alternatehistory.com

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




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.


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.​
Top