The American Civil War: The Rule of the Radical Republicans

Rafi_T · Jul 23, 2020

Sorry for the delay in all this, been pretty busy, but I hope you'll all enjoy this update. I was hoping to make it more story-oriented rather than a pure discussion of political discussion. Would certainly appreciate any comments regarding this post since I'm not entirely sure of how it turned out.

This part of the story finishes with Garbidlaid finishing up his acquisition of men and supplies for his final struggle in the Italian peninsula. I do think there are similarities between Grant and Garibaldi, and I do hope to explore the fact that both men would most likely get along well seeing as how they have shared experiences.

(Unrelated to this particular update, but I did make a mistake in regards to the previous post, yes Garibaldi was involved in the Uruguayan Civil War... of 1839-1851. It seems both Uruguayan civil wars were mixed in my search results and I got confused, but from what I've read, Garibaldi wasn't particularly busy during this time, so it's plausible he could've joined in if he so wished.)
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Garibaldi reassured that he could count upon the help of Brazil would undertake one final expedition in the Americas before once more returning to Europe. Reaching the shores of Ellis Island, Garibaldi would tour the industrial streets of New York City, experiencing the grey, oppressive nature of technological progress… yet glad that this nation could build itself up so much that it was able to so effectively compete against the old powers of Europe. Reaching the immigrant areas of the city, Garibaldi was greeted as a hero by the many peoples for whom he had become a symbol of hope and liberation. Received by cheers and quickly being swarmed by a crowd, the old revolutionary would address the crowd, speaking of a need for hope, comradery, and a fiery spirit to make a final push against the oppressive realms of monarchs in Europe, and that those who wish to join, may freely do so. Finding his forces significantly boosted by the excited masses who were willing to fight and die for a cause that allied with the liberation and unification of their homelands, with the Irish and German-Americans being especially eager to join in the fight, alongside listless veterans of the Civil War. Feeling emboldened by his successes recruiting fighters for his cause, Garibaldi would seek an audience with the man most capable of assuring the success of his expedition… Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States.
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Having received a letter extending him an invitation to the White House, Garibaldi would ride down to Washington D.C. arriving in a few day’s time. The sun shining during the bright dawn, the savior of the New World and revolutionary of the Old, their reunion would become a symbol for freedom across the world, for it was on this day that Italy received confirmation that it would finally breathe free from the yoke of the Austrians.
Walking forward to shake the president’s hand, Garibaldi felt a sense of… pride. Pride and somberness, seeing the tired eyes of the recently sworn-in President, a man who had so greatly sacrificed for his country, who bore the weight of the thousands upon thousands of young men who he sent to their deaths against the Confederates, the nobility of the Union’s cause doing little to ease the guilt the man felt deep down inside. Though the pain was clear, Grant’s eyes still lightly shone with the satisfaction of having saved the Union and from being able to ensure the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. Garibaldi absorbed the man’s expression and let the realization that even greater suffering must be had to unite his homeland, and knew he’d gladly carry that weight one hundredfold if it meant freedom for his people and the liberation of his nation.

A warm “hello” broke the weighty silence, both men nodding at each other with the respect only fighting men can feel towards each other. As they walk to the White House’s entrance, a comfortable silence wrapped around the men as the Italian drank in the interior, observing his surroundings in quiet contemplation until they reach Grant’s office, the presidential desk strong and sturdy as ever. As they sat down, Grant would break the room’s silence with a quick sigh, and with a cool air of happiness asked the revolutionary “How may I help you, mister Garibaldi?” A small smile appearing on his lips, the Italian eagerly said, with the help of his translator, “Helping me fight for freedom and liberty for my people.” A happy glint came over the former general’s eyes as Garibaldi’s honesty and enthusiasm reminded Grant of how good it feels to fight for a cause you’re utterly, entirely dedicated, no, devoted to. As their conversation continued, with Garibaldi speaking of the men and supplies he would need to successfully complete his mission to unite the Italian peninsula.
“I’m afraid to say we are unable to give you any soldiers to assist you in your fight, for as much as we may wish to, for our nation is still recovering from our great conflict. Other than that, it’s clear that you cannot provide any form of payment for the weapons you wish to acquire and no manufacturers would be willing to gift you any either, regardless as to the validity of your struggle.” Grant looked at Garibaldi in an apologetic manner as the words slowly exited his mouth.

As the translator finished his work giving Garibaldi the man’s message, he responded “I very much understand the great pain your people have undergone, and would never deign to ask for your soldiers to once more sacrifice their lives, noble as the cause may be. I merely humbly ask for your permission to recruit from you and whatever soldiers are willing to volunteer. I hope you may find it within yourself to grant us the surplus weapons captured from the war, regardless of its age, as long as it is within working or at least repairable condition, and we are willing to set up payment agreements for any ammunition we shall require. We shall greatly appreciate any surplus uniform you may provide us as well, to ensure our men are properly clothed during our campaigns. Though I come here only with the clothes on my back, know that the people of Italy shall be eternally grateful to you and the United States, and shall be more than happy to pay your kindness back a hundredfold”

As the words flowed from the translator’s mouth, Grant nodded somberly at Garibaldi’s humble request. He was happy the man gave him something to work with, a reasonable request which could be granted without the need for congressional approval. As he breathed in, the relief of being able to help his Italian counterpart washed over his body, and would come out in a slow, yet satisfied “Consider your request granted Mister Garibaldi. The United States shall be more than happy to assist you in your fight for freedom. For note, focus on your fight, any issue regarding payment shall be discussed upon the liberation of your people and the unification of your homeland.”

Hours pass between the two leaders, both bonding over their shared experiences in war, their wish to liberate people within their homelands, and most of all, the insecurity which comes from the massive destructing of the previously established order both men have been directly involved in. The sun setting on the horizon, both men would part at the White House’s entrance, a mutual understanding is reached between the two men, each knowing that they have found a friend in the other.

As Garibaldi rode away, he would find himself optimistic in his cause. He had the promise of weapons, ammunition, uniforms and even men, whatever food he needed would be given to him from the agricultural lands of southern Italy. As the sun fell and night rose upon the world around him, Garibaldi rode once more to New York, ready to recruit amongst the immigrants, many of who wished to see the unification and liberation of their own homelands, kindred spirits in their desire for liberty.

TheRockofChickamauga · Jul 23, 2020

Glad to see another update on this TL. This latest chapter is very well written, and I look forward to seeing what you write in the future.

Rafi_T · Aug 1, 2020

Clarification: this is a first time TL, so I'm still figuring out where I'm trying to end up, though I do have general ideas of where I want to go.
Following these rules, I will most definitely retcon some changes and will have some big changes happen from before the PoD, though they will not change the main issue of the TL.

(The rule I follow with these Pre-PoD changes is that they don; 't change the fundamentals of the American Civil War nor the events during it, only changing the world around America, if not America itself.)

However, regardless of this rule, feel free to correct, comment, or even argue with me regarding any changes or plot points I make, and certainly, feel free to comment or suggest things as deemed necessary.

Hope you all enjoy it!

The next chapter should be up soon and will deal with the state of Spain, followed up by France, who will both be important to the Italian cause 99and Republicanism in general, to not give too much away).

Rafi_T · Aug 26, 2020

I've decided to delete the last post to ensure that the TL sticks to the original PoD.

Later on, I will most likely post the additional PoDs I had in mind which I think could work well in their own TL, or even a revised version of this one's premise (with proper justifications).

I already have a list of ideal presidents and a few potential PoDs.

So for now, I'll be sure to go back a bit on what I've written to make sure things are properly organizing the PoD, and do feel free to let me know what country you'd love to see next.

To feel things out, my potential list of presidents: include John Jay, JQA, and Henry Clay.

Rafi_T · Aug 27, 2020

Dealing with France, here we see colonial expansion after their dealings with the United Kingdom and a proper violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
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France, finding itself diplomatically consumed with its annexation of Luxembourg and its negotiations of assimilation of Belgium into its territories following its diplomatic victories against Britain and as such, saw the need to retreat from its continental duties and turned inwards to assimilate these new populations, spending its spare energy in Algeria and increase efforts in Mexico following Britain’s obligation in assisting in the conflict.

As French troops began to garrison the famed fortress of Luxembourg and began implementing the Napoleonic Code within the courtrooms of Belgium, it became clear that assimilation, while not seamless, would not embroil France into eternal conflict as long as regional differences were to be respected regarding the Flemish as the Walloons were to quickly become accepted as French due to linguistic similarities.

French Algeria, slowly growing by the decade, was to be expanded under the rule of the French emperor as more settlers were sent forward to live in the coastal areas to increase the proportion of nationals and to ensure a base of loyal subjects within their possessions, those braver moving south to receive land and glory. As the French grew stronger within their colony, it became clear that Algeria would not be enough, and began to apply pressure unto their Moroccan and Tunisian neighbors for territorial concessions along their coast. Morocco, able to resist due to the strength of their tribes, outright denied French requests for territory but acquiesced to open up their markets to french colonial investments within the country. Tunisia… would not be so lucky. Nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia was a highly autonomous province which had been dealing with the United Kingdom France as an independent kingdom and as such, had found itself involved in French debts and was seeing itself under the great economic burden payments brought and would accept French demands for territory and following this, France would recall its debt to force the Tunisians to stay at the negotiating table and France as such, would force Tunisia to accept its annexation which was formalized on July 25th, 1865 to the shocked horror and seething anger of the United Kingdom. Following this annexation, France would begin to settle its coast while encouraging others to settle within their lands and to accept French citizenship as a way to increase their dominance. As such, Tunisia’s coast would find itself swimming in a majority of formerly Italian French citizens followed by a sizable minority of natives with a close amount of citizens from metropolitan France.

Turning to America, it was clear that Maximilian’s kingdom would not survive much longer once the United States began to supply the republican revolutionaries, and as such, a final push was to be made to help capture the northern areas of the country which still found themselves in active revolt against the Mexican Empire. As such, the troops once garrisoned in Rome were sent to assist the royalist forces in Mexico arriving in the country on May 25, 1865, before the near loss at the Battle of Tacambaro, in which these forces bravely assisted and would help fight back against the guerrilla warfare undergoing in the north which would lead to great frustration in the Mexican imperial court, nearly leading to Maximilian’s declaration of a “Black Decree” which would deal harsh retribution to revolutionaries, but would decide against it once informed that it would only encourage resistance and play into the revolutionaries’ hands by making him seem cruel and authoritarian.

In the following months, as the Union would begin funneling money and supplies to the northern revolutionaries, it dawned on Maximilian that desperate action would have to be taken to bring about an end to this war and as such would approve a secret mission to ensure the end of the conflict. Sending a small troupe of military negotiators to meet with General Porfirio Diaz to discuss the current state of the war. Reaching him on October 15, 1865, the negotiations would entail the surrender of the troops under Diaz and the capture of Benito Juarez to bring the revolutionaries to the negotiating table. As such, five days later, on October 20, 1865, Porfirio Diaz called upon Benito Juarez to discuss the current status of the war in the general;s tent. Lighting his lamp as a signal, both men were quickly surrounded by French soldiers who had been hiding outside their tent, quickly ensuring the surrender of both men, quickly tying and gagging them both. Three days later, the soldiers would meet the emperor's entourage to the southeast of Chihuahua, where Emperor Maximilian personally offered the position of Prime Minister and leader of the army to Juarez and Diaz respectively, with Diaz accepting after being held in the emperor’s tent for six hours. Juarez, disgusted with the cynicism presented by the general, declined the appointment, though it quickly became impressed upon him that it was not an option to refuse after two days of futile resistance. Maximilian, deciding to be generous in his terms, informed Juarez that his compliance and collaboration would lead to Maximilian pardoning the revolutionaries and that he would implement liberal policy as long as the Mexican revolutionary did not resist the government. Seeing it as his only option to ensure the safety of his compatriots, Benito Juarez accepted the position of Prime Minister to the Mexican Empire, officially surrendering to Maximilian on October 25th, 1865.

Following the peace treaty between the liberal republican and conservative monarchist forces, it became clear to the world that the Monroe doctrine had been violated in an egregious way which the United States could do nothing about without dragging itself into another conflict so soon after finishing their destructive civil war. Following this reality, diplomatic negotiations would commence, with the United States demanding territorial and commercial concessions in exchange for peace, with Maximilian reluctantly agreeing. According to the terms of this deal, the United States would receive the Mexican states of Sonora, Nuevo Leon, Rio Grande, Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Baja California and Baja California Sur alongside the Peninsula of Yucatan, while also enforcing the terms of the previously signed McLane-Ocampo treaty with exclusive rights to build a canal through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Seeing no choice but to accept, Maximilian would sing this treaty in exchange for diplomatic recognition from the United States, a deal which would be formalized on March 15th, 1866, and would pave the way for relatively cordial if uneasy relationships between the two nations.
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ITTL, the US border is no longer a somewhat straight line, but more of an up and down scheme due to territorial additions.

Rafi_T · Sep 10, 2020

In this update, Mexico finds itself dealing with the aftermath of the Second French Intervention, needing to balance liberal and conservative, republican and monarchist influence within the government. As such, Juarez and Maximilian have to play off their respective to ensure Mexico doesn't fall into civil war, with Diaz strengthening his position within the army hierarchy.
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Following the utter humiliation of territorial losses, it was clear that responsibility would fall upon the three main figures of the new Mexican empire: Maximilian, Diaz, and the ever reluctant Juarez (who was already deeply regretting giving up so much Mexican territory). The political instability following said negotiations meant that conservatives, irate with Juarez’s position as head of government, would rally to the figure of the emperor as a form of national unification, while republicans, who had ferociously fought against any emperor, seeing it as a way to fall victim to foreign intervention, could no longer effectively rally behind the now co opted figure of Juarez, but could not effectively continue a guerrilla campaign in territory firmly controlled by the imperial army. Finding themselves in this great bind, republican forces would spend their efforts agitating against the government, portraying Juarez as an unwilling participant in the government, and a hostage of imperial ambitions.

This new political landscape meant that Juarez and Maximilian would find themselves needing to fanatically oppose each other in public to rally their supporters behind them rather than against any stable government, an act of theater which both men understood the grave necessity of, as the country consistently stood at the brink of civil war or a coup for the years following the creation of a new government.

As the years passed, both men grew to understand each other, Maximilian seeing Juarez as a passionate patriot fighting for equality for his native brethren, with Juarez growing to understand the Austrian-born emperor as a pawn in the games of the European monarchies, another victim of their machinations. Through this understanding, the imperial apparatus in Mexico created a liberal regime with monarchist trappings. Allowing for universal manhood suffrage, separating church and state, allowing for freedom of expression and religion, the emperor lent a great deal of legitimacy to liberal policy aims, while making it look as if it were a compromise against the ever angry Juarez, rather than the reformist principles he held, as such ensuring that conservative opposition did not grow outside the realm of the state and support for the emperor.

As their rule strengthened, the issue of the military came up, many republican and monarchist commanders were now without troops and idle military men were not a healthy component for a new form of government, and as such, Porfirio Diaz was handed the responsibility of integrating both sets of men into the regular imperial army, to smooth over their transition, and even give them reasons to fight if need be. The general, happy to strengthen the army’s position in regards to the civilian government, greatly expanded the officer corps, granting as many former partisan commanders possible officer roles. This new officer class quickly grew to reach an uneasy balance, with Diaz as an arbiter between the officer factions, which reached the agreement that as long as ideological balance was achieved and no coups could go unchecked, the mutually assured destruction of the Mexican state would ensure, and as such, the army should only involve itself in politics to increase its budget, prestige, societal standing, and/or dealing with national security and territorial disputes, but that overt political meddling was a bridge too far while the nation still recovered. This understanding being agreeable to the great majority of the officers, the army quickly focused upon the main issue concerning the prestige of the Mexican state, and by extension, the Mexican army… territorial boundaries. As clear as it was recovering the recently lost territories would be impossible due to the sheer power of the United States, officers saw opportunity across the southern border, with monarchist officers recalling the legacy of an Imperial Mexico which controlled the states of Central America, finding it an easy contrast and the perfect way to prove the military’s might and improve their prestige across the nation as conquerors and redeemers of Mexico’s pride. Republican officers, uncomfortable with the monarchist reasoning behind the project, would still admit that it was clear that Mexico needed to acquire new territory unless it wished to be permanently weakened due to its new loss of territory. As both sides agreed upon a strategy, the began to campaign for their ideals, the republicans applying pressure on Juarez to engage in nationalistic conquest, with monarchists pressing the emperor to assume the mantle of imperial legacy in Mexico, their demands resounding across a deeply humiliated nation, and as such, both men were forced to undergo a campaign of military buildup and clever ways to acquire causus beli against the nations of Central America to bring them back into the fold.

The army’s confidence increased by American need to reconstruct the nation after their crushing of the slaver’s rebellion and the acquisition of vast swaths of territory, it was clear that an invasion of Mexico was now fully off the table as the territories left within the Mexican state were the most densely populated and most fiercely patriotic, something which the United States clearly understood and did not wish to face off against. Following diplomatic support by both Great Britain, Spain, and most importantly France, emperor Maximilian would begin to amass Mexican troops on the Mexican border with Nicaragua, the army’s intentions clear that Mexico would now begin to expand southward in an attempt to revive national pride and territory.
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Yes, Mexico is about to go full expansionist, which will put it fully in the column of European aligned nations due to this not being possible without the support of the big empires. As such, the United States will find itself struggling to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, which will lead to barely cordial relationships between the United States and Mexico only because the United States needs international trade and local peace to reconstruct the south and integrate their new territories.

Rafi_T · Sep 24, 2020

We now deal with the assimilation process of Central America into the Second Mexican Empire, ensuring that these nations do not put up too much resistance during any potential annexation, integration, and even (hopeful) assimilation.
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Following the beginning of border tensions between Mexico and Nicaragua (alongside other Central American states) it became clear that international intervention would be needed to avoid war in the Americas so soon after the end of the Civil War. The United States, supporting the independent republics of Central America, would threaten Mexico with intervention if they intruded upon the sovereign territory of those nations. Mexico, now under imperial authority, would seek the support of the nations of Europe to ensure their safety when dealing with their continental brethren. Forced to sit at the table to ensure peace between the recovering nations, the United States would eagerly pound the table against imperial intervention by Mexico and Europe and would argue for (American-led) independence on behalf of the nations of Central America. Mexico (its politicians at least), not willing to go to war in exchange for territory, was hesitant to mobilize additional troops to deal with the United States but would not back down on the necessity of Mexico acquiring new territory. Backed by Britain, Spain, and France, Mexico would propose to the United States the doctrine of popular sovereignty regarding the potential annexation of Central American states based upon historical precedent, and that if the nations involved reject annexation by referendum, Mexico would respect the results and would relinquish any and all claim to Nicaragua and its surrounding countries.

The United States, accepting this deal, would set in international accord, provisions for elections in Central America to perform referendums regarding annexation by the Mexican Empire. Setting the electoral date for June 5th, 1866, it was agreed that no nation could outwardly campaign for or against annexations and that the decisions must be purely decided on a national basis. Agreeing to this, both nations stepping from the brink of war, the Mexican military would train to help pacify the border regions with Nicaragua seeing as how tensions would inevitably rise within the election, and if the election went Mexico’s way, the army would have to perform low-level pacification of the countryside for the next few years following the election results.

Covert action taken by both the United States and Mexico would characterize the period leading up to the election, with Americans bribing many criollo elites with superior money and promise of trade, with Mexican Campesinos relating to their working-class brethren, alongside playing up their shared history and their shared resistance against American intervention, using the infamous filibuster Wiliam Walker’s failed expeditions within both Mexico and Nicaragua. Local elites, wishing to ensure their power within their nation would argue for independence and would accuse both the Mexicans and the Americans of being foreign conquerors, portraying the Mexican as monarchists who would usher in the return of Spanish rule to their nations, and the Americans would be portrayed as Hispanic hating Protestant whites who showed no respect for their race, culture, or religion and would go so far as defacing their saints and churches due to widespread anti-Catholic bigotry in the United States. Negotiating in the background, local elites entered into preliminary negotiations with both nations, the United States agreeing to… donate to their personal accounts and to ensure that any companies would hire them and their family members in their local subsidiaries to ensure their control remained uninterrupted. In negotiations with Mexico, local elites spoke of federal representation, trade representation, and stability, which Mexico readily agreed to, accepting integrating local politicians and military commanders into the larger Mexican government, with current presidents remaining governors if the annexation were to go through, and military commanders being included into the Mexican army at their current rank, all current soldiers being included, with no demobilization possible to ensure the satisfaction of any local caudillos and to ensure no mass unemployment. Following this agreement, local elites would grow to favor the Mexican position, seeing the trade connections of an imperial Mexico as perfect ways to grow their economies and their own bank account while ensuring the United States could no longer hold military intervention over their head. Local elites would continue welcoming American intervention in their nations as the United States continued to covertly lobby for local politicians to argue for independence seeing it as personally beneficial to not reveal their personal opinions too early to ensure they can benefit from the bribes and commerce granted by both nations in their search for influence.

On the eve of the vote, it was clear that the highly illiterate population would vote as their local caudillos would tell them, and as such, those of the coastal areas who had most contact with the Americans would vote in a slight majority for independence, with central Americans who lived in the more central areas of the continent would vote for annexation into the Mexican empire. Vote counting ending a week later, it was clear that even as electoral fraud occurred, annexation into the Mexican empire won across Central America, with a combined total of 52.43% between all nations in favor of the Mexican position, with negotiations later taking the better part of a year after American complaints, all nations of Central America would be annexed into the Mexican empire on 5 December 1866, with the Mexican army setting out to ensure that all local populations were informed that they were now subjects of the Mexican Empire and that their lives would continue the same as long as they followed the laws of the empire.

FInding no major resistance, the army would spread and integrate itself with local armed forces and militias and would encounter no major acts of resistance. Their marching led them to reach the former Costa Rican border with the Colombian province of Panama on 15 February 1867, with the Colombian army warily watching across the border to ensure the Mexican army did not intrude upon Colombian land. No conflicts between the soldiers would occur and the Mexican army would march back to Mexico city in the following weeks, the now-integrated Central American officers and soldiers remaining within the boundaries of their former nations so as to not needlessly agitate them.
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So, the United States just had its first (official and confirmed) attempt at foreign election modeling as has now adopted certain valuable lessons for any potential future attempts. While smarting from their diplomatic defeat, it was clear that the United States still held the upper hand as now Colombia was warily watching its northern border with Mexico and as such, the United States now had a foot in the door with the Hispanic nations of South America as defenders against European meddling and monarchist sentiments.

The next chapter will (most likely) be touching upon German Unification. . . with a twist. Would love to hear thoughts on everything up until now, and see what people are interested in seeing.

Also, thanks to @TheRockofChickamauga for being here since the beginning. I very much appreciate you and love the profile pic, especially due to the Atun-Shei memes. (Yes, Dan "The Man" Sickles will be showing up later.)

Rafi_T · Sep 25, 2020

Two chapters in less than twelve hours?! Is ya boi on a roll? Sadly, probably not, but I hope this update is satisfactory to everyone's taste, and soon enough Europe shall engage in a controlled burned of the metaphorical powder keg, which may potentially defuse some of the issues in Europe. . . or highlight them.
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Entering upon the king’s personal room, Chancellor Bismarck saw the emperor sitting upon his bed, dressed and ready to go about his duties. Steeped in quick prayer and reflection, the Prussian king’s thoughts focused on the weight of his rule and the death and destruction caused by the Prussian quest for the unification of the German people into one kingdom. Getting up from the bed, the king would give a quick, yet polite greeting to his Minister-President who clearly had business to inform him of.

“What is it, Herr Bismarck? No dire news, I hope.” said the Prussian king, already sensing the tension within the older man’s shoulders.

Slowly clearing his throat, von Bismarck carefully said “I’m afraid not my lord, reports coming into the Diplomatic Office have informed me that the Italians are preparing for one final push to retake their homeland. Though it is clear that we have antagonized the Austrians far too much to retract our support for their enemies, it is clear that the radicals within their movement have been strengthened, and I fear the effects that a united Italian republic could do to the delicate balance of Europe. We seem to be stuck at a difficult crossroads, for if we stay neutral in this conflict, we risk losing out on the opportunity to finish our struggle for germanic unification without much bloodshed, but if we favor the Italians too much, it is possible that the republican faction could win out and it could be blamed upon us, leading us to be isolated by our fellow monarchies, with an Italian republic most likely unwilling to be grateful for our great assistance. Though the decision is ultimately yours my lord, I would be remiss to not recommend that we focus purely upon gains against the Austrians and to give token assistance to the Italians as a whole, but if the opportunity presents itself to directly aid and prop up king Viktor Emanuel then I believe we should wholeheartedly support him and his fellow monarchists.”

Breathing deeply and letting the information quickly wash over him, he slowly exhaled and quickly responded with “As said before Minister-President, the official policy of our kingdom shall remain the same and we shall support our liberal Italian allies against the absolutist forces of Austria. If God wills it that Italy shall be organized as a Republic, then it shall be so and we shall ally ourselves to it while we defend our form of liberal monarchy. Following upon your additional assessments, if it is true that we may be able to finish our quest to unify our people within one nation without much bloodshed, then I will gladly lead our armies into combat myself to ensure our success. I do hope your predictions come true this time von Bismarck, for I still lie awake at night thinking of the dead and injured soldiers I led during our conquest of the Jutland peninsula, and I truly hope it never again comes to pass. Be sure to send the Italians a telegram and let them know that we shall support them wholeheartedly in their aims of unification and that their struggle is our struggle. Perhaps if we are fortunate enough, we may also gain the Hungarians as allies in our new Europe.”

Feeling irritated at the king’s naivete, the Minister-President would respond with a simple, yet adorned “Yes, of course, my lord. I shall inform the Foreign Office of our policy. We shall do our best to ensure the success of our mission.” Walking out of the king’s room, Otto von Bismarck, as grateful as he was for his position within the government, found himself frustrated at the liberal inclinations (mainly the refusal to censor the media and constant push for electoral reform) of his liege Frederick III and would wonder, as he occasionally did whenever his mind wasn’t occupied with orchestrating the Concert of Europe, about how much easier things would have under the king’s conservative father, Wilhelm I who had been assassinated in 1861, and now he was stuck with a reformist liberal who in his naivete denied the necessity of war in the unification of Germany. Restrained by the king’s strong personality alongside the liberalizing influence of the king’s wife, von Bismarck knew his days as Minister-President were numbered, and he could not guarantee his position without earning himself a dismissal by Frederick III, but knew that as long as he played his cards right, his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as there at least he and the King shared similar perspectives that the only way for Germany to be successful was to align itself with Britain and to position itself as the continental mediator and keeper of the balance of power.

Frederick, after meeting with his most effective, if not loyal of servants, reminded him of the reality of his job as King of Prussia, which necessitated hard decisions, difficult choices, and at times, as regrettable as it may be, war and bloodshed. Still regretting the many deaths incurred in the conquest of Jutland, Frederick once again pored over the ideas for how to deal with Austria after the end of their inevitable conflict. For as much as he detested Franz Josef’s archconservative, if not reactionary views, the king detested the carnage and bloodshed of war and saw it as the most detestable form to achieve German unification. Preparing for a well-supplied drive to Vienna, Frederick made sure to draw up orders that would protect civilians, agriculture, and cultural monuments, ensuring that his commanders would only attack military targets and would focus on taking Vienna as quickly as possible to avoid as many casualties as possible. Thirty minutes later, tired of thinking of a war strategy and a battle plan, Frederick would go about his day, engaging in his daily court duties, consulting with his wife, and caring for his son of just seven years, Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert (born in a difficult breech pregnancy; lucky to avoid defects of deformities) a rarity at the time. As he put Friedrich Wihelm to bed, Fredrich promised himself that he would ensure a peaceful Germany that his son could enjoy before his tenth birthday so that Fredrich Wihelm could grow up in a Germany which did not know war and he could rule as a totally peaceful monarch. “Hopefully then,” Frederick thought “he may enjoy peace and I old age unlike poor Wilhelm, may God rest his soul.” Kissing his son on the forehead goodnight, he made his way back to his room, laying next to his wife, gently drifting off to sleep, his last thoughts of the night centering around the strange yet tragic blessing granted to him by that Leipzig student on that tragic day of 14 July 1861.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yes, ITTL Frederick III is King of Prussia (and future Kaiser of the Deutsches Reich) due to the OTL assassination attempt (TTL just being an assassination) by a Leipzig student on the aforementioned 14 July 1861 date.

Not many changes have occurred yet due to the fact that there has not been enough time to create a proper Prussian/North German/German constitution and as such, his push for electoral reform has not yet been able to go through. However, when it comes to foreign policy, while Frederick favored diplomacy and abhorred war, he was also the first to recommend Bismarck's capabilities as both Minister-President and as Foreign Secretary, and as such, will happily accept his advice for as long as it takes to properly unite Germany, but as soon as actually parliamentary elections occur, it is clear that an elected Prime Minister will soon replace Bismarck, though his diplomatic skill will ensure that he won't be entirely isolated from government, though he shall have to watch his tongue regarding Queen Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa. (Their relationship IOTL was not exactly. . . cordial, to say the least.)

TheRockofChickamauga · Sep 25, 2020

Rafi_T said:
Also, thanks to @TheRockofChickamauga for being here since the beginning. I very much appreciate you and love the profile pic, especially due to the Atun-Shei memes. (Yes, Dan "The Man" Sickles will be showing up later.)

Thanks so much for the shout out! I actually put not much thought into my profile picture, so I'm glad people like. I might change it later if something better comes to mind, but for now, Jeff Daniels, I mean Joshua Chamberlain is here to stay. I am always excited when Dan "The Man" Sickles appears in TLs, he is one of the most interesting figures of the Civil War era.

Rafi_T · Oct 7, 2020

Quick question for any readers... what were the historical territorial divisions for the Plains states? My TL will include a massive consolidation of states to ensure that the federal government can be better fought against by stronger individual states and I already have the bigger states planned out, but I have no idea what states to merge Wyoming and other small population states into because otherwise, the population differences in the Senate would be too much to be fair or reasonable.

A list for merged states is coming, but for preliminary purposes, looks like this:
Carolina: North and South Carolina, Tennesse, Georgia, and Northern Mississippi and Alabama
Virginia: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, maybe Indiana and Illinois (not sure if they ever had a claim to Maryland) (Bermuda if I'm feeling generous)
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania and Delaware maybe Ohio
Great Lakes: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Winconsin, and Minnesotta
Kansas-Nebraska: Kansas and Nebraska (pretty self-explanatory)
Sequoyah: Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas
Massachussets: Massachussetts, Connetticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and possibly Nova Scotia
Dakotas: North and South Dakota (also pretty self-explanatory)
Cascadia: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and (formerly British) Columbia
Californias: Just the territorial extent of the Alta Califrnia province alognisde Baja California and Baja California Sur alongside Sonora
Rio Grande: Just the territorial extension of the potential Rio Grande Rpublic
Texas: Lust the extent of all land claimed by the Texas Republic
Florida: East Florida and West Flroida (minus the Lousinana owned Florida parishes)

This leaves New York, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, New Jersey, and Maryland as states unaffected by territorial changes. Though New York New York and New Jersey have high enough populations that by staying the same it woulnd't grant a tiny number of people too many senators... the same can't be said by Maryland and Iowa, and especially by Montana and Wyoming. (Most egregious in the case of Wyoming since all other states would measure their populations in the millions while they would measure theirs in the hundreds of thousands, making the Senate even more unequal than normal).

In the case of the states of Califrnias and Sonora, Rio Grande, and Texas, their territorial claims luckily do not overlap, but in fact, border each other, making their existence possible without much conflict with other territories.

Any thoughts on my potential states and any potential solutions based upon the old territorial organizations would be of great help because I'm legitimately burnt out from trying to decipher the territorial evcoluition of the Wyoming and Montana territories.

Dragolord19D · Oct 7, 2020

Are you ever going to threadmark that first chapter

Rafi_T · Oct 11, 2020

Dragolord19D said:
Are you ever going to threadmark that first chapter

Just did so! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I had forgotten to do so and it completely slipped my mind.

Rafi_T · Oct 11, 2020

Just found a solution to my problem! Can't properly illustrate it since I don't have a proper blank map to alter things including the additions I need.
the (for now) final list of states is as such:
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the territorial claims they held on Maryland (Goodbye Mason-Dixon Line!)
Michigan: Basically the Michigan Territory at its full extent (minus the areas of the Dakotas they held)
Nebraska: Nebraska, Wyoming, and the Dakotas
Sequoyah: Kansas, Oklahoma, the Indian Territories, Missouri, and Louisiana sans the Florida Parishes
California: Unchanged
Rio Grande: Unchanged
Texas: Unchanged (Sam Houston is looking kindly down)
Massachusetts: (Will get Nova Scotia and Eastern and uppermost Connecticut; all else is equal.)
Canada (Sans former-British Columbia and Nova Scotia)
Alaska (Not sure if I should join it to Canada... feel free to weigh in)
Cascadia: Unchanged
New Jersey: Unchanged
New York: Will get Connecticut until the Connecticut River
Florida: Will get the full East and West Florida claims, including the Lousiana-owned Florida Parishes
Carolina: Unchanged
Yucatan
Virginia: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Bermuda, what's left of Maryland (In the end, Virginia won't be getting Indiana and Illinois, since even though it feels too small without it... it's too big with it and it's nice for Michigan to have a contiguous land border plus can't be too generous to Virginia)
Santo Domingo (Yes, the annexation treaty goes through)
Hawaii (Natural evolution)
Also, DC will no longer exist, since all nonfederal land will be given back to the corresponding states.

Which will give a total of 57 senators. (The real number should be 38, but there is going to be an amendment which will. among other things, bump the number of senators per state from 2 to 3).

P.S. If anyone's curious regarding the rationale behind the state consolidations, feel free to ask and I'd be more than happy to explain.

P.P.S. Sadly, this means that I have no idea how the Electoral College would look like, and as such, presidential elections will consist of National Conventions and a breakdown of candidate's support in general areas, but won't be able to go into properly detailed breakdowns of the electoral college, but would more than happy to give (relative) popular vote counts.

Rafi_T · Mar 19, 2021

I'm back! Had a rough semester in 2020, but now things are looking up and I'm feeling better, so I'll come back for the foreseeable future. I forced myself to finish this chapter in two days so I didn't let it die, and I feel kinda proud. I'd love to hear thoughts on it, and speculation is always nice! I'll most likely post again by the end of next week, though I'm not entirely sure what to post on, I would make a poll, but I have no idea how to make one.

Also, through the week I'll be retconning some changes, both historical and territorial, so for fans of Wilhelm I, he lives! (He survives the assassination attempt, but abdicates the throne on the spot.) Also for fans of the states of either: Washington, Oregon, and/or Idaho, they'll be included within the mega-state of Canada. Oddly enough, though Canada would be a truly enormous state (bigger than the entire US from IOTL) the still wouldn't be #1 in population, California still taking the lead.
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The powder box of Europe precariously hung above the warm flame of nationalism. A recently lit flame, the old powers of Europe had become wary regarding this potentially damaging force ever since the revolutions of 1848 where these feelings went past the boiling point and put Europe in such a state that it seemed that the entire content would never again be the same. While the fire of revolution was quickly put out, the embers it left meant that even the slightest heat could potentially start them again, for there was no shortage of fuel. For the old empires which had stood the test of time, the writing was clear on the wall that this fire would consume the continent, potentially even their own realms... but it was much too late for them. Prussia, the army with a state, had quickly consolidated its power over the Germanic realms and had even destroyed the kingdom of Denmark, leaving only a carcass from which Sweeden would feed in the coming years. The quick ascent to power on behalf of the warrior kingdom had reached a fever pitch under Wilhelm I, and even Frederick III the most pacifistic of all in the Prussian state saw the conflicts engaged over the last years as having evolved far too much to stop without leaving Purissa in a vulnerable position. This realization having overcome, even those who had spoken out against the wars of expansion now saw that they must be brought to their logical conclusion through the unification of all German states or else risk being destroyed like France was after the Hundred Days period. On top of this, the Italians had begun to aggressively fight for their unification ever since 1848. Their passion had grown over the years, mixing with a swell of anti-Austrian sentiment, a surge of republicanism, and even a spark of anti-clericalism in a society so defined by its Catholicism, it was clear the Italians would die before seeing their nation live even a day more beneath the rule of the accursed eagle. On the side of revolution stood one last force, that of the Hungarians. Steeped in nationalist pride and outright hatred for the Austrians dating back centuries, even the most conservative of politicians joined in celebration (or at least quiet approval) regarding the writing on the wall. It was clear that both a unified Germany and a unified Italy would inevitably have to take on the long-declining Habspurbgs. Whether they would do so jointly or separately was yet unknown, but it was clear that Austria would be in for the greatest fight in its history since the disastrous battle of Austerlitz, and Hungary was hoping for a repeat of the results. While conservative politicians merely wished for greater rights within the union of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, some desired a more equal representation through the recognition of Austria as a dual realm, so as to highlight the status and importance of Hungary to the Hapsburg realm. It was in this equation, however, that the radicals had the most to say. Still angry after the tragic destruction of their revolution in 1848, they were overjoyed with the possibility of achieving what they could not nearly twenty years prior... a Hungarian republic. It was far too little to desire a mere recognition of the kingdom of Hungary equal in status to that of Austria, these radicals desired to separate the Kingdom of Hungary in its entirety from Austria, dissolving its ties with the Habsburgs, and founding a republic to both secure the revolution, and to show a total repudiation for the conservatism of Austria and the other absolutist monarchist of Europe through representation by establishing a system which stood in total opposition to the one they currently lived under.

Understanding this, it was clear to see that Europe had a choice to make, to either accept (perhaps even help) the revolutions and try to align the nations that it birthed into their camp, or to try and fight back the coming conflict to try and stop the irrevocable change of the face of Europe (whether it would be a true end to things or merely a delay of the inevitable is a question best left for another time), and to prop up the venerable Habsburgs, thus ensuring conservative domination over Europe. The choice was clear... the powers of Europe would help the revolutionaries, or at the very least stand back and watch as they acted, there being no lost love between them and Austria. While the French were wary of a united Germany, Napoleon III counted on a united Italy to serve as a good counterbalance to their strength, with the Mexican Empire serving as an adequate escape valve for the Austrians if the worst came to happen and their hold over there lands in Europe came to end. Britain held a clear love for Germany and their liberal reform Frederick III. A clear anglophile, Frederick had also become fast friends with Albert King-Consort, even being the first foreign ruler to congratulate Albert's recovery in 1861[1]. King-Consort Albert meanwhile, was quite friendly to the German cause, viewing them as the perfect way to ensure a British-aligned power on the continent, that would put a check on both France and Austria. In all this, the Hungarians were a surprise element. Considered an internal manner of the Habsburg realm, nonce excpet the Italian radicals considered them as a potential factor in the upcoming conflict, let alone allies. However, it was still quite clear that ever since 1848, the Kingdom of Hungary was restless after their failed revolution, growing only more bitter as the Austrians cracked down on their near inexistent freedoms. As such, to the revolutionaries of Italy, they had finally encountered allies whose politics were not objectionable conservative and would get in contact with Hungarian radicals as soon as possible, leading to talks between Guiseppe Garibaldi and their leaders, with the reluctant approval of Victor Emanuel of Italy, this deal was soon brought to the attention of Frederick III, who called for a meeting between all forces to create a joint strategy of attack for the coming conflict.

The positions of the West clear, the chess pieces were set, and now all that was left was the creation of a joint strategy between the powers. While for France it was as simple as the withdrawal of troops from the Papal States and the defense of their new territory of Luxemburg, alongside preparations for the invasion of Belgium. Meanwhile, the British had a much simpler task... to ship arms to the Germans and Italians, adding in some money in exchange for discounted agricultural products in the case of the latter. The Swedes meanwhile only wished to integrate Denmark into their kingdom so as to present a united Scandinavia against the dual threats of Russia, and a soon to be united Germany, and after a quick non-aggression treaty between Sweden and Prussia, it was clear that there would be no Swedish intervention on behalf of Austria. In the end, it was only the Russians who had an unclear position, and if the Austrians made a good enough offer, could bring the Germano-Italian plans to a grinding halt if they so desired. As such, it would be necessary to bring them to the table to ensure that Austria would have no savior. The negotiations with Russia were quick, and oddly for 19th-century diplomacy (or any diplomacy for that matter), it was mutually beneficial for all parties involved. Prussia promised the transfer of East Galicia, an ethnically Ukrainian province to Russia in exchange for Russian non-intervention and the shipment of discounted grain for a period of five years. Quickly agreeing, Russia saw this as a way to grow their realm and united the Ukrainians while expanding their grain market, while Prussia saw it as a way of ensuring that Austria would be totally isolated and that in the end, Germany would not be forced to hold on to a non-German province.

With these preparations finished, Bismarck made final arrangements between the three parties, leading to a face-to-face between Frederick III, Victor Emanuel, and Guiseppi Garibaldi, the latter writing to the Hungarian revolutionaries to keep them updated, as neither Bismarck nor the two kings did not wish to legitimize republican forces any further than they already had by directly dealing with Garibaldi. It was agreed that Prussia and Italy as soon as Austria had committed any hostile actions against Prussia, with preparations for a quick invasion being made since the day of the signing of the treaty. The Hungarian rebels meanwhile would train and agitate in the meantime, distracting the Austrians, preventing them from guarding their borders in the face of clear build-up on behalf of Prussia and Italy. The war would begin on 7 February 1866, when Austria decided to ignore Prussia's letter of opposition sent 26 January 1866 regarding the Hapsburg decision said that their decision to allow the Governor of Holstein to call up a joint assembly, which violated the principle of shared sovereignty held with Prussia, was completely valid. a position expressed on 26 January 1866. [2]
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[1] ITTL, Prince-Consort Albert is made King-Consort and survives his illness to which he succumbed in 1861 IOTL, which will be important for both France and Germany, regarding marriage and unification, respectively.
[2] Basically, a sped-up version of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 where Prussia is prepared for it beforehand, meaning that the same day Austria voices its dismissal of Prussian concerns, they immediately invade, having the element of (some) surprise.

Rafi_T · Jul 3, 2021

Ended up having a better semester than expected, so that's good. Summer's been a bit of a mixed bag, but pretty ok overall. This will be the last non-American-focused chapter in a while, so to those who came for Reconstruction, rejoice! For it shall soon come.
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The powder finding the spark it needed, Prussia would strike on two fronts, one military and the other diplomatic. Having convinced the minor German states to either ally with them or stay out of the conflict, it left only Austria and Prussia to fight in the initial stages of the conflict. For the first month, Prussia would push into northern Austria on multiple areas, mainly focusing on Prag (Prague), with a smaller army operating in the East, particularly Galicia so as to take away troops from the southern Austrian border. On March 14th, Prussia had already taken Prag and were in possession of surrounding Czech lands, setting guard so at to ensure their foothold in the Empire. This small siege would last only two weeks as the Prussians, rather than pushing south as the Austrians expected, went east to Slovak lands in the hope of meeting up with the second army operating in Galicia. These forces, by March 14th, would meet up in Troppau following a hasty march by the eastern army which had marched from Lemberg. The large distance covered by the eastern army due to the lack of defenses in the East; and the western army having already fought a hard march from Prag due to the city's importance, they would take a week in Troppau to rest, forcing the Austrian army into a proper siege like the had avoided in Prag. With Prussian artillery disturbing the Austrian lines, they wouldn't be able to mount a proper siege, yet it wasn't enough to have them scatter, forcing the Empire to send more troops, which would arrive on March 26th.

As the second Austrian army joining the siege of Troppau, the Prussians quickly sent a telegram to the Italian government, which promptly declared war on the Austrian Empire on March 28th, with troops crossing into Austrian controlled Venice on March 29th, with troops arriving in Mailand (Milan) on April 9th, due to a lack of Austrian troops due to the Prussian invasion. While the main Italian army was focused on taking Venice, Garibaldi would organize into a band of volunteers as he had done before, focusing on Triest (Trieste) by sailing over his small forces. Once landing on the coast, they would make their way to Triest, arriving on April 20th, picking up Italian nationals and other minorities along the way to fight against the Austrians. Garibaldi's rebel army would move north, arriving on May 1st at Laibach (Ljubljana), moving west to Agram (Zagreb) on May 11th, due to Garibaldi's forces focusing on taking towns and moving, not wishing to fight in formal battles or become engaged in lengthy sieges which they wouldn't be able to fight (due to lack of artillery) or defend (due to lack of long term supplies). This journey to drive deep into Austrian lands was part of a strategy to link up with revolutionary forces in Budapest and would arrive on May 14th, and on their arrival, would be greeted as heroes. Garibaldi making his way to Hungarian revolutionary leaders would quickly help them coordinate the Hungarian rebellion, which would erupt on May 20th, the same date the official Italian army entered the outskirts of Triest.

As the Hungarians began their rebellion, Garibaldi's forces were sent southeast, and later northeast to help out the Romanian-majority rebels of Temeschwar (Timișoara), and Weissenburg (Alba Iulia) on May 29th, and June 7th respectively. These areas would be included in the future Hungarian state, though the Romainas (and other minorities) were hoping for their own state, though Garibaldi would not involve himself in those issues, focusing on fighting Austrian oppression, and gaining allies for Italy in Hungary, and any other states should they may arise from this wave of revolutions. These revolutionaries lighting up the Hungarian countryside with their fervor, and the Austrians being stretched thin due to a combination of Prussian forces bearing down on Wien (Vienna) after they had taken Brünn (Brno) on the 5th of April, the Italians pushing into Areas claimed and even beginning to enter Croatia, and the Hungarians holding their own in Budapest against the Austrian guards trying to clamp down on their rebellion. Following these enormous setbacks and the desertion of Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and other minority troops from the Austrian Army, it was clear that they would have to surrender, and would do so on June 1st, 1866, with negotiations taking the better part of the month, ending on June 21st.

In the end, this peace treaty would lead to the greatest humiliation in Austrian history, bringing back memories of the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire... but now there would be no successor state under Hapsburg rule, Under the terms of this treaty, the Austrian Empire would be split into three realms: Prussia (later on Germany), Italy, and Hungary. Though the Habspurbgs heavily lobbied for Hungary to be turned into a kingdom under their rule, the three other powers at the table would leave the question at the hands of the Hungarian people, who would overwhelmingly support a republic. While the Hungarians would retain their lands in the north and the East, they would lose their Austrian and Croatian/Dalmatian lands to the Italians, who claimed these territories in their quest for national unification. The Hapsnuburgs were granted rule over their former lands, though they would be subjects of Frederick III under the new German state formed under Prussian rule. East Galicia was traded to the Russians and would lead to a stabilization of European borders.
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The changes in Europe would serve as a good parallel and contrast to the changes in Asia, where the Western powers had begun exploring. Making contact with Japan, Russia, and long after the United States, ha become the only nations to establish proper relations with Japan after the success of Commander John Biddle's expedition of 1846. Led by Commodore John H. Aulick [1] leading the main expedition into Japan, Commodore Matthew C. Perry served as his alternate, helping ensure the success of the mission. Though the Russians had been fortunate enough to open Japan for trade in 1792 following the expedition of Adam Laxman [2], it wasn't until Aulick's expedition that Japan would fully open to the US, and indeed, the world. As Commodore Aulick sailed into Japan, it was expected that Japan would resist, and as such, Commodore Perry had planned to occupy Okinawa if they encountered resistance. As Aulick's forces approached Japan, the negotiations went surprisingly quickly, with the deal opening up Japan being signed in 1853 due to the overwhelming force presented by the American forces.

As Japan opened up the West, it was clear that it could not stand by and let the imperial powers force themselves upon it, especially following the occupation of Okinawa due to Perry's unauthorized, yet celebrated expedition to ensure the Japanese kept their side of the deal, and as such, would find themselves looking to Korea, which they would annex in 1875 following the Ganghwa Island incident [3] after the Korean government had recognized Japan as its suzerain (in diplomatic language only) in 1869 after the diplomatic transition from the Meiji government, The power Japan gained from the annexation of Korea would lead to Jpana being considered an up and coming power, which would put it in inevitable conflict with China.
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[1] This was the original Commodore assigned to open up Japan, but he got into an argument with a Brazilian diplomat and got replaced with Perry. I selected him because since he lived until 1873 rather than Perry's death in 1858, meaning Aulick could serve as an American icon after the Civil War.
[2] This expedition happened, and the Japanese wanted to open up trade, but Laxman felt that signing a treaty would be overstepping his authority, and went to ask permission. They came back 12 years later, and by then conservatives had taken over Japan and did not have any interest in trade. ITTL, Laxman sings a treaty, but other than a cultural exchange, there's no great butterflies.
[3] This incident led to a highly unequal treaty by Japan forced upon Korea, ITTL it was a simple annexation.

Rafi_T · Jul 17, 2021

I've gone back and done some corrections to the TL, a few grammar corrections, and some updates, particularly for the 1864 election since I forgot to account for Nebraska. Additionally, Lincoln's VP for 1860 has changed, so as to bring some sort of Unionist balance to this TL (and also because I like Sam Houston... slavery aside). The other change is to properly establish George Henry Thomas' rank ascension, since I recently found out about the offer he received to lead the Army of the Ohio (though I don't have a specific date other than Rosecran's OTL acceptance on October 24th, 1862. Finally, I'm not sure how it would work, but ITTL, Burnside, Sickles, and Hooker aren't seen as screw-ups as they are IOTL (erroneously IMO), with their most famous campaigns either working out better or being butterflied. This doesn't affect the TL before the super big PoD, since these changes will temperate (ie., they'll either be minor losses or minor victories, enough so that their careers aren't jeopardized, but not so much that it would shorten the war significantly).
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March 4th, 1865: After a long, and cheerful inauguration which took the better part of a day, now-president Grant quickly went to work to familiarize himself with the White House and the office of the President. While Lincoln had guided the general ever since the Confederacy had surrendered, this advice would soon come to an end as the former President was soon to join the ranks of the Supreme Court. Due to Chief Justice Taney's death on October 12th, 1864, and the appointment of Salmon Portland Chase as Chief Justice on the same day, it was clear that this appointment would be a temporary one in nature, with the position of Chief Justice maintained for Lincoln. This would come true on March 4th, 1865 as Associate Justice John Catron had died that morning, and as soon as Grant had sworn in, Lincoln was quickly confirmed as Chief Justice, with the Senate allowing for this unusual transition due to the (now ex) President's popularity, and Chase's acquiescence. [1]

On the same day, Grant's cabinet was quickly approved by the Senate, each of the candidates having been interviewed before the general had assumed office. [2] With main priority was the reshuffling of the Army, with George Henry Thomas being made General of the Army (as well as the Commanding General of the United States Army), with Grant's ally and friend William Tecumseh Sherman had been made Lieutenant-General, signifying that he would be Thomas' successor. With this inflation of ranks among command, it was clear that the Union Army would be incredibly top-heavy for the foreseeable future, which was agreed to by Congress by the insistence of the President to allow all officers to serve out until their retirement if they wished to remain in the army, and that those who wished to remain could retire with full pay. This Rank and Pensions bill would make it out of Congress by August and allowed for many Union officers (and soldiers) to retire with proper pay, while also allowing those who wished employment in the Army the option of staying. [3]

Though the massive reduction in the size of the Army due to the disbandment of volunteers (though those who wished to remain would be transferred to the Regular Army at current ranks) would lead to some relief from Congress due to not having to support such a large army; even then it was much larger than many had expected in a time of peace. It was quickly justified by a White House press release which spoke of "The necessity for gainful employment for the many brave soldiers who left their homes to fight for liberty and who wish to continue doing so." ... "The settlement of The Frontier with adequate protection of settlers." and the "Pacification of the South and to ensure that our victory over secession is a permanent one." With the press release positively received, the issue of funding the Army was no longer controversial, particularly after the later acquisitions of territory would make such a large Army necessary. [4]

To absorb the abundance of officers in the Army, the size of all military units was increased so as to require multiple men to fill a single role in a manner which would lead them to cooperate, rather than simply dividing these units into severely understrength versions of themselves so that each officer may have individual command. [5] As these inflated commands were organized to help pacify the South, settle the West, and occupy all officers with commands that justify their positions, it was clear that many of the volunteers which decided to remain in the Army were either white immigrants who wished to remain in their army for economic reasons/to prove themselves as Americans or African-Americans who wished to guarantee their economic future and to seem worthy of being granted civil rights after all they had sacrificed (as well as protecting themselves from the inevitable white backlash that would occur across the South). [6]

With the structure of the Army now cleared up, it was now clear that the former Confederate states would have to undergo a harsh reconstruction, as proven by the fact that South Carolina had just approved a new Constitution, that while it recognized the abolition of slavery, it specifically stated that only white men could vote, a stipulation that no Republican in Congress could be comfortable with. This fact made it clear that the Republican Party would never win in the South without disenfranchising Confederates and enfranchising the freedmen. Worse than a mere Democratic dominance of the South, there was the clear possibility that former Confederates could regain power in their states, and destroy everything the Union had worked for, if not by engaging in secession once more, then by returning the freedmen to their previous condition of servitude, if not legally, then surely in practice. Though more conservative Republicans and Unionists were on the fence regarding the need (or even constitutionality) of a strict reconstruction, their doubts would be cleared up once credible reports from South Carolinian Republicans reached Congress stating that there was a strong, if unofficial, movement to elect former Confederate Lieutenant-General Wade Hampton III to the governor's office. The reports stated that although the officer communicated his desire for people to vote against him, it was obvious that his denial was merely out of a desire to prevent Republican intervention in the state, and that if elected, he would gladly serve. [7]

As Congress read over these reports, they quickly drafted a series of bills later titled the Reconstruction Acts, of these, the most important one was titled the Act to Provide for the More Efficient Government of the Rebel States, designed to put all former confederate states under military control, as these were seen to have abandoned all notion of responsible government and with it, the right to a civilian government, and would have to earn these. Organizing these states into a total of five military districts, these would be accompanied with changes for some of the state names so as to strip them of their secessionist identity once they were reintegrated into the Union. [8] These military districts having been clearly demarcated and renamed, it was now a matter of sending enough troops to the South to maintain order. Many freedmen would be part of this army either having served during the war or signed up at one of the many recruitment stations which the army quickly set up after establishing their presence in the territories. A majority of the new recruits would obviously be Unionist whites (as they made up the majority of the population in most states of the South) after they took the Ironclad Oath, enticed due to the promise of secure income and in some cases the opportunity to acquire political power both by having the protection of the army and the guaranteeing of their vote. [9]

Following the organization of the southern military, the west (and later the north) would become an entirely different beast, as many troops as possible were to be sent to deal with the tensions that had been occurring for decades between white settlers and the indigenous inhabitants of those lands. Though conflict had been avoided with the Dakota in 1862, it was clear that they would need an untouchable reservation so as to not come into any more conflict with settlers. With the proposed lands taking up an enormous part of the territory of South Dakota, it was proposed to rejoin the Dakotas into one territory so as to ensure that the state would be majority white. This proposal was taken up by Congress by the beginning of winter, leading to the 1864 Treaty of Fort Laramie as well as the unification of the Dakota territories. [10]

The final issue that would require immediate attention by the Grant administration was the prosecution of Confederate leadership. Though Grant desired to not go through a great series of trials so as to help unite the nation, and ensure that the South would not gain martyrs, the mood of the country was not on his side, and it was clear that trials would be undertaken. These trials would lead to many southern generals that had surrendered to Grant that their paroles would include protection from prosecution feeling betrayed, which would have its own consequences. Including the trial of the century. [11]
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[1] Much like IOTL, Taney (thankfully) dies and Chase is named Chief Justice, though ITTL, it's a temporary appointment as Lincoln's term is ending and it's clear that the statement would be rewarded with the top position of the highest Court of the Land. As such, as soon as Grant is sworn in by Chase and Lincoln is no longer President, his position on the Court is approved by the Senate, which had already been informed prior to the inauguration, due to Grant's desire to get Senate confirmations out of the way as soon as possible. Due to Taney's death, the next Supreme Court death would be John Catron who IOTL died on May 30th, 1865, but ITTL he dies in the early morning hours of March 4th, as such opening the way for Lincoln to be nominated to the Supreme Court on the same day he leaves the presidency.

[2] As mentioned before, all of Grant's Cabinet nominations (and Chief Justice nomination) were already examined by the Senate, with all of them being approved on Grant's first day. The positions are as following:
Secretary of State: Hamilton Fish
Secretary of the Treasury: Benjamin Helm Bristow (due to reform bona fides) Not sure (Any pro-Greenback men?)
Secretary of War: William Worth Belknap
Attorney General: George Henry Williams (Sadly, it can't be Ackerman, as much as I may like him since it would violate the Ironclad Oath) (In a great sense of irony, the most anti-Klan and pro-Reconstruction AG was a former Confederate officer)
Postmaster General: John Andrew Jackson Creswell (Truly the only purely good member of the Grant administration)
Assistant Postmaster General: Marshall Jewell
Secretary of the Navy: Adolph Edward Borie ( from March 4th, 1865 - 5 February 1880)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy: George Maxwell Robeson (later Secretary of the Navy after Borie's death)
Secretary of the Interior: Jacob Dolson Cox/
Assistant Secretary of the Interior: Jacob Dolson Cox
Assistant Secretary of the Interior: Zacariah T. Chandler

[3] The retirement age for the Army is increased from 64 to 68 for officers, to ensure they have a few extra years to prove themselves... or at the very least collect full/active duty pay.

[4] Basically, it follows later (IOTL) Congressman Butler's Reconstruction plans of leaving the Army at its current state, and it's a lot easier by splitting the difference of relaxing conscription, but not mustering anyone out that wanted to remain,

[5] Officers would collaborate together to ensure they could assume their commands at their current ranks without dealing with understrength forces, and especially in the West, they can coordinate better due to the vast expanses of land.

[6} ITTL, military unit sizes would be set at "official" Confederate (and maybe Union, but the source wasn't clear) levels of 100 men to the company, 10 companies to the regiment (1,000), 4 regiments to the brigade (4,000), 2-4 brigades to a division (8,000-16,000), 2-4 divisions to a corps (16,000-64,000), and 2-4 corps to an army (32,000-256,000). Though for ease of organization, the larger units were to be utilized, these were to be commanded under their smaller versions to ensure ease of command and would only fall under singular command at their biggest in the case of war, emergency, rebellion, and/or the request of the most senior officer at the particular level (though they could, of course, be overruled by their commanding officer(s).

[7] The South Carolina constitution is accurate and was allowed under Johnson. The election also occurred in this way IOTL (though Hampton lost). He was incredibly popular in the state, and he would've been elected governor if it wasn't for his strong opposition to becoming governor due to his worry that it could potentially lead to a backlash from Republicans due to a confederate reaching power again so soon. ITTL, the constitution goes through in the confusion, and the reports of Hampton's popularity make it clear that without a military reconstruction, the South would quickly go back not just to democratic or even southern democratic rule, but outright confederate control which is, of course, bad (to say the least).

[8] Part of Butler's Reconstruction proposal was the breaking up of the confederate states into territories that would disregard state boundaries and rename them so as to ensure that these states lost their identities as secessionist states. It was expressed as such: "I advised and so urged that the States in rebellion should be divided into territories held under military control for a sufficient length of time to teach them that the lost cause and the lost Confederation was utterly obliterated and to be forgotten." ITTL, the state boundaries are changed but in a manner but in a manner different to Butler's proposal, as to connect them with their identities during the Revolutionary War. As such, the territories would be as follow: Potomac (Virginia [with civil administration from Kanawha {West Virginia is a sucky name} and Kentucky]), Cape Fear (North/South Carolina and Tennesse [which hasn't been readmitted yet]), Jackson (Florida with its former claims), Jefferson (Louisiana), Houston (Texas [whose capital would be moved to Houston in honor of its hero]), and Lincoln (to really rub it in) (Arkansas and the Indian Territory/Oklahoma).

[9] As the size of the army is reduced due to the demobilization of volunteers, with those who wish to remain being moved to the regular army, recruitment is opened up, especially in the South. This would be done to help pacify the South, as well as to help the freedmen assert their rights through self-defense. This had the added benefit of letting the Union know which southerners were true loyalists since to join the army meant undertaking the Ironclad Oath, which required that a person had no helped the Confederacy in a voluntary capacity (meaning conscripts and slaves were exempted from these limitations).

[10] ITLL, the Dakota War is avoided by the prompt delivery of supplies to the tribes, avoiding this destructive conflict. Due to this, the US comes in with (slightly) more goodwill to the negotiating table and gives the Sioux their reservation lands from OTL (as well as some disparate territories they occupy nowadays). This reservation (as well as the one from OTL) took up an enormous amount of Sout Dakota's territory, and so it's joined with North Dakota to make a unified state.

[11] IOTL, Grant was opposed to the trial of confederates, even threatening to resign if Robert E. Lee were brought to trial and Johnson quickly moved to dismiss treason charges against him. ITTL, Grant is in no position to do so, as he's surrounded himself with Radicals who would fight him on this (and he couldn't well resign the presidency over this issue). As such, the trials for Confederate leaders would go on, with a principal emphasis on Jefferson Davis, who would be tried for treason (and on whom the rest of the trials would rest upon). Assuming a successful trial, the next men to be tried would be Alexander Stephens, Davis' cabinet, and later on Lee (alongside other officers). (Basically, assume the 500 people that weren't pardoned by the Amnesty Act of 1872.) Following Thaddeus Steven's recommendation, no Confederate leader would be tried facing the death penalty (both on moral and political grounds, as it could lead to juries vote against conviction to prevent these leaders from dying/to avoid making martyrs of these men), but rather facing a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A strong, yet not overbearing punishment, that would ensure these men would be removed from society for long enough for Reconstruction to go forth unimpeded, and if not, then to at the very least bankrupt them.
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It's 3:16 am right now, so I will get back to this and update this later on. Please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts. As mentioned, it would be super helpful to get the names of as many pro (or at the very least less anti) Indigenous cabinet members and generals, as well as the most in favor of freedmen's rights.

If there are any other historical figures you would like me to highlight, please feel free to request, since I had a blast reading about George Henry Thomas and what an absolute chad he was.

Also, while the Army sizes might seem enormous (at least in the upper ranges), it's important to remember that since no one will be mustered out of the army, there's suddenly a flood of officers without commands, and as such, a sort of redundancy in command is worth it to keep the army to an (expanded) professional core while allowing those who wish to go home to do so.

Speaking of which, does anyone know of any young generals that could replace Schofield and Nelson A. Miles later on? They don't exactly strike me with much confidence.

TheRockofChickamauga · Jul 18, 2021

I'm glad to see this TL is back again, and here are my attempts to help you with a few things:

Rafi_T said:
As mentioned, it would be super helpful to get the names of as many pro (or at the very least less anti) Indigenous cabinet members and generals, as well as the most in favor of freedmen's rights.

For this, I would probably recommend Carl Schurz. He wasn't perfect in regards to Native relations (I doubt think any prominent political figure at the time was), but at least he was in favor of assimilation as opposed to extermination, and he would give good support to the freedmen.

Rafi_T said:
If there are any other historical figures you would like me to highlight, please feel free to request, since I had a blast reading about George Henry Thomas and what an absolute chad he was.

I'm glad to see the role Thomas is getting in this TL! I'm personally working my way through As True As Steel by Brian Steel Wills, and I'm enjoying a lot more about his personal (and even political) life than I did before. What have you been reading about him?

Rafi_T said:
Speaking of which, does anyone know of any young generals that could replace Schofield and Nelson A. Miles later on? They don't exactly strike me with much confidence.

Emory Upton would be my top suggestion, as he was noted for his work on reforming military drill and tactics before he unfortunately committed suicide. As for others, Ranald Mackenzie, Galusha Pennypacker, and John R. Brooke all pop into my mind as way as young men who served bravely in the conflict, and then went on to stay in the U.S. regular army. Even George A. Custer fits in the regard, but with his antics in the Plains Wars I'm not sure if he is the kind of guy you are looking for.

Rafi_T · Jul 19, 2021

TheRockofChickamauga said:
I'm glad to see this TL is back again, and here are my attempts to help you with a few things:

For this, I would probably recommend Carl Schurz. He wasn't perfect in regards to Native relations (I doubt think any prominent political figure at the time was), but at least he was in favor of assimilation as opposed to extermination, and he would give good support to the freedmen.

I'm glad to see the role Thomas is getting in this TL! I'm personally working my way through As True As Steel by Brian Steel Wills, and I'm enjoying a lot more about his personal (and even political) life than I did before. What have you been reading about him?

Emory Upton would be my top suggestion, as he was noted for his work on reforming military drill and tactics before he unfortunately committed suicide. As for others, Ranald Mackenzie, Galusha Pennypacker, and John R. Brooke all pop into my mind as way as young men who served bravely in the conflict, and then went on to stay in the U.S. regular army. Even George A. Custer fits in the regard, but with his antics in the Plains Wars I'm not sure if he is the kind of guy you are looking for.

1. Good to see you as well! Missed hearing from ya.

2. Awesome! Thanks for the recommendation! You had me at "German Revolutionary"! Lost me a little at "Liberal Republican", but he doesn't seem like one of the ones who opportunistically glommed on to the movement to curtail black civil rights under the guise of "curtailing the excesses of Republican Reconstruction", but rather a person genuinely concerned with civil service reform and fighting corruption, so it seems I have someone to read up on!

3. Not gonna lie, I've been going off of Wikipedia, other posts on the site, what I can find online, and Atun-Shei's video which mentioned Thomas as potentially the "best" general on either side, having never lost a movement or a battle. For I have neither the bibliography nor the resources for it. So I'm examining their careers and going off on that... which is a big part of what broke my heart a bit regarding Horace Greely and William H. Seward.

4. Damn, you gave me just what I was looking for without me even knowing! Upton seems just like the kind of guy to reform the Army in the way I'm looking for, since it still surprises me a bit that the US didn't properly develop a general staff until just the last century! F in the chat for the suicide. (Genuine F, not an ironic one.) Not sure about the others, but Custer seems like a good guy version of Nathan Bedford Forrest (discounting Custer's Native American massacres). It seems to be a matter of him being able to keep his ego in check (seems pretty damn hard) and make him into a showy version of Uncle Billy (the face for military policy, without actually being in the field). (Ie., Custer would most likely be the Union's "Wizard of the Saddle" [if Benjamin H. Grierson doesn't earn that title] and would be a poster boy for, at the very least, polite assimilation.)

Additionally, not to promise too much since I don't have much legal knowledge, but the next chapter will deal with The Trial of the Century. Hope this doesn't come as a shock (since it's kind of a necessary part of any Radical Reconstruction), Jeff Davis will be found guilty of treason (but not hanged). The following treason trials would first focus on government officials since the primary issue would focus on the government of the Confederacy, and once the governmental side of treason is defined, it shall transition to treason regarding the military. In other words, the military trials will invoke a quasi-Nuremberg defense (with about as much success) in which generals try to use the "But my loyalty to my state" and "I was a soldier ordered by my governor, senator, etc."

Also, the Klan will sadly still exist, being even more violent, and having more Southern legitimacy, but also leading to an even more spectacular crash and burn.

All this being said, the guilty parties (of the 500 charged, none will go unpunished), there will be three main categories of punishment: the repentants (think Longstreet or Akerman if he had been charged) these are people who openly admit that secession is no longer legitimate due to having lost in the field of battle and/or showing true remorse for their serving in the Confederacy (most likely submitting guilty pleas to get it over with) these men will get the bare minimum punishment of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Then there shall be those who plead innocent but are not firebreathers (think your average Confederate official/officer); they'll receive 10-15 years and a $15-20,000 fine. Finally, there will be the "unredeemables", who aggressively argue for the right to secession and show no remorse whatsoever and/or are hostile during the trial; they'll receive 20-25 years (30-35 if they're really bad, and 40-45 for the absolute worst) and a $25-30,000 fine ($35-40,000, and $45-50,000 respectively). This means that if any of the worst confederates (think Early and Stephens) somehow survive their sentence, they'll be financially ruined, while those who show genuine regret will get out in just over the amount of time the Confederacy lasted (which will be a joke ITTL), with the fine just eating up their savings (for the wealthier Confederates) or simply requiring a few years of work to pay off rather than a lifetime.

Atun-Shei's excellent video. His "Checkmate Lincolnites" series is amazing, and his other content is simply brilliant.

Rafi_T · Aug 21, 2021

1st of June, 1865: As the light gently shone through his window, he could tell it would be an odd day, a beautiful, yet.. difficult day. Gently awoken by the two black soldiers stationed outside the officers' quarters in which he had been staying for less than a month, he received the news he had been eagerly anticipating: that he was to present his case before a grand jury. As he was duly informed on the way to the courthouse in a letter that ready simply: "On this, the first of June of the year 1866, the defendant Jefferson Davis finds himself under court order to present himself before a grand jury to determine whether he shall face indictment for the crime of treason." Happy that he would so soon be able to make his case that secession was not treason, he knew deep down inside that a grand jury led by a Republican judge, even if made up of the proudest of Virginians, would most likely find cause for his indictment before the law. He barely gave a thought to it, relishing this fact, as he felt that this indictment would serve as the launching point he needed to make a case before a judge and a jury of twelve of his peers when the time came.

As he entered the courtroom, it was clear to anyone that this grand jury would come to one conclusion only: that there was enough evidence to indict Jefferson Davis and bring him to trial for treason. Clear that his life (nor that of any other confederate) was on the line, the stakes were greatly reduced, and as such, the Union assured that any jurors who would vote against indictment (or later on a guilty verdict) due to not wishing to sentence any man to death would no longer have to take this into consideration and could vote merely on the facts of treason. As this was the case, the jury heard arguments starting at 7:30 in the morning and adjourning by 5:30 in the evening, with an indictment against Davis secured before the sun had set. As he was taken back to Fort Monroe, he noticed that the mood on the carriage was lighter than it had been that morning, with the Union soldiers happy that the first step in punishing the traitor before them had gone so well. Davis himself was in a good if slightly concerned mood; on the one hand, he would enjoy having the opportunity to grandstand and defend the legitimacy of the Confederacy before a federal courtroom, a defense that would be published across not just the nation, but the world itself. On the other hand, the speed at which he had been indicted concerned Davis that he wouldn't be receiving a fair trial and that even if he were allowed to make his arguments, that he would still be indicted for treason, regardless of the soundness of his arguments. Making a quick, if uneasy peace in his mind regarding his current situation, Davis did his best to enjoy the ride back to Fort Monroe, where he'd await his trial.

It was the news he received at week's end that would crush this uneasy hope...

7th of June, 1865: On that warm, humid morning in southwestern Virginia, a distinguished general was brought before a grand jury to face the same charges as his former president. Having surrendered beside Johnston at the Montgomery County Courthouse, the old general had been in a state of calm panic for the better part of a week after having learned of President Davis' indictment for treason. Though he had been promised immunity from trial in his parole orders, this illusion would be shattered in the following weeks as his letters of complaint were promptly ignored. Much like Davis, the grand jury deliberated from the morning until the afternoon, and in one day came to the same conclusion as had been reached a week prior: there was merit enough to indict the defendant on treason. The deliberation having begun at 8 in the morning and adjourned at 4:40 in the afternoon, it was clear what the conclusion was to be, and as such, it was agreed to keep the grand jury session as short as possible out of respect to the old general.

Getting back to the fort in which he was being held, all he could do was feel disappointed that the protection granted by his parole had been violated, though hopeful that the president who had signed his surrender would intercede on his behalf to keep his word. As the weeks passed, it soon became clear that the President had gone back on his word, and soon two big emotions bubbled up in the Virginian's mind: that of fear, a fear of what was to come and how he was alone... which soon turned to anger, anger at the Union, at broken promises, and most of all, the disregard with which the Union was treating confederates.

His opportunity to act on these emotions would come up in the following months when a little club of Confederate veterans extended an offer to lead their group to help publicize their organization and to defend the South. Though doubtful that he could be of any help seeing as how he was still incarcerated, and feeling that others could do this job better than him, these doubts were quickly put to rest, as the organization said that they simply desired to quote Lee and use his endorsement to increase their influence. Even as he was on board, he still considered reaching out to a Confederate Lieutenant General, a young, active man whose spirit would better serve a young, grassroots organization as he was about to lead; but before this letter could be sent off, the commander had taken a long drop off a short noose, the scene a degrading display as the officer emptied his bowels into the white trousers he wore. [1]

As the trials of Confederate officers continued, the organization grew and grew, growing to an extent where fully active leadership was necessary, and as such, the leadership of the organization had to be formally cemented. In the spring of 1866, General Lee was handed a letter asking him to sign a letter accepting his command, quickly doing so, the organization rejoiced and held their ceremony only a few miles from the prison. When the night was over, the old veterans assumed their ranks, now Knights in a Grand Organization, an Invisible Empire... one which had just found their King. [2]
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Sorry for the awkward attempt at hiding Lee's identity, I tried building suspense, but this is something I'll have to work on when I review and edit this part. I'm going with a policy of just posting here immediately, not even doing the first draft, to get around my ADHD-induced procrastination, hesitation, and perfectionism. Better to post an imperfect post than to not post at all and all that. This sets the scene for the trials, with the grand jury indictment of President Davis being moved up a lot since there shouldn't be much controversy around it (Lee's indictment is on the same date as IOTL). Trials for Wirz and other officers (is the source I'm using to help me get a better idea of the confederate officers who are getting tried not just for treason, but for war crimes.) Though Radical Republicans didn't want to enforce the death penalty for treason, there doesn't seem to have been the same hesitation for the deliberate execution and mistreatment of prisoners, and as such Wirz still takes his plunge, alongside Forrest and Pickett ITTL for Fort Pillow and the 22 North Carolina soldiers respectively.

So, ITTL, Lee and Davis will die in prison, alongside Early and Stephens.
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Separate point, but does anyone know when Lincoln sent the letter to Pope Pius IX asking him to make Archbishop John Hughes into a cardinal? I want to include this in the timeline since it would lead to less anti-catholic sentiment in the North, and it'd be pretty cool tbh.
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[1] ITTL Forrest hangs for Fort Pillow (as he should've). Adding insult to injury, I involved the (potential) fact that he apparently died from complications from diarrhea. ITLL, he's definitely lionized by Lost Causers, but Unionists and anti-Confederates would constantly dunk on him for this, leading to a great many memes ITTL.

[2] Though basing this on a Checkmates Lincolnite comment isn't a great idea, and I can't find any corroborating evidence, I do think it makes sense for Robert E. Lee to be offered the position of leader of the Klan. ITTL, they're still called knights, with royal ranks rather than military ones, with Lee's title being King Lee based on his "King of Spades" nickname since I can't really come up with anything for Uncle/Marse Robert, let alone "Marble Man".

A Random Man · Aug 21, 2021

Nice series. Good alternate history. Keep up the good work.

The American Civil War: The Rule of the Radical Republicans

Either being in good health during their term, who would you prefer for the 1851 Pennsylvania seat?

David Wilmot (Whig)

John Sergeant (Whig)

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