The Lion of Washington-The 1868 Presidential Election

I believe he was ''DRAFTED" into becoming the president.

FDR manipulated the Democratic convention to his will, essentially. Although, technically, with World War II on and with Fascism on the rise, he did technically have the experience to challenge said threats to 'world peace'.
 
Dear Mother,
Today we closed down another klan group here in Georgia. It was a tough fight. Like several other recent encounters, they were armed. It took us three hours to get them to surrender. We lost Sergeant Harcourt in the standoff. They lost many of their members in the encounter, while the Sergeant and three others were our only losses. I can't say this hasn't taken a toll on me and the others. We have been at this for three weeks, and while the work needs doing, I cannot say it has been tiring. I hope this letter find you well.
Pvt. Matthew Walker



With the Inauguration day attack, the inaugural ball was postponed till February. First Lady Thomas was more heavily involved in the planning, with the President mainly only contributing his basic thoughts on what should be planned for the dinner. The final menu created by the First Lady was as follows:
Woodcock and Snipe on Toast
Soft Crabs on Toast
Chicken Croquettes with Fresh Peas
Aspic of Beef Tongue
Lamb Cutlets
Broiled Spring Chicken
Strawberries with Cream
Wedding Cake iced with Doves, Roses, and Wedding Bells
Ice Creams and Ices
Fancy Cakes
Punch Coffee Chocolate

Often uncomfortable in large social gatherings, and pressed with matters of state, the President did not have much in the way of planning the affair. However, he managed to get into the spirit for the night, according to one obsever, Thomas Kentman. He wrote that,
The President appeared at the top of the stairs, with Mrs. Thomas by his side. The band struck up "Hail to the Chief, as the two proceeded down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, and after the song had finished, the crowd gave a polite applause and waited for him to speak. Among those in attendance were the Vice-President, Generals Grant and Meade, along with the Secretary of War Longstreet, and on special invitation, even old Bobby Lee. The President made some polite words, and then asked we adjoin to the dining room, where the food was delightful and good. Afterwards, there was polite conversation, and then the Inaugural Ball, which lead to much dancing and enjoyment, till the night was done.
-Presidential Inaugural Balls, by Arthur Z. Richards Catskill Books, 1980
 
A Christmas Day update for my readers.

The KKK was using increasingly violent tactics in order to force the government to back off. In summer of 1869, a troop train in Virginia was destroyed by the first instance of a people bomber. 125 troops were killed in the intial explosion, while 135 more were seriously wounded. Reports indicate that the man used a combination of dynamite and nitroglycerin to blow up the forward three cars in a large explosion. However, the war was turning against the KKK. A significant victory came in Atlanta, when the Grand Wizard of the KKK, was captured by soldiers, and taken to Washington to stand trial for his crimes. A Supreme Court decision after several hours resulted in his hanging from the same prison where Lincolns killers had died four years earlier. While not an immediate win, the moral boost to anti-KKK groups was great, and while the Klan would elect a new leader, successive infighting, and growing agitation at government stubborness and counter-attacks led to many dropping out and leaving the group. Some accounts differ on how many were left, but from a intial recruitments of over 2,000 between 1865-1868, by the end of 1869, government resolve to stamp them out has final enrollment at less than 900 all told. While the Klan would survive in dimished numbers, by 1871, the group was officially considered gone by the government in terms of being less than 200 left, scattered throughout the south and north. It would not be until the Debs Presidency after Roosevelt, that the nation would finally be rid of the Klan.
Vorpal Blades and Scattered Tongues: America vs the Klan, by James Twiller, 1992
 
So, upon hearing issues of plausibility, you just go full steam ahead?

After the initial premise, this entire thread is worthless. And you've basically admitted it.
 
So, upon hearing issues of plausibility, you just go full steam ahead?

After the initial premise, this entire thread is worthless. And you've basically admitted it.
I'm sorry you feel this way. I'm not sure what I've done thats offended you.
I've tried to address complaints as best as possible. Sure, some of them are handwaved for purposes of both story and continuing the thread. But I'm sticking by it. Yes, I've made mistakes, but what timeline hasn't. Are ones with implausible, or at least unlikely POD's, and choices made, but are still well written and very enjoyable to read, any less worth of ones continuation.
So, if you dislike this so much, then perhaps reading it is not something you should do in future. I shall continue on, regardless. However, have a very nice new year.
LV
 
If you are going to handwave EVERYTHING, why place it in this forum? There's a forum for doing whatever you like in a TL- it is ASB. We do not care about "story" in the serious forums here, we care about history.

You could have a very intriguing timeline with the premise you set forth. An undeniably loyal Democrat, hailing from the South but adopted by the North, being elected at the very beginning of Reconstruction. The political battles and intrigues between the various factions at play would be interesting. An alternative to the Grant Presidency, but with ills all its own.

Instead, you've wrecked the premise to put a liberal you'd like in the Presidency and then gone further, giving him a world tour so he can have his hand in every pot. Never mind the fact that an American President hadn't visited California yet, have him go to China! And why not throw Theodore Roosevelt into things? Everybody likes TR! And ooh, suicide bombers! That makes it all relevant!

I am "angry" at this thread because it shows a lack of thought, a waste of potential and complete disregard for serious historical and alt-historical discussion.
 
Then I suppose I shall shut this down.

No, that isn't the point. Listen, I used to do AH by leaps and bounds, through pre-determined goalposts and cool characters- I've matured, I like to think.

Go back- look over the premise. Read about the people and factions at play. Even a glance through Wikipedia can do for some things- you likely have a good grasp of the broad trends of American history, being an American.

Ask questions of the forum about where your scenario goes. Read and speculate. Bounce those off of posters.

There are GOOD ideas here. I could see a "world tour" president by the turn of the century, actually. And as said, the initial premise is quite cool.
 
Perhaps someone such as yourself could be willing to consider either giving advice or possibly partner/co-writing it, to keep it from falling into such a thing? I would like to give it try, as a more serious work, but as you've stated, some guidence would be appreciated.
 
having just read through the whole thing, I see no reason why it shouldn't continue.

So what if one person doesn't like it?

let them complain.
It ain't easy starting up a Timeline, that fits what everyone wants.
if it's what you want to write, then do it.
 
I just today found this TL, and have now read the entire thread. Please do not terminate it because of one obnoxious critic. I have long thought that George Thomas would have made an outstanding President had he chosen to run and been elected (and not died so soon after the Civil War).

I admit that Thomas choosing Longstreet as Secretary of War was a surprise to me. Since Thomas himself was one of the few Southerners to remain loyal to the Union, I would have thought him unlikely to offer such an important post to somebody who had failed to do the same -- although he was remarkably farsighted in many ways, and a big believer in reconciliation, so perhaps he would seriously consider doing so.

I agree that Thomas would have devoted much effort to eliminating the KKK as an effective force, given that in OTL he was the first senior official to recognize them as a serious threat, and urged Congress to take action (both military and political) to counter them. Had his suggestions of the time been fully followed, I think it likely that the KKK would have been successfully suppressed by the early 1870s.

One thing to keep in mind is that George Thomas was quite popular in the North during the immediate post-War period. (Although perhaps not as much as he should have been, given his record, due to his personal reluctance to "blow his own horn".) It was only after he died that his opponents in the Grant/Sherman clique really started degrading his reputation, and in this TL that won't happen.
 
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I'm still going to do this timeline, but first two things.
Should I finish this, and get the unserious stuff out of my system, before redoing it as a more serious work, thus, working with both sides who want it to be serious, and those who want me to finish this?
Or should I tell people which sections to disregard, and start a serious work?
Also, perhaps I need either a partner or advisor to work with, would anyone be able to do it either part/full/some of the time?
Any suggestions are welcome.
On the Longstreet issue, perhaps it was too soon to install him, but he did work with the Federal government again after the war, perhaps something lower like a general, or advisor deal?
Thanks
LV
 
I'm still going to do this timeline, but first two things.
Should I finish this, and get the unserious stuff out of my system, before redoing it as a more serious work, thus, working with both sides who want it to be serious, and those who want me to finish this?
Or should I tell people which sections to disregard, and start a serious work?
Also, perhaps I need either a partner or advisor to work with, would anyone be able to do it either part/full/some of the time?
Any suggestions are welcome.
On the Longstreet issue, perhaps it was too soon to install him, but he did work with the Federal government again after the war, perhaps something lower like a general, or advisor deal?
Thanks
LV

Right now just get all your ideas out, then from there you can figure out how to improve it.
 
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