The Rise and Fall of the CSA, 1861-1881

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The Rise and Fall of the CSA, 1861-1881

otherwise known as
A Study in How to Fail at Nationhood

The Confederate States of America

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The Confederate States of America (CSA), otherwise known as the Confederate States (C.S.) or the Confederacy, was short-lived republic, who achieved their independence from the United States in 1861 during the American Civil War, had a government and society dominated by a slavocracy, and was eventually brought back into the United States following their loss in the Confederate-American War. Although the nation itself was abolished in 1881, the cultural identity of many who live in the former nation carries on to this day. Although it managed to achieve foreign recognition in its time, in modern times the nation is often viewed as a standard of evil and racism, leading to its ostracization in much of modern media.

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Hello and welcome to my first ever timeline in the Maps and Graphics forum. The idea for this TL stems way back to an DBWI discussion that I was in in the pre-1900s. The real work on this TL, however, would not begin until I decided to write about the idea for an entry in a writing contest I entered. From there, I started developing and cultivating ideas for this TL, which I now hope to present to the reader. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have everything mastered in the art of wiki box making, and I certainly don't have a perfect understanding with mapmaking, but I still hope the reader can enjoy what I present them with here. I'll also admit that this isn't my primary TL right now, and as such it might receive less attention and fewer updates than my other ones, but I have a few wikiboxes created already, and ideas for a few more. Without further ado, enjoy the timeline.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816-October 8, 1862) was a United States Army officer and a Union general during the Civil War. A career army officer, Thomas graduated from West Point in 1840, and served with the U.S. Army throughout the antebellum period, including seeing combat in the Mexican-American War, as well as serving at varying military posts. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Thomas would side with the United States despite of the secession of his home state of Virginia. Seeing combat and serving well in several small battles, most prominently Mill Springs, Thomas would be promoted to major general. The only battle in which he served with this rank, Perryville, would also be his last, as he was mortally wounded while directing troops into combat. His death has often been cited as a cause of the collapse of the Union line in that battle, which led to their defeat.

Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822-April 7, 1862) was a United States officer and prominent Union general during the American Civil War. Born in Ohio, Grant showed a lack of interest in military affairs as a young man, but still received an appointment to attend West Point, which he graduated from in 1843. After serving in some military posts, Grant's antebellum military career would come to climax with his distinguished service in Mexican-American War. After that war, however, Grant grew increasingly disinterested in military life, and took to the bottle, for which he was dismissed. Again entering the military service with the coming of the Civil War, Grant would stick out from his fellow generals due to his natural aggression, which led to his promotion to major general and command of the Army of the Tennessee. Leading this force, Grant would help secure the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers with his victories at Forts Henry and Donelson respectively. Pushing south further into Tennessee, Grant would be surprised by an ambush by Confederate forces in the Battle of Shiloh. Despite the battle ultimately being a Union victory, Grant would be fatally wounded while leading a counterattack on the second day of fighting.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The President of the United States (position established: 1789) serves as the head of the Executive Branch of the United States national government. Created by Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the President serves a four-year term after winning the presidential election and may run for reelection an unlimited numbers of times, although the precedent set by Washington dictates two terms in office. Among the powers and roles of the office including serving as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military, appointing judges to the Judicial Branch, the power to veto bills passed by Congress, and the ability to hand down pardons. The president appoints a group of adviser known as his cabinet to head each department. A president can be removed from office via impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate. Although two presidents have been impeached by the House (Augustus C. Dodge and Huey P. Long), neither were removed from office by the Senate.

The President of the Confederate States of America (position established: 1862, position abolished: 1881) served as the head of the Executive Branch of the Confederate States national government. Created by Article II of the CSA Constitution, the Confederate president served for a six year term of office, and was ineligible for reelection once that term had been served. From this position, the President was granted such powers as to be Commander-in-Chief of the CSA Army, the ability to appoint diplomats to diplomatic posts abroad, and the right to choose the men who would constitute his cabinet of advisers. The president could be impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate to be removed from office, but this power was never exercised. The position of president of the CSA was last filled by Nathan B. Forrest, whose death during the Siege of Richmond would mark the end of the presidency, despite Vice-President Morgan still being alive. This was due to the rapidly disintegrating state of CSA, and the lack of anyone to inaugurate Morgan.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Following his brilliant success in the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lee came to the decision that the time for offensive action into the Union had come. Panicked by these movements, Lincoln would remove Pope and combine the Armies of Virginia and the Potomac into one force under McClellan to destroy Lee. Lee would split his forces into three wings under Generals Thomas "Ironrod" Jackson, James Longstreet, and D.H. Hill both to cause as much widespread havoc as possible and to increase the ease of logistics. McClellan would organize his forces into wings under Generals Edwin Sumner, Ambrose Burnside, and William B. Franklin. The first major battle of the campaign would be the Battle of Harper's Ferry, where General Jackson was able to surround and force the surrender of the over 12,000 Union garrison troops, although none were attached to McClellan's command. Following this would come the Battle of South Mountain, where McClellan would order Joseph Hooker and the men of his I Corps to destroy D.H. Hill and his men. Launching an aggressive assault on their position, what seemed to be an easy victory turned into a disaster when CSA divisions under General J.G. Walker and J.B. Hood came crashing in on Hooker's flanks. Only the timely arrival of Burnside with the rest of his wing saved the I Corps from destruction, but it had been severely battered and Hooker lay dead. Following this, Lee's next attack against McClellan was aimed at Sumner's wing, where he concentrated his forces under Longstreet and Hill against him, while also ordering Jackson to come and help. Thus began the bloodiest battle of the campaign, with Sumner and his two corps having to withhold against attack after attack during the Battle of Hagerstown. Eventually the arrival of Jackson on the field was precipitate the smashing of the Union line, but both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle, including generals, with the Union losing Generals Richardson, Sedgwick, Williams, and Greene, while Generals Evans and Jones fell on the Confederate side. Only the arrival of McClellan himself with Franklin's wing was able to stabilize the line on the second day, at which point Lee halted his assault. All the while, Stuart and his cavalry had been raiding in Maryland. With three great victories achieved, Lee would retreat back into Virginia as his men were tired and he had suffered heavy causalities, but had also severely damaged northern morale.

The Battle of Perryville was a clash between the Army of the Ohio under General Don C. Buell and the Army of Mississippi under General Braxton Bragg. In it, a Union corps under Alexander McCook, separated from the rest of the army, clashed with the whole Confederate army. The result of this was the Confederate Army being able to roll up McCook's flank, and send his men fleeing. In what is considered the turning point of the battle, Union general George H. Thomas, beloved by the men and second-in-command of the army, was mortally wounded while directing reinforcements into combat. With his death, the rest of McCook's corps routed and they abandoned the field.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

1865-1868: Thomas Seymour/Augustus C. Dodge (Democratic)
Defeated, 1864: Abraham Lincoln/Hannibal Hamlin (Republican), Andrew Johnson/Montgomery Blair (Reunionist) [1], John A. Logan/Ambrose Burnside (Soldier's) [2]
1868-1869: Augustus C. Dodge/Vacant (Democratic)
1869-1873: Horatio Seymour/George H. Pendleton (Democratic)
Defeated, 1868: Henry Wilson/Oliver H.P. Morton (Republican), Augustus C. Dodge/George Woodward (Dodge Democrats/Reunionist) [3], Charles Sumner/ Benjamin Wade (Freedomite) [4]
1873-1881: Thomas A. Hendricks/Thomas F. Bayard (Democratic)
Defeated, 1872: John Sherman/Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (Republican), Benjamin Wade/John Bingham (Freedomite)
Defeated, 1876: James G. Blaine/Samuel J. Kirkwood (Republican), Peter Cooper/Newton Booth (Greenback)
1881-1889: James A. Garfield/George F. Edmunds (Republican)
Defeated, 1880: Samuel J. Tilden/Allen G. Thurman (Democratic), James B. Weaver/Hendrick B. Wright (Greenback)
Defeated, 1884: Thomas F. Bayard/Samuel J. Randall (Democratic), James B. Weaver/Benjamin F. Butler (Greenback)
1889-1893: William B. Allison/William W. Phelps (Republican)
Defeated, 1888: Grover Cleveland/Joseph E. McDonald (Democratic), Clinton B. Fisk/John Bidwell (Prohibition)
1893-1897: Grover Cleveland/Horace Boies (Democratic)
Defeated, 1892: William B. Allison/William W. Phelps (Republican), James H. Kyle/Thomas Tibbles (Populist), John P. St. John/Joshua Levering (Prohibition)
1897-1902: Thomas B. Reed/Shelby M. Cullom (Republican)
Defeated, 1896: Grover Cleveland/Horace Boies (Democratic), William J. Bryan/Ignatius L. Donnelly (Populist), Stephen D. Ramseur/John W. Daniel (States' Rights) [5], James B. Cranfill/Hale Johnson (Prohibition)
Defeated, 1900: David B. Hill/Adlai Stevenson (Democratic), William J. Bryan/Wharton Barker (Populist), Benjamin Tillman/William V. Sullivan (States' Rights), John G. Woolley/Silas C. Swallow (Prohibition)
1902-1905: Shelby M. Cullom/Vacant (Republican)
1905-1909:Shelby M. Cullom/Thomas H. Carter (Republican)
Defeated, 1904: William J. Bryan/Francis Cockrell (Populist), George Gray/Richard Olney (Democratic), Silas C. Swallow/George W. Carroll (Prohibition)
1909-1916: Charles W. Fairbanks/Philander C. Knox (Republican)
Defeated, 1908: William J. Bryan/Thomas E. Watson (Populist), George Gray/Alton Parker (Democratic)
Defeated, 1912: Robert M. La Follete/Oscar Underwood (Populist), Eugene Foss/Woodrow Wilson (Democratic), Eugene V. Debs/Emil Seidel (Socialist)
1916-1917: Philander C. Knox/Vacant (Republican)
1917-1921: Hiram W. Johnson/John M. Parker (Populist)
Defeated, 1916: Philander C. Knox/Charles E. Hughes (Republican), Champ Clark/Thomas R. Marshall (Democratic)
1921-1924: Henry C. Lodge/Charles E. Hughes (Republican)
Defeated, 1920: Hiram W. Johnson/John M. Parker (Populist), James M. Cox/John W. Davis (Democratic)
1924-1925: Charles E. Hughes/Vacant (Republican)
1925-1929: Charles E. Hughes/Calvin Coolidge (Republican)
Defeated, 1924: Al Smith/William G. McAdoo (Democratic), Charles W. Bryan/Burton K. Wheeler (Populist)
1929-1933: Al Smith/Porter McCumber (Democratic) [6]
Defeated, 1928: Charles Curtis/Charles G. Dawes (Republican)
1933-1937: Herbert Hoover/James W. Wadsworth Jr. (Republican)
Defeated, 1932: Porter McCumber/Cordell Hull (Progressive), Al Smith/Newton D. Baker (Democratic)
1937-1944: Huey Long/Henry A. Wallace (Progressive)
Defeated, 1936: Herbert Hoover/James W. Wadsworth Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt/Alben Barkley (Democratic)
Defeated, 1940: Arthur H. Vanderberg/Thomas E. Dewey, James Farley/Paul V. McNutt (Democratic)
1944-1945: Henry A. Wallace/Vacant (Progressive)
1945-1949: John N. Garner/Harry S. Truman (Democratic)
Defeated, 1944: Robert A. Taft/Earl Warren (Republican), Henry A. Wallace/William O. Douglas (Progressive)
1949-1953: Robert A. Taft/Thomas E. Dewey (Republican)
Defeated, 1948: John N. Garner/Harry S. Truman (Democratic), Henry A. Wallace/Glen H. Taylor (Progressive)
Defeated, 1952: Robert S. Kerr/Richard Russell (Democratic), Estes Kaufauver/Vincent Hallinan (Progressive)
1953-1957: Thomas E. Dewey/Vacant (Republican)

Presidents of the Confederacy, 1862-1881

1862-1868: Jefferson F. Davis/Alexander H. Stephens [7]
Defeated, 1862: Unopposed
1868-1874: Alexander H. Stephens/Louis T. Wigfall
Defeated, 1867: Howell Cobb/William A. Graham, Robert Rhett/Roger A. Pryor
1874-1880: Robert Toombs/William P. Miles
Defeated, 1873: Robert M.T. Hunter/John Breckinridge
1880-1881: Nathan B. Forrest/John T. Morgan
Defeated, 1879: Clement C. Clay/Judah Benjamin
(Fall of the CSA, Various U.S. military governors)

Notes:
[1]: The Reunionist Party was created after the separation of the CSA from the U.S. and it achieving its independence. Their goal was to try and convince the CSA to rejoin the Union by offering ironclad protections of slavery. The party would fail to achieve much success in the post-war years, as both the Republicans and Democrats had come to view the CSA as traitors, and were unwilling to negotiate in the role of an inferior again. Nevertheless, it still managed to bring over some notables from both parties, including Benjamin F. Butler from the Republicans, and Fernando Wood and Clement L. Vallandigham from the Democrats.

[2]: Mostly a party consisting of disgruntled Union veterans, the Soldier's Party were disgusted by the end of the Civil War, and how many of their friends and comrades had died in vain. Surprisingly, they held both of the U.S.'s major political parties in despise. They hated the Democrats for forcing an end to the war and demanding peace negotiations, while they detested the Republicans due to their belief that they had mishandled the war. After General McClellan turned down their overtures to be their candidate for president, they would instead nominate John Logan. The party lacked almost any cohesion, which can explain their poor popular vote performance, and mostly served a club from men who had seen horrible things to vent, thus explaining their failure to nominate a candidate in any other election.

[3]: A splinter faction of the Democratic Party consisting of Dodge supporters and former Reunionists. Dodge failed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1868 election due to him having suspected sympathies with the Reunionist Party. Because of this, he would launch his own campaign, convincing his attorney general George W. Woodward to be his running-mate. His campaign's endorsement by the Reunionist Party only served to hurt his cause. They would be fiercely attacked and decisively defeated come election day, effectively ending the political careers of both Dodge and Woodward.

[4]: A break off party from the Republicans, the Freedom Party represented the faction of the Republican Party who was unsatisfied with the current Republican platform, which opposed slavery, but did not go as far as to support equal rights for all races. While they did do well as a regional party in New England, in the grand scheme of things, all that they managed to achieve was to draw away potential Republican voters. Eventually, the death of their figure head, Charles Sumner, would witness the death of the party and the return of its members to the Republicans. They hold the distinction of having the first African-American candidate for the executive branch, with Frederick Douglass narrowly being beaten out by Charles F. Adams to be the 1872 vice-presidential nominee, but still managing to beat Charles F. Adams and John A.J. Creswell in terms of delegates.

[5]: Created in the aftermath of the United States government finally beginning to ease the rights of a citizen back into the hands of former citizens of the Confederacy, the States' Rights Party, or the Confederacy Party as it was nicknamed at the time and is generally referred to as today, was a gathering of disgruntled former Confederates, many of whom were veterans, to oppose the federal government's growing shift towards racial equality. There were also many rumors that the party intended to legalize secession and the reform the CSA, although any low level member of the party would have denied this accusation. Interestingly, many former Confederates including Roger Q. Mills, James H. Berry, Daniel L. Russell, Francis R.T. Nicholls, Oscar Underwood, and even J.E.B. Stuart, who had returned from his exile in Canada and now lived in New York, openly criticized the party and said that the only thing it would achieve was the national government taking away the few rights that had been returned, and it applying more sanctions. At first, the national government would take no action against the new party, even allowing them to run a candidate for the presidency, but once their activities grew more violent and racially motivated attacks began, the party was outlawed in 1903. It would remain in the underground for a few years afterwards, but it never publicly fielded a candidate for office again. Many of its members would switch loyalties to the Populist Party, which aided in their rise and eventual surpassing of the Democratic Party.

[6]: Seeing that their party was on a steady decline, and believing that unifying with one of the traditional parties would be their only chance to have their voice heard, the Populist Party agreed to through their support behind the Democratic ticket. In return, the Democrats would place a Populist on the ticket as vice-president. After a fierce battle, this man would prove to be Porter McCumber, a Populist senator from North Dakota, who narrowly defeated Joseph T. Robinson. This alliance would be shattered by the coming of the Great Depression, when the Populists once again seperated themselves as an independent party, now referred to as the Progressive Party.

[7]: Due to their belief that political parties naturally brought about corruption and strife, the Confederacy never had any official political parties. They would have factions that very closely resembled them, however.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Following the disaster that had been the Maryland campaign, many generals and advisers urged Lincoln to allow the army time to rebuild and get more recruits. Lincoln, who was already witnessing the terrible losses the Republicans were suffering the 1862 midterm elections, decided against this. Finding as many available men as possible to fill the gaps in the Army of the Potomac, Lincoln would replace McClellan as commanding officer with General Ambrose Burnside, the wing commander who had performed best in the Maryland campaign in Lincoln's estimations. Following this, Lincoln would order Burnside to make preparations in all haste to launch a successful offensive against Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and capture Richmond. The result of this prodding would be the Battle of Fredericksburg. Deciding to take as direct as possible to reach Richmond, Burnside would begin fording his army across the Rappahannock River on pontoon bridges. Unfortunately for himself and the army, Lee had expected this movement, and had sent forward men to harass the crossing troops. Eventually, Burnside and his army successful crossed, although at a high price. Following this, Burnside's army would be confronted by Lee's army positioned high of Marye's Heights. Seeing the defenses, Burnside developed a plan. He would send Sumner's and Mansfield's wings against the stronger Confederate right, hoping to draw men and attention there, with Franklin's wing then assaulted the left at the prime moment. Despite this plan having some merit, the wing commanders would bungle it. Sumner would follow his orders to the tee, and gallantly oversaw his men in their hopeless assaults against the heavily fortified Confederate lines under Jackson. Mansfield, meanwhile, would delay his men's assaults, leaving Sumner unsupported. When his men finally did start, he committed them piecemeal and despite facing the weakest portion of the Confederate line, they were handily repulsed. With Sumner's men still falling by the hundreds on the right, Burnside ordered Franklin to begin his attack. Once again, he committed his troops piecemeal, and none of the Confederate troops that Burnside had planned on being sent to the right had been sent there, instead remaining on the left. Thus Franklin drained his wing in half-hearted assaults. Enraged by this result, Burnside would personally commandeer and lead Mansfield's wing, and order a simultaneous assault of all three wings at once. Despite this being the closest the Union came to shattering Lee's lines, they were still ultimately repulsed, and Burnside had to retreat across the Rappahannock River, admitting defeat. Upon returning to Washington, Burnside resigned his command and left General Sumner to be the commander of the ruins of the Army of the Potomac, which was now rampant with desertion. Upon receiving word of the defeat, Lincoln would reportedly clasp his head in his hands and whisper the Lord's Prayer three times before saying aloud "The Union is divided. May heaven above forgive me for my failure."

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Following the debacle of Fredericksburg, the continued threat posed to the Midwest by Bragg's marauding Army of Tennessee in Kentucky, and the failure of the efforts of General John A. McClernand to make any progress towards capturing Vicksburg, the results of the 1862 midterms were clear in showing the public's disapproval of continued war. They showed this by handing the Democrats a decisive victory in the battle over the ballot box. Lincoln knew that he would have until March 4, 1863 before these newly elected congressmen took their seats and gained control of Congress, with the ability to dictate the inevitable peace terms to the Confederacy. Despite of the fact that he did not want to end the war, Lincoln also did not want the Democrats to gain the ability to choose how the war concluded and negotiate peace terms. Thus he decided he would take action, and began making plans for a peace conference. Reaching out to President Davis, he announced his intents to form a commission of men for seeking out peace with the Confederacy. At this news, Davis was delighted, and quickly went about forming his own. Lincoln made clear that this discussion was only to be between the two nations, without an international mediator that had been offered by such men as Prime Minister Palmerston of Britain or Emperor Napoleon III of France. Setting the date for the beginning of the convention on January 8, 1863, the two sides agreed to meet in Louisville, Kentucky. This was due to the fact that Kentucky was still in the Union, but the Confederacy had a large field force in the state, making both sides feel at least somewhat comfortable.

When the two sides met, the issue of Confederate independence was rapidly agreed to the positive after offers of reunification with ironclad protections of slavery were refused, as despite the U.S. commissioners hatred of the idea, they realized they had been dispatched to negotiate peace on the terms of independence should reunification be refused. Then came the more contentious issues, such as the border states, fugitive slaves, and the Mississippi River. Ultimately, the following conclusion was reached for the points. The U.S. would recognize the independence of only the states that had declared independence, leaving West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and the Indian and Arizona territories in the Union. The Confederates protested this, as they had many men from these states in their ranks, but they realized that the despite the horrible repulses it had suffered, the Union Army still remained a viable force to be feared. So after much back and forth, that point was settled. Next came the issue of fugitive slaves. It was here that the United States gave some ground to help balance out the border state issue. They agreed that Confederate slave-catchers could pursue slaves into the United States, but once the slaves crossed out of the border states into a free state, it would be free and safe from recapture. While this looked good on paper, in practice, this clause was often ignored by the CSA, and violations were hardly prosecuted by the United States. Finally came the issue of trade of the Mississippi and other rivers. Realizing the importance of the U.S. in the future as a trade partner, the CSA peace commissioners agreed they could afford to be lenient, and only asked for a 10% tariff on U.S. goods being transported on CSA rivers. With the main issues settled, the men would turn to ironing out the fine details and other small matters, until they finally achieved a final draft on January 29, 1863, which was then signed on February 5. The Treaty of Louisville would be brought before the Congress of both sides, and approved, albeit with much reluctance in the U.S. on February 22. Thus came to an end the brutal American Civil War, with an estimated roughly 30,000 U.S. dead, and 27,000 dead on the Confederate side.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Despite of the end of the Civil War, the nightmare was not over yet for the Lincoln administration. He was still in office to at least 1865, and with his popularity at an all time low, he knew he was going to be in for two year stay in hell. Of note during this time of terrible trepidation for the United States would be the New York City Veteran Riots of 1863. This riot, which would be the largest but far from only riot of this type to occur in the post-war years, would be caused by veterans returning home only to find poverty. This would in part be due to the U.S.'s economy having been tanked by almost two years of violent war with little to no gain. It would also occur due to the government failing to pay many of its soldiers for their service, and the failure of pensions. Thus, with nothing better to due, the veterans conjugated and started rioting. Prominent among the events of the first day of rioting was the burning of several effigies of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who by now was the most hated man in America, and the mob ransacking several banks for their money. The next day, the chaos continued, but by now the New York militia had been called in, and told the veterans to disperse or be fired upon. To this threat, Richard J. Curran, a former assistant surgeon and Medal of Honor recipient, would stride up right into the faces waving his medal and asking them what they had done during the war. Then, suddenly, a shot rang out and Curran laid slain. With his death, men on both sides starting firing. Many veterans still retained their rifles from the war, which outclassed those used by the New York militia. It was only after three days of fighting and arrival of more militia who even brought a cannon that the riots were finally put down. All of this only went to hurt the already severely damaged image of the Lincoln administration.

With the riots finally quelled, Lincoln knew what needed to be done. He asked Secretary Stanton if he would resign for the sake of his country. Stanton would agree after much deliberation. Subsequently, Lincoln would appoint Michigan senator Zachariah Chandler to fill his role. He originally supported former senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio, but the Democrats who now controlled Congress were completely unwilling to get behind a man so radical.

The final major act of Lincoln's presidency would be to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court caused by the death of Roger Taney. Despite his hopes that he could appoint a man like Ira Harris or promote Samuel F. Miller, he realized he would have to appeal to the Democrats. Thus, he promoted Stephen J. Field, a Democrat who he had already appointed as an Associate Justice. The Democrats approved this, as Field was a member of the Democratic Party. Filling the vacancy in the court caused by his promotion, Lincoln would appoint another Democrat he approved of, David Tod of Ohio. Once again, he was approved by the Democrats in Congress.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The Soldier's Party was a United States political party created in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The party was originally formed by Union veterans who were dissatisfied with both of the major political parties at the time, with them disliking Republicans for losing the war and the soldier's beliefs that they were focusing more on the plight of African-Americans than the veterans of the war, and the Democrats because they saw them as the men who had forced peace to occur, which made the sacrifices of their comrades in vain. Despite it starting only among the low ranked soldiers, the party grew rapidly due to the large number of discontented soldiers, and soon it came to the attention of men of higher rank. Former generals, such as John Logan, Ambrose Burnside, Carl Schurz, Frank Blair Jr., or James A. Garfield used the party as way to connect with their former men to achieve political office, and Republican politicians who were popular among the soldiers, such as Oliver P. Morton, Samuel J. Kirkwood, Richard Yates, or Cassius M. Clay, used the party as a way to avoid the negative connotations attached to Republicans while still running and holding public office. Eventually, it would be men of the latter category who would guide the Soldier's Party into its merger with the Republican Party. In return, the Republicans frequently had former members of the party on their presidential tickets, and eventual one of them, James A. Garfield, would be elected president of the United States in 1880.

The Reunionist Party was a United States political party created in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Although often portrayed as a branch off of the Democratic Party due to Thomas H. Seymour including some of their members in his cabinet, the Reunionist Party drew men from both the Republican and Democratic Party, although it did draw more Democrats. The Reunionist Party's goal was to try and negotiate with the CSA and try and find a way to reunite the nation back as one. In this mission, they would fail. As the party began to decline, and its member drifted off to other parties, the remaining members would try one last desperate gamble to stay relevant by endorsing Augustus C. Dodge on his independent run to maintain the presidency. When Dodge lost the election, it became the downfall of the Reunionist Party, as by now, almost everyone in America had come to the realization that the CSA was not looking for reunification on peaceful terms. Of the party, Abraham Lincoln would say "They were a foolhardy party, with a foolhardy mission, with members in denial of the current realities of America, instead looking back to the antebellum days for their guide."

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The 1864 U.S. Presidential Election, the 20th presidential election in U.S. history, occurred on November 8, 1864. Set in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Union caused by the Confederacy's victory in the American Civil War, it would prove to be one of the most divisive and complex elections in U.S. history. In the end, the Democratic candidate Thomas H. Seymour would manage to win the election with 140 electoral votes, defeating Republican Abraham Lincoln's 67, Reunionist Andrew Johnson's 18, and Soldier's John Logan's 8.

Due to his close association with the loss of the Civil War, many Republicans toyed with the idea of dumping Lincoln for their presidential candidate in the 1864 election, but this was eventually dropped. Lincoln would later face an even bigger threat when Salmon Chase, supported by such luminaries as Charles Sumner, Benjamin Wade, John Fremont, and Henry W. Davis, began crafting an independent run for the presidency based on a platform of at the time radical racial policies. Eventually, Chase would declare his candidacy, with Maryland representative Henry W. Davis as his running-mate. It was only through the negotiations of Senators William P. Fessenden, Lyman Trumbull, and John Sherman that Chase was convinced to drop his run, by Lincoln and his supporters promising to retain Hannibal Hamlin, a radical Republican, on the ticket instead of dropping him for a War Democrat like Lincoln was planning. Despite his unpopularity with the people, Lincoln would face little opposition to his nomination at the Republican National Convention, and both he and Hamlin were easily renominated.

The Democratic National Convention, meanwhile, remained divided. Many candidates entered their names into the race, including Major General George B. McClellan, New York Governor Horatio Seymour, Ohio Senator George H. Pendleton, former Iowa Senator Augustus C. Dodge, and former Indiana Senator David Turpie. Ultimately, the Democrats would go for a dark horse candidate, Connecticut Governor Thomas H. Seymour, who had also served as Minister to Russia and was a veteran of the Mexican-American War. For the vice-presidential nomination, Augustus C. Dodge would beat out George Pendleton and Indiana Representative Daniel W. Voorhees.

With the general public's dissatisfaction with the performance of both of the major parties, the climate was ripe for third party runs, and three major parties would field candidates. The Reunionists would rally around former Tennessee senator and governor Andrew Johnson, who had been the sole Southern senator to remain loyal to the Union. Former postmaster general Montgomery Blair would be chosen as his running-mate in an attempt to appeal to Republicans. The Soldier's Party would nominate former Major General John A. Logan for president, and another former Major General, Ambrose Burnside, for vice-president. The election of 1864 would also witness a revival of the Know-Nothing Party, if only momentarily, as they used anti-immigrant rhetoric to appeal to frustrated native citizens. They would nominate famous inventor Samuel F.B. Morse for president, and former Baltimore mayor Thomas Swann for vice-president.

The campaigning for this election would center, as expected, on the Civil War and the Union's defeat and who to the attach the blame to. Another important issue would be veterans of the Union Army, particularly protecting or rescuing them from poverty caused by the bad current economic situation. In these issues, Lincoln and the Republicans were weak as the war had been lost under their rule, and many veteran riots had been crushed by force under Lincoln's presidency. Seymour, himself a veteran, claimed he understood their plight better than Lincoln, and would put them as his first priority rather than African-Americans. Meanwhile, the third-parties would campaign heavily on the issues that defined their party, with negotiations with the CSA being championed by the Reunionists, veterans by the Soldier's, and anti-immigration laws by the Know-Nothings.

In the end, Seymour would win the election by a decisive margin. His victory would mark the beginning of almost two decades of Democratic rule in the Executive Branch, only to be broken by the victory of James A. Garfield in the 1880 presidential election.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Thomas H. Seymour (September 29, 1807-September 3, 1868) was a Connecticut politician and President of the United States from 1865 to 1868. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Seymour attended a military academy as a youth, but later was admitted to the bar to practice law, which he started doing in his home town. Following the start of the Mexican-American War, Seymour would sign up and eventually achieve the rank of lieutenant colonel for his courageous service in that war. Back home, he would serve as a representative for a term, and then as Connecticut's governor twice, once from 1850 to 1853, and again from 1863 to 1865. During the 1864 Democratic National Convention, he would emerge as dark horse candidate for the presidency, and would eventually win the nomination and the presidency, leading many to compare him to Franklin Pierce, as both men had been New England Democratic dark horse candidates who had won the presidency. Despite his promises on the campaign trail, the economic conditions in the United States remained bad, although they did start to improve somewhat under his watch. As president, he would be most famous for his clashes with his fellow Democrats in Congress, such as Senators Fernando Wood, George Pendleton, and Thomas Hendricks. Many believe this started as a result of Seymour denying Wood the patronage rich position of Postmaster General, and evolved from there. Ultimately, in bad health and having many powerful rivals, he would not seek his party's renomination for the 1868 election, instead hoping to return home and retire. It was during one of these visits home that he would die peaceful during his sleep, elevating Vice-President Augustus C. Dodge to the presidency for the remainder of his term.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The 1867 Confederate States presidential election was the second such election in CSA history, with it occurring on November 6, 1867. In the election, Vice-President Alexander H. Stephens, who was supported by the anti-Davis faction, would defeat Georgia governor Howell Cobb, who was supported by the pro-Davis faction, as well as former U.S. senator for South Carolina Robert Rhett, who ran with the support of some of the former fire-eaters.

In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the Confederacy found itself an independent nation, recognized by all of the world's major powers. Davis' postwar presidency was dominated by the issues securing trade agreements with these nations, as well as trying to get the Confederacy's finances in order and rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the war. In the Confederate Congress, while no formal parties emerged as the Confederacy believed that would only lead to civil strife, there were two clear factions. One was the pro-Davis faction, which were those who supported President Davis and his policies. The other was the anti-Davis faction, headed by Davis' own vice-president Alexander H. Stephens, who opposed the president, and believed that he had overstepped his powers during the war and had not done a good job post-war either.

In a meeting of the anti-Davis faction, Stephens was rapidly chosen to be their candidate as was seen by many as the head of opposition to Davis. For his vice-president, they would nominate Louis T. Wigfall, a Texas senator. Wigfall would receive the nomination for two reasons. First, he was a former Fire-Eater, and the anti-Davis coalition hoped to sure up that base in the upcoming election to prevent losing them to Rhett. Secondly, he was from Texas, which many viewed to be a swing state in the election.

The pro-Davis faction would meet shortly afterwards, but were less certain on their presidential candidate than the anti-Davis men. After Robert E. Lee refused to be nominated, Robert M.T. Hunter, Howell Cobb, John C. Breckinridge, and William A. Graham all were considered. Davis personally supported Judah P. Benjamin, but Benjamin's Jewish heritage proved a detriment to his efforts. Eventually, after much debate, Cobb was chosen. For vice-president, another long list of candidates flooded in, including Graham again, Albert G. Brown, Stephen R. Mallory, and Clement C. Clay. Once again, the man Davis supported, Clay, would be passed over in favor of a different candidate, in this case Graham.

Despite their dying influence within the Confederacy, the former Fire-Eaters still put forth a candidate. They would nominate Robert Rhett for president, and Roger Pryor, a former CSA general, for vice-president. Zebulon Vance also considering running for the presidency, as he opposed many of the policies Stephens was calling for, but also personally disliked Davis. He was talked out of this by William A. Graham, and convinced to support Cobb. When election day arrived, Stephens had narrowly won the presidency, with a margin of 5 electoral votes, and 2% of the popular vote separating himself and Cobb. Many attribute Cobb's defeat to the lack of appeal he made to states that were not safely in his camp, like Florida or Alabama. Both of those states went narrowly for Stephens, causing many to believe that if Cobb had run with Mallory or Clay, he might have won the presidency.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Augustus C. Dodge (January 2, 1812-November 20, 1883) was the 18th President of the United States, as well the 17th Vice-President and a career politician in his home state of Iowa. Born in Missouri, Dodge was self-educated and moved around in the Midwest before finally settling down in Iowa. From his new home, he be elected as a representative for the Iowa Territory to the U.S. Congress. When Iowa became a state, Dodge was elected as one of its first senators, serving in that position until 1855. After defeat in his 1854 reelection campaign and now being a lame duck congressman, he would accept an appointment to be Ambassador to Spain. Upon his return home, he would be defeated in his efforts to win the Iowa governorship, and many assumed that his political career had climaxed. His nomination for vice-president by the 1864 Democratic National Convention would change that, however, and he was elected to that position. Despite some urging him to put his name in the running, he declined initially to compete in the 1868 presidential election. When Seymour later died, and he ascended to the presidency, he decided he would run in the 1868 with his attorney general George W. Woodward as his running-mate. Forming a coalition of Democrats loyal to him and the remains of the Reunionist Party, he would run a campaign in the last few months before the election, in which he would be defeated. During his run for the presidency, impeachment charges against him would be drawn up in the House, which accused him of sympathizing with the CSA and treason due to his run with the Reunionist Party. They would pass in the House, but narrowly fail in the Senate, allowing Dodge to retain his presidential seat. Following this, and due to his association with the Reunionist Party, Dodge would be scorned by the Democrats and would never again hold public office, instead returning to home and private life.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The 1868 U.S. Presidential Election was the 21st in U.S. history, with voting occurring on November 3, 1868. In it, Democrat Horatio Seymour defeated Republican Henry Wilson, as well as Augustus C. Dodge, who ran with the backing of Democrats who preferred him to Seymour, known as Dodge Democrats, as well as receiving the endorsement of the Reunionist Party.

With the 1868 Democratic National Convention coming up, Thomas H. Seymour informed his party that he would not seek a second term. Initially, it seemed the party might then back Augustus C. Dodge, but he informed them that he had been advised by Seymour to not seek the nomination. This resulted in a flood of Democratic candidates including Ohio Senator George H. Pendleton, Indiana Senator Thomas A. Hendricks, former Union Major General George B. McClellan, Pennsylvania Governor Asa Packer, New Jersey Governor Joel Parker, and New York Senator Fernando Wood. After much debate, the party would eventually nominate Secretary of State Horatio Seymour, who had received the endorsement of President Seymour. For his running-mate, George Pendleton would be nominated.

The Republican National Convention would be similarly divided. Some members supported renominating Abraham Lincoln. Others preferred William Seward, who declined to be nominated, William P. Fessenden, or Salmon Chase. After much deadlock, compromise candidates began appearing. First would be former Pennsylvania governor Andrew G. Curtin, who failed to gain much momentum. This would also happen to John Sherman's and Cassius Clay's candidacies. Eventually, Henry Wilson would manage to narrowly secure the nomination, with Oliver P. Morton receiving the vice-presidential nomination in the hopes of drawing in members of the former Soldier's Party, which had largely folded into the Republican Party by now.

This election would have two notable third party runs. First was the Freedom Party. Believing that the Republican platform was not radical enough for him, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner would lead a walk out of the Republican National Convention. Subsequently, he would start his own party based on at the time radical racial policies. Sumner would run as the party's presidential nominee, with former Ohio senator Benjamin F. Wade being nominated for the vice-presidency. Later on, with President Seymour's death in office and Dodge's ascension to the presidency, Dodge decided to start his own campaign for president due to him beginning to disagree with some of Seymour's policies. He would convince Attorney General George W. Woodward to be his running-mate. Aside from his supporters in the Democratic Party, Dodge would also rally the support of the remains of the Reunionist Party, who had not been planning on nominating a candidate, but decided to endorse Dodge anyways.

Come election day, Seymour would soundly win the election's popular vote, being over 25% ahead of his closest opponent, Henry Wilson. In the electoral vote, however, he only barely managed to secure the necessary 124 electoral votes. This was due to Dodge's candidacy undermining him in several states and causing them to go Republican, such as Pennsylvania or Illinois. Nevertheless, Seymour still won the presidency, and would assume office on March 4, 1869.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810-February 12, 1886) was the 19th President of the United States, as well as Secretary of State and a three term Governor of New York, alongside various other state level positions. Born at Pompey, New York, Seymour would attend Geneva College, and be admitted to the New York bar in 1832. His entry into politics would be in 1833, when Governor William L. Marcy appointed him to be his military secretary. Various other state level positions would follow, ultimately culminating with his election to be New York's Governor in 1853, serving his first of three terms. He would return to that office in the midst of the American Civil War, being elected to two terms. At this point, he had become a prominent figure within the Democratic Party, and his name was often mentioned for the presidency. President Thomas H. Seymour would appoint him Secretary of State, which he served in for the entirety of Seymour's tenure. With President Seymour declining to seek another term, Horatio Seymour was his chosen successor, and went on to defeat Henry Wilson and Augustus C. Dodge in the 1868 presidential election. Once in office, Seymour sought to detach himself from the corrupt persona attached to him due to his involvement in New York politics, and made sure to appoint men of high repute to some of the most patronage rich departments in his cabinet, such as Treasury, Interior, and Postmaster General. Despite his stand against corruption, Seymour proved to be a very inactive president, and was often satisfied to listen to the dictates of powerful members of the Democratic Party. Come the 1872 presidential election, he would decline to seek another term, supporting his Secretary of State James A. Bayard as his successor, although the Democrats would ultimately go with Thomas A. Hendricks. It was in his final months in office that the first signs of the Panic of 1873 began to show, and despite many of the factors having began during his term in office, they would not show their full potential until his successor, Thomas Hendricks, took office. In his post-war years, Seymour would retire from active politics, but came out in support of Democratic nominees. He would ultimately oppose the American War of Reunification, which would lead to his ostracization and fall from prestige. In the final years of his life, Seymour would spend time with his family and write his memoirs before ultimately dying on February 12, 1886.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812-April 5, 1882) was a Confederate and United States politician, who served as both President and Vice-President of the Confederacy, as well a representing Georgia at both the state and federal level of legislature. Born in Crawfordville, Georgia, Stephens would attend Franklin College and establish his legal practice in his home town. Shortly afterwards, Stephens would begin his political career, serving in both houses of the Georgia legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite supporting many compromise measures, Stephens remained a fervent advocate of slavery and its expansion. He would publicly oppose secession from the Union, but when his home state of Georgia seceded, he quickly began new political career for himself serving in the CSA's government. He would be chosen to serve as Jefferson Davis' vice-president, a position he would hold for the entirety of the American Civil War. Despite serving as his vice-president, Stephens was a fierce critic of Davis, which help lead to his nomination for the presidency in the 1867 presidential election. In this election, he would defeat Howell Cobb and assume the presidency running on anti-Davis platform promoting the plantocracy and hostility to the United States. Once in office, Stephens quickly found himself popular with the planter class due to his laissez faire attitude and his policies that allowed plantations to prosper, while also crushing the roots of most industrial projects trying to gain their footing in the Confederacy. His presidency also marked the continued growth of rivalries within the Confederacy, with Stephens doing nothing to help bring together the many rival factions within his nation. Once out of office, Stephens would return home to his plantation home, and despite some supporters asking him to run for Georgia governor or senator, he would always decline their overtures. Stephens would enjoy his plantation lifestyle for roughly a decade before the American War of Reunification occurred and rapidly defeated and annexed the Confederacy. Due to his leading role in the nation, Stephens would be one of the Confederate leaders imprisoned in Fort Monroe. In his cell, Stephens, he was almost always was in frail health, would grow ill and die. His death would help rally the public against the imprisonments, and lead to the releasing of the Confederates held in Fort Monroe on January 1, 1883.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The 1872 U.S. Presidential Election was the 22nd in U.S. history, with voting occurring on November 5, 1872. In it, Democrat Thomas A. Hendricks narrowly defeated Republican John Sherman. The election would mark the beginning of a resurgence of the Republican Party and their return to being on roughly equal footing with the Democrats, although it would be eight more years before another Republican gained the executive office.

For the Democrats, they once again found that their candidate from the previous election, Horatio Seymour, was uninterested in seeking another term in office. Instead, he would endorse his Secretary of State James Bayard. The convention would not be this easy, however. Once again, it was flooded with men who sought the Democratic nomination for the presidency, including Vice-President George H. Pendleton, Indiana Senator Thomas A. Hendricks, New York Senator Fernando Wood, Ohio Senator Allen G. Thurman, and Kentucky Governor John W. Stevenson. After a heated convention, Hendricks would emerge as the nominee, with Delaware Senator Thomas F. Bayard, son of James Bayard, nominated for the Vice-Presidency to appease his father and his supporters.

The Republicans, meanwhile sought their own candidate among an undecided convention. They had seen slight growth in Congress during the midterms, and hoped that it was a good sign for the future. Going into the convention, it seemed a battle between Abraham Lincoln and Salmon Chase, but when the members convened, a flood of younger, more exciting candidates quickly became the focus. Among these men were Senators John Sherman of Ohio, Oliver P. Morton of Indiana, Arthur I. Boreman of West Virginia, and Representative and effective leader of the Republicans in the House James G. Blaine. Sherman and Blaine soon emerged as the front runners, with Sherman eventually winning following his endorsement by Lincoln, Morton, and Boreman. For the Vice-Presidency, Representative Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, who had gained national attention for his close loss in his bid for a Senate seat, was nominated.

The Freedom Party would again nominate their traditional figure head, Charles Sumner, for president, with former Ohio representative John Bingham as his running-mate. Their convention would be noteworthy for it being the first major one to consider a African-American for one of their nominees, as Frederick Douglass finished second in the vice-presidential nominating process. Sumner's candidacy would also receive the endorsement of the young Prohibition Party, but he never publicly acknowledged it.

In their campaigning, the Republicans would focus in on Democratic inactivity, and proclaimed that the economy was teetering on the edge of a major financial panic, which, despite being repudiated at the time, ultimately proved to be true. The Democrats, meanwhile, still used the tactic of reminding the nation of how the Civil War had been lost under Republican rule, and that they were the party for the common man that focused on their needs, rather than the rights of the African-Americans. By now, however, this tactic was beginning to grow less and less effective. Come election day, the results were much closer than almost everyone expected, with the Republicans doing surprisingly well. In the aftermath of the election, many Republicans would accuse the Freedom Party of having cost them the election, which modern studies have shown to likely be true. This, alongside Sumner's 1874 death, would play a crucial role in the reintegration of the Freedom Party into the Republicans.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

The 1873 Confederate States presidential election was the third such election in CSA history, with it occurring on November 7, 1873. In the election, Robert Toombs, the candidate of the supporters of President Stephens' agrarian, anti-U.S. policy defeated Robert M.T. Hunter, who had the support of people hoping to industrialize the CSA as well as begin reopening relations with the U.S.

Stephens' presidency had generally been popular among the higher classes of the CSA population, as he had done well in protecting their interests. In the lower classes, including many former veterans, the voters found themselves dissatisfied with the Stephens presidency, as he had ignored pensions and done little to help them. As per the CSA Constitution, Stephens could only serve one term, meaning his supporters would have to find a new man to rally around. This man would be Robert Toombs, Georgia's governor and a vocal supporter of Stephens. With his candidacy secured by the endorsement of several state delegations, he turned to selecting a running-mate. This man would be House Speaker William P. Miles of South Carolina, who was chosen to help secure the vote of former Fire-Eaters. The opponents of the Stephens' administration, meanwhile, decide on supporting Robert M.T. Hunter, a Virginia senator and virulent critic of Stephens. Running alongside him would be Tennessee Representative John C. Breckinridge. He was chosen both to appeal to veterans, as he was former general, as well as the hopes that he could help reopen talks with the U.S. due to his Kentucky heritage and political connections in the United States.

This election would see wide-spread voter fraud and suppression, a trend that would only grow in the CSA's future years. In the modern day, studies have shown that supporters of Toombs often engaged in such fraudulent practices, although it remains unclear how widespread this was, and how much it effected the election. For the time, however, when Toombs won the election with 63 electoral votes to Hunter's 33, Hunter's supporters, while clearly angered and likely suspecting illegal practices, would not act on these suspicions on any large scale. Thus, Robert Toombs was elected the CSA's third president.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819 - November 25, 1885) was the 20th President of the United States, as well as an Indiana politician. Born in Ohio, Hendricks soon moved to Indiana, and graduated from Hanover College before studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1843. Like many lawyers, Hendricks would enter politics, serving in both the Indiana and United States House of Representatives prior to the Civil War. During that war, he would be elected to the U.S. Senate, a position he would hold until his presidency. In the Senate, Hendricks would make a name for himself, and bring himself into the national spotlight. Securing his nomination in the 1872 Democratic National Convention for the presidency, Hendricks would go on to win a close election against John Sherman of the Republicans. Once in office, Hendricks would almost immediately be saddled with the Panic of 1873, which would dominate his first term in office. Convinced that it had been caused by government corruption, Hendricks would set about with reform, which would endear himself to the public. He would also sometimes attempt government interference to help restart the economy, which proved controversial both then and today. His reforms did not extend to racial issues, however, and he would use his influence to block policies hoping to bring about reforms in that sector, including an amendment to finally end slavery in the U.S., which would have to wait until his successor, James Garfield, before it was approved. Due to his popularity with the people, Hendricks would face little opposition to his renomination, although in the 1876 election, he would only narrowly defeat Republican James G. Blaine, with charges of corruption clouding his victory. By his second term, the panic had passed for the most part in America, leaving Hendricks to focus on other issues such as civil service reform, Native relations, and unions and strikes. Hid chosen successor for the presidency, Samuel J. Tilden, would win nomination from the Democratic National Convention, but ultimately lose the election to James A. Garfield in a close race. Hendricks would only have four years of retirement after having left office, dying of an unknown illness in his sleep in 1885.

 

[TheRockofChickamauga]

Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 - December 15, 1885) was the third president of the CSA, as well a Georgia politician who served in the United States government prior to the American Civil War, and the Confederate States government during and after the war. Born in Washington, Georgia, Toombs would graduate from Union College in New York before moving on to the University of Virginia to study law. He would pass the bar test in 1830, and practice law in Georgia. In 1838, he would begin his political career by election to the Georgia House of Representatives. This would be the beginning of more than two decades serving in U.S. government, both on the state and national level. In 1845, he would become a U.S. representative, followed by a senatorship in 1853, which he held until Georgia's secession in 1861. During his time in Congress, he became known as a fervent defender of slavery and a fierce advocate for its expansion. When the secession crisis began, he began to vocally support calls in Georgia for secession from the Union. In part due to this, when President Jefferson Davis formed his cabinet, he would appoint Toombs secretary of state, but Toombs' vulgar nature and hatred of Davis soon made it clear he was unfit for the role, so Davis would listen to Toombs and give him a generalship instead. In his service with the Army of Northern Virginia, he would prove to be mostly undistinguished, with his service ultimately ended with a bad wound leading a charge at the Battle of Antietam. After a brief retirement, Toombs would be convinced to reenter politics,and run for Georgia's governorship, which he won in a close election with Joseph E. Brown. When the 1873 election arrived, many considered him a good candidate for the presidency, and he received the endorsement of President Stephens. In another close election, Toombs would defeat Robert M.T. Hunter and secure the presidency, with William P. Miles as his vice-president.

Entering office, Toombs was hoping for an easy, hands-off ride like Stephens, but even from his first day in office, this dream proved to be elusive. He inherited the political factionalism and rivalries from Stephens, which was proving to be worse than ever. He also had a rampantly corrupt Treasury Secretary in Edward Sparrow, who went as far as removing money in the treasury, and placing it directly in his pocket. But neither of these would prove to be his most pressing issue, with that instead being the Four Horsemen Rebellion. The lead up to the revolts which would shake the Confederacy to its core would be Toombs' poor handling of diplomatic relations, with him rejecting out of hand the British and French attempts to form a plan to bring slavery to an end in the CSA, severely damaging their relations and shattering many of the previous deals the Confederacy had established with the two nations. He would only confound the problem by firing his Secretary of State James L. Orr when he discovered that he had gone behind his back and had attempted to begin to mend ties. Many have pointed to this event as the catalyst for the start of the Four Horsemen Rebellion, as the generals leading it had lost all faith in the Toombs government due to this.

With the outbreak of the first rebellion under Jackson in Virginia, which came the closest of any of them to overthrowing Toombs, Toombs would not deploy state militias, whose loyalties he did not trust, but instead the national army, which was not well viewed in the public eye. The more rebellions that broke out, the harsher Toombs became in his retaliations, all of which went to hurt his popularity. Despite crushing the last main rebellion under William B. Bate in Tennessee, and the last remnants under Joseph Wheeler in Georgia and Alabama, Toombs remained ever wary of rebels after this, and began a series of haphazard and very unpopular exiles of men who he viewed as his enemies, many of them prominent politicians or war heroes. Ultimately, when Toombs left office, the CSA had little life left in it, leaving the U.S. to sweep in and wipe out the broken remains under President Forrest. Following his catastrophic presidency, Toombs would return to his home, but he, like many other prominent members of the CSA, would be imprisoned at Fort Monroe after the destruction of the CSA in the American War for Reunification. Like many of the men there, his health took a steep decline, and it never recovered, even after his release. Afterwards he became known for his fits of depression and becoming a raging alcoholic. His dead body would be found drowned in a swallow puddle of water near a bar he frequented in 1885, ending his controversial life in an ignoble fate of drowning in two inches of water.