of Stuart’s brigades, under Generals Rooney Lee, Grumble Jones, and Wade Hampton, between them. Despite this, the Confederate cavalry held, and at the end of the day, it was the Union, not the Confederate cavalry that left the field. However, they were not forced off, and had proven themselves in hard combat. They also had damaged Stuart’s reputation, which helped lead to his decision to go off raiding, leaving Lee unaware of the Army of the Potomac’s positions.

A picture showing Rooney Lee’s defense on Fleetwood Hill
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With Lee advancing further north, Hooker began to panic. He repeatedly asked for troops, and each time, his request was denied. Eventually, he demanded that the IV Corps, which was currently operating in Virginia, be transferred to the Army of the Potomac and under his command. President Lincoln and General-in-Chief Halleck would deny this request, leading Hooker to offer his resignation, which they accepted. They would replace him with George Meade of Pennsylvania, with Lincoln allegedly making the comment that he would “fight well on his own dunghill.” Meanwhile, the Confederate forces had entered Pennsylvania. General Trimble would send the brigade of James Pettigrew to search the town of Gettysburg, reportedly in search of supplies, particularly shoes. Pettigrew would find Union cavalry under the command of John Buford in the town, and would pull back, and report it to Trimble and Longstreet, Trimble’s corps commander. Longstreet and Trimble believed Buford’s command to merely be militia, and ordered two brigades of Trimble’s division, Joseph Davis’ and James Archer’s, to perform a reconnaissance in force the next day. On July 1, the two forces would collide. A skirmish broke out, which soon lead to actual fighting. The Battle of Gettysburg had begun.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Four: Gettysburg, Day 1

Union Generals John Buford and John Reynolds observe their lines, and plan their assault on Confederate lines.
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As what began a skirmish began heating up into a full fledged battle, both sides began requesting reinforcements, with the Confederates managing to bring more sooner, with Trimble bringing up the rest of his division to help in the battle. This help drive back Buford's cavalry, but Buford still had one last trick up his sleeve. While he and his men had been putting up their brave and valiant stand, they had been buying time for John Reynolds and his I Corps to come to their support, which would shift the battle back into their favor. By trading lives for time, Buford was able to hold out long enough for Reynolds to arrive. With his arrival, the battle now shifted into the favor of the Union. Buford and Reynolds planned to exploit this by pushing their troops forward and breaking the Confederate lines. Just prior to the plan being put in motion, however, a sniper would fatally shoot John Buford through the heart, with his limp body falling into the arms of Reynolds. Reynolds would then turn to Myles Keogh of Buford's staff, and reportedly say "I fear the same will befall me today." before removing a necklace with a cross attached and handing to him, asking that it be returned to his fiancee Katherine Hewitt after his death. Despite his fatalistic beliefs, Reynolds would still order the attack, and ride at the front lines with the men of the Iron Brigade as they advanced. Before the attack could truly commence, however, Reynolds would be proven correct, and would be fatally shot from his horse, with some believing he was killed by the same man who killed Buford. Unfortunately for Reynolds' hope of his necklace returning to his fiancee, Keogh would also be killed in these opening actions, still clasping the necklace in his hand.

A romanticized and inaccurate depiction of Reynolds' death
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With Reynolds' death, command of the I Corps, and of the field would devolve to Abner Doubleday. While by no means a terrible or incompetent general, Doubleday would lose his nerve after Reynolds' fall, and put a halt to the advance of the I Corps, pulling back to their former position, and would await the VI Corps' arrival, bringing a battle to a temporarily lull. By the time the XI Corps arrived and joined the Doubleday's defensive position, more Confederate troops also arrived on the field, with D.H. Hill's division coming in from the west, and A.P. Hill's division coming in from the north, with Early's and Rodes' divisions not far behind him. The fighting would begin once more, with all the Confederate forces on the field beginning an assault all along the Union line. Initially, the Union line was able to hold out against the attacks from Trimble's and D.H. Hill's divisions in the west, and A.P. Hill's division in the north, but the tables soon turned. Lee arrived on the field with Hood's division from the west, superseding Longstreet in command of the Confederate forces, with Jackson arriving on the field soon after with Early's and Rodes' divisions in such a way that they would be able to crush the Union right. With two whole corps on the field, Lee ordered Jackson to use Early's and Rodes' divisions to crush the Union right, while the rest of his men on the field tied down the Union line. The order was enacted, and Jackson led yet another brutal flank on the VI Corps, once again crushing it, and sending it, along with the rest of the Union line, into utter rout. While riding near the front lines of the action with General Early, Jackson would point out how many of the senior Union officers on the field were abolitionists, including Howard, Doubleday, Wadsworth, Robinson, Schurz, and Barlow. Early's response was simple, "All the more reason to crush them!" This they did, and the Union line fell back through Gettysburg itself towards the hills south of the town.

Confederate troops pushing back the Union soldiers through Gettysburg
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Hearing of Reynolds' death, and the disastrous rout of the Union lines, Meade would send General Winfield S. Hancock in advance to assume command of the battlefield to try and stabilize the Union lines. Upon arriving on the field, Hancock would find Union troops streaming back in disarray towards the south. Seeing how great a defensive position the hills south of Gettysburg were, Hancock tried to organize a stand of the routing troops there. He had two things going against him though. First, the Confederates were continuing to push their advance, and second, General Howard was refusing to acknowledging that Hancock, who was his junior in rank, had been given command of the field. Ultimately, the dispute would be settled when Hancock rode forward towards the Confederate lines, trying desperately to rally the Union forces on the hills, only to have a Confederate cannon shot come and behead him. Major Willie Pegram, commander of the artillery battalion who fired the fatal shot, would comment following the news of Hancock's death, "If only he would have waited. The shot that killed him was the last of our ammunition." With Hancock's death, any hope of stablizing the Union lines was shattered. Jackson would seize command of the hills south of Gettysburg, and would soon be joined by Longstreet's men, and finally Thomas' men at the end of day. Howard moved the remaining Union troops to the east of these hills, and waited for the rest of the Army of the Potomac to arrive. During the night, the rest of the Army of the Potomac and George Meade would arrive, and Lee would organize his forces so that Longstreet's corps held Benner's, Culp's, and Cemetery Hill, Thomas held Cemetery Ridge, and Jackson held Round Top and Little Round Top. Both forces could only nervously await the action that was sure to arrive with the next day.

General Winfield S. Hancock and Major Willie Pegram
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[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Five: Gettysburg, Day 2

A 1906 painting by Howard Pyle depicting the second day of the battle of Gettysburg, currently hanging in the visitor's center of Gettysburg National Military Park
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With two corps of his army in shambles, two corps commanders along with several division commanders killed, and the Army of Northern Virginia possessing the high ground and interposing itself between the Army of the Potomac and Washington D.C., General George Meade announced a council of war on the night of July 1 in his headquarters located near where a portion of Rock Creek splits off to Power's Hill. All of his corps commanders would be in attendance, with John Newton taking over command of the I Corps and John Gibbon leading the II Corps. By this time, all of Meade's army was lined up along Rock Creek facing the Confederate lines, within the exception the V Corps and VI Corps, which would arrive on the morning of July 2. At the meeting, Meade and his generals discussed their plans for the next day. A plan was proposed by Generals Gibbon, Slocum, and Sedgwick in which the I, III, V, and, XI demonstrated along Lee's front, while the II, VI, and XII Corps would attack Lee's position from its left flank of Benner's Hill. The plan held the support of all the corps commanders with the exception of Daniel Sickles, who wanted to be involved in the flanking movement, and Oliver O. Howard, who also wanted to be involved in order to salvage his reputation tarnished on the first day of fighting. The debate would settled, however, when Meade revealed a telegram he had received before the council of war started. In a message which was sent with the name of General-in-Chief Henry Halleck attached, orders were given for the Army of the Potomac to clear the hills between themselves and Washington. This order met the instant disapproval of all the men present, with the exception of Sickles and Howard once again. Despite his reservations about the plan, Meade told his corps commanders it was to be enacted, not revealing the further information in the telegram promising his relief if he did not take immediate action the next day. With it made clear what the general plan was, the details were planned out. The III, II, VI, and V Corps would attack against the Confederate positions on Culp's Hill, Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Little Round Top in that order. Meanwhile, the battered I and VI Corps would protect the Union right, and attack against Benner's Hill. Finally, the XII Corps would guard the left, and attack against Round Top. With the plans in order, the generals readied themselves for the next day of battle.

Meade's Council of War, July 1, which hangs in Gettysburg National Military Park
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With the arrival of the V and VI Corps on the field on the morning of July 2, the plan that was forced upon Meade and his commanders was put into motion. The Army of the Potomac lined up as ordered, and upon the order, they began their charge towards the Confederate line. Crossing across the shallow Rock's Creek, long range artillery fire began. At first, the long distances made most of the shots miss their mark, but as the Union drew closer, the Confederate artillery soon starting taking a heavy toll, with the Union guns too far out to support the assaulting infantry effectively. Once the Union soldiers reached the base of the crests, they broke into a running charge, as musket fire and canister shot began to fire into their ranks. Shredded by such heavy fire, the Union infantry was unable to reach, let alone breach, the Confederate lines. With many senior officers down due to leading from the front, and his corps shredded, Meade would have to act quickly to save the battle from being an utter Union rout.

A Daniel Troiani painting depicting the charges of the Union line against the Confederates' position
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Seeing the command structure gutted, order completely lost, and his men in a complete panic and rout, Meade decided he most personally rally his troops. Inquiring of his staff which corps of his army remained in the best condition, he was informed the V Corps seemed to have the most men still combat ready. Upon this information, Meade set about rallying his old corps, until some order was brought about in it, and they could perform one last charge. Deciding to personally lead his men in the charge, Meade's assistant adjutant general Seth Williams tried to stop him, fearing that his commander would be killed. Meade would respond, "These men, my men, need me leading this charge for it to succeed. If I am to die, let it be on the battlefield, rather than the death of a coward who succumbs to a thousand congressional investigations, and a dishonorable relief from command." Seeing his commander's determination, Williams would accompany Meade in his charge. The V Corps would again charge, this time focusing on Cemetery Ridge. The Meade's final attack would be slaughtered, with Williams dying rather early in the charge, and Meade falling killed mere yards from the Confederate lines at the height of the charge. The charge would come to be known as Meade's Charge.

A Currier & Ives lithograph of Meade's Charge, with an inaccurate depiction of Seth Williams on the horse at left, and Meade on the horse at right.
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Seeing the entire Union line crumbling, Lee would order Thomas, Jackson, and Longstreet to charge down from their positions, with the hopes that Jackson and Longstreet could pincer the routing Union forces. The orders were put into place, and the charge began. The movement would have its desired effect, and Jackson's and Longstreet's corps crushed the flanks of the Union corps trying to form up in front of the Confederate position.

A painting by David Nance, the third of the triumvirate of major modern day Civil War painters, depicting the advance of the Confederates
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With the Union infantry in a headlong rout off the field, a rearguard was needed to cover their retreat. Chief of Artillery Henry J. Hunt and Cavalry Corps commander Alfred Pleasonton would try to provide this by forming a long line of Union artillery, which having gone unused for the most part in the battle and still had plenty of ammunition, supported by dismounted cavalry. The artillery fire would blunt the Confederate infantry's attack, and for a moment, it seemed that the Union infantry would receive the rearguard they required. This dream was shattered, however, by the arrival of J.E.B. Stuart and his Cavalry Corps on the field. Still smarting from Brandy Station, Stuart would charge the Union position without orders. The Confederate cavalry slammed into the Union artillery and dismounted cavalry in a whirling but ultimately one-sided melee. Dismounted and unprepared, the Union cavalry was unable to face their mounted opponents.

A painting by Daniel Troiani depicting Stuart's charge
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However, Pleasonton had kept one of his cavalry brigades mounted as his last reserve. Seeing the Union rearguard collapsing and an opportunity for glory, newly appointed Brigadier General George A. Custer would charge his mounted cavalry brigade against the CSA cavalry brigade of Wade Hampton. The fighting between the two brigades was brutal, and Custer seemed to be able to hold back Hampton, but the attack of the cavalry brigades under Fitz and Rooney Lee on his flanks decimated his command, with himself only narrowly escaping. With no more Union reserves to face, Stuart was free to bring the full force of his cavalry into chasing the routing Union men. The Battle of Gettysburg ended with Stuart's cavalry chasing down routing Union soldiers in what Stuart would call "the finest day in the history of Confederate cavalry." In fact, when Stuart met with some of his officers after the battle ended, he would call the meeting "the greatest concentration of cavalry talent the world has ever seen." [1]

A painting depicting Custer's first last stand by Matthew Kunstler
​

The Battle of Gettysburg had been a disaster for the Union in all senses of the word. The Army of the Potomac would lose almost 41,000 men, with the high number due both to the fact of the extreme dangers the soldiers had faced in the battle, and that Union forces on the field had routed twice with no rearguard. Officer losses had also been terrible. The price of senior officers leading from the front had been paid in full during the battle, with no other battle in the war even rivaling the amount of Union senior officer losses [2][3]. The list of Union regimental commanders lost at Gettysburg could also be considered a list of some of best Union regimental officers in the Army of the Potomac, with Joshua Chamberlain, Harrison Jeffords, James Rice, Kenner Garrard, Arthur F. Devereux, Patrick O'Rorke, Rufus Dawes, Nelson Miles, and St. Clair Mulholland among them. The losses of the day are probably best summarized by a quote from the diary of George T. Strong, made famous by it being featured of Kaden Burns' famous documentary, The Civil War, “As Rome had her Cannae, and France her Agincourt, the United States of America has her battle of national disgrace in the form of Gettysburg. Like of the fields of Agincourt on that October 1415 day, the gallant leaders of her army lay slain, with the enlisted men right beside them.”

A photo by Matthew Brady of the Union fallen at the battle of Gettysburg
​

Despite suffering much fewer casualities, roughly 9,500 to be exact (mostly from the first day's fighting), the Confederates also had their share of losses, with such gallant officers as Harry T. Hays, Evander M. Law, and James K. Marshall falling slain as a result of the battle. The low loss of men of Confederate side could likely be attributed to both their defensive role for most of the battle, and that the Union army spent two large portions of the battle in utter rout. The Battle of Gettysburg shattered the Army of the Potomac as it had existed, with it pulling back into Philadelphia to defend it. With the Army of the Potomac no longer a threat for now, Lee prepared to move South for his ultimate goal: capturing Washington D.C.

[1] The men present at this meeting are as follows: J.E.B. Stuart, Wade Hampton III, Fitzhugh Lee, William H.F. "Rooney" Lee, William E. "Grumble" Jones, Beverly Robertson, Albert Jenkins, John Imboden, John Pelham, James B. Gordon, Thomas T. Munford, John R. Chambliss, Thomas L. Rosser, Lunsford L. Lomax, William C. Wickham, Pierce M.B. Young, Matthew C. Butler, Laurence S. Baker, Dennis D. Ferebee, Richard L.T. Beale, Milton J. Ferguson, William H.F. Payne, Vincent "Clawhammer" Witcher, Elijah V. White, Harry Gilmor, Rufus Barringer, John S. Mosby, William H. Chapman, John H. McNeill, William L. Jackson, James Breathed, Roger P. Chew, Channing Price, Heros von Borcke, Henry B. McClellan, John E. Cooke, Robert F. Beckham, William D. Farley, Joel "Banjo" Sweeney, Gustavus W. Dorsey, and William P. Roberts.
[2]Here is a complete list of Union army, corps, division, and brigade commanders killed or mortally wounded at Gettysburg: Army: George Meade Corps: John Reynolds, Winfield Hancock, John Sedgwick, Oliver Howard, Henry Slocum Division: James Wadsworth, John Robinson, Abner Doubleday, John Gibbon, Alexander Hays, David Birney, Andrew Humphreys, Romeyn Ayres, Samuel Crawford, Horatio Wright, John Newton, Francis Barlow, Adolph Steinwehr, Alpheus Williams, John Geary, John Buford Brigade: Edward Cross, Patrick Kelly, Samuel Zook, John Brooke, Alexander Webb, Strong Vincent, Frank Wheaton, Samuel Carroll, George Greene, Joseph Carr, Thomas Smyth, Norman Hall, Hiram Berdan, Emory Upton, Alfred Torbert, Thomas Ruger, George Willard, William Gamble, Joseph Bartlett, Lewis Grant, Davis Russell, Philippe Trobriand, Henry Baxter, Stephen Weed, Adelbert Ames, Elon J. Farnsworth, Freeman McGilvery
[3]Here is a complete list of Union generals captured at Gettysburg: David Gregg, Henry J. Hunt, Wesley Merritt.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Six: Gettysburg's Fallout

A group of Union in camp around Philadelphia following the defeat at Gettysburg
​

With Gettysburg being the terrible defeat that it was, calls for someone to place the blame on grew loud. Horace Greeley would write for his New York Tribune, “Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and even Chancellorsville have been outdone in showing the idiocy of the Army of the Potomac’s high command and their commander-in-chief Abraham Lincoln. It remains to be seen what more disasters await with them at the helm of the ship of state.” With many of the Army of the Potomac's senior officers now dead as a result of Gettysburg, public outrcry was mostly aimed at Lincoln, who remained firmly entrenched in the White House due to the Republican Congress. The blood lust of the public would finally be satisfied when during his testimony before the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, Daniel Sickles revealed the fateful order Meade had received from Halleck ordering the attack. With a name of someone still alive attached to the orders for the attack, the public cried for his dismissal. Facing little other choice, Lincoln would dishonorably strip Halleck of his command, and dismiss him from the army.

Former Major General Henry W. Halleck, U.S. General-in-Chief July 23, 1862-July 23, 1863
​

What Lincoln did not reveal to the public was the further information he knew about the order. The order had originally been drafted by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, but when he brought it before Lincoln and Halleck at the telegram office, they both espoused the folly of it, and Lincoln ordered the order not to be sent before leaving. From what Lincoln gathered, after his leaving from the office, Stanton threatened Halleck into sending the order with his name attached under the threat of his relief of command, resulting in Meade receiving the fatal order. After Halleck's relief, Lincoln's first stop was to a meeting with Edwin Stanton at the War Department office, in which he revealed how he knew Stanton went behind his back and forced the order. In another quote made famous by Kaden Burns' documentary, Lincoln would say to Stanton, "I hope, and the country demands, that you be able to rectify the mistake you made on that July 1 night." When Lincoln left the meeting, it was said that all weapons not being used by the guards had to be taken from the building to prevent Stanton from committing suicide.

Secretary of War Edwin Stanton
​

Despite all the public outcry of Gettysburg, a war still had to be fought. Realizing that the Army of the Potomac would need reinforcement from other theaters, Lincoln ordered almost all offensive operations in the Western Theater to halt, ordering Generals Grant and Banks to pull back from their sieges into Union territory, along with an order for Quincy Gillmore to stop his planned assault on Fort Wagner, with only Rosecrans being allowed to continue his operations. Banks would immediately follow the order, ending his 41 day siege of Port Hudson. Grant, on the other hand, fiercely resisted Lincoln's order, and begged for a few more days, as he believed that the Confederate forces were near capitulation. Lincoln would give Grant one week to win the Siege of Vicksburg. Unfortunately, news of both the victory at Gettysburg and Lincoln's deadline would reach the defenders inside Vicksburg, increasing their determination to hold out. Lincoln's deadline came and passed, and angrily Grant pulled back, with the news of his promotion to Major General in the Regular Army and asssignment to Halleck's position a few days later doing little to appease him. News that two corps, the XIII Corps under Edward O.C. Ord and the IX Corps under John G. Parke were being stripped from his command to be added to the rebuilding Army of the Potomac brought him further anger, with the assignment of Banks and the XIX Corps to his command doing little again for Grant.

The Winners and Losers of the Sieges of Port Hudson and Vicksburg: Generals Franklin Gardner, John C. Pemberton, Nathaniel Banks, and Ulysses S. Grant
​

The shell of the Army of the Potomac limped into Philadelphia following Gettysburg's crushing defeat. With the threat of the Army of Northern Virginia larger now than ever, Lincoln had to call on all his possible sources to rebuild it. First, a commander had to be decided on after the death of Meade. Ultimately, the command of the army would be handed to General George Sykes, a man with no spectular achievements or failures under his belt. Second, the lack of experienced corps and division commanders was addressed by the return of Generals Darius Couch, James Ricketts, Charles Griffin, and Gouverneur Warren to field command. Third, men to rebuild the Army of the Potomac were required. Lincoln would draw from many sources, mainly the Western Theater for it. Ultimately, Lincoln's plan for the Army of the Potomac was to have the shells of the army corps condensed into two corps, the III Corps under Daniel Sickles and the VI Corps under Darius Couch, the XXIII Corps under Ambrose Burnside to be transferred from the Department of the Ohio, the XXI Corps under Thomas L. Crittenden to be brought in from the Army of the Cumberland, and the above mentioned XIII Corps under Edward O.C. Ord and the IX Corps under John G. Parke coming from the Army of the Tennessee. This, in addition to the Cavalry Corps, which was to be brought back to full strength by reinforcement from the cavalry in the Department of the Susquehanna was Lincoln's intentions. However, Sykes still feared this would be insufficient, so Lincoln also order the transfer of Michael Corcoran and his division from the VII Corps, and Truman Seymour and his division with Thomas Stevenson's brigade attached from X Corps. This would be Lincoln's last order to Sykes before Confederates cut the telegram lines connecting Washington to the outside world. Without the nucleus of military matters, troop movements moved slowly, and it would take a while for the Army of the Potomac, which currently only constituted the III, VI, and Cavalry Corps, to form up. Lee would not give them this time as he swiftly advanced on Washington, and prepared for what he hoped would be the decisive battle of the war.

General George Sykes, commander of the Army of the Potomac​

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Seven: The Confederate Assault on Washington

A depiction of Garnett's Brigade, Pender's Division during the assault on Washington. The battle would be a particular importance to Garnett, as Jackson officially rescinded his charges of cowardice against Garnett after the battle due to the bravery he showed in the battle
​

With the Union Army of the Potomac tied down in Philadelphia waiting for reinforcements, Lee knew the time to attack Washington had come. The long-awaited moment had finally arrived, and Lee positioned his forces in a sieging position around the capital of the United States. Despite the overwhelming confidence Lee had in his army, he would still send a letter to Davis in Richmond, requesting that more troops be raised in the case that the Army of Northern Virginia should fail and be destroyed when the Army of the Potomac moved south. Facing Lee inside Washington were around 20,000 men composing the XXII Corps and various other units in Washington's garrison, mostly inexperienced in actual combat, under General Samuel Heintzelman, former commander the Army of the Potomac's III Corps. Lincoln and the United States government had evacuated Washington the day before Lee had put the city under siege. Knowing the delay would only give advantage to the Union, Lee decided the attack Washington on the third day of the siege, having only waited for Stuart and his command to reconnoiter the ground.

A painting by David Nance showing Lee surveying his lines one last time before the assault on Washington, with Longstreet riding up to ask for Lee's permission to begin the assault.
​

Lee would bring the full force of his three infantry corps to bear against the Northern defenses of Washington, focusing on Forts Stevens, Slocum, DeRussy, and Kearney. Opposing them would be the northern division of the XXII Corps under the one-armed Lieutenant Colonel Joseph B. Haskin, an experienced artilleryman. The attack would begin in the morning. Charging under heavy artillery fire directed in some cases by Haskin himself, Lee's forces would cross the fields in front of Washington's defenses. Eventually, they reached their target forts, and brutal hand to hand fighting would begin, with bayonets and pistols, not muskets and cannons, now controlling the fighting. In this, the lack of infantry proper on the Union side began to show as Heintzelman tried desperately to shift every infantryman in the southern division north to heed Haskin's desperate cries for reinforcement. Eventually, the skill of Lee's veteran troops prevailed, and they managed to capture their four target forts. It is here that Heintzelman made a critical mistake. Lacking the infantry necessary to hold the position and fearing the loss of more artillery to Lee, he ordered the men in the forts to west and east of the forts Lee captured to try and pull back into Washington for a consolidated last stand. Lee would figure out what Heintzelman was doing, and order Jackson and Longstreet to attack the forts to the west, while Thomas cleared the forts to the east. The Union soldiers, unprepared for the fighting to start again, would put up a desperate stand, but it was to no avail, and soon the forts fell into Southern hands, along with their long range artillery and stores of ammunition.

A painting depicting the advance of Barksdale's brigade on Washington
​

At this critical point in the battle, Lee trained all his artillery, including the newly captured guns, on Washington D.C. before sending Heintzelman a letter under flag of truce. In it, he declared he would wait one hour for Heintzelman to surrender Washington, or he would open fire with all his artillery, and completely destroy Washington and all of its defenders in a bloody final rush. Despite having consolidated all of his forces in Washington and having barricaded the streets, Heintzelman realized he stood no chance against Lee's army, and surrendered Washington and all of its defenders to Lee, ending the Confederate assault on Washington. In a poignant moment, Heintzelman, accompanied by southern division commander Brigadier General Gustavus A. DeRussy and the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry, who were serving as his escort, would ride out of their makeshift defenses to meet with Lee, accompanied by his staff and a few cavalrymen of Company K, 1st Virginia Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel Gus W. Dorsey. Soberly, Heintzelman would hand his saber to Lee, who quietly doffed his hat before riding back to his lines to make preparations for Washington's occupation. In his post-war memoirs, Dorsey would note, "It seemed as if the whole world had their eyes transfixed on this moment, all of the creatures of it standing silent at the reckoning. Even if our horses remained still and quiet, guided by an unknown sense of the magnitude of the moment. Thus it came to pass that the capital of the Union would transfer from their hands to ours."

General Samuel Heintzelman, the soldier who both lost and saved Washington D.C.
​

The battle would prove to be quite bloody, costing the Confederates nearly 10,000 men, and the services of five brigade commanders killed in combat, Jerome Robertson, Alfred Iverson, Edward O'Neal, Joseph Davis, and Beverly Robertson. Also killed was William Pendleton, Lee's chief of artillery, who was surveying Washington's defenses with Lee, and was replaced by Edward P. Alexander. Perhaps the mostly personal loss for Lee, however, would be the lost of son Robert E. Lee Jr., who was serving as an aide to his brother Rooney Lee. The men who brought Lee in from the field would be an interesting trio, with two of them being Majors William Gist and Robert Lilley, but the third and most interesting being Richard R. Kirkland, the so-called "Angel of Marye's Heights", further enshrining him into Confederate legend. Another death that was in relation to the Army of Northern Virginia high command was that of Major John D. Barry, who recklessly tried to take on the entire crew of the 16th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery by himself, killing three before receiving a mortal shot to the skull. Supposedly his last words were "Tell General Jackson...that he need not worry about the charges of incompetence... he brought against Major Barry.", in reference to charges Jackson had pressed against him for his role in Colston's accidental death at Chancellorsville. One more change in command would come as a result of the battle as well. During the battle, General William "Extra Billy" Smith of Early's division would order his brigade to retreat without orders due to the heavy losses it was suffering. As a result, Lee would relieve him of command on the field, and give it to James Terrill, who was trying to rally the brigade. This action would later come back into the lime light in one of the most interesting events in the post-war CSA.

A small monument to Richard R. Kirkland in Fredericksburg, Virginia
​

The Union losses would be the entire garrison of Washington D.C., with only a small number of soldiers escaping across the Potomac. One interesting death to note would be that William Seward Jr., son of Secretary of State William Seward and commander of the 9th New York Heavy Artillery. As a result of the surrender of Washington, Lee also captured two senior U.S. Army officers who had stayed behind, Generals James B. Fry and Montgomery C. Meigs. Both would approach Lee after the battle. Fry would bring to Lee's attention the fact the now vindicated pro-Southern faction in Washington was threatening several Federal government buildings with arson, and requested Lee post some of his men to guard them. Lee would see to it that the buildings were guarded, commenting “When the British captured Washington, they burned it to the ground. I will not let the same happen under my command.” Meigs would approach Lee with a more angry tone, lambasting him for allowing his cavalry to be scourges to the North. Upon further conversation, Lee was able to find out Meigs' anger stemmed from the recent death of his son, killed by CSA cavalry while he and a few other engineers were attempting to repair telegraph wires. Lee would in turn reveal the death of his son, and soon both veteran military men were brought to tears by their losses of sons. Of interesting note was that in the skirmish that killed Meigs' son, the sole Confederate casualty would be one man killed, known Fire-Eater and the man who had been offered the first shot of the war, Roger A. Pryor, who was serving as a scout.

Generals James B. Fry and Montgomery C. Meigs
​

And thus the Union capital fell into Confederate hands. Yet the Union was not out of the fight yet, still having Sykes' slowly assembling Army of the Potomac, which, if it could recapture Washington, could turn the tide of the war back into the Union's favor.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Eight: The Sickles Conspiracy

General Daniel Sickles
​

With the fall of Washington, the failure of the Army of the Potomac to come to the city's rescue was highly critiziced by the U.S. government officials, now housed in the United States' temporary capital in Philadelphia. Calls for Sykes' relief were heard through out Congress, and one of Sykes' subordinates, Daniel Sickles, was all to happy to cooperate. Sickles had wanted command of the Army of the Potomac ever since Gettysburg, and expected it since he was the Army of the Potomac's senior officer following Gettysburg. Sykes' promotion to the job brought him great dissatisfaction, and it likely started Sickles' conspiracy against him. Sickles would first try to find allies among the officer corps of the Army of the Potomac. Sickles would find it in five officers. They were Alfred Pleasonton, Albion Howe, Daniel Butterfield, Hugh Kilpatrick, and John Cadwell. Sickles brought Howe to his side by promising him that he could retain his current command of the VI Corps, which he had received following Couch's resignation from it in disgust following Washington's fall. This was of great importance for Howe, as it seemed that Charles Schurz, his senior in rank, might be given the post. True to his word, Sickles ensured Howe maintained the command. Sickles' promise to Butterfield that upon his rise to command of the army, he would give his command of the III Corps to him, a post Butterfield had held at Fredericksburg before Hooker assigned him as his chief-of-staff. Sickles brought Cadwell into his fold by promising to see to it that the charges of cowardice pressed against him for his actions at Gettysburg would be dropped. Finally, Sickles promised Pleasonton and Kilpatrick something they could not resist, a backdating of their promotions. It seemed that Sickles failed to sway only one officer he tried to bring to his side, George Custer. Promising him the position of chief-of-staff of the Army of the Potomac, Custer would decline the offer, perfectly satisfied in his current post as a division commander of cavalry.

The other members of the Sickles' conspiracy: Alfred Pleasonton, Albion Howe, Daniel Butterfield, Hugh Kilpatrick, and John Cadwell
​

With loyal supporters behind him, Sickles and his fellow conspirators began an organized whisper and writing campaign against Sykes, planting the idea of Sykes' relief into the heads of many influential congressmen. When Washington fell, the idea that was planted sprouted into open remarks in Congress calling for Sykes' relief, and eventually, on the same day as Halleck's relief from command, Sykes would also lose his command, with it being given to the scheming Dan Sickles, who made sure to follow through on all his promises to his fellow conspirators. Unfortunately for Sykes, and conveniently for Sickles, all of Sykes' effort in pulling together the new Army of the Potomac had finally payed off, and by the time Sykes was relieved, the army was ready for Sickles to lead into battle. Provost Marshal of the Army of the Potomac Marsena Patrick would sum up the whole affair in saying “It has been my duty since my appointment to this post on the sixth of October of the last year to maintain order and stability amongst civilians and soldiers. I now see that perhaps I should providing more of my attention to the conduct of the generals."

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Nine: The Union Assault on Washington

A painting of Michael Corcoran leading his old command, the 69th New York, in a charge during the final stages of the battle by Matthew Kunstler
​

With the newly reformed Army of the Potomac under his command, Sickles felt confident in his ability to recapture Washington. However, his plans for what he would do following its recapture were quite different then that of the government he was serving. In a recently discovered letter to his wife, it was revealed that Sickles planned to declare himself the President of the United States following Washington's capture. This helps explain his decision to leave the XIII Corps under Edward O.C. Ord, which was his best and strongest corps, in Philadelphia, which he likely planned on using to seize the current U.S. government. The amount of this that his subordinates, or even his former allies in the conspiracy against Sykes knew about this was almost certainly none. With his ambitions dependent on the capture of Washington, Sickles would move out.

Sickles at the head of his army preparing to move out
​

Meanwhile, Lee had not wasted his time in the fortifications of Washington while the Army of the Potomac prepared. The men he had requested be raised were still raised despite his victory at Washington. He was further reinforced by transfers from other departments. The transferred infantry would be molded into the Provisional Corps under newly promoted Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell, while the cavalry was attached to Stuart's command similar to Imboden's men. By the time Sickles arrived at Washington, Lee was ready to take him on, having further strengthed his fortifications, and having all of his artillery, now carefully monitored by E.P. Alexander, prepared and ready for action.

Richard S. Ewell and Edward P. Alexander
​

The day of battle arrived on August 1, with Sickles arraying his troops to the North of Washington in a similar fashion to Lee's attack a few weeks ago. He also planned a similar attack as Lee's, a concentrated push against Washington's defenses with the majority of army. Sickles, however, made a miscalculation in this plan. While Lee's troops were battle-hardened veterans with high morale, most of Sickles troops were lacking in either morale or experience, with only the IX and XXI Corps having a fair mix of both. Sickles plan was for XXI Corps under Crittenden and the III Corps under Butterfield to lead the attacks, with the VI Corps under Howe, XXIII Corps under Burnside, the IX Corps under Parke, and the detached divisions under Seymour and Corcoran following up. Pleasonton and the cavalry were to have a similar function to Stuart and his cavalry during Lee's assault, scouting around the fortifications. With his plan ready, Sickles brought it to life.

A Kevin Rocco painting depicting the decimated remnants of the 6th Wisconsin, now in the III Corps, charging into action into action in front of Gettysburg
​

Sickles' plan went array almost immediately. The Confederate cannon shredded the advancing men, and soon the already dispirited III Corps began to rout to the rear. The XXI Corps, meanwhile continued to persevere, and eventually reached the fortification, but they would require support to sucessfully seize them. Sickles would advance these reinforcements too late, as he busied himself trying to rally his beloved III Corps, only sending the reinforcements after his efforts to rally the III failed repeatedly. The sight of the XXI Corps streaming back in rout disheartened these advancing troops, and ultimately, the death of one man would send them into utter rout: Ambrose Burnside.

General Ambrose Burnside: 1824-1863
​

Burnside, despite being previously hated by the men for his role in Fredericksburg and the Mud March, had redeemed himself in their eyes during the terrible days in Philadelphia. He had seen to it that they received good rations and care, and soon the mutton-chopped general had become beloved not just to his men, but the whole army, with even some calling for him to be reinstated as commander of the Army of the Potomac. With the bullet that pierced his heart also came the rout of the second Union wave, now resulting in the entirety of Sickles' army being in rout. With cannon shredding the retreating force, it seemed like Gettysburg all over again. This time, however, a pair of generals, would sacrifice themselves in order to guard Sickles' retreat. They were Michael Corcoran and Marsena Patrick.

Michael Corcoran and Marsena Patrick
​

Michael Corcoran had gained fame early in the war for a similar reason as Thomas F. Meagher, being he was someone who the U.S. Army could lift up as a hero to the Irishmen. As such, he lead the Irish 69th New York Infantry into combat at 1st Manassas, but he would be captured in that action, and he slipped out of the public eye. He would eventually be exchanged and be given his current assignment as a division commander, but he yearned to return into the public eye. Patrick, meanwhile, was Provost Marshal of the Army of the Potomac, and thus it was his job to maintain order in the ranks. Together, they would pull together several regiments that have gone down in U.S. history in what is often portrayed as a final attempt to capture Washington, which in reality was just a desperate rearguard action. The regiments they would rally are known by heart by even the most casual of Civil War historians: the 69th New York, the 155th Pennsylvania, the 5th New Hampshire, the 14th Indiana, the 140th New York, the 20th Maine, the 42nd Pennsylvania, the 6th Wisconsin, the 1st Minnesota, the 19th Indiana, the 69th Pennsylvania, the 1st United States Sharpshooters, and the 54th Massachusetts. The attack would be brutally slaughtered, with both Corcoran and Patrick falling killed, and no man in the above listed regiments above the rank of lieutenant surviving. Despite this, it remains a part of American folklore.

A painting of the 1st Minnesota in their last charge
​

Similar to their last charge, the Union Army of the Potomac suffered heavily both in officers and men. Besides Burnside, Corcoran, and Patrick, seven other generals would fall killed in the combat: Charles Griffin, James Ricketts, John M. Palmer, Horatio P. Van Cleve, Thomas Stevenson, Gouverneur Warren, and Julius Stahel. The injuring and subsequent capture of Union general, William B. Hazen, would have a major impact on history, as this is where he first met and befriended Confederate general John B. Gordon. The losses among the Union men counted to around 20,000, with the many more likely to have been captured only being prevented by the actions of Corcoran and Patrick. The Confederates, meanwhile, suffered surprisingly low losses, due to the fact they stayed behind fortifications for the entirety of the battle, and only engaged into hand-to-hand combat briefly, with their cannon doing most of the fighting for them, with a loss of only roughly 6,000 men. In a parody of Stuart's comment about his cavalry officers at Gettysburg, which was already had become famous through out the South, E.P. Alexander made his own comment, but this time in reference to himself and the artillery officers of the Army of Northern Virginia, calling them "the greatest concentration of artillery talent the world has ever seen." [1].

A painting of Confederate artillery at Washington under the command of Major Joseph W. Latimer​

The Union assault on Washington forever destroyed Union hopes in the Eastern Theater. Now the only hope of victory for the Union lay in the Western Theater, and particularly upon the sucessful execution of a campaign by William S. Rosecrans and the Army of the Cumberland.

[1]: The officers Alexander listed with this comment are as follows: E.P. Alexander, James B. Walton, J. Thompson Brown, Reuben L. Walker, Stapleton Crutchfield, Stephen D. Lee, Peyton Manning, Robert M. Stribling, Joseph Latimer, William R. J. Pegram, Richard S. Andrews, Robert A. Hardway, James Dearing, John T. Brown, Willis J. Dance, William T. Poague, Hilary P. Jones, Frank Huger, and Henry H. Carlton.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Union
Army of the Potomac
MG Daniel Sickles Commanding

III Corps: MG Daniel Butterfield
1st Division: BG James B. Ricketts
2nd Division: BG John C. Cadwell
3rd Division: BG Gouverneur Warren

VI Corps: MG Albion M. Howe
1st Division: BG James Barnes
2nd Division: BG Charles Griffin
3rd Division: MG Carl Schurz

IV Corps: MG John G. Parke
1st Division: BG Thomas Welsh
2nd Division: BG Robert B. Potter

XXI Corps: MG Thomas L. Crittenden
1st Division: BG Thomas J. Wood
2nd Division: MG John M. Palmer
3rd Division: BG Horatio P. Van Cleve

XXIII Corps: MG Ambrose Burnside
1st Division: BG Julius White
2nd Division: BG Milo S. Hascall

Cavarly Corps: MG Alfred Pleasonton
1st Division: BG Hugh J. Kilpatrick
2nd Division: BG George A. Custer
3rd Division: BG Julius Stahel

Detached 2nd Division from X Corps: BG Truman Seymour

Detached 1st Division from VII Corps: BG Michael Corcoran

Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia
Gen. Robert E. Lee Commanding
Chief of Staff: Robert Chilton
Chief of Artillery: Edward P. Alexander
Medical Director: Lafayette Guild
Military Secretary: Armistead L. Long
Aide-de-camps: Walter Taylor, Charles Marshall, Charles Venable

I Corps: LTG George H. Thomas
Anderson's Division: MG Richard Anderson
Wilcox's Brigade: BG Cadmus Wilcox
Mahone's Brigade: BG William Mahone
Wright's Brigade: BG Ambrose Wright
Lang's Brigade: Col. David Lang
Posey's Brigade: BG Carnot Posey
Johnson's Division: MG Edward Johnson
Kershaw's Brigade: BG Joseph B. Kershaw
Barksdale's Brigade: BG William Barksdale
Semmes' Brigade: BG Paul J. Semmes
Wofford's Brigade: BG William T. Wofford
McLaws' Brigade: BG Lafayette McLaws
Pender's Division: MG William D. Pender
Garnett's Brigade: BG Richard B. Garnett
Kemper's Brigade: BG James L. Kemper
Armistead's Brigade: BG Lewis A. Armistead
Pickett's Brigade: BG George E. Pickett
Jenkins' Brigade: BG Micah Jenkins
Corse's Brigade: BG Montgomery Corse
Artillery Reserve: Col. James B. Walton

II Corps: LTG Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Hill's "Light" Division: MG A.P. Hill
McGowan's Brigade: BG Samuel McGowan
Lane's Brigade: BG James H. Lane
Thomas' Brigade: BG Edward L. Thomas
Scales' Brigade: BG Alfred M. Scales
Early's Division: MG Jubal Early
Hays' Brigade: Col. Leroy Stafford
Smith's Brigade: Col. James B. Terrill
Hoke's Brigade: BG Robert F. Hoke
Gordon's Brigade: BG John B. Gordon
Rodes' "Stonewall" Division: MG Robert E. Rodes
Steuart's Brigade: BG George H. Steuart
Walker's "Stonewall" Brigade: BG James A. Walker
Nicholls' Brigade: BG Francis R.T. Nicholls
Jones' Brigade: BG John M. Jones
Artillery Reserve: Col. J. Thompson Brown

III Corps: LTG James Longstreet
Hill's Division: MG D.H. Hill
Daniel's Brigade: BG Julius Daniel
Doles' Brigade: BG George P. Doles
Iverson's Brigade: Col. Bryan Grimes
Ramseur's Brigade: BG Stephen D. Ramseur
O'Neal's Brigade: Col. Cullen A. Battle
Hood's Division: MG John B. Hood
Law's Brigade: Col. William C. Oates
Robertson's "Texas" Brigade: Col. Van. H. Manning
Anderson's Brigade: BG George T. Anderson
Benning's Brigade: BG Henry L. Benning
Trimble's Division: MG Isaac Trimble
Pettigrew's Brigade: BG James J. Pettigrew
Heth's Brigade: BG Henry Heth
Archer's Brigade: BG James J. Archer
Davis' Brigade: Col. Benjamin Humphreys
Artillery Reserve: Col. Reuben L. Walker

Cavalry Corps: MG J.E.B. Stuart
Hampton's Brigade: BG Wade Hampton III
Robertson's Brigade: Col. Laurence S. Baker
Fitz Lee's Brigade: BG Fitzhugh Lee
Jenkins' Brigade: BG Albert Jenkins
Rooney Lee's Brigade: BG William H.F. Lee
Jones' Brigade: BG William E. Jones
Stuart's Horse Artillery: Col. John Pelham
Imboden's Command (attached): BG John Imboden
Morgan's Command (attached): BG John H. Morgan
Williams' Command (attached): BG John S. Williams
Davidson's Command (attached): BG Henry B. Davidson

Provisional Corps: LTG Richard S. Ewell
Jones' Division: MG David R. Jones
McCausland's Brigade: BG John McCausland
Echols' Brigade: BG John Echols
Wharton's Brigade: BG Gabriel Wharton
Patton's Brigade: Col. George S. Patton
Ransom's Division: MG Robert Ransom
Ransom's Brigade: BG Matt Ransom
Cooke's Brigade: BG John R. Cooke
Lee's Brigade: Col. Edwin T. Lee
Johnson's Brigade: Col. Bradley T. Johnson
Elzey's Brigade: MG Arnold Elzey
Taliaferro's Brigade: BG William B. Taliaferro
Hagood's Brigade: BG Johnson Hagood
Wallace's Brigade: Col. William H. Wallace
Elliot's Brigade: Col. Stephen Elliott

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Ten: The Battle of Chickamauga Part One

A painting depicting General Benjamin H. Helm leading his division at Chickamauga
​

The event that would set the Battle of Chickamauga into motion would be the Tullahoma Campaign. Starting June 24, 1863, Union General William S. Rosecrans would finally be convinced to move his Army of the Cumberland out from their fortifications in Murfressboro, Tennessee, and advance on to Chattanooga. Standing between Rosecrans and Chattanooga, however, would be General Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee. Unfortunately for Rosecrans, Bragg occupied some of the best defensive territory in the Confederacy, making a successful offensive campaign seem nigh on impossible. Rosecrans, however, would continue with his goal, and the result would be the Tullahoma Campaign, in which Rosecrans pushed Bragg out of both Chattanooga and Tennessee by July 3 in some of the most brilliant maneuvering of the war.

General William Rosecrans, a map of the Tullahoma Campaign, and General Braxton Bragg
​

Rosecrans' victory brought some good news to a nation which faced defeat at Gettysburg, two forced withdrawals at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and a Confederate army rapidly closing in on their capital. Cries went up for Rosecrans to receive the formerly Halleck's now Grant's position of General-in-Chief, and even some called for his appointment to the rank of Lieutenant General. Flushed with success, Rosecrans would continue his movements south into Georgia, setting the stage for the Battle of Chickamauga. Rosecrans would face this battle with less troops than he had in the Tullahoma Campaign, however, as Thomas Crittenden and his XXI Corps would be sent to the Eastern Theater, with Rosecrans only being able to remove the brigade of Charles Harker to act as a garrison for Chattanooga before the corps removal from his command. Bragg's army, on the other hand, was swelled. First would be the reinforcements from the West. First among these was Franklin Gardner, who brought most of Port Hudson's garrison with him, leaving General William Beall in charge of the defenses. Second was William Loring and his division from the Army of Mississippi. Finally there was two divisions under Carter Stevenson and John S. Bowen from Vicksburg's garrison. Later on, Bragg was also receive reinforcements from the East, as they had successfully broken the Union assault on Washington, with an eager Longstreet agreeing to move with his III Corps to Bragg's support, while Lee, Jackson, Thomas, and Stuart effectively erased the Union Departments of Virginia and North Carolina from the map while Ewell and the newly transferred or raised troops garrisoned Washington. Rosecrans would be hesitant to face Bragg's army now with all its reinforcements, but Lincoln ordered him to bring the Union another victory, as while this was happening, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands were actively in a meeting with CSA diplomats to discuss whether they should recognize the CSA. Reluctantly, Rosecrans agreed, and continued into Georgia.

Generals Thomas Crittenden and William Loring
​

With the large influx of troops, Bragg decided to reorganize his army. It would divided into two wings under Lieutenant Generals Leonidas Polk and William J. Hardee. In Polk's wing would be Cheatham's division under Benjamin Cheatham, a newly organized corps under John Breckinridge containing his former division, now lead by Benjamin H. Helm, and Cleburne's division under Patrick Cleburne. Then there were the transferred divisions under Loring and Gardner. Finally, there was the Reserve Corps under William H.T. Walker, containing the divisions of States R. Gist and St. John Lidell. In Hardee's wing, there was Hindman's division under Thomas C. Hindman, Simon Buckner's corps consisting of the divisions of A.P. Stewart, William Preston, and Bushrod Johnson, the Vicksburg divisions of Bowen and Stevenson, and Longstreet's III Corps with the divisions of D.H. Hill, John B. Hood, and Isaac Trimble. Bragg would leave his two corps of cavalry under Joseph Wheeler and Nathan B. Forrest as they were.

Wing Commanders Leonidas Polk and William J. Hardee
​

Similar to Gettysburg, Chickamauga would begin as a skirmish which escalated into a full scale battle. This time, it would be a skirmish between the Union "Lightning" Brigade under John T. Wilder, who were equipped with Spencer repeating rifles, and St. John Lidell's division. This skirmish quickly grew into a battle, and by the next morning, both sides had their full armies on the field ready for battle. Rosecrans' plan was simple. He would fight a defensive battle, with XX Corps under Alexander McCook and the XIV Corps under James Negley holding the line, the Reserve Corps under Gordon Granger funneling reinforcements to where they were needed. Bragg's plan was more complex. Knowing that Rosecrans would likely fight defensive due to his lesser numbers, Bragg decided to use a flanking strategy. While Hardee's wing held the Union front, and appeared to be the whole army, Polk's corps would attack the Union right under McCook, with Breckinridge's corps, Cheatham's division, and Forrest's cavalry leading the attack, with the rest of Polk's wing to attack when the Union right fell into chaos, and Wheeler's cavalry held in reserve behind Hardee's line to strike when the Union line routed. Bragg's entire plan hinged on the idea the McCook would leave his right weak enough that in could sucumb to a flanking attack, like he had done at Perryville and Stones River. As Polk's wing set off with the sun's rise, the bloodiest day of the Civil War began.

Generals Nathan B. Forrest and Patrick Cleburne at the head of Polk's wing​

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Eleven: The Battle of Chickamauga Part Two

A painting of Cleburne at Chickamauga by Daniel Troiani
​

When the head of Polk's assault column arrived at the Union right, they were relieved to find it unprepared for action, as they were focused on one of Hardee's attack, which had been going on since the sun's rise. Similar to Jackson's attack at Chancellorsville, Polk's wing took McCook completely by surprise, and the right flank of the Army of the Cumberland would be completely shattered, with McCook's corps being thrown into a total rout. Meanwhile, Bragg, who was with Hardee's wing, heard of the success of Polk's attack. Knowing that all that was needed now for the Army of the Cumberland to shatter was for Negley's corps to break, Bragg ordered for Hardee's wing to attack Negley's corps one last time, with this time Bragg personally riding forward with his men into action. The decision would prove to be his undoing, as two Union musket shots would lodge themselves into Bragg's stomach. Being carried from the field, Bragg would turn over command of the Army of Tennessee to Leonidas Polk.

An image depicting the advance of Hardee's wing on Negley's corps
​

With McCook's corps routing past him, and now being attacked from two sides, Negley would try to make a defensive stand, but a bullet would wound him, and his men would rout, leaving their corps commander behind to be captured. This left Rosecrans with one solid infantry formation left on the field, the Reserve Corps under Gordon Granger. Rosecrans would order these men to act as a rearguard while the rest of the army fled back to Chattanooga. Demoralized by the sight of the rest of the army abandoning them, the Reserve Corps, along with small portions of Army of the Cumberland who Granger managed to rally for his stand, would still hold their ground, but only because of the rallying sight of Gordon Granger. So when Granger, along with Philip H. Sheridan, the second highest ranking officer staying with the rearguard, were killed by a cannon shot, the men routed. Also injured by the shot would be Rosecrans' chief-of-staff, James Garfield, who would have a small piece of sharpnel pierce his arm with a amputation almost necessitated by it.

A detail form a Kurz & Allison lithograph of Granger's stand and a photograph of Gordon Granger
​

With nothing standing between themselves and Rosecrans' army, Polk would order a pursuit. Retracing their steps, Polk would chase Rosecrans all the way back to Chattanooga. Their Rosecrans decided to sacrifice a portion of his army to ensure the escape of the rest. Rosecrans would order the battered divisions of Joseph J. Reynolds and Philip Sheridan to hold the city, under the command of Joseph J. Reynolds. Despite Chattanooga's great defensive ground, Polk would decide to continue his attack, and ordered his tired but still battle-ready men into the city.

A painting of Cleburne's division storming into Chattanooga
​

The Union forces in Chattanooga, fighting with the spirit of men who know their cause is lost would put up a determined resistance, causing the heaviest Confederate losses of the day. Eventually, they would rout. For the moment, it seemed the battle was won, and Polk rode to the front to observe the routing Union soldiers. However, there was still one Union reserve left, Charles Harker and his brigade, which Rosecrans had taken from the XXI Corps to garrison Chattanooga. These men would charge into the unprepared Confederates killing both Leonidas Polk with a shot to the skull, and Zach C. Deas, the brigade commander who he was riding by. Eventually even their fury was driven back, as the death of Harker and Colonel Emerson Opdycke, the man who had led the charge, broke their morale.

A Daniel Troiani painting depicting Opdycke moments before his death.
​

With his men routed and tired, and himself mortally wounded, Joseph J. Reynolds would surrender Chattanooga and all the remains of the two divisions garrisoning it to Hardee, who had taken over command of the Army of Tennessee following Polk's fall. Thus ended both the bloodiest day and battle of the Civil War. Losses were heavy on both sides. For the Union, almost 37,000 men went down, ending the Army of the Cumberland as a fighting force. Rosecrans would lose two corps commanders, Granger killed and Negley wounded and captured. Negley would survive his wound, and go own to great fame after the war for memoirs. He would lose three division commanders, Sheridan killed and Reynolds and Richard W. Johnson mortally wounded. Seven Union brigade commanders would be killed or mortally wounded at Chickamauga: John C. Starkweather, John H. King, John T. Croxton, John B. Turchin, William H. Lytle, Charles Harker, and John T. Wilder. Confederates losses would number slightly over 15,000 men, with many officers going down. Bragg would succumb to his wounds, leaving Hardee as permanent commander of the Army of Tennessee. Longstreet would take over Hardee's wing, with D.H. Hill now leading Longstreet's III Corps, and Stephen D. Ramseur D.H. Hill's division. Cheatham would take command of Polk's wing, with William B. Bate taking command of his division. Cleburne would take command of the Reserve Corps because of Walker's death, leaving Lucius Polk to command the division. Finally Archibald Gracie and Lloyd Tilghman would receive command of William Preston's and William Loring's division respectively, much to the annoyance of Felix Zollicoffer, who had hoped for Loring's command. Six Confederate brigade commanders would be killed: Daniel W. Adams, John K. Jackson, Patton Anderson, James Deshler, Zach C. Deas, and Preston Smith, who would become the last man killed in the battle while leading a charge of about a dozen of his men against three Union soldiers hiding behind a mostly broken stone wall.

A picture of Chattanooga National Cemetery
​

Following the battle's conclusion, Private, soon to be Corporal Sam Watkins wrote in his diary, “After the horrors of that day, I wanted the war to be over, and my concern over the victor was supplanted by my concern for the fallen to come if the war continued.” Watkins' desire would come true, as Chickamauga would be the last major battle of the American Civil War. Now with most of its armies in ruins, Lincoln could no longer perform offensive operations, and could only pull back his forces in defense of the United States. The day after Lincoln received news of the defeat of Chickamauga, Lincoln would also receive the news that the European convention had decided to recognize the CSA as an independent nation.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Twelve: The U.S. Election of 1864

A political poster made by the Pendleton's campaign
​

With most of his armies fought out and European recognition of the CSA, Lincoln would acknowledge the war had been lost under his watch, and the Union stood no chance of a successful campaign against the CSA. He was also unwilling, however, to have the peace terms that tore apart the Union approved during his term. The CSA was more than fine with this, hoping that the next election would bring a more favorable candidate into the White House. Thus began a 16 month period of relative peace. One major action would happen during it, however. In an almost completely opposed campaign, Stonewall Jackson and the II Corps would march through West Virginia and Maryland. Seeing no aid coming from a war-weary Union, West Virginia would rescind its secession from Virginia, and Maryland would declare its secession from the United States. The lack of military action against this stemmed from the fact that almost all the troops garrisoning these states were pulled out to help reform the Army of the Potomac, and when Lincoln asked Sickles, who still remained commander of the Army of the Potomac and who remained popular after his failed assault on Washington because of his supposed heroics in the battle, whether they should move against this, Sickles would reply that his command was not fit to face an enemy corps, let alone under Stonewall Jackson. Nonetheless, when it looked like the Army of Tennessee was preparing to march into Kentucky, Lincoln would rapidly move Grant and the Army of the Tennessee into the state, halting any CSA plans.

A Matthew Kunstler painting depicting Jackson's March
​

The Republican National Convention, held on June 7 through 10 would see the party split into two main factions. First were those who support Lincoln as the candidate, with the goal of strong peace negotiations with the CSA, and holding out longer if necessary. The second faction in the Republican Party were the Peace Republicans, who favored peace at any cost a necessity of maintaining power. Ultimately, the two factions were unable to compromise, leading in the Peace Republicans walking out. This left the Lincoln's supporters and War Democrats who supported the platform as they opposed the current Democratic platform of peace at any cost with the South. Calling themselves the National Union Party, they almost fully supported Lincoln's renomination for president, and eventually decided on the nomination of Andrew Johnson, former representative, senator, governor and current military governor of Tennessee, as vice-president as an acknowledgment of the War Democrats' support. Interestingly, support for an amendment which would abolish slavery was not part of the National Union platform, which was done to appease the War Democrats.

A campaign poster for the National Union Party
​

The Peace Republicans, meanwhile, would eventually organize and nominate a candidate. Now referring to themselves as the Republican Party, as the party they had walked out on now referred to itself as the National Union Party, they met and decided on a candidate. Their nomination for president would be Montgomery Blair, Lincoln's former Postmaster General who had resigned after Lincoln refused to act after Maryland's secession. For vice-president their candidate would be General Benjamin Butler, a man with a past of switching political views in the name of gaining power and prestige. What Butler did not know, however, was that he was not the convention's first choice. That honor went to Edward Everett, who had been offered the role, but turned it down, saying that despite the fact he supported their platform, he did not want to run against Lincoln.

The Republican Candidates: Montgomery Blair and Benjamin Butler
​

Finally, there was the Democratic Party. With the party now completely in the control of the Peace Democrats, or Copperheads as their opponents called them, the candidate of the Democrats would surely stand on a platform of immediate peace with the South. The three main candidates for the presidential nomination were New York Governor Horatio Seymour, Kentucky Senator Lazarus Powell, and Ohio Representative George H. Pendleton. Seymour would immediately decline the nomination, with Powell eventually following after his example, clearing the war Pendleton receive the nomination. The contest for the Democratic nomination for vice-president would be much more fierce than the presidential nomination, with many more candidates. The candidates were New Jersey General George B. McClellan, former Connecticut Governor Thomas Seymour, Indiana Representative Daniel Voorhees, New York Representative Fernando Wood, former Ohio Representative Clement Vallandigham, and former Iowa Senator Augustus C. Dodge. McClellan would have the lead in the beginning, but when he made clear he supported continuing the war, he was dropped. Ultimately, after a fierce battle, the nomination would go to Thomas Seymour, with the hopes that his New England roots would balance Pendleton's Midwestern.

George Pendleton and Thomas Seymour
​

The election campaigning for the election of 1864 would be fierce. The Democrats had the lead in that they weren't associated with starting the war, but they also had to deal the accusations of treason and working with the South. The National Union Party, meanwhile, would have to withstand attacks from both the Democrats and Republicans, and were blamed the most for starting the war. They would still find support, however, in most War Democrats and hoped to gain the soldier vote. Finally, the Republicans hoped that by attacking Lincoln and the National Union Party, they could avoid blame for the war, but many people still blamed them. They would, however, be able to avoid much of stigma attached to Lincoln due to his support of abolition.

A highly republished cartoon created by the National Union Party to attack the Democratic Party as "Copperheads"

A cartoon made by the Democrats, showing Copperheads snakes overpowering President Lincoln

A carefully made Republican cartoon, which tries to associate Democrats with secession, while not bashing peace
​

In the end, the election went as everyone suspected it would. Pendleton would seize both the election and the presidency with 175 electoral votes, as opposed to Lincoln's 56, and Blair's 0. Pendleton would win Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Lincoln would win California, Oregon, Nevada, Kansas, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. While Blair managed to win no electoral votes, he would manage to split the former Republican Party vote, throwing states like Connecticut and Pennsylvania to the Democrats. Upon receiving word that he was the president elect of the United States, Pendleton would announce what the first thing he would do when he was sworn in: Begin negotiations with the CSA for peace which would recognize Southern independence.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Thirteen: The Treaty of Washington

A meeting Jefferson Davis held with men he was considering to send to the peace convention
​

Pendleton would be true to his word, and upon taking office, he would send a letter to Jefferson Davis so they could plan the peace convention. Davis agreed to wanting peace, and soon the plans were set. The conference would be held in Washington beginning on April 17. Each country would send three representatives. After a while, it was decided from who the representatives could be chosen. They were to be the Vice-President, Secretary of State, and army officer with the rank of colonel or higher. This made Thomas Seymour and Daniel Voorhees two of the U.S. representatives, and Alexander Stephens and Judah Benjamin two of the CSA representatives. Both sides agreed to the terms, and went about with the preparations. Pendleton would choose Major General John A. Dix, the highest ranked general in the U.S. volunteer army, to be his army officer representative. Dix was intentionally hesitant about accepting, but ultimately accepted the post. Davis would choose General Samuel Cooper, the highest officer in the CSA Army, to be his representative. He would have preferred Robert E. Lee, but he declined the post. With the time, location, and representatives selected, the peace negotiations began on their scheduled time.

The CSA commissioners: Vice-President Alexander Stephens, Secretary of State Judah Benjamin, and General Samuel Cooper

The USA commissioners: Vice-President Thomas Seymour, Secretary of State Daniel Voorhees, and Major General John Dix
​

Even at the beginning of the meeting, it was clear that the CSA had the negotiating advantage. Not only were they negotiating from a position of strength, but the U.S. was also actively trying to end the war as quickly as possible, and was willing to accept more of their demands. The CSA also had a stronger team of commissioners. Both Cooper and Dix were rather passive due to their age, but in comparing the vice-president, Stephens was clearly Seymour superior both in terms of experience and overall negotiating skill. This left the U.S. with one strong commissioner: Daniel Voorhees. Voorhees would take the lead of the U.S. negotiating commission, despite that role being assigned to the vice-presidents. Due to their mutual affability, Voorhees would become quite friendly with Judah Benjamin, starting a friendship that would last past the peace meeting.

The East Room of the White House, where the commissioners met
​

The major issue that the peace meeting would have to solve would be territory. It was rapidly agreed upon that the all states that had declared their secession from the United States would be recognized, even Maryland's recent secession and West Virginia's rescission of it. In a painful pill to swallow, it was acknowledged that Washington D.C. would now belong to the CSA, and that it was to be recognized as their new capital. The U.S. commissioners, however, would be able to secure the independence of West Virginia's four northernmost counties, which would be annexed into Pennsylvania, and for it to be offered as an alternative to West Virginians not wanting to live in the CSA. Kentucky, Delaware, and Missouri were also able to be secured to the Union. One issue that was easily solved was allowing the CSA to be given the Indian Territory. Not as easy would be whether the CSA Arizona Territory would be given to them. Eventually, however, the Arizona Territory would be secured for the South.

Washington D.C.
​

The most tense debate surrounded, like usual, the issue of slavery. The CSA wanted guarantees from the North that they would not harbor run away slaves, and anyone who did would be handed over to the CSA for prosecution. At this, the U.S. commissioners final put an end to their accepting of CSA demands. After much tense debate, it was agreed upon the the U.S. would not harbor escaped slaves, but the prosecution and punishment of those helping them would occur in the North, not in the South. As a result of this agreement, the CSA was able to get a guarantee that the U.S. would remove all its troops within the CSA borders out by the next month. The last major thing to be agreed upon by both sides was that there were to be no reparations for the war. The treaty would be sent to their respective presidents, and approved by their respective Senates. The USA and CSA were at peace, and the CSA was now an independent country.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Fourteen: The Fall of Two Giants
​

After the Civil War had ended, two of the most important leaders during it would suffer two unfortunate ends. One of these leaders would be former Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scott. After the Union's defeat and dissolution in the war, many people observed that the former commanding general of the United States army was very depressed, and frequently locked himself away from all others for extended periods of time. When it was inquired what was causing Scott's sadness, he would respond "First my wife of 45 years has died, now my country to whom I have been married to for even longer is dead. What do I have left to live for?" Scott's depression would only grow worse with time, until he was finally broken by it. On July 4, 1865, several dignitaries came to Scott's house to ask for a comment from him on the event. Instead, they would find the longest-serving general in U.S. history slain by his own hand lying on the floor. Scott's death was called by the some to be the last causality of the Civil War, and the old general was laid to rest in West Point Cemetery, a school he never attended.

Winfield Scott, 1786-1865
​

The other important leader to fall would be the Union's commander-in-chief through out the whole war, Abraham Lincoln. Following his defeat for a second term in the White House, Lincoln would return to his Springfield home and continue his law practice with William Herndon, acting as if he had never been elected president of the United States. The bitter country, however, was not so quick in getting over and trying to forget the horrors of the war. Death threats via the mail were now a constant, almost daily part of Lincoln's life now. He would mostly ignore them, but when someone burned his house down, he was finally convinced to allow a small bodyguard of friends, associates, and family to accompany him, consisting of Ward Hill Lamon, Leonard Swett, John Hay, John Nicolay, William Herndon, and Robert Lincoln. Despite all their best efforts, Lincoln remained sure that God was protecting him, and if something was to happen to himself, it would be out of his control. Eventually, one of the hundreds of death threats that were sent to Lincoln were finally acted on. When walking to his law office one day with his bodyguards, a man would jump out from behind the corner they were approaching. The man was a die-hard Copperhead who had lost a son at Chickamauga, and personally blamed Lincoln for it, and intended on avenging his son with blood. The first shot the man fired would fatally hit John Hay, who the man mistook for Robert Lincoln. He would yell at Lincoln how did it feel to watch his son die both aiming his second shot at the former president. He would manage to fire it before Lamon tackled him to the ground, and Nicolay, who had also been carrying a firearm, dispatched the assassin with a shot to the heart, avenging the death of his friend. When the chaos settled, Lincoln's remaining bodyguards would find the former president lying on the ground. The assassin's bullet had met its mark, lodging itself in Lincoln's head. Lincoln's guards would carry his body to the apartment he now lived in and laid him on the bed which he used before contacting the authorities. Despite being hated during his time as president, the nation still showed a great outpouring of grief for their slain commander-in-chief, mourning as he was laid to rest in Springfield.

Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1865​

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Fifteen: The Pendleton Presidency

President George Pendleton
​

President Pendleton would have an advantage that no previous president, with the exception of Monroe, had. The both of the country and congress were overwhelming in support of him, stemming from the general consensus that the Republicans had lost the war. Pendleton would also have a solid defensive line of publishers, like C. Chauncey Burr, Benjamin Wood, Marcus M. Pomeroy, William T. Davidson, and Wilbur F. Storey. All the most powerful positions in Congress, such as a Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee were also in Democratic hands, filled by Samuel S. Cox, William A. Richardson, Fernando Wood, and William A. Wallace respectively. This allowed Pendleton unprecedented leeway in his policies, leading him to doing things that no previous presidents had done. One of these things would be filling his cabinet without a care about regional or political balance, filling it almost completely Midwesterners with only one exception. Pendleton's cabinet, however, would not be the most controversial thing he would do with his unrivaled power.

Samuel S. Cox, William A. Richardson, Fernando Wood, and William A. Wallace
​

Pendleton's most famous use of his unlimited presidential power would involve his attempt to bring the Supreme Court securely into Democratic hands. At the time of Pendleton's presidency, there was an equal number of Republican leaning and Democratic leaning justices in the Supreme Court, with 5 supporting each side. Hoping to place the court securely into Democratic hands, Pendleton would see to it that impeachment charges would be brought against the three most Republican leaning justices, Chief Justice Ira Harris and Associate Justices Samuel F. Miller and David Davis. With Congress comfortably in Democratic control, all three judges would be impeached, leaving an opening for three new Democratic justices. Pendleton would fill it with George W. Woodward as Chief Justice, and Lazarus Powell and Thomas A. Hendricks as Associate Justices. Republican outcry against this move would be strong, but also the minority.

George Woodward, Lazarus Powell, and Thomas Hendricks
​

Two more interesting things of note would happen during Pendleton's presidency. First would be his continued support of Greenbacks, which surprised many people as they were started by Lincoln. The other interesting thing of note would also involve Lincoln. Following Lincoln's assassination, Pendleton would come to worry about his security, especially since there were two rival countries on the continent. With this in mind, he would create a organization of presidential bodyguards. Pendleton would select many former Union soldiers for it in an attempt to help secure the soldiers' vote. The organization would finally come into existence in 1866, but originally the members of it had no name. Eventually, C. Chauncey Burr would refer to them as the "Black Guard" in his magazine in reference to the black coats many wore. The name would stick, and it eventually was accepted by the organization.

Some of the first members of the "Black Guard"
​

Besides his nominations in the aftermath of the impeachment of the Republican justices, President Pendleton would make one more nomination to the Supreme Court. In 1865, Associate Justice John Catron would pass away, opening up a vacancy in the court. To fill it, Pendleton would nominate Augustus C. Dodge, who most recently had sought to be nominated as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in 1864, but had previously served as an Iowa Senator and Ambassador to Spain. Dodge's greatest credential in Pendleton's eyes, however, was being a pro-peace Democrat. Unsurprisingly, Dodge was approved by wide margins.

Associate Justice Augustus C. Dodge
​

Overall, by the time Pendleton reached the end of his first term, it looked like it would be an up-hill struggle for him to achieve a second. The threat to him, however, came not from the Republicans, but rather members of his own party. By nominating many Midwesterners to his high-ranking positions, Pendleton had managed to gain the ire of many of the higher-ups in the Democratic Party, who wanted the Democratic power base to return the East coast, as it currently resided in the Midwest, which had likely given Pendleton both the presidential nomination and the election. It also seemed that a new man had entered into the attention of the Democratic Party, and possibly had the popularity to steal the nomination from Pendleton.

That man would be Major General Daniel Sickles.

Pendleton and his cabinet:
President: George Pendleton
Vice-President: Thomas Seymour
Secretary of State: Daniel Voorhees
Secretary of the Treasury: Jesse D. Bright
Secretary of War: Clement Vallandigham
Attorney General: Alexander Long
Postmaster General: Horatio Seymour
Secretary of the Navy: Lewis W. Ross
Secretary of the Interior: Edson B. Olds

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Sixteen: The Post-War Presidency of Jefferson Davis

President Jefferson Davis
​

With the war over, and the CSA now fully independent and recognized by the great nations of the world, many expected that Davis would have a more relaxed presidency. This was not be, however. He remained ever vigilant, still focusing most of his attention on the military, as he had done during the Civil War. Despite, demobilization of the Confederate Army was something that Davis was forced to accept, even if he treated it like a bitter pill. This task, however, proved to be of monumental proportions, however. The size of it would cause James Seddon to resign from his post as Secretary of War, which he claimed was because he feared he lacked the strength and skill to fulfill it, but likely was because he preferred the position of Senator from Virginia, which he would get, replacing Allen T. Caperton in the next senatorial elections, to overseeing the demobilization of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and exhausting and thankless task. Davis would look for a man to fill the now vacated position, and found it in John C. Breckinridge, a general from Kentucky who was currently serving as a representative from Virginia, his new adopted home state. He would accept the post, and rapidly go to work.

James Seddon and John Breckinridge
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Breckinridge would quickly set to work reforming the Confederate Army, starting first with the task of deciding which officers to retain at which rank. It was decided that this process would done under the oversight of military officers, rather politicians who Breckinridge feared would be to susceptible to outside motivations. Also well aware of the existence of army politics, of which he had been a witness first hand, and officer favoritism, Breckinridge decided to exclude the most senior generals from the decision making process as well, as he believed they were the biggest practitioners of that blight. Ultimately, Breckinridge presented Davis with the five men he had chosen to consist of the selection committee: Major Generals Robert E. Rodes of Virginia, William D. Pender of North Carolina, Patrick Cleburne of Arkansas, William B. Bate of Tennessee, and Brigadier General John B. Gordon of Georgia. While the selection of full-ranking Generals and Lieutenant Generals was left to President Davis himself, everyone from the rank of major general down was left to the mercy of the committee. Surprisingly, the committee found little trouble with getting enough enlisted men to remain the army, as the glory of the seemingly impossible victory still remained fresh in the minds of many an enthusiastic young private, who eagerly agreed to sign on for more years of service, especially if the Union had left them little to return to at home. The process of shifting through both active and injured generals to decide on rank would ultimately prove more difficult. Many a former general left the hearings relegated to the rank of brigadier general, colonel, or even lieutenant colonel is some rare cases. Despite this, the majority of the generals the committee truly hoped remained with the army stayed, and their ultimate goal of reducing the officer corps had been achieved, if by a somewhat unfortunate manner.

The members of Breckinridge's selecting committee: Robert E. Rodes, William D. Pender, Patrick Cleburne, William B. Bate, and John B. Gordon
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Another one of Breckinridge's reforms were to bring all the CSA cavalry forces into one command, the Cavalry Corps. To no ones surprise, command of this corps went to J.E.B. Stuart, who would also receive a Lieutenant General's commission with it. Stuart would be thrilled by the news, with many commenting that it rivaled the joy he felt after his successful action at Gettysburg, but his joy was short-lasting. The cavalry corps brought together two different types of cavalry, with very different views of the purpose of it, with them being referred to as the "Raiders" and "Cavaliers" by modern historians. Among the Raiders were men like Nathan B. Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, John H. Morgan, and William E. Jones. Among the Cavaliers were men like Wade Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee, Turner Ashby, and Rooney Lee. The friction between the two groups was fierce, and it rubbed Stuart the hardest. Soon, order became hard to maintain, and it rapidly became clear to Stuart that he was going to have to side with one group or the other. Stuart would side with the group he knew best, the Cavaliers, and as a result, the Raiders began both a whisper and newspaper campaign against him. The final snapping point for Stuart was when he discovered a petition being passed around the senior officers of the Cavalry Corps intended for Breckinridge and Davis. Its request was that Stuart be relieved of command of the Cavalry Corps. At first, Stuart was not disturbed or surprised by the list of men whose name were attached, as all were known raiders. The name that brought Stuart to despair was that of Wade Hampton, who it is believed signed the petition as revenge for his brother's death at Brandy Station, which he believed could have been avoided if Stuart had been more vigilant. Stuart would show the petition to several of his closest officer confidants, including Fitzhugh Lee, Tom Rosser, Channing Price, and John S. Mosby. Eventually Stuart would be so depressed by the now constant newspaper attacks against him that he tendered his resignation to Breckinridge, and returned to his Virginia home, never again to engage in public affairs. Breckinridge would then give the command to Nathan B. Forrest.

Nathan B. Forrest
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One more event would rock the army during Davis' presidency. General William "Extra Billy" Smith was still smarting from being relieved of command during the CSA assault on Washington, but he remained in the army, although he was demoted to the rank of colonel in the post-war reorganization. He, however, had a growing hatred towards the army's senior officers, then Davis, and eventually the CSA as a whole. He believed he had been better off living in the United States, and decided to become a traitor. He promised that in exchange for the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army, he would reveal as many of the South's military secrets as he knew. Unfortunately for Smith, this letter would become public knowledge when Pendleton would reveal it to Davis, hoping to make it appear that he had no ill-will towards the South. This would lead to the treason trial of Smith, which was unprecedented in CSA history. Breckinridge decided that there would be twelve seats in the court, with one for an officer from each CSA state, and an additional one to represent the officers from the border-states. When Smith learned of this, he requested that no West-Pointers, a group he despised, be appointed to a seat, which was denied. He later would request that Jubal Early, who appeared likely to receive Virginia's seat, would not be given it. This time, Smith's request was granted [1]. Smith would know that his fate was essentially sealed before the court-martial even started, so he decided to spite Jefferson Davis in his choice of a lawyer. He would choice Edward Pollard, a man with a history of anti-Davis articles. As Smith and almost everyone predicted, the court-martial was rapidly decided, with a unanimous decision that Smith was guilty of treason, and that his punishment should be execution by hanging. Smith's execution would be done in private, with only one captain, and four privates being a witness to it.

Governor and General William "Extra Billy" Smith, 1797-1866
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Overall, the Davis presidency was generally held as a success by the general populace, though they were certainly not by all, and most of his popularity stemmed from his successful execution of the war. With a single term limit, it remained unclear who would take up the reigns of the Confederate presidency when Davis left office in 1868, thus leading to one of the most bitter and hard-fought presidential elections in CSA history.

[1] The members of the court are as follows: Robert Rodes of Virginia, William D. Pender of North Carolina, Patrick Cleburne of Arkansas, David Lang of Florida, John B. Gordon of Georgia, Benjamin F. Cheatham of Tennessee, John B. Hood of Texas, Cullen A. Battle of Alabama, Richard Taylor of Louisiana, Richard Anderson of South Carolina, Benjamin G. Humphreys of Mississippi, and John G. Walker of Missouri.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Seventeen: The CSA Election of 1867

A depiction of people voting in the election​

The CSA Election of 1867 would be one of the most divisive in the history of the South. It was the first term there was ever two major candidates up for election, and both had very different views on how to run the country. It would see the formation of two main political ideologies, which would lay the ground works for the political parties of the future. It would also help set the CSA on the path it would go on. Overall, while it was also divisive, it was also among the most decisive elections in the history of the CSA.

With Jefferson Davis leaving office, he figured that the two main candidates in the election would form from the camp of people for him, and against him. Knowing as such, Davis made sure he had an important voice in selecting the candidate from the camp of people supporting him. The person Davis first approached would be a man sure to win election if he ran, Robert E. Lee, who was like a Washington to the South. Lee, however, would decline, stating that he wanted spend time with his family at home after having been gone so long. The next two people Davis approached, George H. Thomas and Stonewall Jackson both declined, with Thomas famously saying “I will not accept if nominated, and will not serve if elected, as I do not think myself equal to the role.”, which is where the Thomas Tongue, which is when someone declares clearly he will not run for an office, derives its name. Thomas also claimed that he was spending time looking for a new wife, and that he wanted to spend more time with his family, who had helped him through the death of his previous wife only a month into their marriage. Davis would then consider Judah Benjamin, but it was pointed out that Benjamin was already a rather unpopular man, and that they were going to need all the support they could muster. Finally, Davis asked a candidate who agreed to run, John Breckinridge. Breckinridge had both experience as a politician, having served as vice-president, senator, and representative in the U.S. and secretary of war and representative in the CSA, and was a war hero, having played an important role in the Battle of Chickamauga. Breckinridge would run with Benjamin Hill, a very pro-Davis senator from Georgia, after Davis' original choice, CSA Ambassador to the United States Clement C. Clay, turned down the nomination. They ran on a platform of easing of relationships with the North, while maintaining and reforming the army, expansion and settling on the West by poor whites to stop the banditry and U.S. excursions currently plaguing it, and increasing industry and trade while moving away and becoming less dependent on the plantation system.

John Breckinridge and Benjamin Hill
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The anti-Davis faction of the South would also organize, and for their candidate, they managed to convince one the main men in forming the South to run for them, Robert Toombs. While Toombs had an impressive political career in the U.S., serving as both a representative and senator, his career in the CSA had been less so. He had served as the first secretary of state for all of six months before resigning to join the Army of Northern Virginia, in which he served inconspicuously except at Antietam. He ran with Henry S. Foote, who had served as Mississippi's governor and senator in the U.S. before serving as a representative for it in the CSA. He was known to be fiercely anti-Davis, perhaps the most anti-Davis of anyone in the CSA Congress. Toombs and Foote ran on a platform of low tariffs and increasing and trying to spread the plantation system, while maintaining the cold relationship with the U.S.

Robert Toombs and Henry Foote
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The campaigning for the election took a fierce turn almost immediately. Toombs began to immediately attack Breckinridge at where they most disagreed, the plantation system and whether to expand or slowly phase it out. Toombs accused Breckinridge as trying to destroy the CSA by destroying a key part of it, even going so far as to call Breckinridge an abolitionist. Breckinridge would respond to these attacks by pointing out that the plantation system was an incredibly risky thing to place your economy upon, as there were always the chance of a bad season or a infestation of vermin or insects. He also tried to appeal to poorer Southerners by saying he would see to it that they receive land out west to increase their economic prosperity, while Toombs wanted to give all the land to his wealthy allies. This appealed to many poor Southerners, and seemed to threaten to turn Toombs' home state of Georgia into Breckinridge's favor. This was only aided when Howell Cobb, a man well respected in Georgia came out in favor of Breckinridge. Breckinridge also gained the favor of the army with his promised reform. Nonetheless, Toombs appealed to many of more rich in the South with his promise of maintaining plantation rule. It remained unclear who would win the presidency by the time election day arrived.

A political meeting held in Georgia to discuss the two candidates
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As everyone expected, the election was extremely close. In the end, however, Breckinridge would manage to narrowly secure victory, receiving 47 electoral votes to Toombs' 29. Breckinridge had won five states, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, while Toombs won six, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. While Toombs had won more states, Breckinridge had won more popular and electoral votes. The results would set Toombs off in fume, particularly against Howell Cobb, whose campaigning for Breckinridge had cost Toombs his own home state. The CSA had chosen the path it wanted to follow.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Eighteen: The U.S. Election of 1868

A picture of New York City during the election, with several people talking about who they plan to vote for
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With election of 1868 rapidly approaching, Pendleton was begin to doubt if he could retain his seat as president of the United States. Despite quickly bringing a war to an end, he was becoming rather unpopular within his own party, due to appointing Midwesterners to jobs that the Democratic leadership, focused mostly in the East Coast wanted to be given to their men. There was also the rising star of the Democratic Party, Daniel Sickles. Despite failing to recapture Washington, Sickles maintained his popularity both with the general populace and his soldiers by his reported heroics in the battle, and all the awards and better conditions he gave to the men under his command. He also had a long history with the Democratic Party, and knew many important people. When the convention came, it rapidly became clear that the popular Sickles, not the increasingly unpopular Pendleton would receive the nomination. The Democrats, however, acknowledged that a large reason for their current domiance stemmed from support from the Midwest, and to acknowledge this, they nominated Daniel Voorhees, Pendleton's popular and well-liked secretary of state for the vice-presidency. When Pendleton left the convention, he famously commented, "I formed the Black Guards to protect me from assassins. Now I wish I had formed an organization to protect me from Sickles."

Daniel Sickles and Daniel Voorhees
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The Republicans, while still a party with some force, had been forced mainly into a New England enclave. The party turned to many of its oldest members to take up the party banner, including William Seward, Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, and Benjamin Wade, but they all declined. Salmon Chase was very interested in the post, but Wade was quick to point out the reason why he had declined, being that Ohio was the heart of the Democratic power base in the Midwest. Despite this, Chase continued to try and receive the nomination, but the party heeded Wade's advice. Eventually, they found someone willing to take the position that was not an Ohioan. Henry Wilson was currently serving as a Massachusetts senator, and despite having no illusions about his chances of winning, he still agreed to be the candidate. The Republicans still hoped to get some Midwestern votes, and nominated former representative and Speaker of the House from Indiana Schuyler Colfax as Wilson's running mate. Neither man really believed they stood a chance, and it was generally agreed they formed a weak ticket.

Henry Wilson and Schuyler Colfax
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Despite his opposition being ambivalent about the whole election, Sickles campaigned as if he was the Republican candidate in terms of the amount of effort he put in. He constantly attacked them as "those abolitionists who couldn't win a war, so they tried to stay in power by freeing the slaves and giving them the vote." In one of the few moments of retribution campaigning the Republicans did against Sickles, Wilson would point that, yes the Republicans hadn't won the war, but neither did Sickles when given the command of Army of the Potomac. They also attacked the fact that he had murdered his scorned wife's lover, and was quite the player. All Republican campaigning, however, came to a temporary halt with the death of Thaddeus Stevens, one of the party's oldest and most outspoken members in August. While the Republicans were mourning, Sickles continued his campaign, even attacking the now deceased Stevens. This made some people turn up their nose at Sickles, but the general public loved Sickles' personal attacks, and never seemed to care how far or who they attacked. Sickles would also travel all the way to the West to campaign, making speeches in California, Oregon, and Nevada. The election would also witness an assassination attempt. While campaigning in Missouri, which was still very divided since the Civil War, Sickles would deliver a speech proclaiming he was the president of law and order. Suddenly out of the crowd would appear an assassin, who fired at Sickles on the platform. The shot would fatally hit Silas Woodson, Missouri's governor, who was standing next to Sickles. Sickles would quickly pull out a firearm of his own, and dispatch the assassin with a shot to the head. Sickles would then finish his speech, before leaving the platform to a huge public cry of support.

A photograph of one of Sickles' rallies in California
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Like the previous election, the results of the election of 1868 surprised none one. Sickles had won decisively, gaining 174 electoral votes to Wilson's 39. Sickles would carry Oregon, California, Nevada, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. Wilson would only manage to carry New England, winning Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Sickles had gained the highest position in the land, and was ready to "fix" America from all the mistakes the Republicans (and in his opinion, Pendleton) had made.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Chapter Nineteen: The Breckinridge Presidency

President John C. Breckinridge
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Upon assuming office, Breckinridge immediately set to work. A problem immediately brought itself before the new president. One of his main campaign promises was to give land to the poor whites out west, and currently, the sum of Confederate territory in the West was the Arizona territory. While Breckinridge was fine with the territory's rather arid environment, as he hoped it would encourage the settlers to pursue occupations beside plantations, he knew that more land was needed. Luckily for him, to the CSA's south was a poor, weak Mexico under Maximilian. Breckinridge would diplomatically approach him with offers to buy Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, offering 10 million dollars for the land, as the CSA was hardly better off than Mexico financially. Maximilian would refuse the offer, requesting more money if he wanted the territory. Breckinridge would decide on an alternative option, and bring two corps of the CSA Army to the Mexican border, and made it abundantly clear that he was not above helping the rebels currently against Maximilian. Seeing no other alternative, Maximilian would relent, accepting the 10 million in exchange for the 4 provinces, which Breckinridge brought into the CSA as territories. Breckinridge had gained the land he needed, and Maximilian had brought himself into the ire of President Sickles of the U.S., who opposed Breckinridge's attempts as expansion.

Maximilian
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Even before he secured the Mexican provinces, Breckinridge had had another idea in mind for the CSA. Hoping to connect the country east to west, Breckinridge was planning a transcontinetal railroad. During the last few weeks of Pendleton's presidency, Breckinridge would secure a trade agreement with him, in which U.S. steel for Breckinridge's railroad would be traded for Southern cotton for the North's textile industry. The deal, in addition to providing the CSA with a much needed resource, also served to help another one of Breckinridge's goals, bringing the U.S. and CSA closer together. With the steel Breckinridge needed now coming steadily in, he would turn to a new company, the Confederate Pacific company, which had been founded by former general Joseph R. Anderson when he learned of Breckinridge's goal, and give him and his company the contract to build the railroad. Work would begin immediately, and would finish in 1874, the year Breckinridge left office.

Joseph R. Anderson, President of Confederate Pacific
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With the steady settlement of the West under Breckinridge's supervision, and new problem was rapidly emerging. Born from the Bushwackers that came from the Civil War, a new type of criminal was becoming prevalent. Men who had been Bushwackers during the Civil War were moving out West with the follow of men, and rapidly becoming outlaws, with such men as "Bloody Bill" Anderson, Champ Ferguson, Frank and Jesse James, William Quantrill, John W. Hardin, and Jim and Cole Younger, rapidly becoming a threat to Breckinridge's goal of westward expansion. Many of these men would have their base in the south of the wild Indian Territory, which was already suffering from U.S. excursions to the North, and would hassle settlers moving through the territory out to the new land Breckinridge acquired, and also sometimes raid towns in the Arizona territory. When it became clear that regular law enforcement officers could not stand up to the outlaws, Breckinridge decided that the CSA Cavalry Corps under the rough and ready Nathan B. Forrest were the men for the job. In what would become known as the Outlaw War, Forrest would root out many of the outlaws, and establish martial law for the duration of the war in the Indian Territory. Eventually, the banditry was put to a stop, and Forrest and the Cavalry Corps returned to the East. In addition to rooting out the outlaws, the Outlaw War also saw the resignation of many of the remaining Cavaliers in the Cavalry Corps, most of whom joined politics.

William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, who was among the most notorious of the outlaws
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Breckinridge would begin work in industrializing the South, with several new factories laying down in their foundations under his supervision in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. He would also try to lay the groundworks for more of these factories in the Deep South, but knew he would have to be patient, as they still clung fiercely to the plantation system as their main economic source of income. By the end of his presidency, Breckinridge was quite satisfied with what he had achieved, having expanded the CSA, rooted out the outlaws, and began industrialization of the South.

Breckinridge and his cabinet:
President: John C. Breckinridge
Vice-President: Benjamin Hill
Secretary of State: Howell Cobb
Secretary of the Treasury: James M. Mason
Secretary of War: Simon B. Buckner
Secretary of the Navy: Stephen Mallory
Postmaster General: John H. Reagan
Attorney General: Judah Benjamin