An Alternate History of the CSA
by Nathan C. Masters
Note: I have completed this timeline up to the alternate year 1876. However, I have not yet typed and formatted for HTML the years 1871-1876. This timeline will be updated daily until complete. Please e-mail me if you would like to receive notification of when this part of the timeline becomes available. Coming soon will be maps, presidential election results, and illustrations. Also, please feel free to send me any comments, questions, or suggestions and constructive crtiticism, especially concerning plausability and beleivablilty. Thank you!
Last Updated: July 11, 1998. I added a table of Presidents of the CSA and USA.
1861
November: On the 8th, The USS San Jacinto, commanded by Capt. Charles Wilkes (USN), intercepts and boards the HMS Trent in order to capture the Confederate emissaries James Mason and John Slidell. Mason and Slidell are jailed in the U.S. As a result, Britain demands and apology and the release of the Confederates, and also dispatches 11,000 soldiers to Canada and puts the Royal Navy on alert. Secretary of State (U.S.) Seward advises President (U.S.) Lincoln to ignore the British demands and start a war, in hope that it will reunite the nation. Lincoln is skeptical of the plan at first, but when President (C.S.) Davis lies to Lincoln in a correspondence, offering the support of the South in a war against Britain, Lincoln accepts the plan.
December: Because of the U.S.' refusal to comply, Britain orders its troops in Canada to invade the United States. Congress declares war on the United Kingdom on the 5th and on the 12th, HM Queen Victoria declares war on the U.S.
1862
January: C.S. VP Stephens meets with the British Prime and Foreign Ministers on the 1st, and a treaty of alliance is signed in London on the 2nd. On the northern border, U.S. and British troops meet in the Battle of Buffalo, which results in a decisive victory for the British despite superior Union forces. The British are thus allowed to move into northern New York.
February: Anti-Lincoln riots break out throughout the United States in response to the British gains in New York. President Lincoln sends troops to quell a Pro-Southern riot in Baltimore. Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant (USA) is appointed to head the occupational force in the city. Emperor Napoleon III of France, a Confederate supporter and British ally, declares war on the U.S.
March: Thousands of residents of Baltimore revolt against the military occupation. These civilians defeat the occupational force and Mayor William Brown petitions Governor Hicks for immediate secession and condemnation of President Lincoln's actions. When the Governor refuses, Mayor Brown issues a declaration of independence from the State of Maryland and the United States of America. On the 20th, a convention of citizens meet and petition for statehood in the Confederate States of America. On the 21st, President Lincoln issues a series of twelve executive orders and proclamations which are nicknamed the 'Dictator's Dozen.' Among these proclamations are a suspension of habeas corpus in Maryland, a 250,000 men conscription order, and an order to seize the City of Baltimore with the Army of the Potomac. Also, a brigade of British soldiers, under Brig. Thomas Henry (BA) and a battalion of French soldiers, under Col. Pierre (IFA). The Prussian Minister (Ambassador) to the United States holds a conference with President Lincoln informing him that should France and Britain enter into a full-scale war
April: The Confederate Congress votes to approve statehood for the City-State of Baltimore, which becomes the 14th Confederate state on the 7th of April. Gen. Lee (CSA) invades Maryland along with the British and French units. President Davis and Congress promise GB and France a port city in Maryland should the invasion result in annexation. Gen. Lee invites the State of Maryland upon his invasion to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. Lincoln creates the Army of Canada. In England, 600,000 Englishmen, Scots, and Irishmen are recruited for the North American War. An additional 100,000 Indians volunteer to defend Canada and fight the Americans.
May: The Union Army interrupts a secessional convention in Annapolis, killing 9 delegates and arresting 83 others. Among those arrested is Governor Arthur Kerry. In response to the attack, the Maryland state legislature orders the state militia to abandon the US Army and "liberate Maryland from the oppressive rule of the Federals." On the 23rd through the 27th, the Battle of Maryland takes place with the Maryland State Militia defeating the Federal Army outside of Annapolis, forcing the Federals to retreat to Washington.
June: Congress declares the State of Maryland in rebellion and authorizes the Federal Army to draft another 500,000 men. President Lincoln orders the Army of Canada, under Maj. General Hooker (USA) to attack the British troops in northern New York. Hooker is successful in pushing the British back into Upper Canada. On the 19th, Hooker and his army invade Canada. In the Battle of Caledonia, the British suffer 10,000 casualties (out of 39,300 men) against 26,900 Federal casualties (out of 78,000 men). Gen. Hooker retreats to Welland, a town 20 miles west of Buffalo.
July: The Canadians suffer huge losses in the attempted siege of Welland. Almost all men who participated in the attack either surrendered or were killed. This leaves the southern portion of Upper Canada virtually defenseless, and Union troops secure all of the territory from Detriot-Windsor to Buffalo. However, Lincoln orders the invasion stopped at Hamilton and delays the attack on Toronto to mid-August. Emperor Napoleon III of France arrives in Richmond on the 20th, bringing with him 200,000 French and 1,000 Italian soldiers. In Richmond, Acting Governor Harrison explains to the Confederate Congress that Maryland "does not intend to join the Confederacy presently, but will aid the South in its crusade against the North."
August: 400,000 British troops arrive in Canada, and another 250,000 in Virginia. A 450,000 man-strong Allied Army, comprised of British, French, Confederate, Italian, Australian, and Indian forces, is assembled in Richmond. Napoleon III is granted command of the army and leads it to Northern Virginia, stopping just south of the Washington fortifications. President Lincoln appoints Gen. (ret.) Winfield Scott (USA) as Military Governor of the captured territory of Upper Canada.
September: The Battle of Washington: The Allied Army attacks the city from the south, while the Army of Northern Virginia, aided by the Maryland State Militia, leads the attack from the north. The Washington garrison is strong and heavily fortified, but the sheer strength of the Confederate/Allied numbers is unbearable, and the Union forces collapse on the 11th after an 8-day battle. President Lincoln orders an emergency evacuation of the capital. 8 Congressmen and 2 Senators (both from New Hampshire, coincidentally) are killed trying to escape, adding to the 6 Congressmen, 1 Senator, and 1 Vice-President killed during the battle. Gen. Lee, under orders from President Davis, assumes control of the District of Columbia and declares it a possession of the C.S.A.
October: C.S. Congress annexes the City of Washington and District of Columbia on the 1st. U.S. Congress meets in a field in Northern Maryland, now enemy territory, in an emergency session. A decision is made to temporarily relocate the capital to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Congress also authorizes the creation of a special police-military force, the Congressional Guard, to defend Congress. The U.S. Army is defeated in the Battle of Toronto and forced to retreat to U.S. territory by the end of the month. Maj. Gen. Hooker is killed by a mutineer, and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Winfield Scott temporarily assumes command of the Army of Canada.
November: Rear Admiral David Farragut (USN) attempts to defeat the fortifications at New Orleans but is chased away by a British warship group before he can break the Confederate defenses. Thus begins the British campaign to break the blockade of the South. On the 29th, Lt. Gen. Scott (USA) is restored to active duty and placed in command of the Army of Canada. Also on the 29th, the citizens of Baltimore reject the C.S. Constitution in a plescibe.
December: Lt. Gen. Scott presents President Lincoln with a plan for a three-pronged invasion of Canada, very similar to that used in the War of 1812. Lincoln approves it. Baltimore's Congressmen and Senators are forced to resign (except one, who is expelled), and Baltimore's statehood is temporarily revoked. Congress authorizes another Lieutenant General, and Lincoln selects Joseph Hooker- which outrages Maj. Gen. McClellan (USA). Hooker is given command of the Army of the Potomac and assigned General-in-Chief. This Army is instructed to develop a plan for an invasion of Maryland, which will be launched simultaneously with the invasion of Canada.
1863
January: President Lincoln, fearing rebellion, orders martial law in the States of Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Outraged, several Congressmen bring impeachment charges to the House. On January 17th, the House votes soundly to impeach President Lincoln. McClellan is alarmed and plans a military coup with a reluctant Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George Meade. ON the 29th, the Senate convicts an absent Lincoln and declares VP Hannibal Hamlin President. However, Lincoln subsequently declares Congress out of order, and citing his wartime powers, dissolves the institution. Congress orders the Congressional Guard to apprehend Lincoln.
February: The Congressional Guard and Lincoln's personal bodyguards clash on the 2nd. When his bodyguards are defeated, Lincoln surrenders and accepts his impeachment. However, VP Hamlin refuses to take the oath of office and the Speaker of the House, G.A. Grow, is sworn in as President on the 8th. On the 4th, The coup leaders seize the opportunity and arrest Congress and the Supreme Court, and declare the Army to be in power. The Army Emergency War Committee is created by coup leaders. In a compromise with Grow, the new President is allowed a seat in this 5-man committee if he agrees to step down as President and cooperate with the coup. The Committee's first act is to proclaim the Constitution nullified for the remainder of the war. The Congressional Guard protests and on the 11th the Army and Guard meet in the Battle of Dover. The Guard surrenders and is forced to recognize the authority of the Army. On the 13th, before resigning, President Grow orders all government agencies and military bodies to relent to the Army.
March: On the 3rd, the Committee orders the Navy to surrender to the Army. The Navy refuses, and creates the Navy Battalions, a ground-fighting force of sailors and other Naval personnel. Along with the Marine Corps, the Navy Battalions land in New Jersey to fight the Army. In order to free up men for the fighting, the Navy lifts the blockade of the South. The Confederates and Allies sit back and watch as the North enters into its own civil war.
April: Despite a civil war in the North, Gen. McClellan orders Gen. Scott to proceed with the invasion of Canada and orders Gen. Meade to lead the Army of the Potomac into Maryland. Both invasions, well-planned and well-manned, are wildly successful. Union troops re-capture 70% of Maryland by the 20th and Toronto falls to Gen. Scott's Army on the 30th.
May: When the Navy lands more sailor-soldiers in New Jersey, the Army is forced to recall the invasion forces in Maryland and Canada to fight the Naval forces. No major fighting between Confederates and Federals occurs until October of next year due to the Northern civil war.
July: A second plescibe in Baltimore results in ratification of the C.S. Constitution, and the City-State is readmitted to the C.S.A.
August: The Allies and the State of Maryland sign a treaty to allow Allied troops into Maryland. By October, 500,000 Allied troops line the Maryland-Pennsylvania & New Jersey border.
October: Gen. McClellan is forced to evacuate the Army from the Southwest. Eager Confederate troops, commanded by Maj. Thomas Baylor, rush into the undefended New Mexico Territory. On the 22nd, the territorial government of Arizona is reauthorized.
November: Confederate troops invade California and the Nevada Territory on the 4th.
December: On the 11th, Los Angeles falls to Confederate troops. Baylor is ordered by President Davis to stop his invasion there and hold Southern California for the Confederacy. When the Southern Californians vote for secession on the 21st, the state government in Sacramento takes no action and even dispatches a representative to work out a peace deal.
18641864
January: The Empire of Brazil recognizes the Confederacy on the 1st. 11,000 men sign up for a volunteer force to "help preserve slavery in the Americas". The volunteer force will later join the Allied Army. President Davis and his Secretary of State, J.P. Benjamin, visit with Gen. McClellan on a neutral Prussian warship. The two parties attempt to work out a peace treaty, but fail to agree on the issue of the border states (Kentucky, Missouri, Marlyand, and the District of Columbia). When McClellan states that no peace can be made in which the U.S. loses Maryland, the Confederates leave.
March: Because no deal could be made with McClellan, Davis and Adm. Farragut (USN) enter into a secret agreement which will provide for Confederate independence if the Union Naval forces are assisted in their civil war by the Confederate Army. Davis promises Farragut that the Allies and Confederates will invade by November.
April: McClellan orders the police forces of the U.S. to pledge their allegiance to the Army. The police refuse and organize the United Police Army, a 20,000 man force. Also, the Navy transfers another 45,000 sailors to the Navy Brigades.
June: The Navy gains the support of New Jersey and Delaware, as it occupies much of both states.
July: On the 4th, Maj. Gen. McClellan proclaims himself Chairman of the Committee and promotes himself to General (O-10). Maj. Gen. Grant, seeing this action as a seizure of power, openly opposes McClellan, and on the 8th is dismissed from the Committee.
August: Navy troops, commanded by Rear Adm. A.P. Danley, lose in the Battle of Jersey. Army troops attack the Navy from NYC (without permission from Mayor Woods).
October: Gen. Lee and Emperor Napolean III lead a quarter of a million men into Pennsylvania towards Philadelphia, where Gen. McClellan is. The Navy simultaneously invades upstate New York with its destination as Boston. On the 11th, the Battle of Philadelphia begins. The combined Armies of the Potomoc and Canada are badly outnumbered (250,000-110,000) by the combined Army of Northern Virginia and the Allied Army., and surrender on the 16th to Emperor Napolean. Gen. McClellan is arrested and turned over to the United States Navy, who execute him on the 31st. Gen. Hooker assumes command of the Army regime.
November: Great Britain and Prussia delcare war on each other on the 6th as a result of the sinking of a Prussian ship (headed for Boston) on the 2nd.
December: Utah Territory Gov. James D. Doty, taking advantage of the civil war within a civil war, declares the independence of the Mormon people and declares the Mormon Republic of Deseret. Doty becomes President.
1865
January: Maj. Gen. Hancock surrenders to Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson on January 20th in Kentucky. Lt. Gen. Hooker arrives in Boston, where he orders fortifications built in anticipation for a battle.
March: Vice-Adm. Farragut defeats the Army in the Battle of Boston and accepts the surrender of Lt. Gen. Hooker. Maj. Gen. George Meade, the only remaining member of the Army Emergency War Committee, proclaims himself Chairman and flees with 1200 soldiers westward. With the coup defeated, Farragut declares the Constitution to be restored and calls for Congressional elections (to be administered by the U.S. Navy). The Supreme Court resumes its session on the 17th and immediately proclaims Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase "Acting Chief Executive of the United States". Chase requests an armistice with the CSA and appoints Vice-Admiral Farragut, former VP Hamlin, and former SecState Seward to participate in the peace talks. On the 25th, the Whig Party of the CSA is formed, officially recreating the Whig Party, which has the loyalty of 9 Representaives and 3 Senators. VP Stephens joines the Party the following day.
April: A Republican House and Democratic Senate are elected. Congress convenes in a special emergency session. Congressman Adm. David Farragut addresses Congress, informing it of the Navy's deal with the Confederacy. On the 9th, Congress calls for a Presidential elections, with the victor to be immediately sworn in. On the 17th, Farragut, Hamlin, and Seward meet with Gen. Lee, C.S. Senator Toombs, and C.S. SecState Judah P. Benjamin in Washington, DC to discuss the terms of peace. In the Presidential election on the 22nd, Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott (Rep.) is elected over Seward (Rep.) and Andrew Johnson (Dem.) However, there were no vice-presidential candidates, so the Electoral College is left to decide who will occupy the number two position.
May: The Electoral College elects Scott President and Seward Vice-President. On the 6th, both are inaugurated. President Scott, supported by new Secretary of State Abraham Lincoln, orders the peace party to return to Philadelphia, effectively vetoing Congress's approval of the peace talks. Congress, however, threatens not to confirm Scott's nominee for Secretary of War, Thaddeus Stevens, unless Scott allows the peace talks. The President gives in, and the talks continue.
June: The two peace parties in Washington agree on terms and sign the Treaty of Washington on the 8th. Wide-spread celebration is held throughout the Confederate States. President Davis proclaims a national day of celebration. The war over, Maj. Gen. Breckinridge resigns as Secretary of War to allow Gen. Lee the office. Maj. Gen. Grant is confirmed for the same position in the United States.
July: Confederate troops, complying with the terms of the treaty, leave California for the Arizona Territory. Also, in accordance with the treaty, French, British, and Confederate troops vacate Maryland. The United and Confederate states establish formal diplomatic relations with each other and the State of Maryland.
August: President Davis is the victim of an assassination attempt by a Kentuckian Unionist. He is only hit in the shoulder and fully recovers from the wound.
November: The Pro-Administration Democrats (Pro-Dems) lose 16 seats in the C.S. House and 3 in the Senate but retain a close majority in the former. Nine "Unionist" Independents and a significant Whig gain are responsible. In the Senate, the Anti-Administration Democrats (Anti-Dems) win a plurality but fall short of a majority.
1866
January: Union troops finally pull out of Kentucky and Confederate Missouri on the 1st, the last possible day according to the treaty.
May: On the 8th in St. Louis, Confederate MO, President Davis, SecState Benjamin, and Maj. Gen. Breckinridge, along with other Pro-Dems, agree to secede from the Democratic Party. On the 12th, in the Senate, the followers of Davis announce the creation of the Confederate Party. By the end of the day, 10 of the 12 Pro-Dems join the Confederates in the Senate and 48 of 59 in the House.
June: On the 3rd, President Davis officially changes his party affiliation from Democratic to Confederate.
November: The United States elect a new Congress. The Republicans, promising to stop Utah's secession if re-elected, sweep a 2/3 majority (69%) in the House and a regular majority (58%) in the Senate. On the 13th, President Scott dies of a heart attack and Vice-President Seward becomes President.
December: Presidents Seward and Davis hold a summit in Annapolis with Governor Brown of MD and Mayor Woods of NYC. The main topic are use of the Mississippi and possession of DC. Seward offers $7 million for D.C. but Davis and Brown refuse. However, Brown does guarantee safe passage for and USA citizens who wish to travel to D.C.
1867
January: President Davis tours his country. He gives speeches in Richmond, Washington, Charleston, Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis, Little Rock, Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta, and Tallahassee, promoting the Confederate Party. Lee accompanies Davis from New Orleans onward. In Atlanta, Davis and Stephens partake in and 8-day, 16-part debate on the nation's issues. The MDL (Mexican Democratic League) is established in Mexico.
March: Emperor Maximilian of Mexico visits Texas.
April: Former U.S. President Millard Fillmore re-enters politics as he announces his candidacy for the upcoming Congressional elections as a Whig-American.
July: The Confederate Party Convention is held in Wahsington, DC. President Davis buys a building in the city to hold the convention. Gen. Lee is nominated from President and Maj. Gen. Breckinridge for VP.
August: The Democratic Party Convention is held in Charleston, SC. Due to his incredible popularity following the war, Gen. Lee is nominated by the Democrats as well. A dissident faction which points out that Lee has no political experience and strongly aligns himself with the Confederate philosophy, nominates its own candidate, VP Stephens, in Atlanta. In Louisville, KY, the Whig Party also nominates Stephens, but also nominates a VP candidate, Walter Brooker.
August: Russia and the CSA establish diplomatic relations. In Germany, Prussia invades Hanover on the 18th. This is a continuation of the Confederate War for Independence.
September: Postmaster General John Reagan is nominated for President by the Western Party Convention in Santa Fe, Arizona. Although Reagan does not accept, the party does not change its nomination. Walter Brooke is appointed Minister to France. President Davis appoints the military attaché to Britain, Col. George Washington Custis Lee, Minister to the Government of Her Britannic Majesty.
October: President Seward criticizes the Republican Party for instructing its Congressmen to vote no on the Utah Action Resolution, which fails in a vote on the 2nd. If passed the U.S. Army would have been authorized to invade Deseret.
November: In the CSA, Gen. Robert E. Lee is elected President and Breckinridge VP. Reagan wins in TX and MO, Stephens in GA. In the odd-year Congressional elections, former President Fillmore is elected to the U.S. House.
December: The 39th U.S. Congress convenes, with the Republican Party in control. In Mexico, the Group for Restoration of Democtatic Rule in Mexico ("the Group") is formed to oppose the Emperor.
1868
January: The Army of Maryland is created by Maryland State. A 52,000 man force, it is charged with defending Maryland's borders. In Mexico, the MDL begins raising the A.D., a paramilitary force.
March: President Davis gives his Farewell Address to Congress on the 2nd, introducing a broad expansion plan that includes annexing Cuba and Porto Rico, settling a colony in Africa, and granting statehood to the Arizona Territory. On the 4th, Gen. Lee is sworn in a President. John C. Breckinridge resigns his commission as Major General prior to being sworn in as VP. President Davis and VP Stephens attend the inaugeration, as does Presidential candidate John Reagan. President Lee's inaugural address focuses on his proposal for an Industrialization Program, to catch up to the United States in manufacturing power. Lee also endorses Davis' African colony proposal, but makes it clear that it will not be used to import slaves. Lee appoints Davis SecWar and Democrat Robert Toombs SecState.
April: President Seward, in a surprise announcement, tells the Republican Party that he will not seek re-election. The Mexican Civil War, between the Mexican Democratic League, Group for Restoration of Democratic Rule in Mexico, Yucatan separatists, and the Imperials supporting Emperor Maximilian, begins. It will last until 1870, with a semi-victory for the rebels, who establish a Republic of Mexico in Northern Mexico and a Republic of the Yucatan on the Yucatan Peninsula. Maximilian will continue to rule over the Empire of Mexico.
June: The Republican Party nominates Edwin Stanton for President and Admiral Farragut for VP. Stanton defeats former President Lincoln's bid for nomination.
July: The Democratic Party of the USA nominates Masachusett's Charles Francis Adams for President and Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase for VP. Adams is the son of President John Q. Adams and grandson of President John Adams. The American-Whig Party, meeting in Cleveland, nominates a ticket of former President Millard Fillmore and James Seymore of California.
September: President Seward announces that he will not endorse the Stanton-Farragut ticket and that he will support former President Fillmore's campaign. This is, in effect, Seward's breaking from the Republican Party, which he claims has been overtaken by the Radicals.
October: Seward, Lincoln, and other non-Radical allies of the Lincoln administration formally leave the Republican Party.
November: After fierce campaigning for Fillmore Lincoln and Seward, Fillmore wins the Presidential election over Stanton and Adams. After hearing the news of VP-elect Seymore's election, an old personal enemy shoots Seymore in a Boston hotel and the would-be Vice-President dies December 18. Seymore names President Seward as his choice to receive his electoral votes. Under Fillmore's urging, the Electoral College elects President Seward VP over Admiral Farragut and Chief Justice Chase.
1869
January: The Free City of New York hosts the New York Congress- to discuss African colonization. The countries represented are: U.K., France, Prussia, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, USA, CSA, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden. Governor Brown of the State of Maryland presides. The Congress agrees to grant both the United and Confederate States the right to colonize unclaimed parts of Africa. It also agrees to divide any uncolonized portions in a Congress to be held in 1884 in Vienna. The CSA and USA are prohibited from trading slaves.
February: A crisis develops as Union and Mormon troops run into each other in the Colorado Territory. One Union and five Mormon soldiers are killed. Deseret declares war on the USA. President Seward, acting concurrently with President-elect Fillmore, authorizes U.S. troops to push the Mormon forces back into Utah. President Brigham Young of Deseret pleads to the CSA and Empire of Mexico, requesting recognition and military assistance. However, both the CSA and Mexican Empire refuse.
March: The Battle of Carson City takes place on the 1st. A depleted U.S. force from California is badly outnumbered and loses to an entire Deseret division. With its territorial capital captured, the Nevada Territory is annexed by Deseret. On the 3rd, California Governor Benjamin James informs President Young that no Californian troops will attack if Deseret promises to cease hostiliteis inside of and close to the border of California. President Seward orders his Secretary of War, Lieutenant General U.S. Grant, to lead the Army of the Potomac into Utah on the 4th. On this day, Seward is demoted to VP and Fillmore takes office for a second time.
April: President Fillmore proclaims California to be in defiance and orders its Congressment temporarily expelled. On April 18, the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, and the Territories of Idaho and Montana enter into a formal alliance (a direct violation of the Constitution), calling themselves the Western States of America (WSA). The WSA petitions the U.S. Congress to cease all hostilities in the West.
June: Lt. Gen. Grant, still Secretary of War, leads his army into Utah. HE comes within 18 miles of Salt Lake City before being stopped by Mromon troops and civilian volunteers. On the 23rd, the WSA Charter is approved by WSA state legislatures. Each member state or territory is allotted one seat in the WSA Council. Despite losing his bid to represent California in the council, Gen. Frémont arrives is elected Chairman of the Council and representative to the Federal government. Oregon suggests that the WSA declare independence if U.S. hostilities continue but stands alone in its opinion.
July: Grant lays siege to Salt Lake City. When he finally attacks, he is forced to retreat to Montana Territory.
August: When Gen. Frémont arrives in Philadelphia, he is rebuked. President Fillmore informs him that the WSA is unconstitutional because it is an alliance among states. Fillmore creates the Army of the West. However, when Army troops arrive in San Francisco, they are attacked by a pro-Western mob.
September: The Supreme Court rules unanimously that the WSA is unconstitutional. President Fillmore orders it to disband.
October: On the 7th, Lt. Gen. Grant personally arrests the 7 members of the WSA Council. They are placed in a Sacramento jail but on the 9th escape when an anti-Union mob attacks the jail. Three U.S. Army officers are killed in the break-out. On the 13th, the Council meets and votes 5-1 (with Montana voting 'nay') to issue an ultimatum- all U.S. troops must cease hostilities west of the Mississippi River by December 2nd or the WSA will declare independence.
November: Midterm elections give Confederates a gain in the House and a gain to Democrats and Westerners in the Senate. President Fillmore orders Federal Army troops to stand ready for Western secession. Governor James issues an order to all California militiament to be prepared to fight against U.S. troops. In the continuing war between Britain and Prussia, British troops sack Berlin.
December: The ultimatum deadline comes and passes without any action from the WSA. In Germany, Prussian forces re-take Berlin on the 9th. On the 12th, Napoleon III commits his Imperial Army to the war versus Prussia. On the 20th, France declares war on Prussia.
1870
January: The Western States of America declares its independence on the 1st. Council Chairman Gen. Frémont orders militiamen throughout the WSA to capture Federal forts. Governors in the newly-created country second the order. The Confederate States immediately extend diplomatic recognition to the WSA. General Grant, in San Francisco, rents a warehouse and houses his Army there.
February: The CSA uses the old U.S. Army building in Sacramento as is embassy. On the 8th, Emperor Maximilian appoints a minister to the WSA. On the 19th, President Lee and SecState Toombs visit Sacramento and meet with Gen. Frémont. President Fillmore condemns the WSA and orders the CSA to rescind its recognition. The Indian Act is passed by U.S. Congress, creating a new Indian Territory in Dakota. The Liberty Party is founded in the CSA by a group of radical abolitionists in Kentucky. The C.S. Senate kills a resolution for statehood for Arizona-New Mexico, despite heavy lobbying and a 3-hour speech by VP Breckinridge. President Lee, who introduced the legislation, will wait until the new Congress takes office to try a similar proposal.
March: Maryland recognizes the WSA. Confederate Minister to the WSA, Charles Hubbell, arrives in Sacramento. Gen. Frémont announces the location of Grant's base to the public.
June: An angry mob of Western nationalists attack and set fire to Grant's warehouse. Grant is forced to flee with his soldiers northeast towards Sacramento.
July: Grant decides to attack the WSA capital (Sacramento). On the 8th, his army marches into the city and clashes briefly with California militiamen. The biggest events of the day, though, are the arrest of the California legislature and the capture of the Confederate embassy. The latter results in Minister Hubbell, most of the diplomatic staff, and the entire C.S. Army guard being killed defending the embassy. This capture takes place on the 30th, after 22 days of standoff. The WSA Council creates the Provisional Western Army. In the CSA, President Lee calls an emergency session of Congress.
August: President Fillmore reprimands Lt. Gen. Grant for the violent seizure of the CSA embassy. In Philadelphia, the CSA diplomatic staff evacuates. In Sacramento, the Maryland embassy surrenders to Gen. Grant. As America is on the brink of war, the countries' armies ready for battle.
September: Gen. Frémont assembles the Western Army outside of Sacramento. Mormons raid the town of Denver, Colorado Territory. With war imminent, former Presidents Davis and Lincoln meet in Annapolis, Marylandto discuss a settlement. Davis' official role is Acting Minister to the USA, while Lincon's is Secretary of State. Lincoln and Davis agree to the following terms: WSA independence and recognition in return for a Confederate promise of no Deseret recognition or military assistance and that the Territories of Nevada and Colorado will remain possessions of the United States. When news of the Davis-Lincoln Treaty reaches the WSA, its citizens celebrate. However, Gen. Frémont is assasinated by an insane WSA soldier. As punishment for Lt. Gen. Grant's actions, President Fillmore relieves him of his command and demotes him to Colonel.
COMING SOON: Years 1870-1876 and Cabinet Members
See a table of Presidents in this timeline.
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Copyright 1995-1998 by Nathan C. Masters