WI : Enemy Brothers - Perspective of a divided America

INTRODUCTION


I already made threads on CS presidential elections (link) in the event of a Confederate survival, meaning not victory but stalemate. That thread is somewhat a quasi reboot.

To explain you my war scenario, I will quote here the first post of Enemy Brothers, a TL attempt to describe the war ; I had achieved an outline of the civil war and its conclusion, avaible here as a summary of chapters, but inspiration and will to write it into updates lacked and I wrote only the first four chapters which are available in the v1.0.


Chapter I
American Civil War, part 1 : 1861 - 1862


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In late April of 1861, the town of Baltimore rose up after some riots against Union troops transit spiraled out of control. General Butler quickly retook control of eastern Maryland and by early May stormed Baltimore barricades, causing a bloodbath. The bloodbath achieved to convince most of the border states such as Tennesee, Arkansas and North Carolina to secede. In Virginia, the referendum on the Ordinance of Secession was ratified with a greater majority even than IOTL. The shockwave caused by the Baltimore had more distinct consequences on Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri than historically.
A rump government in exile made up of Maryland secessionists declared secession and was admitted into the CSA.

In Missouri, Governor Jackson precipitated his plans of coup and the State Militia supported by Southerner paramilitaries overwhelmed the local Union garrison, but couldn't avoid Captain Lyon to empty the Federal Arsenal, sacrifying his own life. In northern Missouri however, local Unionists assisted by Unionists of Kansas rose up under Sigel leadership. Frémont assaulted Saint-Louis in June and with support of Sigel, took control of the Missouri River valley and central Missouri, but the State Militia kept control of the Ozark Plateau. As the situation in Kentucky worsened and made necessary vast redeployments, Union troops in Missouri now under Grant command conquered the Ozarks only during the late winter.
In Kentucky, the Baltimore bloodbath further enraged secessionist sympathisers and caused a gridlock in the works of the Committee of Arbitration set up to specify Kentucky stance, giving de facto Governor Magoffin the last word, enabling to unilaterally proclaiming armed neutrality. With the State Militia under Buckner full of sympathisers of the CSA, incidents with Union troops which built up in Illinois to invade Missouri were unavoidable and incidentally led Kentucky Unionists to enter in armed dissidence, plunging the state into a mini civil war, prompting Union invasion in June.
McClellan advanced down the Louisville and Nashville Railroad but preferred to bypass Confederate entrenchments set up by Buckner at Munfordville and invade East Tennesee in July, and went up to Chattanooga before making a logistical pause during which he was called to Washington DC. His successor, Rosecrans, was besieged for some weeks by Bragg and had to withdraw during August as he didn't receive enough reinforcements, troops being needed in West Virginia, central Kentucky and Missouri, retreating further north into East Tennessee, but keeping the Confederates at bay and allowing establishment of a provisional Unionist government of Tennessee in Knoxville.

In East, the claimed secession of Maryland put pressure onto Confederate generals to take action and free Maryland: Potomac would be crossed. In June, Johnston and Beauregard crossed the river with plans aiming to capture of Baltimore which would force the Federal Government to evacuate Washington DC and force Lincoln to negociate peace, but Beauregard's liberal interpretation of his orders caused him to engage McDowell near the federal capital. Johnston was forced to deviate from his original way to save Beauregard from disaster and both finally came to attack Washington DC but failed and finally retreated beyind the Monocacy River after having routed a pursuing Union Army of the Shenandoah as it leader, Patterson, had been killed in the fight.
As President Lincoln called McClellan to take command of the Union forces in Maryland and relieved McDowell in July, the campaigning season ended. McClellan didn't undertake any offensive action, only reorganising the Union troops and creating the Army of the Potomac. In August, Johnston withdrew most of his troops from Maryland, too exposed, to the safety of Manassas Junction, leaving behind General Jackson with some troops to keep the Federals at bay and protect the Confederate government of Maryland which had returned to the state. The autumn and winter did see some fighting between Jackson and the Union Army of the Shenandoah, first under the command of General George Thomas who had taken the temporary command after Patterson death, then under Banks, and against Butler's Army of Eastern Maryland. Confronted to a pincer maneuver, north from Pennsylvania towards Hagerstown and east from Maryland towards Frederick, both armies being only separated by the South Mountain. Jakson managed to hold them off for the autumn but by early winter had to withdraw into Virginia to avoid being trapped in Maryland.

As the autumn 1861 began, McClellan, replacing Scott as Commander in chief, appointed Halleck in overall command of West, relieving the too much radical Frémont. The offensive was launched against the Quadrilatere, or rather Triangle as Colombus had already been taken by Union navy during summer. The winter was past to attack, besiege and capture Paducah, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Meanwhile, Bragg had left Zollicoffer at Chattanooga to keep Rosecrans' Army of East Tennessee at bay and took most of his troops to rescue Buckner and Polk. In early spring 1862, the Union Army of the Tennessee under Sherman was surprised and routed by Bragg at Pittsburg Landing with Sherman mortally wounded in the battle. With the reinforcements of the Army of the Ohio under Buell, Halleck personally assumed command of an offensive against Corinth but he showed excessive caution and was lured into believing most of Confederates were near Corinth while Bragg headed to Nashville after crossing the Tennessee river further east near Decatur. The time Halleck realized, it was too late and Bragg won the race to Nashville where he defeated the Federals and then pursued them up to Paducah he burnt before withdrawing. The fights then moved to central Kentucky after Rosecrans, abandonning the siege of Chattanooga he had set up in late spring, came to rescue the Armies of the Ohio and Tennessee, finding Bragg having marched to encounter him to prevent junction of the armies. Finally, this junction took place during autumn, after Frémont was returned to overall command of the Western theatre and McPherson was appointed to command the Army of the Tennessee.

Further south, New Orleans welcomed in the midst of autumn 1861 General Beauregard as commander of the city's defenses, a result of his behaviour during the Maryland Campaign that many in Richmond claimed to the reason for the failure of the campaign and that made him a scapegoat. During the remainder of autumn and winter, he significatively reinforced the defenses of the town, especially after the Union Navy took control of the mouth of the Mississippi river. In early spring, the fortifications he set up at Chalmette Plantation were essential in repulsing the Union warships which had bypassed the besieged Fort Jackson and St Philipps. Although the forts finally fell, the way between them and New Orleans became a deathtrap for the Union warships as Beauregard had increased number of redoubts and artillery positions. By the summer, the attempts against New Orleans were abandonned after an ultimate failure at crossing into Lake Ponchartrain and the Union occupation was reduced to Fort Jackson and St-Philips which were to be the headway for eventual future offensives. This was a clear setback for the Anaconda Plan that General Scott had envisioned but not a total one as in North, General Grant continued his way south. After conquering the Ozarks during the winter, Grant descended in the valley to support the Union riverine fleet, allowing the capture of New Madrid and Island Number Ten, Fort Pillow and Memphis which could very well have been retaken by Confederates had it not been for Bragg decision to attack north into Kentucky. Grant then moved into eastern Arkansas and took Little Rock, but by late summer, his progression stalled before Vicksburg where General AS Johnston, entrusted with stopping Grant conquest of the Mississippi valley, had set up impressive fortifications. After several attempts at crossing the bayoux, digging canals, Grant attempted in late autumn to gamble on a crossing south of Vicksburg but it ended in a defeat and the river had to be crossed back. The riverine fleet attempted to make its way back to north but suffered huge losses to Vicksburg's guns. Thereafter, Grant was relieved and replaced by one of his seconds, General McClernand, who had successfully intrigued to have Grant blamed although himself had a great part of the responsibility for the failure against Vicksburg.

In Far West, the Confederates under Colonel Baylor took control of Arizona but had to face the California Column, hired in California to retake the region. Meanwhile, the Confederates under General Sibley began in late 1861 a campaign aimed at Colorado to eventually cut Federals from the West Coast. Sibley, not misled by fake guns, quickly stormed Fort Craig and won the battle of Glorietta Pass in spring 1862. By summer 1862, the Confederate progression went as far north as the San Luis Valley in Colorado, a saliant formed in the north of the Rio Grande Rift by the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. However, the stiffening resistance of Coloradoans and the increasing threat of the California Column on Arizona forced Sibley to abandon his offensive on Denver and come to the defense of the Mesilla river valley. Although the San Luis Valley was reconquered by Union forces during autumn, the Confederates continued to hold as far as Tucson and Santa Fe. Meanwhile, most of the Indian Territory had fallen by late 1861 under control of Confederates and their Native allies and their domination remained relatively undisputed throughout 1862.

In East, under pressure of President Lincoln to take action, General McClellan launched his offensive against Richmond during spring. He landed at Urbanna but the time lost at besieging West Point on the York River allowed General Johnston to get the Confederate Army of the Potomac between Federals and Richmond in time. Struck between Chicahominy and Pamunkey River by the Confederates, McClellan decided to withdraw beyond the Pamunkey river. In June, President Lincoln attempted to send reinforcements under Butler, but they were intercepted at Bowling Green by General Lee, previously military adviser to President Davis, and General Jackson who had brought with him the Army of the Shenandoah after having inflicted significative setbacks to Banks in the Valley Campaign. These reinforcements nevertheless managed to make their way to the camp of the Army of the Potomac through another way, along the Rappahannock.
McClellan resumed his efforts against Richmond the following month. By a quick move, he transported the Army of the Potomac to Gloucester from where he crossed the York river to Yorktown. which was quickly captured along Willimasburg. Although the overcautious behaviour of McClellan allowed Johnston to take defensive positions ahead of Richmond and Petersburg, he failed to check McClellan who had learned from his previous errors at the Second Battle of the Chicahominy. Effective earthworks set up by Johnston protected Richmond and Petersburg that McClellan attempted to outflank during August and September but failed. The fightings then calmed down while the siege continued, largely because of Lee's northern expedition.

As the siege of Richmond and Petersburg stalemated, General JE Johnston agreed to an offensive on Washington DC proposed by General Lee and supported by President Davis. Lee and 35,000 soldiers of the newly formed Army of Northern Virginia, including Jackson and Longstreet as corps commanders, marched in late september to the Shenandoah Valley, surprising Banks. The Union Army of the Shenandoah nevertheless managed to win by a stand at Monocacy Junction the time to rally the defensive perimeter of the federal capital. McClellan dispatched Generals Hooker and Kearny but they couldn't prevent the tragedy: in mid October, while Lee attacked Washington DC's outer ring of fortifications, a shell mortally wounded President Lincoln who was visiting the frontline during a seeming lull. Lee ended the attack on the federal capital and withdrew to western Maryland once he learned of Hooker and Kearny were near Fredericksburg and was marching north. President Hamlin entrusted the command of a new Army of Virginia to General Hooker with the addition of a third corps made up of the former Army of the Shenandoah now back under General Thomas command, making this army almost twice as big as Lee's forces. The pursuit began as soon Hooker arrived in Maryland. He prevented a flanking maneuver of Jackson at South Mountain but failed to prevent Lee from crossing into Virginia near Sharpsburg in late October. In the Shenandoah valley, Confederates regained the upper hand at Woodstock, striking the divided Federals who nonetheless managed to escape after Kearny's stand at Front Royal allowed the Army of Virginia to go through the Manassas Gap.

Lee's offensive on Washington DC and death of Lincoln had a catastrophic effect on the Republican Party at the midterm elections where the Democrats won control of the House. Hamlin, despite being close to Radicals was forced by pragmatism to make compromise with conservative Republicans and War democrats. The news of Grant failure last attack on Vicksburg added to defeatism but Hamlin was able to convince his allies of convenience that nothing was lost despite what he presented as a raid of Lee: McClellan was threatening the confederate capital, Frémont had pushed Bragg out of Kentucky, Rosecrans still threatened Chattanooga and the Army of the Missouri now under McClernand was still deep into Confederate territory, threatening to cut the CSA in two halves, the blockade was still effective and foreign powers hadn't reacted or offered help to the Confederates. Still, the Potomac Campaign of Lee had severly weakened the pro-war sentiment in northern public opinion and the pro-war coalition in the House was a fragile one as the calls for peace negociations were growing even among War Democrats and conservative Republicans, whom many subjected their support to results, but 1863 was going to be a bloody year.​


Public opinion in this country is everything - Abraham Lincoln


Summary
Chapter I - Dark Spring for the Union

Baltimore Uprising and siege, Coup of Saint-Louis, civil war in Kentucky - spring 1861

Chapter II - Double or quits
Maryland Campaign - summer 1861

Chapter III - A whisker away from Chattanooga

Union invasion of Kentucky, East Tennessee Campaign - summer 1861

Chapter IV - Welcome back to home
West Virginia and East Tennessee reintegrated - spring to summer 1861

Chapter V - Down the Mississippi
Campaign of Missouri and Arkansas - summer 1861 to spring 1862

Chapter VI - King of the Mountain
Jackson vs Banks - autumn 1861

Chapter VII - Winter is coming
Trent Affair, political fallout in North and South of that first year of war - winter 1861/1862

Chapter VIII - From Paducah to Paducah

Campaign of the Quadrilatere, Corinth Campaign, Heartland Offensive - autumn 1861 to autumn 1862

Chapter IX - Once upon a time in the West
Confederate Arizona, Rio Grande and Mesilla campaigns - 1861 to 1862

Chapter X - Playing cat and mouse
Chicahominy, Rappahanock and Peninsula Campaigns - March to August 1862

Chapter XI - Requiem for an anaconda
Siege of New Orleans, Vicksburg campaigns and Grant removal - autumn 1861 to winter 1862/1863

Chapter XII - The Grey Fox
Potomac Campaign - autumn 1862

Chapter XIII - Exit the King
Death of Lincoln, midterm elections - autumn 1862 to winter 1862/1863

Chapter XIV - All quiet in Virginia
Richmond-Petersburg campaign - autumn 1862 to winter 1862/1863

Chapter XV - A river too far
Pennsylvania, Shenandoah and North Anna Campaigns - February to May 1863

Chapter XVI - Above the Clouds
Reorganisation in West, Frémont's Tennessee Grand Offensive, 3rd siege of Chattanooga - winter 1862/1863 to summer 1863

Chapter XVII - Blood, sweat and tears
Emancipation proclamation, draft riots, battle in Congress - spring and summer 1863

Chapter XVIII - Alea Iacta Est
Hammlin desperate moves, McClellan firing, Frémont's Great Offensive in Virginia - summer to autumn 1863

Chapter XIX - The Last Hurrah
Western and Trans-Mississippi theater - summer 1863 to autumn 1863

Chapter XX - War or Peace
Impeachment proceeding against Hammlin and resignation, Foote brief presidency, armistice - autumn 1863 to spring 1864​


That's for 1861-1862.

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Hannibal Hamlin, 17th President of the United States

1863 begins by Lee taking offensive into Pennsylvania. That brief campaign is more a raid aimed at destabilizing further public opinion than an actual invasion; actually, no big battle happens but mostly skirmishes.

In reaction, Hamlin pressure Frémont in west to execute the offensive he has prepared for months. While Frémont fix Bragg along the Cumberland, McPherson turn Confederate positions, screened by a diversion attacks on the railroad junction of Humboldt in western Tennessee and by renewed pressure on Sydney at Gettysburg. Once McPherson take Decatur by surprise, Bragg hastily retreats to Chattanooga which is put in siege condition. The siege will last through the year, with Union failing to flank Confederate positions, and by the time of the Armistice, Chattanooga would remain the only part of Tennessee still under Confederate control.

In Virginia, after retreating into Shenandoah valley, Lee is surprised by a pursuing Hooker which is invading the valley from both north and west. Confederates barely escape and Hooker is hailed in North for that 'exploit'. After a brief pause to resupply, Hooker continues the pursuit of Lee into central Virginia with about 50,000 soldiers against barely 20,000 soldiers under Lee. After an inconclusive battle at Mine Run, Hooker chose to draw Lee southeast towards Richmond by moving on his flank. Lee manage to intercept him at the crossing of the North Anna river in what would be later called '' Lee's perfect battle '' . Union army is routed, Kearny killed and Hooker badly, but not mortally, injured. While Lee has managed to prevent Federals from threatening Confederate positions at Richmond, the shattered remnants of federal army are brought back to the safety of Fredericksburg. Still, Lee's forces are too weak to press their advantage, either by pursuing the retreating army or retaking the Shenandoah valley.
General Charles P Stone, provisional commander of the Union Army of Virginia, is replaced by General Fitz John Porter because of politics.

Hamlin is hit hard by Hooker's setback. He feels pressured to break the stalemate lasting for more than a year.
He finally achieves the project of Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln death had put on hiatus, but that causes much controversy, but not as much as the institution of draft, causing a quasi insurrection in New York reminding of Baltimore, also bloodily suppressed by the army.
On military matters, his greatest controversial act is firing McClellan that he judges too much cautious, castigating him for being unable to take Richmond and end with the trench warfare he has settled in. He replaces him by the only general who has seemingly some success, Frémont, in overall command. Seconding him is General Grant, recalled as Hamlin and Frémont want ''fighting generals''.

In West, Confederate forces are being progressively pushed down the Rio Grande valley into Texas, being thrown out of Mesilla river valley and losing Santa Fe. In the Indian territory, situation doesn't much evolve.

I've only gone as far as summer 63 for military planning. But the war will be over by the end of the year. Frémont offensive fails to produce decisive results, either he doesn't capture Richmond or Confederate retreat southwards in good order (I've not decided given I've not worked the details so far).
For a reason or another, the war coalition in the Congress breaks up and Hamlin either resigns or is impeached.
By default, I've kept Solomon Foote, president pro tempore of Senate, as acting president, pending elections in 1864, but I'm also considering a surviving Stephen Douglas (looks good as a providential man to end a seemingly endless war). Whoever it be, this new president would not run for election in 1864, given the responsability he would carry in sealing the break up of the Union.

The Armistice would establish a permanent ceasefire with borders running roughly along frontlines. Union vacate some exposed positions it conquered on confederate coasts, but stays in strategic locations such as the mouth of Mississippi river to ensure Confederates will respect the freedom of navigation on the river as per the terms of the Armistice. The Union keeps also naval bases in the Keys and the Sea Islands near Carolinas and Georgia coasts.​
 
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The updates are gonna be brief.

NOVEMBER 1864 : US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION




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Stephen A Douglas, 18th President of the United States


1864 has been used to settle and organize the return to peace.

Angry at this 'treason', Radical Republicans walk out and begins to campaign for the election coming.
Like their candidate, they nominate war hero John C Frémont along with Senator Charles Sumner as his running mate.
On the other side, Democrats and conservative Republicans which had already been allies in the Congress for some times decide to ally once again and nominate General George B McClellan, a general who won the trust and love of his soldiers by the care he had for them (ironically, that caused the siege of Richmond to last and doomed the chances of suppressing the Confederate 'rebellion' ); as his running mate, I would settle on Andrew Johnson.

That's not truly to speak a TL, but an exploration of possibilities like I did previously.
I'm unsure about the Democrat-Conservative Republican alliance, but I've thought to National Union party IOTL, that a good number of Republicans were former Democrats and that with the war over, peace democrat faction would be mollified; the threat of Radical Republicans could also help to federate.
Also, if I have Stephen Douglas surviving, I think he could be the architect of that new alliance, or that new party.

A major campaign issue is Frémont being depicted as a warmongering candidate, although I think that Radicals may well accept peace as a fait accompli and think that it is better to live without slave states in the Union.
Another issue is that slavery is not officially abolished by the Constitution, although it is de facto over. With the peace back, many people have felt the issue not urgent, but the Radicals are adamant about it and the topic of integration of African Americans into the society, the shelter given to former slaves and other runaway slaves from the CSA. The experiment of the Sea Islands, populated mainly by former slaves and still occupied by the Union, is often referred as an example by Radicals.

In 1864, as (let's say) Douglas builds the peace, Virginia and Tennessee reenter the union. The establishment early in the war of dissident loyalist governments was essential in enabling such a prospect, and given that Lincoln and Hamlin were much occupied, the process didn't take place until 1864.
Instead of having a new state called West Virginia, lands occupied by Union in northern Virginia (border roughly along the Rappahanock) have been annexed to western Virginia. The state has 6 electoral votes.
Tennessee is in a similar situation, and gets 10 Electoral votes. For convenience, it has absorbed some pieces of Mississippi and Alabama caught north of the Tennessee river (the unofficial border).
Also, Nevada enters in the Union that same year with 3 electoral votes (this time, there is no problem to travel and all three get to destination).​


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George B McClellan [NU-NJ] / Andrew Johnson [NU-TN] : 245 EVs (80.5 % of popular vote)
John C Frémont [RR-CA] / Charles Sumner [RR-MA] : 0 EV (19.5 % of popular vote)

That election is a landslide for McClellan. This is the first time since 1792 a candidate carries all the votes. Only in 1820 Monroe had come close to it, but fell short of a single elector who voted Adams, and unlike Monroe, McClellan faced a serious opponent.

It is in the border states of the Upper South that McClellan had its highest scores, not far from the 100 % mark.
In Midwest and Northeast, people were particularly receptive to the warmonger portrait made of Frémont by his opponents. Frémont had better results in the core of New England, Great Plains and on the Pacific Coast.
Only in Kansas did he come close to carry a state, failing by less than 50 votes.


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Left: George B McClellan, 19th President of the United States
Right: Andrew Johnson, 16th Vice President of the United States


Question:
Is the new party we would call National Union for the time being will last?
By 1868, the perspective of the war would have faded away, issues would be different, and McClellan, according to what I read on him, would have had tense relations with Congress and the party apparatus. Now that the threat of Radical Republicans in the White House doesn't mean something concrete, what will hold the party together?​
 
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NOVEMBER 1867 : CS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION


When independence was finally achieved, Confederates still had to win the peace in a country devastated and plagued by hyperinflation. Although the United States put an embargo on the CSA, the end of the blockade allowed a resumption of trade. Cotton once again flowed into markets but its years long absence had prompted the rise of competitors in Egypt and Indies. As the armistice was signed, European governments took it as a de facto recognition of the CSA as a sovereign nation and recognized it, beginning by France which was engaged in Mexico to set Archduke Maximilian on the throne with mitigated success, followed by a reluctant United Kingdom. Foreign investment soon followed, even from US industrialists through European intermediaries and associates, such as Pereire Brothers of which the bankrupt in 1867 would cause panic in the CSA. With foreign currency flowing in, wartime hyperinflation was finally curbed but leaving the Confederacy at the mercy of foreign investors.

Territorially, the pieces of New Mexico and Arizona still held by the confederacy were annexed to Texas.

A question left open by the Armistice settlement was the juridical fate of states of the confederacy under 'occupation', of which congressional representation was hardly justifiable in regard of their actually disproportionate weight in votes, almost two fifths, while their states was either totally occupied like Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland, or hugely amputated like Arkansas, Virginia and Tennessee which was reduced to the vicinity of Chattanooga.
It was only after a post war census was conducted in 1865 that a new apportionment was considered and enacted, barely in time for the elections of the 3rd Congress, in november 1865.
Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland delegations were reduced to non voting representatives, while Virginia went from 16 to 10 deputies, Arkansas to 4 to 2 and Tennessee to only one.

Number of EVs
Alabama 11
Arkansas 4
Florida 4
Georgia 12
Louisiana 8
Mississippi 9
North Carolina 12
South Carolina 8
Tennessee 3
Texas 8
Virginia 12
Total 91
As for the presidential election of 1867, while the Pereire Brothers' bankrupt was scaring confederate financiers, one of the earliest bids was made by Louisiana governor and popular war hero General Beauregard who selected as his running mate Zebulon Vance who had left a term limited governorship for a senator seat in Richmond.
Contrary to what was expected, vice president Stephens declined to run for president but instead elected to run for governor of Georgia.
Come next was former US vice president and 1860 democrat candidate John C Breckinridge who choose to try again his chances at a presidential election, picking Senator Louis T Wigfall of Texas as his running mate.
All the other great names of the army such as Johnston, Lee, Jackson, Bragg or Longstreet declined to run and either stayed in the army or left for offices in private sector.
A feature of this election was the lack of formal parties. As in the Congress, the election was much a matter of factions, of local and personal interests.

Early, Beauregard became the frontrunner, but the controversy stirred up by his adversaries over his extensive use of free people of color as auxiliaries to support coastal defenses led to his advance being importantly reduced.

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PGT Beauregard (LA) / Zebulon B Vance (NC) : 48 EVs (51.2 % of popular vote)
John C Breckinridge (KY) / Louis T Wigfall (TX) : 43 EVs (48.8 % of popular vote)


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Left : Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard, 2nd President of the Confederate States
Right : Zebulon Baird Vance, 2nd Vice President of the Confederate States
 
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NOVEMBER 1868 : US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION





McClellan first term began under the theme of building peace.

Matters that came on the forefront of domestic agenda were Indian wars, laying of the Pacific Railroad to link East and West coast. In this regard, since the Armistice, the railroad project took increased strategic importance in breaking isolation of western states and coordinating their defense, so Congress passed a new law to increase subsidies to the railroad.

On the other hand, the matter of demobilization had already been briefly dealt by President Douglas in 1864 with a partial demobilization, but the necessity of ensuring defense against a new hostile neighbour delayed its full demobilization. President McClellan settled the issue by reforming the army, expanding the peacetime standing army and navy, with subsidies allocated to modernization of armaments, including the widespread adoption of Gatling Gun which would be frequently used to deal with Indian tribes.

But the defining acts of his first terms were the adoption of 13th and 14th amendments which caused a minor split in the National Union Party. A constitutional problem appeared as the United States still claimed Confederate states part of the union, albeit in state of rebellion, and refused to think of a peace treaty that would be legally paramount to such a recognition. That would usually not matter if not for the article 5 of the Constitution which required any amendment to be ratified by three fourth of the states, the fact being that since the Union claimed Confederate states part of the Union, they should be accounted in, making this de facto a quasi unanimity requirement. The issue was already cited appeared under Douglas but McClellan initiated the ratification of a 13th amendment to update the ratification process of constitutional amendments, making the 3/4 requirement applicable to states of which the regular government was functionning, thus excluding rebelled states in this situation. If the ratification went smoothly in the Congress, the case of Arkansas was more sensitive as President McClellan subordinated its reintegration into the Union to the ratification of the 13th amendment, which was done in 1866. When the midterm elections arrived, the amendment had been effectively ratified and McClellan created stupefaction and controversy by introducing the 14th amendment to abolish slavery.

Despite most of slaves previously owned by landowners of border states still under Union control having been freed by way of confiscation, and the Fugitive slave act having become a dead letter, slavery was still legal in these states and the Constitution did say nothing about that. McClellan was a president of independent temper, which often caused some strain in his relations with the National Union party establishment, and on this occasion too, he moved on his own to promote an amendment to constitutionally settle an issue left unanswered so to 'cure a morale illness that has befallen upon the nation' after the Armistice, an issue that broke the Union in two. Even among moderate there were doubts over the relevance of such a move, but McClellan succeeded in convincing them. The ratification was mostly opposed in border states, but the decisive ratification was that Virginia of which the legislature was dominated by western counties, becoming the 21st state out of 27 to ratify it.

1867 was also a year of expansion. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia and the year after, they would also buy Danish West Indies. At the same time, Nebraska and Colorado accessed statehood.

As 1868 began, the National Union party found itself divided. Vice president Johnson had resigned the previous year to protest McClellan 'imposing' the 14th amendment. Andrew Johnson found soon itself the rallying point of dissidentsn mostly former copperheads and democrats from border states who denounced the president 'tyranical behaviour', an exageration to qualify his independent and interventionist tendencies. McClellan, supported by Stephen Douglas, kept control of the party machine and overcame the challenge of his former vice president, clinching the nomination. To replace Johson, Senator Thomas A Hendricks of Indiana was nominated for vice president, a moderate chosen in an attempt of compromise.
Anyway, Copperheads walked out and gathered their own convention, nominating Andrew Johnson for president and George Pendleton of Ohio for vice president, calling themselves the True Democrats.

On the opposite, the Radical Republican convention was far more peaceful.
In spite of severe losses incured in 1864, they regained some ground in 1866, especially on the old abolitionist bastions in New England, and in Kansas and Missouri where the Radical former general Franz Sigel kept significant influence. The more important gain was still that of Salmon P Chase, returned to governor office in Ohio. Chase quickly became because of this victory a frontrunner for the to be held convention. Continuing on their line defined in 1864, Radicals accepted the Armistice and secession as a fait accompli and a better chance of making the society progressing without obstruction of South. Radical doctrine was recentered around religious and social values, a kind of American version of christian socialism. Even if their support of temperance, and of women and black's rights, was controversial, they did manage to co-opt a certain number of nascent socialist and communist movements, enlarging Radicals base among workers. They also took advantage of the nascent greenback movement to enlarge their base among farmers.
When came 1868, the Radicals unsurprisingly nominated Governor Chase for president, and to balance the ticket, Massachussets Senator Henry Wilson was nominated for vice president.


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George B McClellan [NU-NJ] / Thomas A Hendricks [NU-IN] : 178 EVs (55.5 % of popular vote)
Salmon P Chase [RR-OH] / Henry Wilson [RR-MA] : 63 EVs (29.9 % of popular vote)
Andrew Johnson [TD-TN] / George H Pendleton [TD-OH] : 13 EVs (14.6 % of popular vote)



In spite of Johnson, McClellan again won in landslide with 20 states, a large majority in the electoral college and an absolute one in popular vote.
The real surprise came from the Radicals performance. As expected, they caried Kansas and most of New England, but their most important win was Ohio where, as in Missouri, the three way race with Johnson and Pendleton allowed Chase to carry them, albeit with a margin less than 1,000 votes wide.
Johnson nativist discourse made noticeable inroads in New York and Pennsylvania with more than 10 percents, but outside of traditional copperhead bastions in Indiana and Ohio, most of his base was in border states, Tennessee and Arkansas on the top, with Kentucky and Maryland next, both lost to McClellan with narrow margins.

Worse for True Democrats, the congressional elections saw their presence melting down, losing frequently to either National Unionist candidates or Radicals. Radicals for their part took advantage of this rift between National Unionists and True Democrats to make gains in Midwest, New England, New York and Pennsylvania.​

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Left: George B McClellan, 19th President of the United States
Right: Thomas A Hendricks, 17th Vice President of the United States


N.B.:
Since the war went worse in 1862 and ended earlier, reintegration of Tennessee and Virginia were largely different from OTL.
First, West Virginia wasn't formed and the Wheeling government continued to claim being Virginia regular government, sanctioned by the Congress under Douglas presidency in 1864.
Then, since East Tennessee remained under Union control for most of the war, its pro-union government followed about the same path as West Virginia, leading to Tennessee early reintegration in 1864.

Also, since Johnson presidency is butterflied, Colorado admission is done much earlier.​
 
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NOVEMBER 1872 : US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION




McClellan second term was more or less a continuation of the first.

In foreign policy, he continued to practice volontarist action and to define the form of what would be called late the McClellan Doctrine, one that would shape US foreign policy for the next decades. In its forst forms, the policy called for a diplomatic and strategic containment of the Confederacy in a peace version of the Annaconda Plan. The first developments of this policy in Mexico, supplying Republicans with material and modern weaponry, was a failure but one that would motivate a more active and offensive foreign platform. Barely a year into his second term, the treaty to annex the Dominican Republic was ratified, giving US bases in the Gulf of Mexico a safer backing. A side-effect of this annexation would be a greater involvment in Carribean politics, contrasting the passive stance of antebellum years, as when US forces helped to overthrow Salnave regime in Haiti. The more marking feature would still be the Cuban War of independence begun in 1868; on McClellan initiative, the United States would begin barely covert supply of Cuban rebels, wishing to cement Union control of the Gulf of Mexico. By late 1872, the war was raging through Cuba and Spanish forces suffered a long series of setbacks; only Spain's troubles in Europe and the show of force by the US navy at Samana Bay prevented the tense situation from erupting into war. The only black cloud was the internal troubles in Santo Domingo where opponents to former president turned territorial governor Baez wished to oppose annexation.

On the domestic front, the prominent business was colonization of West, building of railroads and Indian wars. After the achievement of the Pacific Railroad, the main issue on McClellan agenda was linking Colorado to the rail network, along extensions into Arizona and New Mexico to break the isolation of these regions, vulnerable to Confederate attacks from Texas.
After the 14th amendment ratification, the issue of civil rights went rather ignored by the federal government, leaving initiative to local and state authorities. In 1869, Kansas Radicals held a referendum to grant voting rights to African-Americans and won it. Although that was very radical even by Radical Republican standard, the unavowed goal was to enfranchise the growing African-American population, a side effect of McClellan homestead policy. Vermont, Maine and Nevada would also enfranchised black people that year but the refernedum in Massachussets failed because of the Radical state's party apparatus deciding to controversially tie it to the women's right. It would be only in Kansas that women would be enfranchised the year after, along the territories of Wyoming, Dakota and Utah.

Coming into 1870 midterm elections, the two main issues were civil rights and Cuban Independence War. Although McClellan's agressive foreign policy was attacked by Democrats who defended a reconciliatory stance with Confederates, it was supported by most people, including Radicals; McClellan strategy to ''restore confidence and pride of Americans'' was a success, and although this was closer to Radical platform than to his party's, Unionists took much credit from it. Aside of that, the Radical intiatives for black and women's rights backfired on them in House election. A result of these setbacks was Radicals moderating their initiatives.

While 1872 was closing on, the choice of McClellan's successor came to actuality. Pennsylvania Governor Winfield S Hancock, former general under McClellan in the Army of the Potomac, became the frontrunner and easily carried the nomination, with senator Francis P Blair Jr of Missouri nominated as vice president. A possible readmission of True Democrats into National Union Party had been discussed but couldn't be settled as both sides were unwilling to compromise on essential topics, mostly over the Cuban issue. Thus, they renominated former vice president, and now US senator for Tennessee, Andrew Johnson, and Representative Fernando Wood of New York as running mate. For their part, Radicals renominated former Ohio Governor Salmon P Chase in an attempt to reedit their previous success along Massachussets governor Nathaniel P Banks as running mate.

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Winfield S Hancock [U-PA] / Francis P Blair Jr [U-MO] : 253 EVs (57.1 % of popular vote)
Salmon P Chase [R-OH] / Nathaniel P Banks [R-MA] : 23 EVs (29 % of popular vote)
Andrew Johnson [D-TN] / Fernando Wood [D-NY] : 13 EVs (13.9 % of popular vote)

The election was the third consecutive landslide for the Unionists, unprecedented since 1836. On the electoral ground, the progression since 1868 was a noticeable one, but on the popular vote, it was less significant: Radicals and Democrats both lost about one point, but kept stable numbers, consolidating their base. Democrats were still confined to border states and this new defeat seemed to confine them to a local and regional role.

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Left: Winfield S Hancock, 20th President of the United States
Right: Francis P Blair Jr, 18th Vice President of the United States
 
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I'm thinking of turning the Radicals into something of a Social Christiannism. Until now, I've thought of Radicals as issued from strong christian value roots of the abolitionnist movement in New England. In this TL, I've figured they, marginalized after the civil war by the mainstream Unionists (most of them being former Democrats turned Republicans) and relegated on the left wing of the political spectrum where they would be in position to coopt nascent farmer (greenback and later populist parties) and labor factions (Lassaleans) and be in turn influenced by them to the point where the Radicals turn from their old Abolitionnist root to a social christian platform.

I think to this over and over as I plan the 1876 election, something which already caused this TL to sleep a while.
The situation, despite the survival of the Confederacy, is that the 1873 panic and following depression still happen (the conditions are still here).
The monetary policies of McClellan and Hancock have embiterred farmers against the government and allow Radicals to carry upper Midwest and Nevada (I intend to make James Weaver as vice presidential candidate). Where I find it difficult to plan the election is in the East. If Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan at a lesser degree, may be relatively secure for the Unionists (Hancock), based on the great strikes of 1877, I figured that Radicals may have a good chance to carry New York and Pennsylvania, and possibly but less certainly Illinois.
 
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