The Crumble of America: A European influenced America TL

the south has what they want.
Cotton? Yeah, really worth picking a literal war, out of the blue.

In the hopes that after the war, they could force the Union to start up trade again (but more unevenly in Britain's favor), and pay back it's loans. They may think that even if the Union wins it'll sink into recession anyway (hurting trade as well).
Key word in that statement is hopes. Remember, they HOPE the Union will trade and pay back loans after the British go to war with them. That's a big gamble, especially since there's no good CB to sell to the public.

If they didn't go to war over Trent, why do it now? To say nothing about hitching their horse to a literal slaving nation, which I'm sure will go down "swimmingly" in the British public's opinion, given the Emancipation Proclamation kicks in Jan 1, 1863. That means if they go to war with the Union via breaking the blockade, they're kinda implicitly supporting slavery. Something I'm sure the House of Commons would LOVE to hear about, which is kinda a really bad issue, given it's a predominantly Liberal body at this point in time.
 
Cotton? Yeah, really worth picking a literal war, out of the blue.


Key word in that statement is hopes. Remember, they HOPE the Union will trade and pay back loans after the British go to war with them. That's a big gamble, especially since there's no good CB to sell to the public.

If they didn't go to war over Trent, why do it now? To say nothing about hitching their horse to a literal slaving nation, which I'm sure will go down "swimmingly" in the British public's opinion, given the Emancipation Proclamation kicks in Jan 1, 1863. That means if they go to war with the Union via breaking the blockade, they're kinda implicitly supporting slavery. Something I'm sure the House of Commons would LOVE to hear about, which is kinda a really bad issue, given it's a predominantly Liberal body at this point in time.
If you would like to have a conversation on the subject the send me a private message. This is not the place for this.
 
Easily. Simply put, breaking a blockade, one that's pretty clearcut, more or less requires firing on Union ships. The question is, why?

What do the British and French get from allying with the slaving bastards down south that's worth actively going to war with a liberal democracy like the Union?

Simply, because the actions of Britain, France and Spain on Mexican soil would break the Monroe Doctrine. Breaking the Union by supporting the CSA, even tough slavery was despised on Europe, would weaken the US to a point it couldn't enforce the Monroe Doctrine, assuring European dominance on Latinoamerican markets.
 
Britain and the US inclueding the south had a good deal of pre war trade. The south being blockaded ended a good deal of prewar trade.
Why would (did) the brits and french consider the confederacy over the union is easy the south has what they want. Plus an almost dependent market for imported goods. Now please stop hijacking the guys story.

The main reason to help the CSA is weakening the US so it can't apply the Monroe Doctrine. The US' foreign policy on the following decades would be centered on its new neighbour to the South, rather than gain influence over Latin America. Thus, the Anglo-Franco-Spanish puppet of Mexico would be safe from US intervention.
 
The main reason to help the CSA is weakening the US so it can't apply the Monroe Doctrine. The US' foreign policy on the following decades would be centered on its new neighbour to the South, rather than gain influence over Latin America. Thus, the Anglo-Franco-Spanish puppet of Mexico would be safe from US intervention.

How does that help the European powers in the long run? A US without the Confederate states is still going to become a great power that will undoubtedly remember the "Imperialistic European Invaders" and their roles in a Confederate victory.

In exchange for pissing off the US, they have ensured the survival of a confederation that may not survive the coming decades and a puppet Mexico that will be rife with partisan warfare and guerrilla resistance.

Simply, because the actions of Britain, France and Spain on Mexican soil would break the Monroe Doctrine. Breaking the Union by supporting the CSA, even tough slavery was despised on Europe, would weaken the US to a point it couldn't enforce the Monroe Doctrine, assuring European dominance on Latinoamerican markets.

This would hardly break the Union. The intervention of the British, French and Spanish would in fact do the exact opposite, it would only strengthen the unity of the Union states post-war since Washington could play it off as the evil British and their European and Confederate lackeys trying to destroy America.
 
How does that help the European powers in the long run? A US without the Confederate states is still going to become a great power that will undoubtedly remember the "Imperialistic European Invaders" and their roles in a Confederate victory.

In exchange for pissing off the US, they have ensured the survival of a confederation that may not survive the coming decades and a puppet Mexico that will be rife with partisan warfare and guerrilla resistance.

I know I'm engaging in a bit of butterfly murder, but I'm sure Kaiser Wilhelm II, Franz Joseph, and Sultan Mehmed V will be grateful for the extra help come 1914...
 
How does that help the European powers in the long run? A US without the Confederate states is still going to become a great power that will undoubtedly remember the "Imperialistic European Invaders" and their roles in a Confederate victory.
This at the time of the ACW is no where set in stone. American active forgien policy at that time barely inforced the monroe doc. Much less looked at the rest of the world as anything more than a headache. Also what little outlook the us had was driven by southerners looking to add slave states which made the free states that much more isolationist
 
Chapter 2: The next moves

The Second London Convention, celebrated on July 1862 saw talks between France, Britain and France regarding their next moves on the American Continent. The main issues were the future of the Mexican nation and the American Civil War., as the three powers had agreed to install an European friendly regime on Mexico. They all saw that a constitutional monarchy could work, as the Mexican people had been governed by monarchs since the Aztecs, in colonial New Spain and briefly after securing their independence from Spain, as Agustín de Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico but was dethroned after just two years of reigning. The powers were divided on who should be the future Emperor of Mexico, as Queen Isabella II of Spain insisted having someone from the Spanish Royal Family due to their historical ties to Mexico, Napoleon III of France prefered an Italian prince and the British prefered someone more Anglophile.

It was finally decided that the “chosen one” would be Archduke Maximilian of Austria, whose older brother, Franz Joseph I, was Emperor of Austria. This would bring Austria into the alliance (and thus additional reinforcements from Austria) and heal the Franco-Austrian relationship, that had been broken due to the wars of Italian Unification, as France backed the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont into unifying the Italian states, while the Italian Unification would mean Vienna losing influence on Europe. The other main issue, the American Civil War, had more consensus between the three powers. Under the Monroe Doctrine, established by the United States, any European intervention in the New World was seen as an act of aggression, that would force American action. The US had been unable to stop the Pact of London into invading Mexico, as the United States was embroiled into a civil war because the Southern states wanted to secede from the Union.

But at home, there was opposition to intervene on the American Civil War, as slavery had been abandoned decades ago by the European powers, and was considered a backwards institution. There was strong opposition from the the abolitionists and most liberals to the Confederacy, whose economy ran on slavery. The Triple Intervention in Mexico had been portrayed as an incredible success by the British press, and the most imperialist members of the British Parliament wanted to attack the Union while they had the public opinion on their favour. Lord Palmerston, leader of the Liberal Party, had been elected in 1859, and the liberals ruled both houses of the British Parliament. During a diplomatic crisis on late 1861 between the US and Britain, due to a British ship with two Confederate diplomats being intercepted by the Union’s blockade, Britain considered recognizing and helping the Confederacy, but ultimately didn’t. Still, the idea of recognizing the Confederate States was popular among the Conservatives and aristocrat Liberals, who now viewed the Union as a potential threat to the market Britain had brought to Mexico. The days of the Second London Convention passed by, and both France and Spain wanted to intervene in favor of the Confederates, and waited for the British response.

France and Spain, for different reasons each, favoured a more aggressive approach. Lord Palmerston’s Government, due to pressure at home, wanted to just recognize the Confederate States and supply them, without direct intervention against the Union’s troops. Finally, Lord Palmerston’s proposal was agreed by the three powers, who would initially recognize the Confederate States, send supplies through the Texan-Mexican border and pressure the United States onto abandoning the blockade, as the British refused to the French proposal of breaking the blockade by force, an action that would be considered casus belli by the Union, who had a direct border to British Canada.

The agreement was signed August 2nd 1862. A day later, Britain, France, Spain and Austria (that had joined the Pact due to Maximilian of Habsburg becoming the Emperor of Mexico). The London Pact’s Government already controlled the Eastern Mexican Coast, and with the Union’s blockade in place, the only way to supply the Confederacy was by land, through the Texan-Mexican border. The powers of the London Pact made an offensive on Coahuila-Nuevo León before making it to the Mexican capital.

On August 9th 1862, the Latrille Offensive, named after French General Charles Ferdinand Latrille, who led such offensive started. Much of the Mexican Army at the beginning of the war had either surrendered or defected hoping to make part of a new conservative government once Juárez would be overthrown. The remaining Mexican forces were mainly on central Mexico trying to hold Mexico City, so the provinces of Coahuila and Nuevo León were rather undefended. General Latrille led 20,000 men through Ciudad Victoria and Saltillo, before sieging Monterrey from August 18th to August 26th. The fall of Monterrey saw the defeat of the Mexican forces on Northeast Mexico, clearing the path to trade along the other side of the Rio Bravo. The Confederates exports had lowered due to the Union blockade, but now France, Britain and Spain could obtain the South’s cotton, vital to the European textile industry; and the Confederates could obtain supplies to their war effort.

After the Confederates were recognised by Britain, France, Austria and Spain, the US strengthened its Northern border, fearing an attack from the British colony of Canada. The morale of the Southern troops increased, as they saw their cause recognized by part of the international community, but the war had to be won at home. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was preparing an offensive through Maryland to invade the North, but after hearing the news of the French reaching the Rio Bravo, delayed the invasion until having new supplies and equipment, centering all Confederate efforts on the Western Theater, as the Union fought to cut the Confederacy in half by gaining control of the Mississippi River. The supply lines from Texas to the rest of the Confederacy had to cross the Mississippi River, so the Confederate Army of the Tennessee, along with 10,000 Frenchmen, led an offensive to recover Western Tennessee, Kentucky and control over the Mississippi River. The Union was defeated at the battles of the Green River, Augusta and Perryville, securing the Confederate control over the Mississippi.

The French decision to aid the Confederates on the Tennessee was kept secret from Britain, who opposed war against the US. But Napoleon III, eager to recover French power and influence, seeked to demonstrate its military might by helping the Confederates. The French aid during the Tennessee and Kentucky Campaigns encouraged Napoleon III to directly challenge the United States. By breaking the Union’s blockade, and attacking New Orleans on October 17th 1862, the Second French Empire had declared war on the United States, the same nation that the French had helped gaining independence from Britain eight decades earlier. The United States felt betrayed by the same nation that had fought alongside them against the British during the American War of Independence. The British reacted negatively towards France’s actions, as both nations had agreed to not directly intervene against the Union. Napoleon III's next moves had caused an international crisis and a fracture between the London Pact.
 
There it is! The next chapter will cover the end of the ACW and the Triple Intervention. I tried to use your advice for this chapter, and I hope its not too controversial and pretty much accurate. Please tell me your impressions about it.
 
In a hypotetical Confederate victory with international support, how would the US-CSA border be?
I think that the Brits would grab parts of America's north (like the northern parts of Maine and far northern areas in Upstate New York). The US might also be forced to give up Oregon Territory; not sure about that one. Probably not though.
 
Napoleon III gotta Napoleon III.

Gotta love him tho

In a hypotetical Confederate victory with international support, how would the US-CSA border be?

I think that the Brits would grab parts of America's north (like the northern parts of Maine and far northern areas in Upstate New York). The US might also be forced to give up Oregon Territory; not sure about that one. Probably not though.

It depends on the scenario. The most likely one, a Peace Democrat wins in 64, ends in either status quo antebellum or a simply the borders of the pre-war states that male up the CSA, though perhaps without WV.
 
The Little Man's War:

The French capture of New Orleans had officially brought France on the American Civil War, or as the French press called it, “La Guerre du Petit Homme” (Little Man’s War), as the war was seen by part of the French elites as a caprice of the Emperor. Indeed, only Napoleon III’s ambitions led to France’s intervention on the American Civil War. By breaking the blockade and launching an attack on the Union held city of New Orleans on October 18th 1862, without a casus belli, the Confederates got France’s official support. Britain, who had a standing alliance with France since the signing of the London Pact, condemned France’s actions.

France’s attack on New Orleans resulted successful, and 20,000 French troops landed at the Mississippi River Delta. The city got taken by French troops, and in the following days, all Union-held territory on the state of Louisiana. The 20,000 French troops deployed at Louisiana went on to Tennessee, and joined 10,000 French troops already there. The French reinforcement showed to be vital, as the Union abandoned Tennessee before the end of the year.

As Maximilian of Austria was crowned Emperor of Mexico on December 1862, the newly established Mexican Empire recognized the Confederate States, followed by the Brazilian Empire, where slavery was still legal. Brazil showed military support to the Confederacy, sending over 2,000 troops to fight alongside the Confederates. Meanwhile, the Second Mexican Empire, backed by the London Pact, was gaining control over the western and northwestern provinces. After fleeing Mexico City, Benito Juárez’s government established itself at Chihuahua. The Mexican conservatives and the Church backed the Mexican Empire and were fighting alongside the forces of the London Pact. As Austrian troops were being deployed to Mexico, France was trying to mobilize its troops stationed at Mexico to fight against the United States.

The Union’s blockade over the Confederacy was broken by the French Navy, the Confederacy’s exports rose up again, to levels as before the war. 120,000 French troops arrived on January 1863, and 75,000 more the following month. Following the Union’s defeats at Tennessee, the Confederacy, along with the French troops led an offensive through Kentucky, with more than 400,000. The Confederate and French troops laid siege to Bowling Green, which fell two weeks later. Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee, after a series of defeats, was left in chaos, and Grant fled North. The joint French-Confederate Army took advantage of the situation and gained control of Southern Kentucky by February 1863. The Union got defeated again, this time at Louisville, but emerged victorious at the Battle of Lexington, halting the Southern advance at the Western Front.

By May 1863, the number of French troops on the American continent nearly reached 500,000 men, most of them north of the Rio Bravo, making half of the Confederate forces. While the Union struggled at the Western Front, the Army of the Potomac was having relative success at the Eastern Front. The Union controlled Western & Northern Virginia. Union forces under General George McClellan profited from the lack of Confederate forces on the Eastern Front, as most of them had been redirected to Tennessee and Kentucky following the French entry on the War. Washington D.C bordered the seceded state of Virginia, and as capital of the Union, was a strategical city.

The Confederacy secured Kentucky by June 1863. Kentucky was the birthplace of US President Abraham Lincoln, who took the invasion of Kentucky as a personal insult. The same month, Robert E. Lee planned a joint French-Confederate invasion to Maryland, and received French approval. Lee seeked to attack Maryland in order to surround Washington D.C and the Union’s troops at West Virginia. General Stonewall Jackson moved on with 70,000 men under his command and French support on the sea to retake the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina on June 21st 1863. 105,,000 men under General Lee, joined by Stonewall’s men awaited to cross the Potomac River, as it was in control of the Union. On July 9th 1863, the French fleet fought the US Navy over control of the Potomac River. The Battle of the Potomac was won by the French on July 10th, and on July 13th Lee’s army crossed the river. George McClellan thought Lee would attack Washington D.C first, so he stationed 110,000 troops under his command at Alexandria. McClellan was wrong, as Lee’s forces stroke through Maryland reaching Annapolis on July 23rd.

Lee’s army was at the gates of Baltimore, besieging said city. Baltimore held on to the Confederacy’s efforts to take the city, which would let Lee focus on attacking Washington D.C. As Lee’s forces laid siege to Baltimore, the Union’s forces mobilized. The Army of the Potomac under General McClellan came from the south, and additional reinforcements came from the east, as 60,000 troops led by Ulysses S. Grant. Lee’s army was now surrounded. The Battle of Baltimore, or the Disaster of Baltimore (as it would be know in the South) begun on August 1st 1863, and ended 3 days later. The Confederates suffered a great defeat, with huge losses. Of Lee’s 110,000 men army before the battle, over 30,000 died. The French fleet arrived on August 4th to evacuate Lee’s troops, but the French only managed to evacuate 15,000 troops, leaving 65,000 troops to the Union’s mercy.

Following the Confederacy’s defeat at Baltimore, over 80,000 Confederate troops retreated from Maryland. The triumph at Baltimore was seen as a great military victory in the North, as the Southern Invasion was repelled, but also returned hope to Northern troops. Lee’s strategy had failed, but the Confederacy was hopeful to win the war with France’s support. The Confederates turned their eyes to the West, and attacked Missouri, striking Branson and Springfield. . Grant’s Army quickly mobilized to halt the Confederate advance over Missouri. Grant was defeated, as the joint French-Confederate army was superior to Grant’s Army. Most of the Union’s troops were still at Maryland, fighting the remaining Confederate troops North of the Potomac.

Despite the Confederate loss at Baltimore, Napoleon III stayed firm. The Mexican liberal leader, Benito Juárez, was found dead in Coahuila in mid-August 1863, along with some members of his cabinet. The death of Juárez sparked the beginning of the end of the liberales, as the rest of the liberales’ leadership was fighting for power, leaving them at mercy of Maximilian’s armies. As the liberals were losing power, France withdrew most of their troops south of the Río Bravo to fight the United States. The War between the States was far from over.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was planning to end the War Between the States on this chapter, but I will need one more chapter to end it.
 
Hi guys. As I said days ago, I was not posting too much because I was at vacation. Currently, I am also working on another alternate history scenerio. The only thing I can say about it is that it involves Spanish XIX Century history (a period of time that fascinates me as a Spaniard), but that doesn't mean, at all, that I'm giving up on this. If you want to know more about this other project I am working about, or want to start posting it, tell me. I repeat, I will still do this TL, so don't worry. :)
 
Brazil showed military support to the Confederacy, sending over 2,000 troops to fight alongside the Confederates.

This is highly unlikely, first because Dom Pedro II was a staunch pacifist and tried to stay as far possible from international wars, and second because it was a question of time until paraguay attacked Brazil
 
Top