A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta
- Thread starter TheKnightIrish
- Start date
Chapter Eighty-Three Peace and Good Will To All Men Except Slaveholders
Chapter Eighty-Three
Peace and Good Will To All Men Except Slaveholders
From “The War Between the States” by Otis R. Mayhew
Sword & Musket 1992
“The army that arrived at Danville in early November was but a shadow of that which had set out in September. Although there were supplies of ammunition and food at Danville, the Army of Northern Virginia needed a full refit and period of rest in General Longstreet’s opinion expressed to the new Chief of Staff Joseph E. Johnson. Unfortunately General Longstreet did not expect to receive it. Although the weather was deteriorating rapidly, Longstreet had formed the opinion that General Kearny “would pursue us through an Arctic blizzard or indeed through hellfire itself”. Indeed the vanguard if the Army of the Potomac was but 15 miles away…
In the end the Army of Northern Virginia would be saved by a message to General Kearny from General Halleck: “On the President’s orders halt your advance. General Hooker has suffered a defeat and his army is in a perilous position. You are required in Washington at once…Forward such elements of the AoP as you think may be spared”…
A Union Winter Encampment
When Kearny took a train northwards he did so knowing that Lew Wallace, now confirmed in permanent command of the IV Corps, and his men would follow…”
From "Always The General - The Life of John Fulton Reynolds" by Jed Bradshaw
Penn State 1999
“In the absence of General Kearny and the IV Corps, Reynolds would use the winter months to reorganise his army. The under strength XI Corps would head north to replace II Corps in its occupation duties in Richmond and northern Virginia. In a surprising episode, the citizens of Richmond got up a petition requesting that General John Sedgwick remain as military governor. Scrupulously fair, honest, and having a real interest in returning the city to its normal commercial life, Sedgwick had, in a matter of months made himself considerably more popular with many of the citizens than the previous military commander General Cobb of the Confederacy! It perhaps helped the Union that Sedgwick ensured regular supplies of food to the city which were now affordable as Union currency began to circulate freely…
Generals John Sedgwick, William F. Smith and James S. Wadsworth
Without Sedgwick, and with Baron von Steinwehr taking a temporary leave of absence for health reasons, General Kearny would appoint William “Baldy” Smith to the command of II Corps over Reynolds’ preference for either Albion P. Howe or W.H.T.Brooks. It is worthy of mention that all three were veteran commanders of the “Fighting” VI Corps...
General Stevens would be confirmed in his command of IX Corps which was now, in the absence of XI Corps, the weakest in the Army of the Potomac. Despite Reynolds’ misgivings Dan Sickles would also retain his command. General Sickles was a friend of Kearny’s from the Peninsula, and General Kearny regularly showed partiality to former comrades from that period…
Reynolds also focused on the refitting of his cavalry as a matter of urgency. Even in the depth of winter, Buford’s cavalry corps would continually make forays across the Roanoke River which had become the unofficial boundary between the three armies…”
From “The Fighting Lambs – The Army of the James” by Geoffrey T. W. Werner
Radical Press 1928
“It is not widely known that during this period it was not only negros from Virginia and North Carolina who were mustered in Union service. Large numbers of white North Carolinians would sneak through rebel lines to serve their Unionist sentiments in the Union Army. By the beginning of the new year the Army of the James would field a small “Southern Unionist” brigade – 2 North Carolinian Regiments and 1 Virginian Regiment…
Unionist sentiment in North Carolina was also manifested in the numbers willing to pass information to the Union forces. There were also those, already behind Union lines, who lobbied strongly for a descent on the North Carolina coast. The coastline was the preserve of the plantation owning slaveholders who most needed punishment. Furthermore it would also be a source of manpower as slaves also constituted the majority of the population in many coastal counties…”
From “An Uncivil War” by Dr Guy Burchett
LSU
“One cannot understate the impact that the behaviour of both armies had on the peoples of Virginia and North Carolina. Many parallels can be drawn between the French and British in Spain during the Napoleonic War. The French were co-religionists and titular allies of Spain, while the British were the long time enemies of Spanish religion and Spanish ambition. Yet because the British paid a fair price for everything while the French lived off the land it was the French who suffered the wrath of the Spanish people. A similar pattern can be seen in Virginia and North Carolina which stand in contrast to occupied areas in the west…
General Longstreet and the Army of Northern Virginia were desperate for foodstuffs, for horses, for mules, and for clothing. Spiralling inflation meant that the Confederate script was worth little to those civilians in North Carolina lucky enough to be offered some compensation for the army confiscations. Hostility to Longstreet’s “Army-ants”, as they became known, grew in what was a population with extremely mixed views on secession in the first place. Yet the desperate condition of Confederate logistics at this point in the war meant that the confiscations continued in spite of the frequent protests of Governor Vance of North Carolina…
On the other hand, to the limited extent the Union Army needed to call on local supplies, they were under standing orders to pay a fair price in formally occupied areas. While many Virginians refused these “Yankee Greenbacks”, many were glad of them. The circulation of a stable currency did much to begin to restore a sense of normality to life and commerce in occupied Virginia. The acts of charity too by both Sedgwick in Richmond and Wadsworth in Petersburg towards the common people did much to take the sting out of the occupation. General Wadsworth also ensured the creation of a newspaper sympathetic to needs of the “common citizens of Petersburg” as well as the Union cause while blaming the Confederate political leadership and the “plantation classes” for all Virginia’s ills. James Wadsworth, friend of Phil Kearny, in many ways set the tone for the occupation of Virginia. “Confederate politicians and former officeholders ought by right to be treated like lepers and placed in confinement for the good of all. But the common citizens of Petersburg and this district should be treated like they lived in Albany or Trenton. Our goal must be to pacify the people and restore their confidence in the good government of the Union while severing their connection to a class of traitors with whom they have nothing in common but the place of their birth…” (James Wadsworth to Edwin D. Morgan, former governor of New York)…”
From "Always The General - The Life of John Fulton Reynolds" by Jed Bradshaw
Penn State 1999
"Come the spring General Reynolds planned to make up for setbacks in the West by sweeping through North Carolina and crushing Longstreet in the process. He meant for there to be no more seesaw advances and retreats. The next time the Army of the Potomac advanced, he resolved that it would not stop till the Confederacy fell..."
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Interesting bit about the occupation policy and on how the Confederate army confiscated a lot of stuff.
I remember watching a YT video of a lecturing Professor who explained that due to the poor discipline of the Confederate soldier, they were wasteful with supplies and prone to helping themselves whenever they could. The poor staff work of officers may have made the situation worse as well.
I remember watching a YT video of a lecturing Professor who explained that due to the poor discipline of the Confederate soldier, they were wasteful with supplies and prone to helping themselves whenever they could. The poor staff work of officers may have made the situation worse as well.
Speculation:
America ends up with a larger standing army OTL, both because its needed to supress the South in a more vicious Civil War end and more productive Reconstruction than OTL. And because its something productive to do with all the dislocated free blacks.
But as time goes on, having a larger army makes you want to do something with it. Especially if there are large 'colored' portions of the army who don't get white citizens as het up when there are casualties, while for the 'colored' citizens it may prove to be a source of pride and identity that they are Uncle Sam's janissaries.
In short, I'm seeing a de facto partial solution to the post-war race problem where many dislocated black men and their families stay on the strength and soldiering, especially at the enlisted level, becomes a recognized 'black' role, with concomitantly more small wars than OTL.
America ends up with a larger standing army OTL, both because its needed to supress the South in a more vicious Civil War end and more productive Reconstruction than OTL. And because its something productive to do with all the dislocated free blacks.
But as time goes on, having a larger army makes you want to do something with it. Especially if there are large 'colored' portions of the army who don't get white citizens as het up when there are casualties, while for the 'colored' citizens it may prove to be a source of pride and identity that they are Uncle Sam's janissaries.
In short, I'm seeing a de facto partial solution to the post-war race problem where many dislocated black men and their families stay on the strength and soldiering, especially at the enlisted level, becomes a recognized 'black' role, with concomitantly more small wars than OTL.
But then the occupation is currently earning the Union a lot of good will though.
Useful information on the CSA and USA in Virginia and North Carolina. I seem to recall fairly significant class differences between the coastal and Appalachian regions of the coastal southern states.
Sounds as though the Army of the Cumberland has gotten thumped good. Fits Hooker's reputation as a fairly effective, if difficult, subordinate. If the defeat is owing to a failing of Hooker's, I wonder if Kearny will find other employment for him or just set him aside. I do hope Pap Thomas has come through all right. Frankly, I've always been rather fond of that particular army. Lorded over by Grant's Westerners and sneered at by Hooker's Easterners in the OTL.
Looking back at Post #314, I will be curious to see if/how Kearny's threat appraisal has changed.
Sounds as though the Army of the Cumberland has gotten thumped good. Fits Hooker's reputation as a fairly effective, if difficult, subordinate. If the defeat is owing to a failing of Hooker's, I wonder if Kearny will find other employment for him or just set him aside. I do hope Pap Thomas has come through all right. Frankly, I've always been rather fond of that particular army. Lorded over by Grant's Westerners and sneered at by Hooker's Easterners in the OTL.
Looking back at Post #314, I will be curious to see if/how Kearny's threat appraisal has changed.
West Virginia (0bviously), western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Alabama were all areas of very strong Unonist sympathy - OTL there was a cavalry unit raised in N. Alabama. OTL Confederate purchasing agents, tax collectors, and conscription authorities had significant difficulties in these areas. IITL those areas on this list (and perhaps others) will be even more of a thorn to the CSA with the Union doing so much better. Of course the rampant CS currency inflation and depredations to support the army won't help. Also OTL there were strong Unionist pockets in Texas, especially in some heavily German areas - they may be emboldened by the progress of the Union.
Manpower is going to be a huge problem for the CSA now - they have had larger battle losses, there is no prisoner cartel, and any potential manpower in the large areas lost to Union "occupation" is beyond reach. OTL one of the problems in the CSA was that as areas came under Union control men in the army from those areas had more tendency to desert to go home to their families. ITTL this will represent more of a problem than OTL and another manpower drain. You may see the CSA take draconian action against deserters, such as "automatic" executions.
Manpower is going to be a huge problem for the CSA now - they have had larger battle losses, there is no prisoner cartel, and any potential manpower in the large areas lost to Union "occupation" is beyond reach. OTL one of the problems in the CSA was that as areas came under Union control men in the army from those areas had more tendency to desert to go home to their families. ITTL this will represent more of a problem than OTL and another manpower drain. You may see the CSA take draconian action against deserters, such as "automatic" executions.
Quick stats on the Army of Northern Virginia - I was working out the new OOB for Longstreet. Division-wise it doesn't look too bad: 13 divisions prior to the campaign now reduced to 10. (3 corps to 2 corps as well).
But brigade-wise its a disaster: 53 reduced to 37. It only begins to reflect the losses the AoNV have suffered...
But brigade-wise its a disaster: 53 reduced to 37. It only begins to reflect the losses the AoNV have suffered...
Oh no. There is still Hardee's Army of Tennessee, Bragg's Army of Mississippi, and there is a reduced Trans-Mississippi Sector under Kirby Smith.
When I get a chance my next chapter will go back to August/September in the West.
Union Counterfeit Confederate Currency.
Looks like both side were printing CSA money making inflation worse.
Counterfeit Confederate Currency
It was the early days of the Civil War, March 1862. The public on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, naturally enough, was hungry for any news about this upstart, self-proclaimed Confederate States of America. It seemed that they were actually serious, having elected a Congress and President, written a constitution, adopting a flag.They’d even started printing money!
The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the major newspapers of the day, was able to get its hands on one of the new bills that had made its way though the lines, and it printed an image of the new currency. This in itself was a rather big deal since newspapers didn’t usually contain images of any kind. You’d find them in the big weeklies out of New York—Leslie’s Illustrated and Harper’s Weekly—but the daily papers as a rule didn’t carry illustrations. Each image had to be painstakingly engraved and that was a big deal since it took both time and money (actual photographs wouldn’t begin to appear in daily papers for another 60 years or so).
So when the image of this new Confederate currency hit the streets it was a bit of a sensation from several points of view. That edition sold out almost immediately.
All this came to the notice of one of Philadelphia’s merchants/entrepreneurs. Samuel Curtis Upham (February 2, 1819-June 29, 1885) owned and ran a successful shop on Chestnut Street,
selling stationery and toiletries. He produced and sold his own patent medicines (“Upham’s Pimple Banisher”) for example. And he was doing well with patriotic envelopes, too. Each of these would carry a political cartoon that would ridicule Jefferson Davis or some facet of these new Confederate States, or would be emblazoned with eagles and shields, or the likeness of Columbia.
The story about the new money got him to thinking. So he paid a call upon the editorial offices of the Inquirer and purchased the plates used to print the image of the new currency.
And he went into the counterfeiting business.
He didn’t call his paper counterfeit, of course. Counterfeiting was illegal. He added a line to the bottom of the notes: “Fac-similie (sic) Confederate Notes Sold, Wholesale and Retail. By S.C. Upham, 403 Chestnut Street, Phila.” The first batch was of a $5 note, and these were sold for a penny each. They were to be viewed as novelties; something fun. “Mementos of the Rebellion” is how Upham referred to them in his advertisements in the New York Tribune and Harper’s Weekly.
Other entrepreneurs got in on the fun. By simply clipping off the “fac-similie” bit, Upham’s notes were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Cotton speculators started passing them as real. And they were being accepted in the South.
Upham was onto something. He expanded his offerings to include other denominations and eventually Confederate postage stamps. By the end of the war, he had printed nearly $15-million in fake Confederate currency (equal to about 3% of the entire CSA money supply).
He produced a quality product. In fact, many of his notes were better than the authentic ones. His paper was better. And he had access to engravers more highly skilled than the ones employed by the Confederacy. There are stories of how Southrons, when confronted with both legitimate and counterfeit bills would accept the counterfeits just because they looked more real than the genuine articles.
This came to the attention of officials in Richmond. Secretary of the Treasury Christopher Memminger wrote to Vice President Alexander Stephens, in August 1862, of the growing number of counterfeit bills in circulation and “the fact that they are publicly advertised for sale at the North proves the connivance at least, and probably the complicity, of the Government.” President Jefferson Davis apparently shared this view.
In fact, there is no hard evidence to suggest that the Federal government in Washington had anything to do with the scheme. It seems that this was entirely one more example of Yankee ingenuity’s working to make a buck…as it were. Of course it must be allowed that there are ample anecdotal accounts of Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, winking at the entire enterprise.
The great Congress of the Confederacy was not amused, and passed a law imposing a sentence of death upon convicted counterfeiters. Upham claimed that same Congress put a price of $10,000 on his head, dead or alive. After the war, he bragged "During the publication of those facsimile notes I was the 'best abused man' in the Union. Senator Foote, in a speech before the rebel Congress, at Richmond, in 1862, said I had done more to injure the Confederate cause than General McClellan and his army..."
Other printers in the North, seeing Upham’s success, also started issuing “fac-similies.” The increased supply, coupled with the collapsing Confederate economy, pretty much killed the business. The price that could be commanded for the notes fell through the floor, and there just wasn’t the demand any longer.
Now we fast-forward 150 years…to this past Friday morning, to be exact. A gentleman walked into my shop, looking to sell two pieces of what he claimed to be Confederate currency. Holding the notes in my hand, something didn’t seem quite right. I am far, far from an expert on such matters, but my “Spidey-sense” was tingling here.
At first blush, they appeared right. They "felt" old, and didn't appear to be modern reproductions. But. They were printed on very good paper; better stock than I had seen before with Confederate money. Next, the engraving was highly detailed and of a better quality than on other pieces I had had. And finally, when examined under a magnifying glass, it appeared that the signatures had been printed, rather than hand-signed (as was the practice at the time). Ditto, the serial numbers. These just weren't passing my initial smell test.
Out of curiosity, I asked how he had gotten them and he told me a story about getting them earlier in the week “from some guy in a bar.” Obviously not a lot of provenance there.
With his permission, I held onto the bills to do a little research. After a couple of hours poking around various websites, I had an answer. It turns out that these were Upham bills. Genuine counterfeit Confederate currency.
They are worthless in terms of legal tender, of course. But that was never Mr. Upham's stated intent. He was looking to produce “mementos of the Rebellion.” And as such, they hold up rather nicely.
To collectors they actually have just a little more value than authentic Confederate currency.
http://bookflaps.blogspot.ie/2011/11/genuine-counterfeit-confederate.html
Looks like both side were printing CSA money making inflation worse.
Counterfeit Confederate Currency
It was the early days of the Civil War, March 1862. The public on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, naturally enough, was hungry for any news about this upstart, self-proclaimed Confederate States of America. It seemed that they were actually serious, having elected a Congress and President, written a constitution, adopting a flag.They’d even started printing money!
The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the major newspapers of the day, was able to get its hands on one of the new bills that had made its way though the lines, and it printed an image of the new currency. This in itself was a rather big deal since newspapers didn’t usually contain images of any kind. You’d find them in the big weeklies out of New York—Leslie’s Illustrated and Harper’s Weekly—but the daily papers as a rule didn’t carry illustrations. Each image had to be painstakingly engraved and that was a big deal since it took both time and money (actual photographs wouldn’t begin to appear in daily papers for another 60 years or so).
So when the image of this new Confederate currency hit the streets it was a bit of a sensation from several points of view. That edition sold out almost immediately.
All this came to the notice of one of Philadelphia’s merchants/entrepreneurs. Samuel Curtis Upham (February 2, 1819-June 29, 1885) owned and ran a successful shop on Chestnut Street,
selling stationery and toiletries. He produced and sold his own patent medicines (“Upham’s Pimple Banisher”) for example. And he was doing well with patriotic envelopes, too. Each of these would carry a political cartoon that would ridicule Jefferson Davis or some facet of these new Confederate States, or would be emblazoned with eagles and shields, or the likeness of Columbia.The story about the new money got him to thinking. So he paid a call upon the editorial offices of the Inquirer and purchased the plates used to print the image of the new currency.
And he went into the counterfeiting business.
He didn’t call his paper counterfeit, of course. Counterfeiting was illegal. He added a line to the bottom of the notes: “Fac-similie (sic) Confederate Notes Sold, Wholesale and Retail. By S.C. Upham, 403 Chestnut Street, Phila.” The first batch was of a $5 note, and these were sold for a penny each. They were to be viewed as novelties; something fun. “Mementos of the Rebellion” is how Upham referred to them in his advertisements in the New York Tribune and Harper’s Weekly.
Other entrepreneurs got in on the fun. By simply clipping off the “fac-similie” bit, Upham’s notes were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Cotton speculators started passing them as real. And they were being accepted in the South.
Upham was onto something. He expanded his offerings to include other denominations and eventually Confederate postage stamps. By the end of the war, he had printed nearly $15-million in fake Confederate currency (equal to about 3% of the entire CSA money supply).
He produced a quality product. In fact, many of his notes were better than the authentic ones. His paper was better. And he had access to engravers more highly skilled than the ones employed by the Confederacy. There are stories of how Southrons, when confronted with both legitimate and counterfeit bills would accept the counterfeits just because they looked more real than the genuine articles.
This came to the attention of officials in Richmond. Secretary of the Treasury Christopher Memminger wrote to Vice President Alexander Stephens, in August 1862, of the growing number of counterfeit bills in circulation and “the fact that they are publicly advertised for sale at the North proves the connivance at least, and probably the complicity, of the Government.” President Jefferson Davis apparently shared this view.
In fact, there is no hard evidence to suggest that the Federal government in Washington had anything to do with the scheme. It seems that this was entirely one more example of Yankee ingenuity’s working to make a buck…as it were. Of course it must be allowed that there are ample anecdotal accounts of Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, winking at the entire enterprise.
The great Congress of the Confederacy was not amused, and passed a law imposing a sentence of death upon convicted counterfeiters. Upham claimed that same Congress put a price of $10,000 on his head, dead or alive. After the war, he bragged "During the publication of those facsimile notes I was the 'best abused man' in the Union. Senator Foote, in a speech before the rebel Congress, at Richmond, in 1862, said I had done more to injure the Confederate cause than General McClellan and his army..."
Other printers in the North, seeing Upham’s success, also started issuing “fac-similies.” The increased supply, coupled with the collapsing Confederate economy, pretty much killed the business. The price that could be commanded for the notes fell through the floor, and there just wasn’t the demand any longer.
Now we fast-forward 150 years…to this past Friday morning, to be exact. A gentleman walked into my shop, looking to sell two pieces of what he claimed to be Confederate currency. Holding the notes in my hand, something didn’t seem quite right. I am far, far from an expert on such matters, but my “Spidey-sense” was tingling here.
At first blush, they appeared right. They "felt" old, and didn't appear to be modern reproductions. But. They were printed on very good paper; better stock than I had seen before with Confederate money. Next, the engraving was highly detailed and of a better quality than on other pieces I had had. And finally, when examined under a magnifying glass, it appeared that the signatures had been printed, rather than hand-signed (as was the practice at the time). Ditto, the serial numbers. These just weren't passing my initial smell test.
Out of curiosity, I asked how he had gotten them and he told me a story about getting them earlier in the week “from some guy in a bar.” Obviously not a lot of provenance there.
With his permission, I held onto the bills to do a little research. After a couple of hours poking around various websites, I had an answer. It turns out that these were Upham bills. Genuine counterfeit Confederate currency.
They are worthless in terms of legal tender, of course. But that was never Mr. Upham's stated intent. He was looking to produce “mementos of the Rebellion.” And as such, they hold up rather nicely.
To collectors they actually have just a little more value than authentic Confederate currency.
http://bookflaps.blogspot.ie/2011/11/genuine-counterfeit-confederate.html
Looks like Counterfeiting was a problem for both sides during the war. Would be nice to see some of these guys getting caught.
"During the Civil War over 1,600 state banks were responsible for designing and printing their own currency, so eventually there were so many different varieties of currency floating around (approximately 7,000) that it was virtually impossible to tell a real from a fake. More than one-third of the currency in circulation at that time was phony. Finally in 1862 the U.S. Government had to establish a national currency to fix the counterfeit problem, but counterfeiters easily copied the new currency. The amount of fake currency circulating around the country at that time made it necessary for the government to establish the Secret Service in 1865, a division responsible for stopping the spread of forged money in the United States."
http://www.itestcash.com/history-of-counterfeiting.html
"Union citizens weren’t the only ones who used the new national currency. Confederate citizens sought the bills to to offset the increasingly devaluing confederate currency. Counterfeiters took advantage of this need by taking larger amounts of counterfeit bills into the South. Since few confederates were familiar with real bills, the counterfeits escaped close scrutiny. (Lynn Glaser, Counterfeiting in America: The History of an American Way to Wealth, Philadelphia: Clarkson N. Potter, 1960, pg. 103)
The fake bills were also being circulated in the north and by 1864, estimates are that half the bills in use were fake. With this much fake currency, the U.S. financial system was in danger of collapse."
http://suite101.com/article/civil-war-counterfeiting-a67515
"During the Civil War over 1,600 state banks were responsible for designing and printing their own currency, so eventually there were so many different varieties of currency floating around (approximately 7,000) that it was virtually impossible to tell a real from a fake. More than one-third of the currency in circulation at that time was phony. Finally in 1862 the U.S. Government had to establish a national currency to fix the counterfeit problem, but counterfeiters easily copied the new currency. The amount of fake currency circulating around the country at that time made it necessary for the government to establish the Secret Service in 1865, a division responsible for stopping the spread of forged money in the United States."
http://www.itestcash.com/history-of-counterfeiting.html
"Union citizens weren’t the only ones who used the new national currency. Confederate citizens sought the bills to to offset the increasingly devaluing confederate currency. Counterfeiters took advantage of this need by taking larger amounts of counterfeit bills into the South. Since few confederates were familiar with real bills, the counterfeits escaped close scrutiny. (Lynn Glaser, Counterfeiting in America: The History of an American Way to Wealth, Philadelphia: Clarkson N. Potter, 1960, pg. 103)
The fake bills were also being circulated in the north and by 1864, estimates are that half the bills in use were fake. With this much fake currency, the U.S. financial system was in danger of collapse."
http://suite101.com/article/civil-war-counterfeiting-a67515
Technically the POD is a earlier deployment of torpedos (sea mines to you and me) which results in the death of George B. McClellan aboard the USS Galena at the time of the Battle of Malvern Hill. It leads to the eventually appointment of Phil Kearny to command of the Army of the Potomac and a better prosecuted war in the east.
Its all there in Post No. 1: Mallory, Maury, Torpedoes and the death of Little Mac.
Two 1864 Election Questions:
1. With no McClellan who are the likely Democratic contenders given Lincoln is doing better in TTL than in OTL?
2. With Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Mississippi wholely under Union control as far as I can tell will anyone in these states be allowed to vote?
1. With no McClellan who are the likely Democratic contenders given Lincoln is doing better in TTL than in OTL?
2. With Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Mississippi wholely under Union control as far as I can tell will anyone in these states be allowed to vote?
The Democrats best bet is to go with a War Democrat. Andrew Johnson seems the most likely choice or perhaps Benjamin Butler.