US Capital following a Confederate Victory

McKinlay Kantor (author of "Andersonville") penned a little book entitled "If The South Had Won The Civil War", that moved the capital to Columbus, Ohio. In the Old Northwest but not all the way west; not too close to the border (the CSA got Kentucky). I don't think that The US would want to put the Federal capital in a large city for fear of the effect that city's populace might have on the government. Also I don't think that a state's politicians would want to give away a big metropolis chock full of voters and put it in a Federal District.
 

Marc

Donor
A DMZ in such a strategically vital location as the East Coast is likely to fail as a concept LONG before things turn into a restarting of a war in the region. As soon as tensions start ramping up, both sides are gong to realize they haven't got any static defences/structures that can block an offensive between some of their biggest political and industrial targets and the border, which is a nightmare scenario for either side. Both would be obliged to keeep large standing forces in southern Virginia and the Midatlantic to make sure they can mobalize and respond quickly to any outbreak of violence, which is expensive, goes against the military culture, and is a self-feeding cycle of buildups based on the need for security that is bound to lead to one side renegading at some point and starting to build at least earthworks and mass artillery with dug in garrisons. Likely Dixie, since she has a smaller pop to draw from and will run into more political problems moving in forces form the Deep South to bolster local numbers and so will have to economize first.

What I would envision (albeit I consider the whole basis of this scenario going into the improbable category), are these Virginia counties being demilitarized. Matched by some Maryland counties adjoining.
Northern_Virginia_-_Location.png

Map_of_maryland_counties.jpg


As I indicated, I believe it wouldn't last very long. The notion that the South can enjoy any lasting victory is a conceit along the lines of believing that there once was a place called Camelot
 
How about D.C. being proclaimed a free city in a peace treaty to symbolize the common past and a lasting peace between the North and the South?
 
How about splitting of the northern West Virginia panhandle and making it into a federal district then?
With all due respect to West Virginians, at that time the region was one step out of the forest primeval. Rail and telegraph connections were sparse and that's not even considering the effect on any future USA/CSA relations of the US planting their capital in a state that had just seceded from the Confederacy.
 

Marc

Donor
How about D.C. being proclaimed a free city in a peace treaty to symbolize the common past and a lasting peace between the North and the South?

And what happens to black slaves brought by masters into Washington?

A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.


 
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