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I'm writing a series of novels about a Confederate victory in the American Civil War (typical plot. Cliches include Confederate Cuba, though justified.) The novels are CURRENTLY intended to be told in third-person, following the various people involved in the history of the world that follows. Most of them are soldiers and assassins, due to the military bits being easiest to write about.

I wasn't happy with my original ones (VERY soft Alternate History, a few outright impossibilities, such as heavier-than-air war balloons, etc.). As such, I'm rewriting it to be more realistic.

The PoD in the original is actually a while ago (this is how I hand-wave having fictitious characters), but in general it is the Battle of Antietam. I know, I know. The CSA did well just to survive. However, I decided to work with it because Gettysburg is so cliche and unrealistic. Antietam seems better, as it was early in the war and helped further the invasion of Maryland.

THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
1862-1863
EASTERN FRONT
1862. Antietam is a disastrous loss for the Union: thanks to spies, the I, II, and XII Corps of the Army of Virginia suffer catastrophic losses. Casualties are around 4x their real number for the Union and 3x their real number for the Confederacy. McClellan, rather than face the CSA, runs like a little girl for Maryland.

Maryland, due to being a secesh hotbed, joins the CSA after a few major Confederate victories. Governor Hicks jumps on board, and for the meanwhile serves as de facto commander of the new Army of Maryland.

Because Washington is so heavily-fortified, Lee uses investment Caesar-style: a line of circumvallation surrounding Washington (outside of artillery range) with a line of contravallation around that. The Potomac has artillery all around it. Thankfully for the Union, most of the poobahs have already slipped away to Philadelphia. The new Virginia is Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is the acting capital.

CENTRAL FRONT
More for laziness than realism, I kept things pretty similar. Tallahoma ends up a Union victory. East Tennessee is a separate state now. This is mostly just wish-fulfillment (I live on the Cumberland, and despise the West for holding us hostage), but there are legitimate reasons: as I'm sure you know, the Easterners tried to secede, but the more heavily-populated West would have none of that.

WESTERN FRONT
The Army of Texas is flailing around in Kansas and New Mexico.

1864
BRITAIN JOINS
Britain is desperate for cotton. The CSA convinces Britain that they can wipe the US Navy off the face of the map, opening up Confederate trade (both cotton and food). They make alliance with the CSA, and proceed to wipe out the US Navy. Just to piss off the limeys, the French join the American side.

CANADA
The British launch an invasion of the Northeast from Canada, but it backfires spectacularly and results in what is essentially America conquering Canada (with limited French help). Britain has many soldiers, sure, but it is hard landing them in the heavily-fortified part of the USA.

SOUTHWEST
The Army of Texas uses the rebels in the southernmost bits of the Southwest to basically take over:
Arizona Territory
New Mexico Territory
Utah Territory
Colorado Territory
California
Nevada Territory?
Indian Territory
Kansas
Southermost Missouri

MEXICO
The French diverted troops from Mexico to Texas, but having two enemies in one place ends badly for them and results in an early UMS victory in the Franco-Mexican War.

END
Well, that's pretty much how it ends. After two years of siege (rounding here), Washington crumbles. The US surrenders; while they have the capability to keep fighting, there is little desire to fight a war in the North.


Okay, I'm currently on the French Intervention in Mexico (Franco-Mexican War). Any help or advice is appreciated.
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