WI: Lincoln and Cabinet killed in April 10th White House Bombing

I just watched the History Channel program "Civil War Terror" which is about various plots and actions taken by people on both sides during the war that fit the definition of terrorism. The story that I found to be the most interesting was about Confederate agent/explosives expert Thomas Harney, who planned to plant a bomb in the White House to kill Lincoln and his cabinet during a meeting scheduled on April 10th 1865.

In this thread I want everyone hear to come up with ideas about what events could have followed if Harney was successful at his mission.

OTL: On April 8th Thomas Harney and his guide Thomas Summer attempt to cross the Potomac River and travel to WashingtonDC. Harney’s plan is to sneak into the lower levels of the White House to plant a bomb that will destroy its south west corner during a meeting between Lincoln and his cabinet on the 10th. Yet during their attempt at crossing they are spotted and captured by a Union scouting party.

PoD: On April 8th Harney and Summers successfully cross the Potomac by avoiding the Union Scouts. They successfully make it to DC where Harney and some aids sneak into the lower levels of the White House, and plant timed charges. The explosives go off and successfully kill President Lincoln and the present cabinet members.

I'd like to ask any members here who may have more knowledge on this same event than I to provide any info that could help develop this timeline. Such as whether or not the entire cabinet showed up to this meeting in OTL or not and thus would be there after my POD. As well I’d like to mention that no other events besides the above are meant to be changed before the 10th. So that means that Lee still surrendered on the 9th in this timeline. This should make things more interesting.

· Who will be the next Union President?
· Will they give into southern peace pushers now fearful of a south that could strike anywhere?
· Will they continue the war with a new hatred and vigor inspired by this attack on the heart of the Union?
· What new plans may be set up by southern leaders to take advantage of the Union’s weak state?

You Decide!

(Sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na6ntmIh6mM,
http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/lincoln/confederate_complicity2.htm)

[Some info in the second link conflicts with that in the movie but I am going with the info given by the History channel.]
 
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Anaxagoras

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Who will be the next Union President?

um . . . Andrew Johnson? Seeing as he was the Vice President and all...

Will they give into southern peace pushers now fearful of a south that could strike anywhere?

No.

Will they continue the war with a new hatred and vigor inspired by this attack on the heart of the Union?

The war was pretty much over, so no. But it would have strengthened the hands of the Radical Republicans in Congress to make Reconstruction harder on the South.

What new planes may be set up by southern leaders to take advantage of the Union’s weak state?

None, seeing as this POD takes place before 1903.
 
um . . . Andrew Johnson? Seeing as he was the Vice President and all...



No.



The war was pretty much over, so no. But it would have strengthened the hands of the Radical Republicans in Congress to make Reconstruction harder on the South.



None, seeing as this POD takes place before 1903.
I'm assuming that Andrew Johnson would be present and the meeting and thus would have been killed as well. Also even though great amounts of damage had been done to the south there were still thousands of men willing to continue the war. Also why do you bring up it being before 1903?
 
On the subject of the Presidency, it's no sure thing that Andrew Johnson would be there; Hannibal Hamlin, for his part, didn't show up to many during his term, as (and I'm quoting Wikipedia here, so grain of salt) "As with the time, White House etiquette did not require the Vice President to regularly attend Cabinet meetings."

Presuming he was in attendance, the law of the time was the Presidential Succession Act of 1792. Its two sections were that in the event the President and Vice President were removed, resigned, or died, the next two successors were the President pro tempore of the Senate, then the Speaker of the House. If this came to pass, a presidential election was to be called in December of that year (since it happened in April. If invoked in October or later, it'd be December of the next year; if the President's term was to expire that year, the general election rules held, with the potential problems in that plan unclarified.)

Before 1890, the Senate ostensibly elected a President pro tempore only for the period when the Vice President would be absent, but at the POD, there was a President pro tem: Lafayette S. Foster, Republican from Connecticut. If for some reason Sen. Foster was ruled ineligible or declined to serve, the Speaker of the House was future Vice President Schuyler Colfax, Republican from Indiana.
 
Before 1890, the Senate ostensibly elected a President pro tempore only for the period when the Vice President would be absent, but at the POD, there was a President pro tem: Lafayette S. Foster, Republican from Connecticut. If for some reason Sen. Foster was ruled ineligible or declined to serve, the Speaker of the House was future Vice President Schuyler Colfax, Republican from Indiana.

Actually I don't think there was a Speaker at this time, since the new Congress did not meet until December 1865 (Foster was chosen at a special session of the Senate only).

However, we may take it as certain that President Foster's first act would be to call Congress (or at least the Senate) into session to ensure that a new successor could be chosen should anything happen to him.

Under the provisions of the 1792 Act, Foster would serve until March 1866, with a new President (almost certainly US Grant) and VP being elected in November '65.
 
Actually I don't think there was a Speaker at this time, since the new Congress did not meet until December 1865 (Foster was chosen at a special session of the Senate only).

However, we may take it as certain that President Foster's first act would be to call Congress (or at least the Senate) into session to ensure that a new successor could be chosen should anything happen to him.

Under the provisions of the 1792 Act, Foster would serve until March 1866, with a new President (almost certainly US Grant) and VP being elected in November '65.

Aha. You are correct; I misread the list I was working off of. Colfax had been speaker in the 38th Congress, and was returned in the 39th, but the POD falls in the interregnum (for lack of a better word) period, so technically there was no Speaker.

Foster's successor OTL was Benjamin Wade of Ohio, who was granted the position on 3/2/1867, two days prior to the creation of the 40th Congress; he likely would have been President pro tem throughout the 39th in Foster's absence.
 
Yeah, it was obviously a typo for plan. In any case it goes much worse for the Southern Whites (and better for Southern Blacks) as the Radical Republicans are greatly strengthened.

Thank you Johnrankins that definitely was a typo and if you hadn't pointed that out I don't think I would have noticed. Also the idea of a different and harsher reconstruction that you seem to have presented might me interesting just as long as it doesn't become another version of Harry Turtledove's "Must and Shall". Also thank you to dilbert719 and Mikestone8 since my interest in history is somewhat passing and I've never known about those things you've posted of before.

I've also done a little more research for those who'd like to entertain this timeline further. The links below give a little more information on the events that took place on April 10th OTL which might help inspire some new ideas.

(http://www.thelincolnlog.org/view/1865/4/10 - Who the 15 men are I don't know. They might be listed in the article found in the next link but since I'm too cheap to become a Harper's Mag. member ;) just to find out I'm hoping there is some one hear who’s already a member so they can look.
http://harpers.org/archive/1907/09/0017447)
 
But it would have strengthened the hands of the Radical Republicans in Congress to make Reconstruction harder on the South.

Though they've lost a valuable supporter if Stanton is among the dead.

Also, if Foster goes for Freedman suffrage immediately, there'll be no Black Codes and no problem getting the 14th Amendment ratified. So a lot of the Southern defiance which OTL generated support for Radical measures will never get a chance to happen on this TL. So Northern support for Reconstruction fades away at least as fast as OTL, and probably faster. In the end expect a wash.
 
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