To Wake Early: An American TL
- Thread starter Dan Reilly The Great
- Start date
Will do. This sounds more realistic.
About the occupied states: Mexico becomes a satellite of the CSA between the wars. They then join the CSA in the 2nd civil war. They get occupied postwar along with the former CSA.
Dan Reilly The Great
Banned
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.
Ahh, good guess, but quite wrong, you are thinking too narrowly, think bigger, and don't forget to look at the other pieces of occupied territory on the map.
Ahh, good guess, but quite wrong, you are thinking too narrowly, think bigger, and don't forget to look at the other pieces of occupied territory on the map.
Dan Reilly The Great
Banned
anyways here is the next update, it's a bit shorter than I had anticipated, but it pretty much sets the scene for the upcoming war. I know some of you are probably chomping at the bit to see when the hell I'm going to get around to it, but rest assured that the next update will definetly contain a good long bit about the Second War Between the States.
From The Shield and the Jack: Canada and the United Kingdom, Oxford University Press 1994
The state of affairs in the British empire following the disastrous North American War which ended in 1864 was interesting to say the least. Most significant of all was the formation of a strong independence movement in Canada as well as the start of the “Eastern Era” of British Imperialism.
The rift between the government of the UK and her North American colony became most evident during the London Conferences where disagreements between the British and Canadian delegates became quite vocal, so much so that the First London Conference had to be adjourned without concluding all necessary business, and as such a second conference was held a year later. While the second conference was responsible for the creation of the Canadian Confederation, it also stands as one of the largest sources of resentment from Canadian citizens toward Parliament and the Crown, as future Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie put it “They(parliament) dictated terms to us as if we were petulant school children and expected us to either accept what was offered or go home empty handed.” Although the Second London Conference ended largely on the terms of the British government, it did backfire on Benjamin Disraeli's government in a couple key ways, thanks to the machinations of Canada's “Great Coalition,” chief among those was the selection of John A. Macdonald as the first prime minister of the newly formed confederation. In spite of having the confidence of Queen Victoria, Parliament, and Governor General of Canada Charles Monck, Macdonald was very distrusting of Westminster and took steps to limit British influence over affairs that he saw as domestic.
First prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald
Macdonald has been viewed as the man who created the office of prime minister as it is seen today, much as George Washington made the United States Presidency what it is today. While maintaining moderately friendly relations with the home islands for the first couple years things quickly soured when The St. Lawrence Tariff Crisis arose in 1872. The British Government attempted to enact a tax on all seagoing traffic to pass through the St. Lawrence River. The primary problem arose due to three aspects of the tax, one was the fact that all proceeds from the tax would go to the British Government without any percentage going to the Canadians, the second issue was the fact that the locks and channels on the Canadian side of the border would have to be maintained and paid for by the Canadian Treasury, and third was a clause exempting British ships from paying the tax while Canadian ships had to pay full price. The backlash in Canada upon news of the new tax reaching North America was severe, protests broke out in Ottawa, Quebec, and Montreal. A notable incident involved Canadian dock workers refusing to allow any British flagged vessels to dock in Montreal for three days before local Authorities finally intervened. Although the situation appeared to be largely out of Canadian hands due to the provisions of the British North American Act, which specifically allowed the British Government to levy any taxes it deemed necessary within the Canadian Confederation, the Macdonald government managed to achieve considerable leverage by exploiting a loop hole within the very same act by ordering that all shipments of agricultural products leaving the country to be inspected for parasites, resulting in all grain shipments bound for the United Kingdom from Canada being effectively stopped. Fearing a repeat of the troubles that beset the Palmerson government, Prime Minister Disraeli, relented and the Canadian government was allowed to participate in amending the St. Lawrence tax. In the end the tax became far more equitable for Canadian interests, and allowed the Canadian Parliament to have a more or less free hand in terms of taxation within its borders, and considerable influence over financial policy throughout all of British North America. Most importantly of all however was that by gaining the power of the purse on the continent gave the Canadian Parliament the leverage needed for the eventual Canadian Dominion Act of 1890 which effectively established Canada as an independent nation.
The Canadian flag was created in 1893
Following the collapse of the Palmerson government the resurgent Conservatives under Prime Minister Disraeli were keen to maintain the prestige and influence of the British Empire following the troubles of the North American War. As such the Disraeli government made every effort to maintain as much control over Britain's colonial empire as possible. This had the unforeseen consequence of creating a confrontational atmosphere with Canada. Throughout Disraeli's tenure as prime minister, his efforts to assert British authority over her North American possessions met with nothing but frustration, even years before the signing of the Canadian Dominion Act Disraeli came to the conclusion that it was a lost cause “It seems that Canada is no more a colony of the crown than Pennsylvania is today.” As such in the early 1870's he began shifting his focus from North America to seeking stronger foreign relations with the nascent South American empire of Brazil, and toward increasing the colonial holdings of Britain in Africa and Asia. Significant gains in Africa were made through British victory in the Anglo-Zulu War as well as the Anglo-Botswana War of 1878. Most important of all however was the gain of Taiwan during the Third Anglo-Chinese War in 1881.
British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli
The biggest influence of all by the Disraeli Government may have been by the diplomatic victories of Disraeli in Europe, as the diplomatic work of the United Kingdom during the reign of the Disraeli government is one of the primary contributing factors to the political makeup of Europe and in fact much of the world during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The signing of the Salisbury-Ribot Pact in 1890 not only laid the groundwork for long term cooperation with France, it also helped to ensure relative peace between the major European powers for nearly three decades. A similar alliance with the Ottoman empire established a long president for an antagonistic relationship between Britain and Russia, as well as one of cooperation between Western Europe and the Ottoman Turks. Finally and possibly most important of all was the dissolution of the League of the Three Emperors following the Treaty of Berlin in 1877 which established an eventual longstanding rivalry between Germany and the other two members of the League. It is for these reasons that Benjamin Disraeli is often called “The Continental Shepherd.”
Let it be known that I in no way take pride in what I have done here, I did my duty and followed the orders given me to the best of my ability. I pray that others will learn the folly of defying the might of France that has been committed by the poor inhabitants of this city.”
Major General François Claude comte du Barail after the destruction of San Diego, 1889
From: A House Divided: The Wars Between the States, HarperCollins, 1974
For all the aggressive rhetoric spouted by politicians in both Washington and Atlanta, and all political machinations and power struggles, it is remarkable to note that the course of events leading up to the outbreak of the Second War Between the States were set in motion, not in Washington, or Atlanta, but in Paris. It is almost certain that the state of affairs between the two North American nations would not have reached such a level of hostility had it not been for French intervention in the western hemisphere. As such it is of great importance that one must examine the actions of French Emperor Napoleon IV following his Coronation in 1871.
Upon assuming the imperial throne of France, Napoleon IV came to the conclusion that although he loved his father, he had made many mistakes and that France had suffered and his reign(and life) had ended as a result. Therefore he set about to restore the strength and influence of France to greater levels than had previously been seen in history. To this end he intended to eliminate domestic dissent, strengthen the military, and expand France's colonial holdings to levels rivaling that of any other European nation, including the United Kingdom.
Domestic dissent was tackled at once, first by rounding up all members of the coup against his father as well as all suspected accomplices. Trials were quick and largely for show, and the sentences were also quick as well as severe. Some have gone so far as to compare the reaction of the French Government following the August 7th Plot to the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution. For once the initial offenders were dealt with, additional enemies were sought out and punished as well, the Army was hit quite hard initially as one of the ringleaders of the plot was a general, and several of the other major conspirators were army officers. However it did not end there, politicians, authors, and even business men all were target by the newly formed Office of Imperial Security. The new emperor also took steps to assure his own control over the empire, he formed the Office of Imperial Security, and used resurgent nationalism following the plot to pass the Constitution of 1872 which severely curtailed the powers of parliament in favor of stronger influence for the throne. He deftly manipulated the masses by playing to a strong sense of nationalism amongst the population, making promises of a “Greater France, and a greater future.”
Napoleon IV viewed the army as a formidable weapon, but one that needed sharpening. He at once set upon the task of reorganizing it and strengthening it for the purpose of both adding to France's conquests with new ones abroad, as well as defending against the newly unified German state directly to the east. The man he appointed to this task was Patrice de Mac-Mahon who was given the title of Commander in Chief both because he was well regarded by the new emperor, and also as a reward for his loyalty during the August 7th plot. Mac-Mahon immediately began reorganizing the officer corps, he is responsible for ressurecting the rank of Field Marshal within the French army, he ordered a full modernization of the equipment and tactics used as well. France was one of the first European nations to adopt the Gatling gun in large numbers in its military, he also is responsible for the French army finally adopting the Chassepot as its standard rifle after failing to do so during the Franco-Prussian war. He also went into action in pursuit of the goal of re-working the army's tactics, especially with regard to dealing with insurgency abroad, as he was well aware of the emperor's desire to expand the empire. As such he believed that the best solution to deal with a resisting civilian population was to use swift and brutal reprisals. He believed that when faced with overwhelming force and massive destruction toward ones home, a partisan fighter would lose all will to fight as the struggle continued. He strictly instilled this belief in the French officer corps who were heavily vetted and conditioned for loyalty. Long time veterans were indoctrinated as well, any officers who were viewed to waver in that loyalty were either discharged or transferred to inconsequential commands or administrative posts.
The Chassepot was France's first mass produced breech loading rifle
In order to expand French colonial influence Louis Napoleon decided upon a focus on the Americas. He believed that with the United States' loss of influence in the area after the American Civil War, he would be able to easily establish French hegemony in the reagion with little opposition from the United States. To achieve this he planned to first retake the long lost possession of Haiti, and then from there establish a French client state in Mexico by once again imposing a Habsburg ruler over the country. First Napoleon sent a request to Francis V formerly of Modena in Italy, but he declined. This lead Napoleon to then send an invitation to Ferdinand IV who was the former Grand Duke of Tuscany prior to the unification of Italy. Although Ferdinand initially wished to refuse the title fearing a similar fate to Maximilian, Napoleon made several guarantees of safety to the deposed grand duke and he eventually relented.
Emperor Ferdinand of Mexico, the first and only ruler of the Third Mexican Empire
Although France had friendly ports in French Guiana which it could use for supplies and to act as coaling stations for the coming campaigns in the Carribean and Mexico, Napoleon IV decided to hedge his bets in terms of logistics. As such he desired access to ports much closer to Haiti, and a land route from which launch and supply an invasion of Mexico. Although he did make several entreaties to Guatemala for the right to station ad move troops through the country in exchange for territorial gains in Mexico, President Barrios however declined due to his belief that such a move would be a distraction from his true ambition of uniting Central America under Guatemalan rule. Therefore Napoleon approached Confederate president Ralls about moving French troops through the Confederacy. Although Ralls was wary of such a proposal, the French were offering quite the carrot as a reward for cooperation. In exchange for allowing the French to station troops in the Confederacy, Napoleon IV was offering to supply arms and training to the Confederate army which was in dire need of both, an alliance against the United States, and most importantly, the promise to reopen trade between France and the Confederacy after over a decade. As much as he did not like the idea of foreign troops on Confederate soil, he knew that his country was in dire straits and that this was a rare opportunity to bring the Confederate economy out of its decade long nose dive. Therefore in 1876 he made the case before congress to approve of the agreement, and in spite of strong opposition from a very vocal minority, most agreed that it was an excellent opportunity. So on April 6, 1876 the confederate States of America and France signed the Ribot-Walker agreement.
From The Shield and the Jack: Canada and the United Kingdom, Oxford University Press 1994
The state of affairs in the British empire following the disastrous North American War which ended in 1864 was interesting to say the least. Most significant of all was the formation of a strong independence movement in Canada as well as the start of the “Eastern Era” of British Imperialism.
The rift between the government of the UK and her North American colony became most evident during the London Conferences where disagreements between the British and Canadian delegates became quite vocal, so much so that the First London Conference had to be adjourned without concluding all necessary business, and as such a second conference was held a year later. While the second conference was responsible for the creation of the Canadian Confederation, it also stands as one of the largest sources of resentment from Canadian citizens toward Parliament and the Crown, as future Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie put it “They(parliament) dictated terms to us as if we were petulant school children and expected us to either accept what was offered or go home empty handed.” Although the Second London Conference ended largely on the terms of the British government, it did backfire on Benjamin Disraeli's government in a couple key ways, thanks to the machinations of Canada's “Great Coalition,” chief among those was the selection of John A. Macdonald as the first prime minister of the newly formed confederation. In spite of having the confidence of Queen Victoria, Parliament, and Governor General of Canada Charles Monck, Macdonald was very distrusting of Westminster and took steps to limit British influence over affairs that he saw as domestic.
First prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald
Macdonald has been viewed as the man who created the office of prime minister as it is seen today, much as George Washington made the United States Presidency what it is today. While maintaining moderately friendly relations with the home islands for the first couple years things quickly soured when The St. Lawrence Tariff Crisis arose in 1872. The British Government attempted to enact a tax on all seagoing traffic to pass through the St. Lawrence River. The primary problem arose due to three aspects of the tax, one was the fact that all proceeds from the tax would go to the British Government without any percentage going to the Canadians, the second issue was the fact that the locks and channels on the Canadian side of the border would have to be maintained and paid for by the Canadian Treasury, and third was a clause exempting British ships from paying the tax while Canadian ships had to pay full price. The backlash in Canada upon news of the new tax reaching North America was severe, protests broke out in Ottawa, Quebec, and Montreal. A notable incident involved Canadian dock workers refusing to allow any British flagged vessels to dock in Montreal for three days before local Authorities finally intervened. Although the situation appeared to be largely out of Canadian hands due to the provisions of the British North American Act, which specifically allowed the British Government to levy any taxes it deemed necessary within the Canadian Confederation, the Macdonald government managed to achieve considerable leverage by exploiting a loop hole within the very same act by ordering that all shipments of agricultural products leaving the country to be inspected for parasites, resulting in all grain shipments bound for the United Kingdom from Canada being effectively stopped. Fearing a repeat of the troubles that beset the Palmerson government, Prime Minister Disraeli, relented and the Canadian government was allowed to participate in amending the St. Lawrence tax. In the end the tax became far more equitable for Canadian interests, and allowed the Canadian Parliament to have a more or less free hand in terms of taxation within its borders, and considerable influence over financial policy throughout all of British North America. Most importantly of all however was that by gaining the power of the purse on the continent gave the Canadian Parliament the leverage needed for the eventual Canadian Dominion Act of 1890 which effectively established Canada as an independent nation.
The Canadian flag was created in 1893
Following the collapse of the Palmerson government the resurgent Conservatives under Prime Minister Disraeli were keen to maintain the prestige and influence of the British Empire following the troubles of the North American War. As such the Disraeli government made every effort to maintain as much control over Britain's colonial empire as possible. This had the unforeseen consequence of creating a confrontational atmosphere with Canada. Throughout Disraeli's tenure as prime minister, his efforts to assert British authority over her North American possessions met with nothing but frustration, even years before the signing of the Canadian Dominion Act Disraeli came to the conclusion that it was a lost cause “It seems that Canada is no more a colony of the crown than Pennsylvania is today.” As such in the early 1870's he began shifting his focus from North America to seeking stronger foreign relations with the nascent South American empire of Brazil, and toward increasing the colonial holdings of Britain in Africa and Asia. Significant gains in Africa were made through British victory in the Anglo-Zulu War as well as the Anglo-Botswana War of 1878. Most important of all however was the gain of Taiwan during the Third Anglo-Chinese War in 1881.
British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli
The biggest influence of all by the Disraeli Government may have been by the diplomatic victories of Disraeli in Europe, as the diplomatic work of the United Kingdom during the reign of the Disraeli government is one of the primary contributing factors to the political makeup of Europe and in fact much of the world during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The signing of the Salisbury-Ribot Pact in 1890 not only laid the groundwork for long term cooperation with France, it also helped to ensure relative peace between the major European powers for nearly three decades. A similar alliance with the Ottoman empire established a long president for an antagonistic relationship between Britain and Russia, as well as one of cooperation between Western Europe and the Ottoman Turks. Finally and possibly most important of all was the dissolution of the League of the Three Emperors following the Treaty of Berlin in 1877 which established an eventual longstanding rivalry between Germany and the other two members of the League. It is for these reasons that Benjamin Disraeli is often called “The Continental Shepherd.”
Let it be known that I in no way take pride in what I have done here, I did my duty and followed the orders given me to the best of my ability. I pray that others will learn the folly of defying the might of France that has been committed by the poor inhabitants of this city.”
Major General François Claude comte du Barail after the destruction of San Diego, 1889
From: A House Divided: The Wars Between the States, HarperCollins, 1974
For all the aggressive rhetoric spouted by politicians in both Washington and Atlanta, and all political machinations and power struggles, it is remarkable to note that the course of events leading up to the outbreak of the Second War Between the States were set in motion, not in Washington, or Atlanta, but in Paris. It is almost certain that the state of affairs between the two North American nations would not have reached such a level of hostility had it not been for French intervention in the western hemisphere. As such it is of great importance that one must examine the actions of French Emperor Napoleon IV following his Coronation in 1871.
Upon assuming the imperial throne of France, Napoleon IV came to the conclusion that although he loved his father, he had made many mistakes and that France had suffered and his reign(and life) had ended as a result. Therefore he set about to restore the strength and influence of France to greater levels than had previously been seen in history. To this end he intended to eliminate domestic dissent, strengthen the military, and expand France's colonial holdings to levels rivaling that of any other European nation, including the United Kingdom.
Domestic dissent was tackled at once, first by rounding up all members of the coup against his father as well as all suspected accomplices. Trials were quick and largely for show, and the sentences were also quick as well as severe. Some have gone so far as to compare the reaction of the French Government following the August 7th Plot to the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution. For once the initial offenders were dealt with, additional enemies were sought out and punished as well, the Army was hit quite hard initially as one of the ringleaders of the plot was a general, and several of the other major conspirators were army officers. However it did not end there, politicians, authors, and even business men all were target by the newly formed Office of Imperial Security. The new emperor also took steps to assure his own control over the empire, he formed the Office of Imperial Security, and used resurgent nationalism following the plot to pass the Constitution of 1872 which severely curtailed the powers of parliament in favor of stronger influence for the throne. He deftly manipulated the masses by playing to a strong sense of nationalism amongst the population, making promises of a “Greater France, and a greater future.”
Napoleon IV viewed the army as a formidable weapon, but one that needed sharpening. He at once set upon the task of reorganizing it and strengthening it for the purpose of both adding to France's conquests with new ones abroad, as well as defending against the newly unified German state directly to the east. The man he appointed to this task was Patrice de Mac-Mahon who was given the title of Commander in Chief both because he was well regarded by the new emperor, and also as a reward for his loyalty during the August 7th plot. Mac-Mahon immediately began reorganizing the officer corps, he is responsible for ressurecting the rank of Field Marshal within the French army, he ordered a full modernization of the equipment and tactics used as well. France was one of the first European nations to adopt the Gatling gun in large numbers in its military, he also is responsible for the French army finally adopting the Chassepot as its standard rifle after failing to do so during the Franco-Prussian war. He also went into action in pursuit of the goal of re-working the army's tactics, especially with regard to dealing with insurgency abroad, as he was well aware of the emperor's desire to expand the empire. As such he believed that the best solution to deal with a resisting civilian population was to use swift and brutal reprisals. He believed that when faced with overwhelming force and massive destruction toward ones home, a partisan fighter would lose all will to fight as the struggle continued. He strictly instilled this belief in the French officer corps who were heavily vetted and conditioned for loyalty. Long time veterans were indoctrinated as well, any officers who were viewed to waver in that loyalty were either discharged or transferred to inconsequential commands or administrative posts.
The Chassepot was France's first mass produced breech loading rifle
In order to expand French colonial influence Louis Napoleon decided upon a focus on the Americas. He believed that with the United States' loss of influence in the area after the American Civil War, he would be able to easily establish French hegemony in the reagion with little opposition from the United States. To achieve this he planned to first retake the long lost possession of Haiti, and then from there establish a French client state in Mexico by once again imposing a Habsburg ruler over the country. First Napoleon sent a request to Francis V formerly of Modena in Italy, but he declined. This lead Napoleon to then send an invitation to Ferdinand IV who was the former Grand Duke of Tuscany prior to the unification of Italy. Although Ferdinand initially wished to refuse the title fearing a similar fate to Maximilian, Napoleon made several guarantees of safety to the deposed grand duke and he eventually relented.
Emperor Ferdinand of Mexico, the first and only ruler of the Third Mexican Empire
Although France had friendly ports in French Guiana which it could use for supplies and to act as coaling stations for the coming campaigns in the Carribean and Mexico, Napoleon IV decided to hedge his bets in terms of logistics. As such he desired access to ports much closer to Haiti, and a land route from which launch and supply an invasion of Mexico. Although he did make several entreaties to Guatemala for the right to station ad move troops through the country in exchange for territorial gains in Mexico, President Barrios however declined due to his belief that such a move would be a distraction from his true ambition of uniting Central America under Guatemalan rule. Therefore Napoleon approached Confederate president Ralls about moving French troops through the Confederacy. Although Ralls was wary of such a proposal, the French were offering quite the carrot as a reward for cooperation. In exchange for allowing the French to station troops in the Confederacy, Napoleon IV was offering to supply arms and training to the Confederate army which was in dire need of both, an alliance against the United States, and most importantly, the promise to reopen trade between France and the Confederacy after over a decade. As much as he did not like the idea of foreign troops on Confederate soil, he knew that his country was in dire straits and that this was a rare opportunity to bring the Confederate economy out of its decade long nose dive. Therefore in 1876 he made the case before congress to approve of the agreement, and in spite of strong opposition from a very vocal minority, most agreed that it was an excellent opportunity. So on April 6, 1876 the confederate States of America and France signed the Ribot-Walker agreement.
I must say that I'm really enjoying this timeline. I hadn't even considered a CSA that survives as narrowly as this one has.
As commentary, I'm expecting that the continuation of slave labor suppresses wage increases years past when they started happening OTL. This could probably mean significantly more vicious socialist and communist movements circa 1900. Your eventual communist KKK is actually fairly plausible, considering that it's strength is drawn mostly from poor whites, who would be most disadvantaged by continued slavery.
As commentary, I'm expecting that the continuation of slave labor suppresses wage increases years past when they started happening OTL. This could probably mean significantly more vicious socialist and communist movements circa 1900. Your eventual communist KKK is actually fairly plausible, considering that it's strength is drawn mostly from poor whites, who would be most disadvantaged by continued slavery.
Because I'm nitpicking...
I'm sorry, but your picture of the so called Maine is really a picture of the Texas...I juts wanted to point that out.
I'm sorry, but your picture of the so called Maine is really a picture of the Texas...I juts wanted to point that out.
Brasilia was built in 1960,up untill 1960 Rio de janeiro was the bazilian capital.There was a plan to move the capital to the midle of the country were Brasilia is now sin the beguining of the country.The problem is how Dom Pedro can build a city at that time,there were no roads ,railroad,or even riverine acees to tahat region.Even in the 1960's we sent bricks by airplane,i do not believe it is feaseble to built Brasilia in the 1800's.
Well, it's not the OTL Maine, now is it? So it can be anything the author wants it to be.
Dan Reilly The Great
Banned
Quite right, in TTL any battleship being commissioned under the name Texas would be in the confederate navy not the US navy(although the CSA has no battleships, it cannot afford them), being that Texas is now part of a foreign nation. The battleship would be given a different name as a result, I chose Maine as the name, but it could have easily have been the Illinois or New Jersey in stead. Also, don't expect anything in the US or US military to bear the name Robert E Lee either.
nandalf said:
this has already been noted, and admittedly it was a sloppy oversight on my part, unfortunately I cannot edit that update at this point, and though future updates will reflect that, you'll just have to wait until the fully completed and cleaned up version gets posted to see it fixed.
EDIT: Also as a general announcement not to worry about the long wait for the next update, I am working on it, and it is a big one
Dan Reilly The Great
Banned
ok, after much delay, the next update is almost complete. I finished writing it, however the artwork is still in the works, and it's a bit of a wait for that, one of my hard drives got fried and I lost the CG suite I used to make the steam tank, as well as its model. Unfortunately I need to do some CG work for another piece of artwork for this update, so I need to reinstall the software package again, but the next update should be here by next week. Just thought I'd let everyone know that this TL is not dead, just comatose 
. And make sure you have some time when you read it, it's gonna be big, this one update is almost as long as every prior update combined.
. And make sure you have some time when you read it, it's gonna be big, this one update is almost as long as every prior update combined.