Wrapped in Flames: The Great American War and Beyond
- Thread starter EnglishCanuck
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Oh I absolutely will! Of that you need have no fear!
And well... I can say that this particular instance is not going to spiral into war.
Those are all pretty apt comparisons! Canada of WiF is going to be a very different place, as we will see, despite John A. Macdonald desperately trying to stuff the genie of militarism back in the bottle. Unfortunately for him, the 1860s are going to be very defined by the need for Canada to have a robust volunteer military apparatus which he must continue to contend with. That means that men seeking military appointment (unlike OTL) will command political and social respect in a way that was unusual to Canada in this time period. He has some tricks up his sleeve for trying to dilute that as we'll see...
As for low population density, check! Agrarian with some industry, mostly check. Canada fell almost too neatly into the 10% of the population urbanized and 90% rural/semi-rural supporting agriculture in this time period. Most of that agriculture is in Canada West, while they gaze longingly at the plains they want to settle. That will play a part in the militarism too.
And oh boy are they at risk of great power games!
Oh most certainly not. US-UK relations will be quite frosty for a while thanks to all this.
There's going to be something that the US will decry as an atrocity, but overall the two sides are working to extricate themselves from a sticky situation. Britain will have her pound of flesh, but in a way that makes things interesting on another side of the world!
Happy Victoria Day to all my Canadian readers! May you be enjoying a nice and quiet day off!
Chapter 137: Baltimore Blues
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Chapter 137: Baltimore Blues
“The collusion of members of the United States Army in offering material help to the Fenians was not difficult to foresee. Men in the army had tried to alert Washington about the ties between Fenians and officers hostile to Britain, but it was seen as a minor problem or brushed aside. British agents had reported to their superiors, who had then reported covertly to the United States, that there was pipeline of weapons to the Fenian cause. This too was ignored. Despite the efforts of well meaning officers, all efforts to stop any work by the Fenians to infiltrate or profit from the army were ignored.
This was because the Secretary of War wished it so. Benjamin Butler earnestly believed that a ‘plan of action’ was needed to keep the substantial Irish vote on side. He was also Anglophobic by nature, which made supporting an Irish attack on the British an added bonus in his eyes. While historians have never found a ‘smoking gun’ showing Butler had ordered the support of the Fenians, but as his contemporaries discovered, an unusual volume of evidence showed many of his decisions in the lead up to the Crisis of 1867 to be more than a coincidence.
Seymour, dealing directly with many of the irate demands from Britain, felt compelled to use his power as Secretary of State in a way he had often decried his predecessor Seward for, investigating American citizens. He hired detectives, swore in agents to monitor Fenian agitators on American soil, and most importantly of all, monitored army officers with known Fenian sympathies.
It had been his willingness to shadow General Sweeney which revealed some of the other Fenian agents, and allowed him to trace a number of arms dealers who had supplied the Fenian caches. The help of a Fenian double agent, Colonel Le Caron, also lent Seymour’s agents significant aide in tracking down weapons meant for the invasion and seizing them before they could be collected. This was how the large cache in Baltimore was discovered…
In what can only be described as a black comedy, the investigation by Pinkerton agents into the Fenian arms smuggling ring then ended with a shoot out between Pinkertons and War Department agents who were guarding a warehouse full of rifles that had unofficially been sold to the Fenians. Two War Department agents were shot and killed with a third wounded, while a single Pinkerton was wounded in the exchange. The whole fiasco was then broken up with the six Pinkertons and four surviving War Department agents apprehended by the Baltimore Police and imprisoned. Upon receiving the news, both Seymour and Butler would send men racing to Baltimore to try and take custody of the men in question. Seymour’s men arrived first, but had to argue with a company of United States infantry that they had jurisdiction to detain the men, and only an order from the President himself cleared up any confusion and packed the offenders off to prison in Washington.
Under interrogation it was determined that only two of the men were actually from the army, while the remainder were Boston detectives associated with Butler and protecting his brother’s trading interests. The particularly dire threats leveled against the detectives soon wrung out a whole scandal of smuggling and efforts to dodge the tariffs on British goods in a particularly lucrative scheme to undercut domestic competitors for New England railroad companies that Andrew Butler had invested in. When the story broke in October, it sent shock waves through the domestic political scene and immediate inquiries were demanded into the conduct of the Minister of War.
While the investigation into the Fenians was underway in a separate Congressional investigation, the uncovering of the Boston Ring would prove an enormous headache for the President and his allies…” - The Era of Hard Feelings, William Avery, Random House, 1989
“McClellan, naturally, had no clue how deep Butler’s duplicitous dealings went outside the War Department. While historians still debate whether it was a willful ignorance or complete ignorance, this author leans towards the latter belief. The evidence seems clear that McClellan was completely taken aback by the news his Secretary of War had known about the large Fenian arms shipments and sales, but had done almost everything in his power to aid them rather than stop them.
Immediately he demanded Butler’s resignation, which after several days of resistance, Butler delivered to the White House and stepped down. The damage was already done however. A firestorm erupted on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Can it be doubted that the United States is a fallen nation willing to export its own chaos and demagoguery to every corner of the globe?” The Times would thunder. Other newspapers were no less outraged in their condemnation once the extent to which the American involvement became public. There were few in London who believed that McClellan, despite his honest dealings with Thornton. The British press pilloried him almost as much as the domestic press.
Horace Greeley, long an implacable foe of the President, used the New York Tribune to splash all reported developments (no matter how inaccurate) onto the front page of his newspapers. John Hay, Lincoln’s former secretary turned editorial writer, haunted the halls of Washington seeking any details he could to sell copy and discredit the president. Any newspapers hostile to the administration followed suit. Soon Washington was "practically besieged by reporters,” Barlow would grumble. Indeed, many prominent men would have to leave their offices while continuously hounded by newspapermen, often fleeing under cover of night to avoid them.
McClellan would not make matters better. A week after accepting Butler’s resignation, he took his wife and infant son to Cape May, pleading the need to watch for his wife’s ill health. The opposition press crowed that McClellan had again led another ‘masterful retreat’ in the face of his enemies. Though he maintained constant correspondence with his supporters and cabinet through Barlow, and Seymour would go to the Columbia House where McClellan camped out with his wife. There the two men would coordinate the investigation into Butler’s misdeeds, perform damage control on both the foreign and domestic front, and McClellan would issue a sweeping arrest order for any of the Fenian leadership.
This would not go far enough for some, and in the House, the Senate became furious…” - I Can Do It All: The Trials of George B. McClellan, Alfred White, 1992, Aurora Publishing
“The Special Tribunal for the Handling of Military Affairs, as the long winded title for the committee would be officially known, but the press simply dubbed the Fenian Commission, met on July 5th 1867, and began using the information obtained by Seymour, and calling special witnesses to testify before the Commission. It began to show a long string of damning evidence against Butler and select members of the United States Army.
…little written evidence could be produced, but enough was circumstantial enough to be damning. A dozen officers were implicated in, at the very least, the unlawful sales of weapons, military supplies, and munitions to unknown sources. Corruption was rooted out in the Department of New England, and several clerks in the War Office were implicated in filing false reports regarding the storage of military supplies. The Commission’s efforts to fully pin Butler, and especially McClellan, as willing dupes of the Fenians, proved more difficult.
Prominent officers with known Fenian sympathies were hauled before the Commission, and under questioning revealed that they were indeed granted ‘generous’ leave by the War Office. Only in Sweeney’s case could the personal hand of Butler be felt however, as he had been granted an extended leave which seemed to serve little purpose beyond cover for organizing the Fenian invasion of Canada. But Sweeney would not elaborate, and even Butler himself when compelled to testify simply said he was acknowledging the request of a war hero.
Despite the most intensive effort at prosecution, the Republican opposition could not find any concrete evidence on the President, and even Butler was merely found to be ‘derelict in his duty’ which was a judgement that, while satisfying, carried little legal precedent for charges. From the perspective of Butler’s enemies, the investigations had turned up many corrupt dealings by his brother Andrew, becoming known as the “Baltimore Ring” where a large cartel of corrupt customs officials and local agents had turned a massive profit both during and after the war. That would lead to separate federal investigations.
Even without concrete evidence, the Republicans and Radicals in the House moved to attempt to impeach the president that winter. Though blasted by some moderates as “as waste of resources” it was the one bright spot in cooperation between the two factions since the end of the war…
…touring New York in the winter of 1867. At a meeting of local prominent veterans and officers, including his old friend Daniel Sickles, Hooker was asked to give a speech. Hooker declared he was not one for public speaking but spoke of the ‘dark times’ that the republic was facing. He addressed a very small crowd, no more than one hundred men, but when he spoke a chord was struck. Though his speech was recorded in full, this excerpt was the most reprinted “We must now act to conserve what has made this great republic a beacon of liberty and democracy against tyranny for nearly a century. It is in the interests of all that our leaders in Washington work to form a working consensus for the nation.” Which while mild, would cement the formation of a new political movement on the American stage…” - The Era of Hard Feelings, William Avery, Random House, 1989
Welp McClellan is still being true to his character with another of his masterful retreats I feel bad for his son to be raised by such a man and then backlash of his presidency and his upcoming ruined reputation children shouldn't have the sins of there father but all the animosity little mac is making is not gonna help them in there lives.
And well we found the fool who's gonna take America to its darkest period and it's hooker eugh and Sickles included great seriously it's like the democrats want to be burned at the stake for this cavalcade of screw-ups and future failures.
Also I feel like Seymour is growing Grey from trying to keep his party from shattering and also keeping peace with Europe. I would feel bad for him if he wasn't a racist that look the other way when McClellan basically left the usct on the curb and didn't help them take back there families and the Grey terror and most importantly helping to end the war. So I hope he has buyers remorse with McClellan and his role leading to his parties demonization in the future.
So reap what you sow Seymour reap what you sow.
Also here's a funny image of Grant's decapitation of Seymour it's cathartic.
Does anything think we get something similar here cause it's almost to date that this was published.
And well we found the fool who's gonna take America to its darkest period and it's hooker eugh and Sickles included great seriously it's like the democrats want to be burned at the stake for this cavalcade of screw-ups and future failures.
Also I feel like Seymour is growing Grey from trying to keep his party from shattering and also keeping peace with Europe. I would feel bad for him if he wasn't a racist that look the other way when McClellan basically left the usct on the curb and didn't help them take back there families and the Grey terror and most importantly helping to end the war. So I hope he has buyers remorse with McClellan and his role leading to his parties demonization in the future.
So reap what you sow Seymour reap what you sow.
Also here's a funny image of Grant's decapitation of Seymour it's cathartic.
Does anything think we get something similar here cause it's almost to date that this was published.
When Grant Literally Decapitated Seymour (at least Cartoon Grant did)! Nov. 1868 - The Reconstruction Era
By the evening of November 3, 1868 it was pretty clear to most informed observers that Ulysses S. Grant had been elected president. If you...
thereconstructionera.com
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George McClellan Jr. is going to learn a few things from his father at least. Namely, don't trust politicians. He's also going to have the very unenviable task of salvaging his family's reputation. Something he shares with the Lincoln boys.
Oh he certainly feels regret. He thought that McClellan was a compromise candidate who could end the war, which to be fair, he did. Just not in the way anyone but the worst Copperheads had hoped for. He has also been continuously surprised by how inept his boss is at handling the day to day political matters of factionalism and the spoils system, which has generated resentment towards the president. McClellan will be completely shocked when he learns how little support he retains amongst his party! Seymour meanwhile is something of a bright light for moderate Democrats who hope he may do something to salvage the party.
Also here's a funny image of Grant's decapitation of Seymour it's cathartic.
Does anything think we get something similar here cause it's almost to date that this was published.
When Grant Literally Decapitated Seymour (at least Cartoon Grant did)! Nov. 1868 - The Reconstruction Era
By the evening of November 3, 1868 it was pretty clear to most informed observers that Ulysses S. Grant had been elected president. If you...thereconstructionera.com
I do have to chuckle at that. What an amazing image for 1868 OTL! I think that if McClellan gets ridden down to defeat a great image would be something akin to that, but two jousting horses and the victor unseating a backwards facing McClellan!
About the only consolation I can offer is that the KKK does not exist in TTL at all. Helpfully with the first Grand Wizard being dead...