The ACW lasts longer, and its consequences?

hey, all. this thought occurred to me recently and i wanted to get some peer review for it.

for clarification, i've long been considering that the alternate version of the American Civil War in my ASB ATL would be shorter than it was IOTL as an unintended consequence of a completely different decision (the short version is that photography develops--ha ha--earlier than IOTL and that results in smokeless powder being developed earlier which the Union has while the Confederacy doesn't), but now i'm thinking that not only is that less plausible than i'd originally thought but it might be more interesting to actually expand the timeframe of the Civil War by a year or two (and, perhaps more importantly, the Civil War lasting as long as it did IOTL or slightly longer is much more conducive to the larger story i want to tell with the TL).

so, anyway, i wanted to ask what everyone thinks would be the plausible results of the Civil War lasting to the end of the 1860s at the very latest, and what the most likely end-point for it would be after 1865. i doubt the war lasting slightly longer would result in a Confederate victory, so this is ultimately more about the late-war consequences for the Confederacy--maybe an extension or "Act II" of the March to the Sea?--and Reconstruction after the fact, but aside from those i'm at a bit of a loss. thoughts?
 
The war was always the Union's to lose. Franky, the Confederacy lasted as long as it could have lasted in a single extended war with the Union, give or take a year. If the war is to last longer, it will have to be broken up into phases, like the Napoleonic Wars were. Little periods of peace/armistice each side can use to recover before the slugging match begins again.

For example, Lincoln loses reelection, but in McClellan's negotiations both sides walk out because the the other is offering unacceptable terms. It its much easier to start wars than it is to stop them. President McClellan might also be willing to lengthen the war if it means lessening Union casualties. There is also the danger of impeachment hanging over his head if Congress stays Republican controlled. That also distracts from the war effort. Foreign intervention could also easily trigger another phase of the war in itself but it isn't necessary if the war is to end by 1869.
 
Last edited:
Top