~To Live and Die in Dixie!~ A CSA AAR

[Volga]

Hello all, yes I know, RossN is doing one too and his will probably be the by far the best, yet it inspired me to do one as well, so I will start from the begining with a history review, Ive already writin alot and I have decided, why not have you all help me decide how the Confederate States of America's History turns out? Soooo, here my first post, I hope you enjoy this and please, any advice, criticism, anything is much appreciated and wanted.

~To Live and Die in Dixie!~

Part 1- Difference of Opinions and Succession

The South and the North had always had their diffrences. While the Southern economy was carried on the backs of slaves and agriculture, the North had began to devolpe into an industrial powerhouse with close ties to the Federal Government. The Southern states on the other hand where not ready, nor willing to make such a dramatic change and clingued onto there old values of an agricultural based economy. Slavry, being the major workforce of the souths economy was not a big issue at the time, while anti-slavary movments and sentiments spread in the north, the south was generarly left un-threatened as the genearl populace of the north didn’t push for the abolition of slavry, but stoping the spread of it.

The Federal Government passed acts such as the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska act lead to increased hostilities between the anti-slavery North and Pro-Slavery South, tensions eventualy reached there climax in the territory of Kansas as groups from both the North and South clashed over slavery. The people where soon divided and conflict broke out which would become known as “Bleeding Kansas”. The continued conflict lead to a split in the Democratic party, the Whig’s being pushed into obscurity and the rise of the new Republican Party.

The Rise of the Republican party and there anti-slavary position alarmed the South, finaly there was an outcry in the south when the Republican party sponcered Abraham Lincoln for the office of President, the South was so opposed to his nomination Lincoln didn’t even show up on most the Southern ballots. Threatened by the rising power of the Republican party and Linolns opposition to the spread of slavry, the fear that Lincoln would then turn on them and try to abolish the already istablished slavry in the southern states, the South argued that due to the 10th Ammendment the Federal government could not rule over the Slavary Issue in the slave holding states and weather or not slaves could be taken into the territorys, the election of Abraham Lincoln was the final straw that broke the camels back and on February 9th 1861 the states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas succeded from the Union formimng The Confederate States of America.The new nation now turned to a local southern statesmen (Mississippi) by the name of Jerfferson Davis for leadership and on November 6th, 1861 Jefferson was sworn in as the first president of the Confederate States of America.


Part 2- The Norths Reaction

Abraham Lincoln became president of a divided nation in 1860, never officaly recognizing the Confederacy as a separate nation resulted in the failure of the Febuary Peace Confrance. The Confederacy then turned there focus on obtaining the remaining Southern States into the Confederacy, In which there offer was refused several times. Lincolns made it clear in his anauguration address that he had no intention of invading the south, but he didn’t regard the the south’s declearion legaly void and would, if neccisary, use force to protect and retain “Federal Propertey”. The Confederacy sent diplomats to Washington with offers to buy three Federal Forts that where in Confederate Territory, Lincoln refused on grounds that the Confederacy wasn’t even a separate nation. The Confederate reaction was quick and decisive and they began siezing the three Federal Forts located in the south, one would survive in the minds of both nations for years and years. After sending an Ultimatum to the garrison of the last remaining Federal Fort to surrender the South was forced to react with military might.

April 12th, 1861 Confederate force’s lead by General Pierre Toutant Beauregard open fire on the last remaining Federal controlled fort in the South, Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The bombardment didn’t last long before the garrison was forced to surrenderdue to lack of supplies and munitions, there where no cassualties during the battle, save for a donkey.

Part 3- The War of Northern Aggression

The attack on Fort Sumter probed Lincoln to call for a volunteer army of 74,000 troops for a period of 90 days, it wasn’t until Lincoln began massing an army that the States of Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina succeeded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Not long after both sides had amassed large armies, Lincoln made a daring and full hearty strike a the Confederate capital of Richmond Virginia, the two armies met near the river of Bull Run where the Union army was defeated by the Confederate Army and forced back to Washington. The war dragged on for another two years in which American’s fought Americans, brothers fought brothers, the bloodshed was only halted by the military genius of General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Sharpsburg where Lee’s army of 45,000 men defeated George B. McClellan’s Union Army of 84,000 men. The casualties on both sides where devastating, but the tactical cunning of Lee and the rock solid determination of his fellow commander and friend Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson lead to the small Confederate forces victory. McClellan was forced to retreat, his army beaten and forced to withdraw or face total destruction. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia besieged Washington the following month, triggering the British and French Empires’ intervention and the signing of Treaty of Appomattox which finally forced the United States to officially recognize the Confederacy as a separate, independent nation and ended the war

The Battle Of Sharpsburg- McClellan Assaults the Confederate Line

Part 4- The Treaty of Appomattox

Both president Lincoln and Davis met at Appomattox Courthouse along with French and British delegates for the signing of The Treaty of Appomattox, which officially ended hostilities between the Confederate States of American and the United States of America. Peace was negotiated and borders where drawn, with major rivers as the main guide. Disputed areas are awarded to the side with the most brogans on a particular piece of ground. Thus, Missouri remains in the Union while Kentucky was awarded to the Confederacy. Virginia refused to be partitioned and retained all its antebellum lands, thereby maintaining the Ohio River as an acceptable boundary between the formerly warring nations. The Union accepted the Confederate Territory of Arizona at the boundaries established in August 1861 in exchange for the Confederacy's renouncing all other claims on western lands. Both Presidents signed the treaty and a non-aggression pact and the Confederate States of America was officially born a nation.

The Confederate States Of America- Claims on Missouri relinquished in the
Treaty of Appomattox

[GeneralHannibal]

Sounds interesting, you need something to make this AAR different from RossN's AAR though. Possibly a different government in either the north or south.

[Volga]

Mine will be diffrent, political leaders and events are diffrent from his already, one thing that I was really focusing on, you will see when I go into detail about Davis' presidency and what follows, I promise it will be diffrent and thanks for posting

[Earth's Savior]

Interesting. I'll be reading.

[AOK. 11]

The backstory paired with excellent period graphics is a great start. I look forward to following this one. Keep it up.

[Jemisi]

I'm ready for another one, go for it.

[stnylan]

Well, it will be interesting to see how the two diverge. As you say, the differences have already begun.

[Burke]

Nothing illegal about starting an AAR with the same nation as someone. That goes too for the same governments, plans, wars, etc. Hell, look at all the Fascist USA games (that all invade Mexico from the start?) or all the Nazi Germany games! You shouldn't worry, there isn't any pressure in living up to RossN's.

I've enjoyed the AAR alot so far.

[Volga]

Thanks for the support guys, Im glad your enjoying it! I had to edit the story to add in part two which I accidently skiped somehow, so, heres another part of the story, enjoy!

Part 5- New Nation, New Dilemmas (President Jefferson Davis/1861-1866)


Jefferson’s first two years as President had been filled with wining a brutal war against the Union and securing the Confederacy as a nation. With Lee’s victory at Sharpsburg Davis was able to persuade the British and French Empires’ into intervening in the war before the Northern Juggarnaught had time to reorganize there army and use there industrial superiority to there fullest. Now the was over and the fledging new nation was faced with a whole new set of problems. The first major problem Davis sought out to address was the countries poor industrial base, which was nearly non-existent, Davis knew that if the Confederacy was to survive the coming years they had to industrialize, and fast. Using his newfound popularity with the people Davis drew up his “Iron South” Plan which was to commission the construction and opening of many factories in the northern states and southern interior, though many of Davis’s most radical critics tried to make him out as an agent of the north trying to turn the new nation into a clone of there northern sister republic he held firm and saw the “Iron South” plan through Congress and put into immediate action. Davis also began reconstructing the damage done to Dixie’s farm lands and cities, Lee’s invasion of Maryland was the only time the war had been fought on “foreign” soil, the majority of the fighting took place in the south and as a result much of southern farmland was destroyed, towns destroyed, live stock stolen or killed, although the war lasted only two years a great deal of devastation was inflicted on Dixie.

Davis began the immediate reconstruction of the farms that had been destroyed in the war. Davis had also sought out to improve the Confederacy’s relationship with there northern counterparts, Davis encouraged the people of both sides who’s families had been torn apart in the conflict to re-unite and said that

“…to survive in this world we must learn to put our differences aside, North and South, though two separate nations we are all Americans, heirs of liberty and freedom…”

Davis was slowly but surely mending the wounds between the two nations, although there where radicals on both sides of the fence who where displeased on the outcome of the war, things seemed to be getting better….

[stnylan]

A very interesting man is Jefferson Davies. A man of great dignity, I think it is quite possible he would be able to reach across this new divide.

[anonymous4401]

I hope this will actually get to the game period unlike most of the CSA AARs I've seen.

[lifeless]

interesting start!

[Volga]

Part 6- Shattered Peace – Good Friday and the Virginia Transgression

April 14th, 1865 Radical Johan Wilkes Booth, former Confederate Spy, crept into the Ford Theater and made his way up to the box 7 balcony where President Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd, Henry Rathborne and his fiancée Clare Harris where enjoying the comedic play “My American Cousin” when Booth pulled .44 caliber Deringer pistol from his coat pocket and fired point blank at President Lincolns head, killing him instantly. Booth fought briefly with Henry Rathborne before jumping from the balcony and escaping the theater to parts unknown. The next day the news headline in both the Confedeacy and the United States read “LINCOLN ASSASINATED!”, when the news reached Richmond and landed on President Davis’ desk he was infuriated and frightend at the same time, the past five years of political mending between the two nations where blown away by Booth’s .44 Caliber Deringer. Instant paranoia spread throught the Confederacy, rummors spread quickly and the fear of another war touched every southeners hearts and minds, Davis qucikly sent an envoy to Washington offering whateve aid neccisary to find Booth and bring him to justice, Congress stubornly denied and accused Davis of masterminding the plot and the threat of war loomed over North America once agin.

A twelve month man hunt began in the Union when word got out that Booth had just crossed the border into Virginia. A Confederate force of one thousand men lead by none other than General Robert E. Lee raced tword Booths last known position and cornered him at a small barn just as a union task force illegaly crossed the border into Virginia to apprehend Booth, shots where soon fired by Booth at the Union force which resulted his death and leading to a small skirmish between Lee’s forces and the Union, which actualy thought the fire was coming from the Confederate force and in turn oppend fire accidently killing Booth and three Confederate soldiers. Lee in turn ordered his men to return fire, killing two Union soldiers. The Skirmish lasted only a few minutes, with a total of five Confederate deaths, four Union deaths, fifteen total wounded and Booths death, it wasn’t till after the skirmish that the Union commander realized there assailant was Booth, but it was too late, blood had once agin been spilled between the two nations.

The ordeal qucikly escelated into a national disaster that forced President Davis to call and emergency session of Congress a few hour’s after the skirmish leading to Booth being declaired a national traitor by the Confederate Congress and the build up of state militia’s along the border for fear of Union invasion that would never come thanks to Davis’ quick action in taking a personal trip to Washington and over seeing the peace talks between the nations. Davis agreed to order the dismantlement of the militias that had been massing along the borders and to hand over John Wilkes Booth’s body to the United States Government in exchange for an agreement to continue mending the relationship between the two countries and the promise that the United States would never agin illegaly cross the Confederat-Union border agin in times of peace. The agreement was signed and put in effect Febuary 18th, 1866, the same day Davis term as President of the Confederate State’s was up and handed over the reins to his close friend and military hero, John Cabell Breckinridge.

[RossN]

Originally Posted by anonymous4401

I hope this will actually get to the game period unlike most of the CSA AARs I've seen.

Ahem!

Very interesting Volga, I'm in fine company!

[anonymous4401]

Yours is the rare, rare exception.

[J. Passepartout]

Looks interesting, however if you don't mind I do have one nitpick. Booth wasn't a spy in real life, and didn't really get into his nefarious activities until after the point the war ended in your timeline. But I shall keep reading.

[Volga]

Originally Posted by J. Passepartout

Looks interesting, however if you don't mind I do have one nitpick. Booth wasn't a spy in real life, and didn't really get into his nefarious activities until after the point the war ended in your timeline. But I shall keep reading.

Ahh, guess thats what I get for using Wikipedia as a resource lol

[AOK. 11]

Excellent series of backstory updates. Looking forward to see how this alternate history timeline pans out until the actual game starts. Keep up the excellent work.

[J. Passepartout]

Originally Posted by Volga

Ahh, guess thats what I get for using Wikipedia as a resource lol

There is evidence that he would have very much have liked to spy and stuff, just that he didn't get very far in his contacts with the Confederates.

[Tothlord]

One problem with a Lincoln assassination senario is that if the South won the war, then Lincoln probably wouldn't have won re-election in 1864. Having Lincoln a guest of the current president and Booth killing that man trying to get at Lincoln would seem more likely. I'm only nitpicking so if it advances the story-kill Abe.