* Fractured America *

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by Kelric

Well, there goes the national anthem.

Well.... not necessarily. Check out the next update:

PART VIII - THREE FROM ONE

EVENTS FOLLOWING CAPTURE OF U.S. PRESIDENT MADISON:

• December 26, 1813: The British attack on Baltimore is thwarted by the stalwart defenders of Fort McHenry, which survives a 20-hour bombardment by British ships without breaking. The battle is witnessed by poet Francis Scott Key who pens a poem entitled "The Defense of Fort McHenry" commemorating the final - and nearly only - U.S. victory of the War of 1812. For a nation suffering disaster upon disaster, McHenry will become a rallying point for recovery.
• January 3, 1814: The British Army returns to New York, bringing the captive President James Madison with them.
• January 7, 1814: Representatives of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York meeting in Hartford, Connecticut, agree to form a new nation, called the Republic of New England. Boston will serve as the capital and a constitution, greatly resembling that of the United States, will be ratified by the New England Congress on March 3. Among the signatories of the Republic charter are John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, Daniel Webster of New Hampshire and DeWitt Clinton of New York.
• January 16, 1814: News of the President's capture is received in London and in Ghent, Belgium the following day.
• January 20, 1814: The Treaty of Ghent is signed, ending the War of 1812. With the President captured, the British dictate a harsh peace:
  - The United States government must recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of New England.
  - Slavery must immediately be abolished in all states and territories under U.S. control (this article was pushed through by request of the New England states as part of their agreement to seperate from the United States).
  - The United States must relinquish all claims on the areas west of the current border of the state of Ohio, south to the Ohio River. This area, bordered on the north by Lake Superior, on the west by the Mississippi River and the south by the Ohio River, will be "returned to the original inhabitants" - in effect creating a Native American nation.
  - The United States relinquishes all territory of the Louisiana Purchase north of the River Platte, extending to the Pacific Ocean. This territory will be annexed to British North America.
  - The United States relinquishes all claim on the territory of Maine, which will be annexed to British North America.
• February 5, 1814: The Treaty of Ghent reaches Philadelphia, where Congress is meeting until Washington is rebuilt.
• February 8, 1814: After long and bitter debate, the Treaty is passed by U.S. Senate. Dispatches are sent to all armies in the field to immediately cease action against the British.
• March 3, 1814: Major General William Henry Harrison leads the U.S. Army of the Northwest to Presque Isle, which the British have abandoned.
• March 27, 1814: Major General Andrew Jackson defeats the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, ending the Creek War.

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Author's Note: I will be away on vacation for a week, so further updates may be sporadic - or non-existent - for the next seven days.

[canadiancreed]

So the reason for the alomost war of 1846 are now gone, and the Brits dont' gain all that much territory, sounds like msot of the noise is this new country and the Native Americans getting a large swath. Also one of the reasons behind the Civil War are gone, Texas may stay in Mexican hands....who knew that a war that many Americans figure isnt' a big deal coudl have large ramifications.

PS: Ya we won! Maine will look nice as part of New Brunswick in fifty years....if Canada does indeed form. The lack of defense was a large reason for the formation of Canada, but this time the defense against the "American agressors" was in force. Hmm...

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

So the reason for the alomost war of 1846 are now gone, and the Brits dont' gain all that much territory, sounds like msot of the noise is this new country and the Native Americans getting a large swath. Also one of the reasons behind the Civil War are gone, Texas may stay in Mexican hands....who knew that a war that many Americans figure isnt' a big deal coudl have large ramifications.

PS: Ya we won! Maine will look nice as part of New Brunswick in fifty years....if Canada does indeed form. The lack of defense was a large reason for the formation of Canada, but this time the defense against the "American agressors" was in force. Hmm...

Well, take a look at the map below. I'd say the Brits made out all right by taking all the territory north of the Platte. That's a whole lot of territory, and they'd have no real interest in taking land which would sandwich them between the Spanish and Americans.

The new Indian nation (more on that to come) is known by the Americans and British as Indiana, after the U.S. territory from which it was carved.

The map depicts the situation after the Treaty of Ghent. Maine is now a British territory as is all of the Louisiana Purchase north of the Platte River. Louisiana had been admitted to the Union in April of 1812. The Republic of New England comprises six states: New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

[Kelric]

I can't see Spain holding onto Florida with it all out there by itself. There weren't exactly many Spaniards in the western Americas above Mexico at this point, so who would they send to fight off the United States if they decide to head to Miami beach for the winter?

P.S. We didn't need Maine anyways. Go, New England.

[johnnybourbon]

...so there's no states formed out of the rest of the lousiana purchase in this alternate history yet?

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by johnnybourbon

...so there's no states formed out of the rest of the lousiana purchase in this alternate history yet?

Yep, as of 1814 in both this alt history and "real" history Louisiana was the only state carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. The next real state to enter (in 1816) wasn't from the Purchase either, it was Indiana. Obviously things will be different in this reality. In fact, in real life, there were four states admitted before a second state was carved from the Purchase (the 2nd state created out of the Purchase was Missouri, in 1820). As of 1812, when Louisiana entered the Union, the remaining territory of the Purchase was called the Missouri Territory.

I'll have a new installment in the story soon.

[legendsport]

PART I - The Sergeant Comes Home

PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND, JUNE 3, 1815 - Sergeant Nigel Barber stepped off the launch and onto the quay. He quickstepped across the planks, and mouthed a silent prayer as his boots stepped onto the solid ground of his native land. After spending nearly five years away, first in Spain and Portugal, then in North America, Nigel was glad to be home. Two members of his platoon followed him, carrying a chest between them.

"Set 'er down, boys," Nigel said. "I'm off to the Citadel, to muster out. You two keep an eye on the chest til I'm back and there'll be coin in it for you."

"Right you are, sergeant," said one of the pair. Nigel nodded and stomped off towards the Royal Citadel.

He returned an hour later to find the men sitting on the chest, watching the organized mayhem that was Plymouth Harbor. "I'm a regular citizen now, gents," Nigel said with a smile. He gave each man a coin - he had plenty, a lot of pay had built up while he'd been away.

The next morning saw Nigel Barber in Exeter, having hired a coachman to bring him home. He stepped down off the coach and the coachman assisted him in removing his chest. Nigel hefted the chest onto his shoulder - Nigel's strength had been famous in the regiment - and walked to the small house he called home.

He rapped on the door, trying to bury the smile that wanted to erupt on his face. After a beat or two, he raised his hand to knock again when the door swung open on a small, plain woman, wearing a harried look on her face. She barely looked at him as a loud bang sounded from behind her. She spun away and shouted into the interior, "If you lads have broken anything, I'll crack yer skulls!"

She turned back to him and the frown disappeared from her face as she recognized her husband. Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Hello, Moll," he said softly and set the trunk down to sweep her into his arms.

Nigel spied a boy of about eight come to a sliding stop five feet behind his mother. Nigel grinned, "Hello, Samuel, your da is home."

Samuel looked dubious - he had been a toddler when Nigel had shipped out to the Peninsula. His brother, Matthew - ten years old - appeared a moment later.

Nigel set his wife on her feet and stepped into his home. He embraced both boys, amazed at how they had grown and saddened at having missed so much of their childhoods. Then he remembered the chest and went to the door to retrieve it.

He tugged the chest to an open spot before the fireplace and knelt beside it, then swung the lid open.

"Gather round, lads," he said in the booming voice he had used on his squad. The boys approached, a bit warily, still shocked at the sudden reappearance of the father they barely remembered.

Nigel opened the chest and removed a brownish sphere and a rounded club.

"What are those, da?" asked Samuel.

Nigel smiled. "This is a base ball," he said, holding the brown sphere out to Samuel, who took it and weighed it in his small hand.

"And this..." Nigel handed the club to his older son, "is a bat with which to strike the ball."

His sons exchanged a look, then turned to their father, who smiled and asked, "It's a game I learned in America. Shall I teach you lads how to play?"

[legendsport]

PART II - Indiana

July 1, 1815 - FORT WAYNE, INDIAN NATION - Tecumseh, who had led the Shawnee warriors during the recent war against the United States, stepped into the room accompanied by his brother Tenskwatawa, known as "The Prophet." The simple fact that Tecumseh's wisdom in siding with the British, and the subsequent return of the lands of the Indiana and Northwest territories to their native inhabitants, had resulted in Tecumseh becoming the de facto ruler of what the British and Americans had dubbed "Indiana."

Tecumseh stood on a platform inside the fort with his brother beside him. Arrayed before them were several hundred chieftains from various tribes - some Shawnee, but many from other tribal nations such as the Illini, the Miami, the Ottawa, the Winebago, the Kickapoo and even some Chippewa from the far north of the new nation.

"My brothers!" Tecumseh shouted and grinned at the assemblage. "We are once again free, with our lands returned to us and the last of the American soldiers and settlers gone from this land."

He saw grins among the crowd, some raised their arms and whooped.

Tecumseh's face grew serious. "My brother the Prophet was correct in advising us to follow the path of war. But now, he has further words to say, to help us as we seek our way into the unseen future."

Tenskwatawa stepped forward and stood beside his brother. He raised his arms in greeting and said in a loud voice: "The time has come for us to put aside our tribal differences and form one great tribe."

There were scowls and murmurings in the crowd. Tecumseh began to glare, but his brother spoke again, softly, and those who were murmuring quieted down so that all could hear. "The white men, both British and American, see us as one nation. It matters not to them whether we be Shawnee, Miami or Illini, Kickapoo or Chippewa. To them we are all savages."

Now the scowls were deepening. Tenskwatawa continued, "Though the British have guaranteed our freedom, their soldiers will not stay to enforce it. It is upon us that this must fall. We must unite and form a powerful coalition. It is only through unity that the strength to prevent the Americans from taking our lands will be found."

Now the scowls had given way to thoughtful expressions as the assembled chiefs realized the truth of the words. All had witnessed the forced migration caused by the white men, going back generations. Tenskwatawa knew he had them.

"The spirits have shown me the way. We must form a council of tribes, with one great chief to oversee it, to ensure our common safety. I suggest we name my brother, the great Tecumseh as our first Great Chief."

A cacophony arose as the assembled chiefs all began speaking at the same time. Tecumseh himself raised his arms and shouted. "Brothers! Let us not rush to make this decision, let us sit in council and decide what our future path must be."

Both Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa knew what the outcome would be. The Shawnees were the most powerful tribal group and Tecumseh the most powerful chief. It was just a matter of time before he would be acknowledged as Great Chief and ruler of Indiana. And though it took three days of council, the result was just as they had foreseen.

[legendsport]

PART III - Growing Pains

RECAP OF NEW ENGLAND HISTORY 1814-1817

Things were confusing for the Republic of New England in the immediate afterglow of the Treaty of Ghent. The fledgling nation assumed control of all former United States property within its constituent states, including three of the original six frigates of the U.S. Navy. The USS Consitution, USS Congress and USS President (laid down in Boston, Portsmouth and New York respectively) kept their names but exchanged their USS for NES.

DeWitt Clinton of New York, who had lost the U.S. Presidential election of 1812 to James Madison, was elected as the first President of the R.N.E. defeating Massachusetts Governor Caleb Strong, who was named Vice President. Under the provisions of the New England Constitution which greatly resembled that of the U.S.A., Clinton's term would end on March 4, 1819, with the next Presidential election scheduled for the fall of 1818.

Clinton asked the retired former President John Adams to serve as Secretary of State, but the elderly Adams, at nearly 80 years of age, turned him down, recommending his son John Quincy Adams, a recommendation accepted by Clinton.

Quietly, the Clinton Administration extends overtures to the governors of both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, seeking to find out whether either (or both) would be willing to secede from the U.S. and join New England. Neither Governor responds favorably to these overtures.

The economy of the Republic thrives as renewed trade with Great Britain causes booming business for the textile mills.

The R.N.E. purchases ten frigates from the Royal Navy, fleshing out a large naval force to offset a perceived threat from the U.S. Navy.

New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins publicly calls for a referendum of voters in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as to whether those states should remain in the U.S. President Clinton sends a letter of apology to the U.S. government and publicly chides Tompkins.

Stung by Clinton's rebuke, Tompkins and like-minded politicians form a new party, calling themselves Republicans to distance themselves from both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republican party of the U.S.A.


RECAP OF UNITED STATES HISTORY 1814-1817

President James Madison is released from British custody and intends to resign as President. He is convinced to remain in office by Secretary of State James Monroe after both his Vice President (Elbridge Gerry) and the President pro tempore of the Senate resign their offices to return to their native Massachusetts.

Major General Andrew Jackson, almost the only U.S. commander to have been "successful" in the recent war, is honored with a gold medal by Congress. While accepting the award, the outspoken Jackson voices his opinion that the U.S.A. must seek to expel the Spanish from Florida.

When it is discovered that the R.N.E. approached both the governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania about secession from the U.S.A., several "War Hawk" members of Congress urge President Madison to declare war. Madison, citing the disastrous results of the war with Great Britain, refuses to consider war, instead making an official protest to President Clinton of the R.N.E.

Seminole Indians, based in Spanish Florida, repeatedly raid settlements in Georgia. Many Southern leaders, including Andrew Jackson, begin to voice the opinion that military action may be needed.

With the Federalist Party in ruins, a Democratic-Republican victory in the 1816 Presidential Election seems assured. The Federalist Party, severely weakened by the loss of the party's core in New England, nominates James Eager Howard of Maryland. He is thoroughly trounced by the Democratic-Republican nominee, James Monroe of Virginia, who is sworn in as the fifth President of the United States on March 4, 1817.

A much relieved James Madison tells Monroe, "I wish you luck, sir. I am happy and well to be out of it." Madison retires to his home plantation of Montpelier, near to his friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson. 65 years of age at the end of his presidency Madison would suffer from physical and mental problems in the remaining years of his life, grow increasingly ignored by the political body of his country and would be remembered more for losing the War of 1812 and being captured by the British than for the years of service he had rendered including his role as a primary author of the U.S. Constitution.

One of President Monroe's first acts is to inform the Republic of New England that any further attempts to "prise away any state which is a member of the Union will be construed as an act of war upon the United States."

Proving his willingness to exercise the power of the United States, Monroe authorizes John C. Calhoun, serving as Secretary of War, to deal with the Seminole problem. Calhoun's solution is to authorize Andrew Jackson to raise and lead an army into Spanish Florida to end the Seminole threat.


RECAP OF INDIANA HISTORY 1814-1817

Great Chief Tecumseh institutes a standing council of all tribes with the borders of Indiana, a rough approximation of a Congress.

The following years are quiet for Indiana as Tecumseh attempts to blend the management and governing style he learned from the British with traditional Native American values and practices. His efforts will later be seen as the foundation upon which a successful native nation was built.


RECAP OF CANADIAN HISTORY 1814-1817

The Canadian Assembly proposes that they Canada allowed representation in London. The Council objects and the Home Government affirms that the Colonial Governor is the sole medium of communication between the colony and the British government.

The first waves of Irish and Scotch immigrants to Canada begins to arrive in 1815.

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, returns to Britain and recommends to Parliament that a standing force of no less than 25,000 troops be stationed in Canada as a deterrent to "American adventurism."

As the North West Company and Hudson Bay Company battle for fur trading monopoly in Western Canada, 21 members of the Hudson Bay Company are killed in a battle with native supporters of the North West Company near present-day Winnipeg.


RECAP OF SPANISH AMERICA HISTORY 1810-17

In September of 1810 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla a Roman Catholic priest in New Spain (Mexico) urges an uprising to throw off the rule of Spain, launching a decade-long struggle for independence.

Costilla and his supporters attempted to flee to the United States after losing a battle to Spanish forces in early 1811, but were captured and the priest was killed, his body mutilated.

The leadership of the revolutionary army was assumed by José María Morelos following the death of Hidalgo y Costilla. The insurgents captured the cities of Oaxaca and Acapulco. In 1813, the Congress of Chilpancingo was convened and in November 6 of that year, the Congress signed the first official document of independence, known as the "Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America. It was followed by a long period of war at the Siege of Cuautla. In 1815, Morelos was captured by Spanish colonial authorities and executed for treason in San Cristóbal Ecatepec on December 22.

American settlers had been gradually trickling into Texas, ownership of which was under dispute. Thomas Jefferson had believed that it was part of the Louisiana Purchase, but Spain considered it part of New Spain and it was occupied by Spanish troops. In 1813 Americans joined with Indians to form the Republican Army of the North, overthrew and executed the Spanish governor, setting off several years of brutal reprisals by the Spanish.

Samuel Kemper, who had led the American forces in Texas, leaves after witnessing the execution of the Spanish governor. He returns to Louisiana and later visits Andrew Jackson in the Mississippi Territory where he reports on the situation in Texas.

Spanish authorities in Florida offer generous land packages to settlers, which attracts not only Spanish colonists, but also settlers from the United States.

Settlers begin encroaching on Seminole lands and the tribes respond by raiding settlements, some of them across the border in Georgia. As the attacks continue, sentiment in the U.S. Congress grows for armed response, culminating in the commission of Andrew Jackson as major general to lead U.S. Army forces into Florida.

[legendsport]

PART IV - Jackson Heads South

MARCH 12, 1818, FORT SCOTT, GEORGIA - Major General Andrew Jackson was in a foul mood. He stomped across the parade ground towards his office, his orderly in his wake waving papers.

"Sir, you must sign this order so it can be sent to the War Department!" the orderly cried as he tried to keep up with the general. Jackson pointedly ignored the man and entered his office.

Jackson was angry because his army had been due to leave the fort a week earlier, but the men hadn't been ready. The orders to cross into Spanish territory had arrived from Washington in late February. Jackson was impatient; he had little use for what he considered "dawdling" and his army - a mixed bag that included 800 U.S. Army regulars, 1,000 Tennessee volunteers, 1,400 Georgia volunteers and around 1,400 friendly Creek warriors - was having trouble coming together as a cohesive force.

"Mister Stinson! You will cease and desist!" Jackson shouted as the orderly followed him into the office. "I shall sign the damned paper when I am good and ready!" He snatched the page from the shaken orderly's hand and stomped to his desk. With a contemptuous look, he inked his pen, signed and almost threw the sheet at the orderly. "Out!" he barked.

Stinson had been gone just a moment when Colonel Edmund Gaines entered Jackson's office.

"General, the men will be ready to leave at dawn."

Jackson grinned. "Well done Edmund!"

Gaines smiled in return. "It was not easy. Those damned Creeks are a nuisance. And getting the regulars to work with the militia, well..."

Jackson frowned again. "They'll work together or I'll have 'em all horse whipped!" he snapped.

Gaines raised a hand to calm the general. "They'll be fine. We'll show those damned Seminoles and their Spaniard backers what's what."

Jackson rose and slapped Gaines on the shoulder. "By the Eternal, that's the spirit, Edmund!"

And Gaines was as good as his word. The next morning, Jackson's army left Fort Scott and marched down the Apalachicola River. The established a fort, which Jackson named Gadsden as a forward base. Crossing into Spanish territory, Jackson's army burned the Indian town of Tallahassee on March 31 and captured another town, Miccosukee, the following day. In the process, 300 Indian homes were destroyed. Jackson turned south and reached St. Mark's on April 6 and immediately seized the Spanish fort there.

In St. Marks found Alexander George Arbuthnot, a Scottish trader working out of the Bahamas. He traded with the Indians in Florida and had written letters to British and American officials on behalf of the Indians. He was known to be selling guns to the Indians and to be preparing them for war. Two Indian leaders, Josiah Francis, a Red Stick Creek, and Homathlemico, a Seminole, had been captured when they had gone out to an American ship flying the British Union Flag that had anchored off of St. Marks as a decoy. As soon as Jackson arrived at St. Marks, the two Indians were brought ashore and hanged. Arbuthnot was put in custody.

Jackson left St. Marks to attack villages along the Suwannee River, which were occupied primarily by former slaves released as a result of the Treaty of Ghent. On April 12, the army found a Red Stick village on Econfina River. Close to 40 Red Sticks were killed, and about 100 women and children were captured. Around this time, Robert Ambrister, a former Royal Marine and self-appointed British "agent", was captured by Jackson's army. Having destroyed the major Seminole and black villages, Jackson declared victory and sent the Georgia Militia and the Lower Creeks home. Jackson and the remaining army then returned to St. Marks.

At St. Marks a military tribunal was convened, and Ambrister and Arbuthnot were charged with aiding the Seminoles, inciting them to war and leading them against the United States. Ambrister threw himself on the mercy of the court, while Arbuthnot maintained his innocence, saying that he had only been engaged in legal trade. The tribunal sentenced both men to death but then relented and changed Ambrister's sentence to fifty lashes and a year at hard labor. Jackson, however, reinstated Ambrister's death penalty. Ambrister was executed by a firing squad on April 29, 1818. Arbuthnot was hanged from the yardarm of his own ship.

Jackson left a garrison at St. Marks and returned to Ft. Gadsden. Jackson had first reported that all was peaceful and that he would be returning to Nashville, Tennessee. He later reported that Indians were gathering and being supplied by the Spanish, and he left Fort Gadsden with 1,000 men on May 7, headed for Pensacola. The governor of West Florida protested that most of the Indians at Pensacola were women and children and that the men were unarmed, but Jackson did not stop. When Jackson reached Pensacola on May 23, the governor and the 175-man Spanish garrison retreated to Fort Barrancas, leaving the city of Pensacola to Jackson. The two sides exchanged cannon fire for a couple of days, and then the Spanish surrendered Fort Barrancas on May 28. Jackson left Col. William King as military governor of West Florida and went home.

The aftermath of Jackson's actions nearly caused another war. The British were angered that two of their citizens had been seized by Jackson - on Spanish soil - and executed. The Spanish were angered that the Americans had invaded Florida. In London, the Duke of Wellington opined that it would be better for cooler heads to prevail as another war would not benefit the British nation (rightly noting that after decades of war with the French and then the Americans, the British people wanted a period of peace). The Spanish protested to the U.S. government, which responded by apologizing - and then offering to purchase Florida.

In December of 1818, the Spanish government agreed to sell both Western and Eastern Florida to the United States for $10 million.

[legendsport]

PART V - The Panic

THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, DC, AUGUST 22, 1819: President James Monroe was facing the first grave crisis of his administration. The economy, which had boomed during the War of 1812, had crashed dramatically in the fall of 1818. The U.S. Government, heavily in debt to the banks as a result of paying for the war, suspended specie repayments. In addition, the end of the war in Europe meant the end of heavy European import of American foodstuffs as the farms of Europe began to produce their own foods again. Unemployment was rampant, with an unbelievable 75 percent of people in the city of Philadelphia unable to find employment.

Making matters worse, the economy of the Republic of New England was doing just fine. The combination of high unemployment and bank failures in border states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were leading some in those states to openly suggest that the time had come to follow neighboring New York by seceding and joining the R.N.E.

Monroe had called a meeting of his top cabinet members, including Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford and Secretary of State Henry Clay. He also - against Clay's recommendation - asked the Ambassador from New England, Nathan Sanford, to attend.

"Gentlemen, I've asked you here for two purposes. First, to find a way to halt the financial panic that is gripping this nation, and second," he looked at
Sanford, "To make plain our stance on the rumors coming out of New Jersey and Pennsylvania that those states are considering secession."

Clay frowned. "With all due respect, sir, I don't believe that Mr. Sanford should be a party to an official meeting of officers of the United States
government."

Monroe waved his hand impatiently. "We've been over this, Henry. Mr. Sanford is an American as are we all. And despite bluster to the contrary coming from
both Boston and Washington City, the economies of both our nation and our cousins to the North are inextricably dependent upon each other."

Sanford nodded. "I agree, Mr. President."

Clay glared, but said nothing further.

Crawford spoke up: "Mr. President, if I may, I think that our New England cousins may be able to help us recover from our economic difficulties."

Sanford turned his attention to Crawford. "I can assure you that we of New England would like nothing better than to see the United States economy right itself."

Crawford inclined his head in thanks. "Good. I believe the first step would be to remove the tariff your government has put in place." And after a short,
meaningful pause, he added: "And put one in place on British trade."

Sanford coughed. "Sir, I can assure you that we will not change our trade policy with the British. To do so would result in the government of New England being overthrown by the mercantile class."

Monroe sighed. "I would hope that our difficulties could be lessened without involving Great Britain." The relations between the U.S. and Britain had
improved in the past two years and Monroe was reluctant to even suggest anything that would jeopardize those improvements.

"I see no way to improve the economy without protecting U.S. exports to both Britain and New England," Crawford replied.

The discussion settled into deep conversation on specifics of trade between the U.S., New England and Britain. But after nearly forty minutes, nothing had
been decided.

"Gentlemen, let's move on to the question of Pennsylvania and New Jersey," Monroe said, exasperated at the lack of progress on the first issue.

"Sir, I can assure you that the Government of New England has had no intercourse with any representative - official or otherwise - of either New Jersey or Pennsylvania regarding those two states possibly joining our confederation."

Monroe nodded. "I expected as much, Mr. Sanford. What I would like to ask, therefore is that the New England government make overtures to those states."

Sanford was surprised. "Sir? I would think that's the last thing you should want."

Monroe smiled, but it was rather humorless. "I do indeed wish an official statement from New England. However, I want that statement to enforce the fact that New England would not accept Pennsylvania and New Jersey into your confederation."

Now Sanford understoood. "I would have to check with my superiors in Boston, but I do not believe they would be willing to make such a statement."

Clay stepped in: "You must stress to your government that if they fail to discourage this talk of secession, it will be viewed here as tacit approval or even an invitation to join your nation."

Angrily, Sanford snapped back: "It is not the responsibility of the Republic of New England to hold the United States together!"

Clay was about to reply when Monroe raised his hand. "Gentlemen, please! I did not mean to suggest, Mr. Sanford, that New England should be considered
responsible for holding these states in the Union. However, I would think that an official statement clarifying the Republic's position, would be appreciated."

Sanford took a deep breath. "Sir, I can tell you that my government is not actively pursuing the secession of any state currently in the United States. But I also can say that my government will not make a statement encouraging any state to remain in the Union should that state seek its own path - whether that be to join the Republic of New England, or to create a new nation of its own."

Clay's voice was cold as he responded. "You may assure your government, Mr. Sanford, that the United States will use force of arms to keep New Jersey and
Pennsylvania in the Union. And should New England interfere, we will bring that force of arms to bear on your newborn Republic."

[legendsport]

PART VI - Events of 1819-1824

1819

• February 22, 1819 - The United States officially takes over the territory of Florida from the Spanish government.
• March 3, 1819 - Mississippi is admitted to the Union, bringing the total to states to 14. Congress passes a resolution holding the number of stripes on the U.S. Flag at 13 to commemorate the "thirteen states which held true to the dream of the Founding Fathers" - a swipe at the New England states which had seceded.
• March 4, 1819 - Federalist DeWitt Clinton in inaugurated for his second term as New England President, having defeated Republican Daniel Tompkins in the November 1818 election.
• May 22, 1819 - The American steamship Savannah, under part steam and sail-power, crosses the Atlantic Ocean from Savannah, Georgia to Liverpool, England, arriving 29 days later on June 20.
• July 4, 1819 - The United States Military Academy is established at Lexington, Virginia to replace the former Academy at West Point, New York, which became the New England Military Academy upon the secession of New York in 1815.
• November 4, 1819 - Public referendums on secession in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey narrowly decide in favor of both states' remaining in the United States. President Monroe calls this a "great day for American democracy."
• December 14, 1819 - Alabama is admitted to the United States as the fifteenth state.
• The United States slowly recovers from the Panic of 1819. Later historians will place the blame of several factors, including the heavy amount of borrowing by the government to finance the War of 1812, as well as the tightening of credit by the Second Bank of the U.S. in response to risky lending practices by wildcat banks in the west.

1820

• January 29, 1820 - George III king of Great-Britain (reigned 1760-1820), dies at 81. He is succeeded by his son the Prince Regent who rules as George IV.
• February 6, 1820 - Free African American colonists, eighty-six in number, plus three American Colonization society members, leave the United States from Philadelphia, and sail to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
• February 23, 1820 - A plot to murder the British cabinet, "The Cato Street Conspiracy" is exposed.
• April 1820 - A pamphlet in Boston titled "Why the African is Still A Slave" is published. The pamphlet claims that although slavery was prohibited in the United States by the Treaty of Ghent, that five years later, the condition of former slaves has not changed. "His legal status is that of a free man, yet the former slave has no rights fundamental to the free man. He may not own land, he may not vote and he is forced to labor at abominable wages at the very toil from which he has been supposedly freed." The pamphlet is dismissed by many in the U.S. as "Yankee propaganda."
• May 1, 1820 - The last hanging, drawing and quartering in England takes place for the final Cato Street conspirator.
• June 1, 1820 - General George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie takes over as Governor General of British North America. Ramsay, a protege of the Duke of Wellington who served under Wellesley in both the Peninsular and American campaigns, believed the colonial government might accelerate development by constructing roads that would open up the massive colony to settlement, commerce, and the readier exchange of information as well as possibly serve a military purpose.
• September 28, 1820 - To prove that a tomato is not poisonous, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson eats one in public in Salem, Massachusetts.
• November 17, 1820 - Nathaniel B. Palmer, 21-year-old captain of the sealing sloop Hero sailing out of Stonington, Connecticut, is the first man to set foot on the continent of Antarctica (and just the third to have sighted land south of Cape Horn).
• November 1820 - The election of James Monroe to a second term in office comes with a landslide victory in the Electoral College with Monroe defeating Federalist candidate Richard Stockton by a tally of 165 to 8 (with Stockton winning only his home state of New Jersey).
• As a result of a recession in Europe following the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars, an unemployed 25-year-old named William Lyon Mackenzie emigrates from Scotland to Canada, where he will play a vital role in the coming years.
• The Cherokee Nation is founded, with an elected government, among re-settled tribes in the Arkansas Territory. John Ross, a young man who had been instrumental in earlier tribe negotiations with General Andrew Jackson and the U.S. Government, is chosen as the head of the National Council.

1821

• January 16, 1821 - The Tories under Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool win the British general election which had begun in 1820.
• January 17, 1821 - James Austin and 300 settlers from the U.S. are granted permission to settle in Texas by the revolutionary Mexican government.
• February 23, 1821 - The first pharmacy college is founded in the Philadelphia College of Apothecaries. Also this same year, the first women's college in America, Troy Female Seminary, is founded by Emma Willard in Troy, New York.
• February 24, 1821 - Mexico is granted independence by Spain.
• May 5, 1821 - Napoleon Bonaparte dies in Russian captivity in St. Petersburg.
• July 1821 - The Hudson's Bay Company merges with arch rivals, the Montreal-based North West Company, creating unemployment for a substantial proportion of their Métis workforce.
• July 19, 1821 - George IV is crowned king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; His estranged wife Caroline of Brunswick is excluded from the coronation.
• August 4, 1821 - The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper by Atkinson and Alexander.
• September 27, 1821 - The Empire of Mexico is declared as revolutionaries enter Mexico City which has been abandoned by Spanish troops.
• November 16, 1821 - The first legal international trade on the Santa Fe Trail began after William Becknell, a Missouri trader, met with Governor Melgares one day earlier. The huge profit earned convinced Becknell that he should return over the trail route the following year.

1822

• January 5, 1822 - The Empire of Mexico annexes Central America.
• January 7, 1822 - The first group of freed American slaves settle a colony known as the Republic of Liberia when they arrive on African soil at Providence Island. The capital, Wellesley, is named after British General Sir Arthur Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington) whose victory in the War of 1812 led to the abolition of slavery in the U.S.
• February 13, 1822 - Advertisements for Ashley's Hundred, organized by General William H. Ashley and Major Andrew Henry, to ascend the Missouri River on a fur trading mission, appear in Missouri newspapers. The men who would answer the call to employ included Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger and Kit Carson. Over the next decade, these expeditions would leave St. Louis at irregular intervals, and cause international tensions between the U.S. and Great Britain as the expeditions would frequently pass on territory ceded to Britain in the Treaty of Ghent.
• February 23, 1822 - Boston is incorporated as a city and officially named as the capital of the Republic of New England.
• March 30, 1822 - The U.S. Congress combines East and West Florida into the Florida Territory.
• July 1822 - A law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to Indians is passed, causing a disruption in the fur trade pattern that relied on the Indians to trap and hunt for the furs, in exchange for alcohol and other goods.
• July 8, 1822 - Chippewas turn over huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom.
• July 25, 1822 - General Agustín de Iturbide crowned Agustín I, first emperor of México.
• August 1822 - A proposed Act of Union in the British Parliament which would classify French-Canadians as a minority without language rights fails to pass after stringent protests by French-Canadian leaders who travel to London to plead their case.
• October 1822 - U.S. Secretary of War John C. Calhoun requests that the Cherokee relinquish their land claimed by Georgia, in fulfillment of the United State's obligation under the Compact of 1802. Before responding to Calhoun's proposition, Ross first ascertained the sentiment of the Cherokee people, which he found to be unanimously opposed to cession of land.
• November 1822 - According to British tradition, Rugby School student William Webb Ellis invents rugby when he picks up the ball and runs with it.
• November 5, 1822 - Daniel Tompkins is elected President of the Republic of New England, narrowly defeating Federalist John Quincy Adams. Connecticut Governor Oliver Wolcott, Jr., who had served President George Washington as the Secretary of Treasury, is elected Vice-President.
• December 12, 1822 - Mexico is officially recognized by the United States government. The Republic of New England follows suit on December 19th.

1823

• January 17, 1823 - President Monroe appoints the first U.S. ambassadors to the newly free South American nations (Brazil and the united formerly Spanish colonies known as Gran Colombia - which would later split into several independent nations).
• March 4, 1823 - Daniel D. Tompkins is sworn in as the 2nd President of the Republic of New England.
• May 10, 1823 - Louis-Joseph Papineau and John Neilson are in London to present a petition of 60,000 signatures against favouring Union of the colonies of British North America into one entity.
• July 1, 1823 - United Provinces of Central America gain independence from Mexico.
• December 2, 1823 - In a speech before Congress, James Monroe announces the Monroe Doctrine, stating the policy that European intervention anyplace is the Americas is opposed and that he would establish American neutrality in future European wars.

1824

• January 1824 - John Ross travels yet again to Washington to defend the Cherokees' possession of their land, where John C. Calhoun offered two solutions to the Cherokee delegation: either relinquish title to their lands and remove west or accept denationalization and become citizens of the United States.
• March 11, 1824 - The Bureau of Indian Affairs is established by the United States War Department. They appoint Ely Parker, a Seneca tribe member, as its first director. This department is meant to regulate trade with Indian tribes.
• April 24, 1824 - John Ross petitions the U.S. Congress to intercede in the growing divide between the War Department and the Cherokee. This is a marked departure from previous Indian relations with the U.S. Government which had usually been submissive. Henry Clay derides the motion, ascribing it to "an elevated sense of self-importance following the forced formation of Indiana."
• May 3, 1824 - In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the first strike by female workers, occurs at a textile factory.
• June 10, 1824 - Representatives of the Government of Indiana, including the Great Chief Tecumseh himself, visit Washington D.C. where they meet with John Ross and other Cherokee leaders. Against the advice of such Shawnee leaders as Black Hoof and Little Turtle, Tecumseh offers the Cherokee land in Indiana. "We must stand together, for seperately we will each be washed away as pebbles against the stream of white men pouring ever westward," the Shawnee leader states.
• October 4, 1824 - Mexico becomes a republic.
• November 1824 - William Lyon Mackenzie establishes the Colonial Advocate, and the newspaper will begin his rise as a political power in Upper Canada.
• November 2, 1824 - The U.S. Presidential election results in no candidate receiving a majority of the Electoral College vote. With the Federalist Party having dissolved, the contest was between several Democratic-Republicans of differing factions. Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Creek War is a favorite of the Southwestern members of the party; Richard Stockton is favored by the Northern-most segment; Henry Clay is favored by the middle South and William Crawford by the Southeast.
• November 30, 1824 - The construction of the Welland Canal across the Niagara Peninsula begins. The canal's purpose is allow Montreal to continue to compete with New York City for shipping. New York's cause had been drastically improved by the construction of the Erie Canal which connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River.
• December 1, 1824 - The U.S. House of Representatives begins deliberations to determine the next U.S. President. Eventually, Andrew Jackson is named the winner, even though Richard Stockton had actually received a higher number of Electoral College votes, 79, than Jackson, 64. It was not a majority due to votes for Henry Clay, 27, and William Crawford, 31. In the first election with popular vote totals, Jackson garnered less votes there as well, with 105,321 to 155,872 to Stockton. This election would have dire consequences which would begin to be seen in the early months of 1825, even before Jackson took office.

[stnylan]

This is an excellent alternate history thus far. I thought the scene with Wellesley enquiring after the game 'a bit like rounders or cricket' was a nice touch. I wonder if we will have any other allusions to baseball before it officials kicks off, so to speak.

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by stnylan

This is an excellent alternate history thus far. I thought the scene with Wellesley enquiring after the game 'a bit like rounders or cricket' was a nice touch. I wonder if we will have any other allusions to baseball before it officials kicks off, so to speak.

Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. I had a second "baseball" segment when the Sergeant from the Cooperstown segment returns home to England.

I'm working on the next installment. Been trying to figure everything out before moving forward because I need to lay roots for several storylines.

Stay tuned! More to come...

[legendsport]

PART VII - The Hurra Boys

NEW ENGLAND EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 4, 1825: John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State for the Republic of New England, was back in Washington City for the first time in several years. The occasion was the inauguration of Andrew Jackson as the sixth President of the United States.

Adams didn't know Jackson personally, but had gotten an earful from the people he'd spoken to since arriving in the capital several days earlier. Adams had never seen Washington so.... out of sorts. The small population of genteel folks who called Washington City home were aghast at the sea of westerners who had flooded to the capital to witness the inauguration of "their" first President.

Dubbed the "Hurra Boys" for their impromptu - and frequent - outbursts of cheering for Old Hickory (whether the old boy was on hand or not), they shocked and appalled the old line gentry who normally frequented the quadrennial installation of the nation's top magistrate.

Adams had met a writer from Pennsylvania who described the Hurra Boys thusly: "They love whiskey, tobacco, guns, fast horses, fast women, Jesus and Andy Jackson. And not necessarily in that order."

Several hours later, as Jackson took the oath of office as President, Adams watched the crowd as they openly drank from bottles of whiskey and gazed lovingly - if slightly blearily - upon their hero. To Adams, it was some sort of minor miracle that Jackson, whose activities in the Seminole War were, at best quasi-legal, had somehow managed to earn the presidency.

"There'll be trouble due to this, mark my words," New England President Daniel Tompkins had warned Adams when dispatching the latter to Washington.

Jackson made no secret of his animosity towards the New England "traitors." And his victory in a Presidential election in which he had neither a popular nor electoral majority, left both New Jersey and Pennsylvania bitter. The man Jackson had "defeated" was from New Jersey and extremely popular in those two states. Already stories were coming out of both that secession talk was beginning to swirl once again.

True to form, Jackson attacked both issues during his inaugural address: "My fellow countrymen, we have endured some measure of uneasy years in the past decade. We suffered an ignominous defeat at the hands of the British. A defeat not caused by any lacking of resolve or ability, but rather a defeat caused by traitors within our own camp." Adams shivered as Jackson paused and glanced his way.

The new President continued, "Those traitors left our glorious Union to form their own confederation, founded on the misguided principles of the Federalist party. But let there be no mistake: the traitorous actions of those states will never be forgotten, and though we may co-exist, there will never again be trust between us."

Some of the Hurra Boys let out a wild whoop, which quickly devolved into raucous cheering. Jackson glared at them until the cheering subsided then continued: "Now there are rumors that Pennsylvania and New Jersey may seek to leave the Union and follow in the footsteps of those aforementioned traitors. Let me say here and now... that will NOT BE TOLERATED!!"

Adams was shocked at the sudden anger. Jackson's entire face was red and the veins were standing out in his neck. Adams discomfort only grew as Jackson went on at length on the measures he would employ - including of course, armed force - to keep the two northernmost states in the Union. And he made it clear that if those states sought to enter the Republic of New England, the U.S. would declare war on New England.

Worst of all, the "Hurra Boys" roared their approval, punctuating their cheers with a few gunshots into the air.

Adams decided to skip the inaugural ball. He needed to report to President Tompkins as soon as possible.

[dfredc]

I'm impatiently waiting for more...

[smartman]

As someone who has every single Harry Turtledove Alt. History book, plus more on topic the Eric Flint 1812 book, this is a wonderful read. I just hope you don't realize you should write an alt. history book/series so you'd get paid for this and stop. And where is Sam Houston????? Please include him somehow since Jackson did like him a lot. Also, I'll give you some tips later on on how to stop Calhoun's ghost from haunting you. Step 1--STOP CALLING HIM A LACKEY!!!!! He was one of the most important congressmen of the first half of the 19th century. *Sorry, my History major side is coming out*

Keep up the great writing.

[legendsport]

Originally Posted by smartman

As someone who has every single Harry Turtledove Alt. History book, plus more on topic the Eric Flint 1812 book, this is a wonderful read. I just hope you don't realize you should write an alt. history book/series so you'd get paid for this and stop. And where is Sam Houston????? Please include him somehow since Jackson did like him a lot. Also, I'll give you some tips later on on how to stop Calhoun's ghost from haunting you. Step 1--STOP CALLING HIM A LACKEY!!!!! He was one of the most important congressmen of the first half of the 19th century. *Sorry, my History major side is coming out*

Keep up the great writing.

I don't think I ever called Calhoun a "lackey." I certainly wouldn't have done so purposefully. Compatriot & crony, I think was how I described him, which I think is accurate as far as his early relationship with Clay goes and neither of those descriptions would equate to lackey.. That relationship drastically changed down the road as I'm sure you know.

I've got plans for Sam Houston, Moses Austin and others. Texas will be making an appearance at some point in the near future. Joseph Smith, Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, P.T. Barnum and a bunch of others will be showing up too.

In fact, that's what's been holding this up. The period of American history after 1812 was very dynamic (and little understood by the average person today) with everything that went on with the expansion of the U.S. across the continent. With several storylines upcoming, I want to be very careful about how I move forward, so that everything meshes into the whole.

[Kelric]

No updates to the only dynasty I'm following at the moment.

Sigh...

[legendsport]

Part I - Stoking The Fire

THE EXECUTIVE MANSION, BOSTON, MA, APRIL 30, 1825: "They're all mad!" sputtered New England President Daniel Tompkins to his Secretary of State.

John Quincy Adams shook his head ruefully. "I'm not sure they're mad, but they do seem to be seeking war."

"That makes them mad, in my opinion," replied Tompkins.

Since the March 4 inauguration of Andrew Jackson, relations between the United States and New England had declined at a rapid - and for sensible men, alarming - rate. A story had recently reached Boston from "friends" of the Republic in Washington:

Jackson's dire "warnings" had been joined by calls from Senators John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, Madison's former "War Hawks" for a restoration of American honor. Calhoun had risen in the U.S. Senate and proceeded to blame the British Empire for recent Indian raids into Ohio and Kentucky. He finished by declaiming that the "British Empire's lackeys in North America, those traitors who call themselves the Republic of New England," have not only supplied weapons to Tecumseh's unfriendly natives, but have also spurred the recent secessionist movements in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Senator William Marks of Pennsylvania rose from his seat. "That is an insult to the state of Pennsylvania, sir!" he shouted, glaring at Calhoun.

"Do you deny that there have been discussions in Harrisburg? Discussions relating to the removal of Pennsylvania from the Union?" Calhoun shot back.

Marks, who knew that there had indeed been meetings, reddened and replied in a somewhat less stentorian voice, "Those meetings resulted in a resolution by the legislature to remain in the Union."

Calhoun's face twisted in a grimace. "Indeed," he said frostily. "However such a meeting should never have occurred in the first place... and I submit that without agents of New England whispering in the ears of weak-minded Pennsylvanians, such would not have taken place."

Marks sat down, but continued to glare at Calhoun.

Calhoun proceeded to make a motion: that the United States raise a volunteer army, to have Winfield Scott at its head. This army would be ready to deal with either the Indian incursions, British adventurism, or should it prove necessary, "New England's perfidy." He concluded that he had spoken to President Jackson and Old Hickory endorsed this course of action. "It shall restore the honor of our nation, an honor besmirched when New England's traitorous actions caused our defeat at the hands of the British."

"If they raise their army, that is a direct threat to our Republic," said Tompkins.

"That's not the end of it, sir," Adams said. "I have also received word that several Senators are planning on making a motion to have slavery reinstituted in the United States."

Tompkins shook his head. "The British won't like that." A beat later he added, "I don't like it either and neither will many people here in New England."

Adams cleared his throat. "Sir, I have a suggestion. It won't be popular, but it may serve as a deterrent to our cousins in Washington."

Tompkins took a deep breath. He trusted Adams' judgment. "I'd like to hear it," he said quietly.

"The British, sir. We must, as soon as practical, approach the British about an alliance."

Tompkins' eyes widened. "You jest! No one knows better than you that although we are tied by bonds of common ancestry and, probably more importantly, commerce, that our people wish to remain free and unencumbered by ties to foreign nations."

The corners of Adams mouth rose slightly, whether in grin or grimace, Tompkins was not sure, but the diplomat replied, "Quite true. But ours is a small and fragile nation. Should the United States invade, we will be overcome. Better freedom and attachment to Britain than to be conquered and forced back into the United States."

Tompkins sighed. "Very well. I will speak to a few of my friends in the Senate. We will need their approval of any treaty. In the meantime, you may approach Sir William and begin preliminary discussions. Bear in mind, I wish to see as, err, light an alliance as possible."

Adams nodded and rose. "With your leave," he said, bowing slightly, and left the room.

When he was alone Tompkins stood at the window and looked out over the Boston Common. "This will either save the Republic or see me impeached," he said quietly.