The Gray Raven - A Confederate Timeline

Through slightly related research, I came across an interesting tidbit that gave me an idea for a timeline I just had to try. This is that timeline.


The Gray Raven - A Confederate Timeline


Part One - A Most Reluctant Hero


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Sam Houston


"Sometimes historic men are such because they work to be so. Other times, it's luck, and a man merely stumbles unwittingly into the history books. Rarely, a man may fight off the call of an era, but still be plucked off course and dropped unwillingly into a position he wanted nothing to do with. Sam Houston was just such a man."
- Morris Foote, "The Civil War: A Narrative"


December 29th, 1860. A man sits at his desk, in a new house that doesn't quite belong to him. The house is the Governor's Mansion, and as can probably be discerned from the title, that mansion is the residence of the governor. Right now, it's not any ordinary governor. Instead, it's one Sam Houston, governor of Texas. He's at Sam Houston's desk, which is certainly a very great piece of work by virtue of being Sam Houston's

At this moment in time, probably around 10.00PM or so, Governor Houston is awake, looking over yet another call for secession. This one is from The Galveston County Committee of Safety and Correspondence, and was sent out earlier that day[1]. Within it is a call for the people of Texas to elect delegates to convene on January 28th in order to vote on secession. Now normally Houston would file this away with all the other criticisms and petitions created due to the matter of secession. These things have been happening since Lincoln's election in October, and Houston just ignored them.[2] It was after all, a matter of the Texas Legislature, and only the Governor could call a special session of the Legislature.

Or so he had thought. This new dispatch was different from others, in that it especially asked for the voting of delegates to convene and vote on secession. It was illegal, and it demonstrated the crisis was greater than Houston had initially thought. Houston's response now could dictate the course of the state. If he continued to ignore it, he could hope it would all blow over as people had more time to cool off. Or... if he failed to act soon... the state could act without him. The session would be illegal, but if these people were willing to vote in an illegal manner and impress their will on the state illegally, they would probably just remove Houston from power and do what they wanted. They would completely bypass Houston's legal authority and take the state. So what to do?

In that moment, Houston decided. He'd have to act fast. Tomorrow in fact, would be good[3], he could then announce a Special Session to begin on January 2nd. If he called a Special Session of the Legislature, surely they'd declare any attempts by these partisans to secede illegal[4]. The Legislature would also be easier to sway than the masses in Texas.

The next day, January 1st, 1862, Sam Houston announced his decision. Crowds and newspapers rejoiced. Finally the Governor was acting on cries for secession. They didn't know he only did so because he thought it was the best way to keep Texas in the Union, and if they did they probably wouldn't care. They wanted a special session, and they got it.

On January 2nd the Texas Legislature met. The Senate was led by Edward Clark as Lieutenant Governor, and Marion DeKalb Taylor as Speaker of the House, both of which were pro-secessionist[5]. So when Governor Sam Houston addressed the Legislature on the illegality of any supposed secession convention, they agreed with him[6], the attempts by others to circumvent the proper legal channels in secession were illegal. And so, after resolving that issue, they moved that the time to decide on secession was now.

Houston was not pleased. The point of convening was to declare the future secession convention illegal, but theoretically the legislature could decide that secession itself was the topic of discussion. Their second order of business then, was to vote on secession themselves, but before that Governor Sam Houston once again addressed them in an effort to either prevent the vote, or have them vote against secession. The most memorable portion of his address was as follows:

"I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of states rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm us."[7]

In spite of this, the Legislature voted overwhelmingly for secession. Even Representative Samuel Maverick, a supporter of Sam Houston, of the Union, and a signer of the Republican of Texas's Declaration of Independence voted for secession.[8] Of the few who didn't vote for secession, there was Representative James Webb Throckmorton and Representative Emory Rains. Other decisions in relation to secession were the need for a state-wide referendum to validate the Legislature's decision, to be held on Tuesday, January 22nd, and the seizure of Federal Stores and removal of Federal troops, brought up by Maverick, to be carried out by a group of four men appointed as "Commissioners of Public Safety," should the referendum acknowledge secession and following the creation of a new government.

Now Sam Houston didn't want Texas to leave the Union. Nevertheless he had to admit the legality of what was going on. The Legislature had decided, and pending referendum, the state would leave.[9] Houston's only choice now was to campaign for remaining in the Union. If the referendum voted against secession, everything would be fine.

When the news reached the populous, the overwhelming majority were in support of the decision. In a few places however, there was strife. Sam Houston spent the days campaigning for remaining with the Union, urging the populous to understand that separation was not desirable and would ruin Texas. On the other side, people such as Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer[10] worked to convince majority Unionist groups to side with secession.

Problems also arose from the gap between the Legislature decision and the confirming referendum. When news spread that Texas had decided to leave the Union, Federal Senators and Congressmen began leaving their posts en masse, along with those from the other seceding states, despite Houston and others saying that secession was not yet confirmed by referendum.
January 22nd was the day. People flooded the polls to vote, and Sam Houston hoped all his hard work had paid off. The next day, his hopes were dashed. Overwhelmingly Texas decided to leave the Union by a vote of 44,112 to 13,123[11].

The next day the Legislature met once more to decide on a new government. Earlier in the year South Carolina suggested a convention of which seceding states would send delegates to build a new Southern Confederacy. This suggestion was now called the Montgomery Convention, which was to begin on February 4th in Montgomery Alabama. The first order of business then for the Texas Legislature was whether to send delegates, to which, it agreed to do on the 26th. Governor Sam Houston greatly objected, stating that the decision to draft a new constitution or attempt to join with the Southern States quickly and without extensive public debate was unconstitutional.[12] However, the Legislature denied his claims, and continued on in its decisions, to which Houston reluctantly allowed.[13] The Delegates sent to Alabama were Former United States Senator, John Hemphill, Former Texas Representative William Beck Ochiltree, United States Representative John Reagan, United States Senator Louis Wigfall, Texas Senator Jesse Grimes, Texas Senator Emory Rains, and former President of the Texas State Democratic Convention Franklin Barlow Sexton.[14] The Legislature adjourns, and the seven Texas Delegates are informed of their duties and leave for Alabama.

In Texas, with the delegates sent, and the referendum complete, and following the creation of the Confederate States of America, the previously created Commissioners of Public Safety were entrusted with the takeover of Federal installations. The four appointed men, among which were Samuel A. Maverick, Thomas J. Devine, and Dr. Philip N. Luckett, met with U.S. General David E. Twiggs on February 8th in San Antonio to negotiate the surrender of all federal property in the area. Twiggs agreed to do so on February 16th after a one, recently made Colonel Benjamin McCulloch, surrounded his garrison with 1,000 militia troops. Twiggs then gave the entirety of his command and all federal property to Texas, which included 10,000 rifle muskets.[15]

Now before this, the Montgomery Convention was going on. Beginning on February 4th, it had Robert Woodward Barnwell of South Carolina as president of the Convention. First, they worked to prepare a provisional Constitution for the new Confederate Government, which they styled The Confederate States of America. On the 8th of February, they finished, and the constitution was set to continue for one year unless replaced earlier than that by a permanent constitution.

On February 9th, the next day, the Convention was first presented with model flag designs, and a committee was formed, one person from each state[16], to eventually vote on a flag for the new Confederacy. Next the convention began work to elect executives to the head of the new Confederacy. Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry of Alabama moved that there should be two tellers to take the vote, and himself and William Porcher Miles of South Carolina were decided a such. Of men considered, there were technically six: Former United States Senator from Mississippi, Jefferson Davis, Former United States Representative from Georgia, Alexander Stephens, United States Senator from Georgia, Robert Toombs, Former United States Secretary of Treasury, Howard Cobb, also from Georgia, former Senator Robert Rhett of South Carolina, and finally, Texas Governor Sam Houston[17].

While technically six names were mentioned, in practicality only two men were seriously considered. First and most obvious was Jefferson Davis. He was the pre-eminent statesman of the South. He had military experience in the Mexican American war, had graduated from West Point, was previously Secretary of War during Franklin Pierce's administration, for which he was very successful, served as a United States Senator from Mississippi, and was seen as a moderate on the issue of secession.

Sam Houston was of course mentioned by the Texan delegates[18], and his name demanded serious consideration even against Davis. Houston was a veteran of the War of 1812, and led The Republic of Texas in battle and to eventual victory against Mexico. He had been Governor of Tennessee and of Texas, a US Senator, and a president of a country. His popularity was still high, even with any scandals that had previously plagued him.

J. A. P. Campbell of Mississippi had previously contacted Jefferson Davis on the issue of the presidency, to which Davis replied "that it was not the place he desired; that, if he could have his choice, he would greatly prefer to be in active service as commander-in-chief of the army, but that he would give himself to the cause in any capacity whatever."[19] And with a name such as Houston's up against Davis, Campbell decided to make Davis's feelings known[20], before the states would discuss on who to vote for.

The only significant issue raised against Houston stemmed from lingering doubts as to his commitment on secession. He had taken a long time to call the Legislature of his state, and had argued fervently against his state seceding. Texas delegates however pointed out that even Jefferson Davis had wavered on the issue at one point, and Alexander Stephens, who was present, had too opposed secession until his state officially left. Likewise, they said, Houston had accepted his state's secession and would accept the post if he was chosen, though none had confirmed this.

With these two names in hand, the states held secret meetings to discuss the presidency. When they came back, Sam Houston was elected unanimously.

Many of the states wished to weigh who should be president fairly, by who had the most experience[21]. Davis was popular and talented, but Houston had been president before, had military experience, and Davis was now known to prefer a military position. It seemed then that the best idea would be to have Houston as president, and put forward Davis's name to him for Secretary of War when it came time for Houston to choose his cabinet.

With Houston soundly chosen, it was now time to tell Houston of his appointment, of which Robert Toombs, Emory Rains, and Jackson Morton of Florida were chosen. Together they penned and signed a letter to be delivered, along with a messenger, just in case.

Next, Alexander Stephens was chosen as Vice-President, to which he accepted.

Sam Houston received the letter informing him he had been made president on February 11th. It, no doubt, came as a great shock. Houston had no desire for the Confederate Presidency. He had no desire for secession at all. And yet, secession had happened, and Texas had gone with it, and had done so legally. Deciding on his final course of action, he appointed Benjamin McCulloch a Colonel, and asked him along with the Committee for Public Safety to negotiate the surrender of Federal Installations in Texas. The next day, he headed to Alabama. Along the way he found everyone had already heard of his appointment, and would go out of their way to catch a glimpse of him. This man was a president before, and he held fierce features and that sort of western ruggedness that came with spending most of your life on the frontier. With this man on the helm, many were convinced the South would do well.

Others of course, recalled that Houston supported the limitation of slavery. Houston reminded those people he thought so to prevent the current strife between North and South, and things were now different. He told people to be prepared for war, and many thought he was exaggerating or thinking too darkly. "I fear," he said, "that I am too optimistic. The North will surely not let us go willingly."

Regardless of all this, most cheered his appointment as he went. Spending most of his time writing what he would say at Montgomery, he finally arrived in Alabama early in the morning on February 18th. Upon his arrival he accepted his appointment, was inaugurated as Provisional Confederate President, and gave his inaugural address, the most memorable portion as follows:

"The time has come when a man's section is his country. I stand by mine. All my hopes, my fortunes, my affections are centered in the South. When I see the land for whose defence my blood has been spilt, and the people whose fortunes have been mine through more than a quarter of a century of toil, threatened with invasion, I can but cast my lot with theirs, and await the issue.

Trouble is upon us, and no matter how it came, or who brought it on, we have to meet it. Whether we have opposed this secession movement or favored it, we must alike meet the consequences. I seek calm and prudent action. I desire a united and prepared South, if we must leave the Union. Cooperation with the Union may not now be possible, but we have ample strength for a struggle if we husband it aright. We must prepare now whether we are to fight or not.[22]"

On March 4th, Texas Governor Sam Houston is sworn in as President.


NOTES
[1] OTL so far. Said call can be read here.
[2] Still OTL.
[3]This is the POD. IOTL Sam Houston didn't call the Legislature until the 21st of January.
[4] This is the OTL reason Sam Houston called the Legislature.
[5] As in OTL.
[6] OTL the Session gave authority to the secession convention and immediately adjourned.
[7] This is taken from what Houston said after Texas joined the Confederacy and Houston refused to take the oath of loyalty.
[8] As OTL.
[9] Houston OTL accepted the decision to secede of the convention OTL, as both this and this make note of. There is a difference here however, as OTL secession was decided not by the proper Legislature, but by a convention approved by the Legislature. Sam Houston now has even less reason to deny the decision.
[10] Such happened OTL.
[11] I'm assuming Houston's efforts weren't completely in vain.
[12] Houston claimed this of the OTL Secession Convention.
[13] While Houston claimed such was unconstitutional, this points to the issue being that the OTL Secession Convention had lost its legal authority after it first adjourned in February. ITTL, that Secession Convention never existed, and all actions have been taken by the proper Texas Legislature in accord with proper procedure. In this case, Houston is forced to acquiesce the legality, as he's still dealing with the legitimate government.
[14] Three people are different here. John Gregg, William Simpson Oldham, and Thomas Neville Waul were OTL minor politicians/non-politicians who gains prominence thanks to the OTL Secession Convention. Such did not exist TTL, and so the Texas Legislature picks delegates who are well known former or current politicians in their places.
[15] OTL
[16] I will remind everyone that TTL this includes Texas.
[17] Jefferson Davis's book The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government mentions all of these being mentioned, sans Stephens and of course Houston.
[18] It should be noted ITTL, Houston has put up about as much opposition to secession as many other southern politicians who eventually sided with secession. Including Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens. Houston ITTL did not wait several weeks more to call a special session. He did, and from the perspective of everyone, he reluctantly moved secession forward.
[19] This is what Campbell said of Davis in Davis's book, Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.
[20] IOTL Campbell only made Davis's feelings known to a few people, seemingly because there was nobody else seriously considered.
[21] From Rise and Fall, this seemed to be the impression, that Davis was simply the most obvious and clearly most qualified person for the position of President.
[22] Modified from this OTL Houston Speech. This speech is the tidbit I found that gave me this TL idea.
 
I have my doubts that Houston would have anything to do with the Confederate presidency.

But interesting thread, you've put some thought into it. Subscribed.
 
Ditto: I'm not quite ready to hit the subscribe button just yet, but I will be watching this closely. It's clear that you've put some research and effort into this so far, so keep up the good work :)
 
Hrm. Wonder if we'll see A.S. Johnston and John Bell Hood as more important generals ITTL. More attention paid to the Trans-Mississippi in general, and the New Mexico campaign in particular?
 
Let's see how this one continues... If the Confederacy goes down like IOTL (though most probably in a different way) we could have "Sam Houston as Confederate President" as the forerunner for the What am I doing here? award of AH.com! :D
 
I will say this much: Houston was, without question, the greatest statesman the Deep South possessed in 1861. The trouble for the secessionists was that he was pro-union.

To find anything like his equal you have to look to the Upper South, and grab John C. Breckinridge.

And since neither of those men was really on offer at Montgomery, the Convention ended up picking the man who really was the best qualified of the Deep South leadership: Jefferson Davis. We can criticize Davis for his mistakes and personality flaws (and I have done so), but when you look at the alternatives (Yancey, Rhett, Toombs, Stephens, Cobb) on offer, once Houston and Breckinridge are subtracted...

I don't see how Sam Houston would do other than take a Sherman line on the presidency - "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected." But I am willing to see where you go with the timeline.
 
he might not, but try and stop hotheads in charleston from doing so... :rolleyes:

i still hope (as i always do) for a pacific secession, but the continue stress on military choices makes me think it is impossible

Like Davis, he'd put his own general in charge - Beauregard or someone else in CSA colors. Sumter was fired on because David finally authorized it.

Houston certainly would not, and the garrison would end up leaving because of starvation, as they almost did in our timeline. But the confrontation would remain, and if it didn't blow up at Fort Pickens, it might blow up someone where else, somewhere that President Houston didn't have such firm control of.

Of course, without war, the Upper South is less likely to join the CSA, and Davis was not unaware of that. Davis was willing to risk war to gain the border states' adhesion, and not just to satisfy honor. Look at the way the secession votes in the Upper South states went over the winter months - and how they unfolded again after Sumter.
 
Like Davis, he'd put his own general in charge - Beauregard or someone else in CSA colors. Sumter was fired on because David finally authorized it.

Houston certainly would not, and the garrison would end up leaving because of starvation, as they almost did in our timeline. But the confrontation would remain, and if it didn't blow up at Fort Pickens, it might blow up someone where else, somewhere that President Houston didn't have such firm control of.

Of course, without war, the Upper South is less likely to join the CSA, and Davis was not unaware of that. Davis was willing to risk war to gain the border states' adhesion, and not just to satisfy honor. Look at the way the secession votes in the Upper South states went over the winter months - and how they unfolded again after Sumter.

It would be better if the union fired the first shot.
Make the union look like the aggressor.
 
It would be better if the union fired the first shot.
Make the union look like the aggressor.

what do you do? blockade sumter and force the union ships to shoot in order to bring supplies to the garrison? could be an idea, but it requires a navy and i guess there might be shortage of CSA ships at the moment
 
Interesting idea but wildly unlikely. Houston made Cobb or Stephens look like Fire Eaters. Houston refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy, writing "Fellow-Citizens, in the name of your rights and liberties, which I believe have been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the nationality of Texas, which has been betrayed by the Convention, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the Constitution of Texas, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of my own conscience and manhood, which this Convention would degrade by dragging me before it, to pander to the malice of my enemies, I refuse to take this oath. I deny the power of this Convention to speak for Texas....I protest....against all the acts and doings of this convention and I declare them null and void."

Even if Houston had been a Fire Eater, he had no chance of becoming President of the Confederacy. Texas was an unimportant backwater, the highest post they managed in OTL's Confederacy was Postmaster General. Even if Davis was out of the running, there were at least half a dozen men with a better chance of becoming CSA President than anyone from Texas, and Houston would have been less likely than fellow Texans Wigfall and Reagan. You might as well try to make Andrew Johnson President of the Confederacy.
 
I have my doubts that Houston would have anything to do with the Confederate presidency.

But interesting thread, you've put some thought into it. Subscribed.

Ditto: I'm not quite ready to hit the subscribe button just yet, but I will be watching this closely. It's clear that you've put some research and effort into this so far, so keep up the good work :)

Thanks. I tried.

Hrm. Wonder if we'll see A.S. Johnston and John Bell Hood as more important generals ITTL. More attention paid to the Trans-Mississippi in general, and the New Mexico campaign in particular?

I would say these are safe bets, assuming war happens of course.

I don't see how Sam Houston would do other than take a Sherman line on the presidency - "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected." But I am willing to see where you go with the timeline.

I admit there's a decent chance of this, if I were to try to weigh the probabilities. However, Sherman had no interest in being president and so said what he said, while Houston said that if he believed there was cause to secede, he'd be willing to lead Texas out of the Union himself. In this case, he kind of bumbled into accepting secession and the Confederacy, and there's another reason he agreed to the Presidency which will be the focal point of my next update but was not mentioned in the first post.

Interesting idea but wildly unlikely. Houston made Cobb or Stephens look like Fire Eaters. Houston refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy, writing "Fellow-Citizens, in the name of your rights and liberties, which I believe have been trampled upon, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the nationality of Texas, which has been betrayed by the Convention, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of the Constitution of Texas, I refuse to take this oath. In the name of my own conscience and manhood, which this Convention would degrade by dragging me before it, to pander to the malice of my enemies, I refuse to take this oath. I deny the power of this Convention to speak for Texas....I protest....against all the acts and doings of this convention and I declare them null and void."

Even if Houston had been a Fire Eater, he had no chance of becoming President of the Confederacy. Texas was an unimportant backwater, the highest post they managed in OTL's Confederacy was Postmaster General. Even if Davis was out of the running, there were at least half a dozen men with a better chance of becoming CSA President than anyone from Texas, and Houston would have been less likely than fellow Texans Wigfall and Reagan. You might as well try to make Andrew Johnson President of the Confederacy.

There's a difference in degree between "Fire Eater" and "Accepts Secession."

I am very aware of what Houston said when refusing to swear the oath to the Confederacy. I quoted a portion of it in the OP. Houston's arguments rested heavily on the legality of joining the Confederacy. He talks about the rights of the "Nationality" of Texas being betrayed by the Secession Convention. The Secession Convention was given legal authority by the Legislature to vote on Secession, and upon doing this Houston accepted the decision. What he then believed was that the Secession Convention held no authority to join Texas to the Confederacy, that after the issue of secession itself was over, the Convention had lost any authority it was granted by the Texas Legislature. And so he believed the process of the Secession Convention joining Texas to the Confederacy was completely illegal. TTL, none of this is the case. The Secession Convention was declared illegal by the Legislature, and the Legislature voted on secession and voted to join Texas to the Confederacy. Houston no longer has legal cause to object. Further, the legality issue didn't stop Houston verbally supporting the Confederacy in 1863, in the Speech I cited.

As to alternate Texan presidential nominations, neither Reagan nor Wigfall had Houston's credentials. Houston had already been President of a Nation, and had won a war of independence, the final decisive battle in fact. Reagan in particular has nothing at all that would make him stand out as a nominee.
 
Reagan in particular has nothing at all that would make him stand out as a nominee.

In 1860, I'd tend to agree. Reagan was highly respected in Texas, but I'm not sure how well known he was outside it. He'd been a congressman for four years.

And yet...Reagan in retrospect looks like one of the brightest stars in the Confederate firmament, a shrewd and brilliant politician. He managed to make the Confederate post office the only post office department in American history to pay its own way. He foresaw that Lee's invasion would not stop the fall of Vicksburg, and was the only cabinet official to vote against it. He might well have made a very good president.

In the end, neither Wigfall (too much the buffoon and hothead) or Reagan would be chosen by the Convention. I tend to think Houston would not either, not because he lacked credentials or esteem but because he was known to be adamantly against secession.
 
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