The War of the States: A History of the war between the United States and the Federal

Nocrazy

Banned
On several occasions has America been forced to fight on her home turf. The first was the War of 1812, when the British aggression against America led to a conflict that changed nothing for either side. The most recent, World War One, will remain in the nation's memory for a long time. However, one of the most serious was the War of the States, the American Civil War.

The origins of this conflict stem from an issue that had been steadily growing since the birth of our fair nation: Slavery. In the south, slavery was seen as being crucial to the economy, and the agricultural nature of the south often had made use of slaves. Were slaves to be freed, the southern economy would suffer a tremedous blow. In the north, however, slavery was seen as one of the greatest of evils, and was vilified as inhuman. For people on both sides of the slavery debate, the opinions of their opposite numbers was misguided and ignorant.

It is amazing to think that such a conflict had taken so long to start. However, the cause for this was that numerous other, more pressing matters had arisen. From the Cascadian War of 1850 to the Second Mexican War of 1861 to 1864, against the aggression of Napoleon II, the slavery debate had been continuely put off. In was only in 1874, with the rise of Jacob Blair, the pupil of Presidential canaidate Abraham Linclon, that events were set to come to a head. The South had once threatened to secede if Lincoln had been elected. However, his defeat by George Forrest, a moderate who was able to keep the peace, had prevented this. The idea of a Confederate States of America had died soon after. In it's place arose a new ideal, spearhead by the revised, pro-slavery Know-Nothing Party: the Federal States of America.

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okay, so, I have decided to make a spin-off of a project I am currently working on, 1914: A Very Merry War, which can be found on the writers forum. This is about the American Civil War of the Merry War TL. This civil war is gonna be different, but interesting. I'm sure you will all enjoy it, and do be sure to check out the main project here:https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=350818
 
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shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
Curious, very curious, and something I would definitely like to see more of :) Slightly nitpickey, why would they call their new America the 'Federal States'? If they want a weaker central power and more rights for the state, 'Confederacy' seems the perfect word. Though FSA does have a nice ring to it. Also, will check out Merry War
 

Nocrazy

Banned
announcement!
From Sunday Morning until Thursday afternoon, I will be staying at my aunts house in Luddington. No Wi-Fi, so all my projects will be on hold for said period of time.
 

Nocrazy

Banned
War of the States:Chapter One; The Federal Dream, Part One
In the 1881, antislavery Republican Jacob Blair was elected the 24th President of these United States. Almost immediately, the State of Georgia announced it's secession from the USA. It's Governor, Hall Kent, would soon be elected the first and only President of the Federal States of America.For Georgia's secession was followed by that of Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. A convention was held in Montgomery, Alabama, where the respective governors of each state signed the Treaty of Montgomery, officially creating the Federal States of America. This was a sharp change from the ideals championed by Southern Democrats in the 1860's for a Confederate States of America, were the right of there states were be respected by the government. What caused this radical change, and why did it come about? The answer lies in the rebirth of the Know-Nothing Party, and it's proslavery ideals.

In the 1850's, the American Party, or 'Know-Nothing' Party, had arisen to challenge the influx of immigrants to the United States. It enjoyed some brief success, and was known for it's anti-catholic policy. It represented the worst of the nativists movements in America, and incited riots, rigged votes, and other illegal policies. However, in the end, it was torn apart by the slavery debate, and disbanded.
It's revival, however, was by proslavery southerns, who felt trapped by an increasingly more antislavery Congress and House of Representative. Even the Democrats were coming to favour the antislavery side of the debate. With no one to turn to, a group of wealthy slaveowners set up the Nativist Party, which soon became known as the Know-Nothing Party. Several of the ideals of the original Know-Nothing Party were included, by the changes made reflected the new stance for the South, and were as follows:

  1. Slavery is the natural order of things. Should it be outlawed, this order would be upset greatly.
  2. Immigration by Catholic agents of the Papacy, which so desires the subjection of these United States, must be stopped.
  3. The tyranny of the US government, and it's increasingly anti-American status, must be stopped by any means needed.


This policy caused a stir when it was first announced, particularly in New England. However, to the South, it represented the resurgence of their values, and nativism in the south grew to rise in strength. With a month of it's formation in 1875, the Know-Nothing Party had grown to include a small, but wealthly, group of individuals, which funded the party's activities. Soon enough, support for the Know-Nothing Party began to grow among the public, particularly the farmers and miners. This caused a stir in both the Democrats and Republicans. Despite both parties mutual distrust, that didn't deny that many would rather not see such a radical force gain such influence and strength. Thus, the next election's campaigns became focused on stopping the Know-Nothing's growth.

In this, they failed. The Know-Nothings managed to carry Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas. Indeed, even in states that did not gain a Know-Nothing majority, there was still a sizeable amount of supporters for the party. This caused alarm in the entire US government. With the Democrat party beginning to loss it's traditional influence in the south, it started trying to regain it's support in the south. However, it swiftly found that this would be a near impossible task. Know-Nothing supporters began using intimidation and even violence against the Democrats' supporters. Eventually, attempts were made to arrest those responsible for these crimes. Unfortunately Unfortunately, these attempts lead to outright rioting, with many accusations of 'Papal plots' to subject those who would fight for the American people, or so they claimed. The most serious for these riots was the Nashville riots.
On July 2nd of 1876, leading Know-Nothing Party member Allan Fairfax, the leading of the Know-Nothing Party in Nashville, was arrested on charges of inciting violence and intimidation. However, his attempts to resist arrest drew the attention of the Know-Nothing Party in Nashville, who organized protests and demonstrations against the arrest, which was to them, of course, another 'papal plot'.On July 4th,a group of Know-Nothings even tried to stage a breakout, which almost succeded. However, an officer-on-duty spotted them attempting to escape, and fired, killing Fairfax. When news broke of what had happened, the Know-Nothing party was outraged. Demonstrations broke out, and soon turned dangerous.
Eventually, on July 7th, two groups of Know-Nothing supporters marched into the Catholic German and Irish districts, and set fire to the local churches. When the local communites attempted to put out the fires, they were attacked by mobs of Know-Nothing members, resulting in a massive riot that lasted for the entire day. 30 people died into the rioting, and hundreds of dollars worth of damage was caused. It was one of the worst riots in American history.

As the Know-Nothings grew more violent, support for them grew, with many viewing them as crusaders, fighting for the rights of the south. However, while many rallied under the banner of the Know-Nothing Party in the south, opposition to them in the north increased. It seemed to many, both inside and outside the USA, that a showdown detween North and South would soon begin.
 
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I have never hated an alternate history political movement more than those damn "Know-Nothings". There hasn't been a more appropriate name for a "political party" in history. I use the term "political party" loosely, as they operate more like a gang of xenophobic racist thugs. Do they call their nation the "Federal States of America" because they believe their government is the rebirth of the Federal government?
 

Nocrazy

Banned
I have never hated an alternate history political movement more than those damn "Know-Nothings". There hasn't been a more appropriate name for a "political party" in history. I use the term "political party" loosely, as they operate more like a gang of xenophobic racist thugs. Do they call their nation the "Federal States of America" because they believe their government is the rebirth of the Federal government?

Yeah, pretty much. A bit more so, however. This version is proslavery, ironically.
 
It's obvious that these asshole think themselves as "above the law". Especially when they think that simply enforcing the law is a sign of some evil papist plot against America. I want to see them get their asses handed to them in the Civil War. Hopefully their more virulent racism would poison the cause of racism after slavery is ended in the Civil War.
 

Nocrazy

Banned
War of the States: Chapter One; The Federal Dream, Part Two
The growing tension between North and South was becoming stronger with each passing moment. Indeed, some felt that the Nativist Party should be made illegal, and was proposed by Republican James Harvard to Congress. However, this was soon proven impossible. The Know-Nothings already in Congress would oppose any such law, and even though they did not ave a majority in Congress, the possibility of rioting incited by the Know-Nothings was too great to ignore. Thus, such a law could never be passed. But the didn't mean it wouldn't have an impact. When news that of the proposed law reached the South, it caused a massive uproar, one which lead to the idea that the south should secede from the United States. The Know-Nothings founders even came up with a more radical idea; The Second American Revolutionary War.

It was during this time that several members of the Know-Nothing Party began actually planning for the war. In 1878, two of the more prominent members, Thomas Lee and George Dewey, traveled to Europe in secret, where they met with the German Kaiser, Gustav, and the British Prime Minister, and proposed that the German and British Empires recognized a soon to be Federal States of America. The Kaiser's response wasn't exactly positive, with a cold response being given, and the British actually refused to allow such an audience. Bur nonetheless, when the two men returned and their treachery discovered, it lead to a massive uproar in the North, with many calling for the arrest of both men. Shockingly, however, many in the South expressed their admiration and support for the traitors. Both went into hiding, and were most certainly aided by sympathetic Americans.

By this time, with clear treachery and inciting violence against the US government, the need for action was greater then ever. But with the Know-Nothings having such powerfully followings in several southern states, it would almost certainly lead to massive unrest in those states. Soon, another issue would arise into the form of Colorado. Kansas had already been the scene of devasting violence when it was to be admitted in 1861, and now, Colorado would face the same test.

In 1879, as Congress was considering the admittance of Colorado as a free state, over 10,000 Know-Nothing militia marched into the territory, on the grounds that they were preventing the Pope from 'furthering his vile plot to expand Catholic heresy into the holy land of America.' Violence broke out immediately, with Union troops stationed in the Colorado Territory engaging in pitched battles with the Know-Nothing militias. Despite having superior training and weaponry, Union troops were outnumbered badly, and were forced to retreat to Denver, which soon found itself under siege. With most of the territory abandoned, Know-Nothing forces rampaged across the state, burning several Catholic Churches, and driving out immigrants from Ireland and Bavaria. Several Catholic priests were even murdered, and nuns were especially badly treated. However, that didn't mean that the state simply bowed to the Know-Nothings. Several German- and Irish-Americans banded together to form militias to stand against the Know-Nothings. With half of the Know-Nothing forces already besieging Denver, the rest now found themselves fighting against determined resistance by the citizens of Colorado. Eventually, a relief force arrived from Kansas of 6,000 Union men, who were able to easily defeat the scattered bands of Know-Nothings, and lifted the siege of Denver. The Know-Nothings were driven out of Colorado, and the territory was then admitted as a free state.

Now, with the Know-Nothings having taken such bold and clearly aggressive actions, Congress had no choice but declare that the Know-Nothing Party was illegal, and banned from all states, with the law being enacted in 1880. Almost immediately, Know-Nothing supporters everywhere began calling for secession, and even started driving out non-party members. With an upcoming Presidential election, Republican Jacob Blair was the obvious choice, and Democrats halfheartedly fielded Peter Brooks. But Blair won a landslide victory, and promised to put an end to the Know-Nothings. With his elections, the Nativist Know-Nothings actually stormed several non-nativist state capitals, and placed their own men in charge. Many of these states seceded, and the formation of the Federal States of America followed soon after. The nation was set for a brutal war.
 
So if the Americans capture one capital another city'd just declare themselves the new capital? I'm guessing the surrender would take place in whatever podunk little town they declared the capital last.
 

Nocrazy

Banned
War of the States: Chapter Two; Opening Shots, Part One
The formation of the Federal States of America caused an uproar across the United States, and sent shockwaves across North America and the world. Catholic nations such as France and Italy condemned the move, and offered aid to the United States. The British were also uneasy about having such a radical nation on North America, and despite Federal pleas for a United Protestant Front against the 'evil papal forces', would offer no aid for the rebels. However, the military of the Union wasn't in a perfect shape. Many of it's generals had purchased their positions, and had next to no experience on the battlefield. The South, however, had more then a few exceptional generals, such as Peter E. Banks, and were veterans of several conflicts against Native Americans. What's more, several Union troops defected to the south due to loyalty to their home states. Despite this, the North still had several massive industry centers, such as New York and Detroit. The North also held the advantage of having the larger population, and could call upon more troops then the FSA. Both sides expected to win the war in a few months. They would soon be proven wrong.
The first move in the conflict was when a Union force of 10,000 marched into Kentucky, with the goal of retaking the state. However, they were lead by General Gregory Thomson, who had last seen service in the Second Mexican War. He had next to no experience since then. As the Union forces pushed towards Louisville, they were confronted by 12,000 Federal troops, and in the ensuing Battle of Louisville, the Union forces were decimated, and forced back into Ohio. This resulted in Louisiana, Virginia and South Carolina actually defecting to the FSA, and the capital of the FSA was moved to Richmond. In response, West Virginia broke off from the rest of the state, causing a Constitutional crisis as to whether it should be admitted. However, more pressing matter would arise.

FSA President Hall Kent ordered Federal forces to invade Maryland, which they promptly did. The Army of the Potomac marched across the border, burning several Catholic institutions, such as schools and of course churches. The US President Jacob Blair immediately ordered the Union forces to respond, and the Battle of Frederick proved to be a bloody engagement, ending on a deceive Union victory. This resulted in Peter E. Banks, the overall commander of the Federate Army, decided to concentrate on defence. His troops were thus put to work building several defensive fortifications to repeal to the Union, who were swiftly entering the State of Virginia in almost overwhelming numbers. To counter this, General Banks deployed several skirmishers against the advancing Union troops, harassing the Union troops the enter way, and resulted in the slow of their advance. Thus, when the Union reached Martinsburg, they were tired and exhausted from the continued battles against the Federates, and were badly beaten by the genius of General Banks. It was during this battle that Cecil 'Unbreakable' Howards would rise to game, and the infamous Rebel Cry was born. The North was in for a brutal war.
 
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