american civil war

As we know, when President Lincoln won the election of 1860, seven states seceded from the United States of America before Lincoln's inauguration, forming the Confederate States of America, and then when fighting commenced, four more Southern States seceded and joined the CSA as well. There also...

This is a little idea I had since I am reading John J. Hennessy's Return to Bull Run (an excellent read by the way, 100% would recommend). What if Grant went East instead of Pope? My idea for the POD is a slightly different Shiloh, where Grant doesn’t mess up on Day 1 (perhaps staying put at...

Many people know that the Confederate States tried to capture Washington D.C or threatened the capital during the battle of Fort Stevens but what if the Confederate States succeeded? What if the Confederate States took over Washington D.C.? But, in this scenario, the Confederates still lost...

Let's say events early in the American Civil War happen differently, resulting in Joseph E. Johnston staying out east. Let's also say that Robert E. Lee gets sent to a post in the west, instead of assuming command of the Army of Northern Virginia. How might the course of the Civil War have...

During the Battle of Seven Pines, Joseph E. Johnston was badly wounded and had to be taken from command. Gustavus Woodson Smith briefly replaced him as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia before being replaced by Robert E. Lee. While Johnston never returned to command of the Army of...

The American Whigs were the other major American political party of the 19th century after the end of the Federalists. Divided over slavery, they broke up and gave birth to the Republican Party. But WI they had managed to develop a more coherent position on slavery? Could they have survived the...

And I mean a candidate that doesn't have the same qualities as Lincoln to lead the Union to winning the Civil War. It could be anyone interested in running for President during 1860 from the four parties, someone that can't make as good as decisions as Lincoln, both politically and militarily

1. How was African Americans perceived in the North and the South? Was their a difference between on how both sides acted towards them? 2. Was the North just as much to blame for the Civil War as the South? Was there other reasons for the North to want to keep the South in the Union? Economic...

So most 1860s Third Anglo American War discussions and TLs usually go with a PoD in 1861 or 1862, such as the ever-popular Trent Affair escalates premise. Usually the conclusion reached is that the United States simply loses or is forced to make a separate peace with the British for a whole...

Your challenge, if you dare accept it, is have an earlier American Civil War, ideally, a time period in which the Southerns/Confederates can win

I think it can be agreed that 1850s was one of the craziest times to be alive in the United States (and not in the good way). Beginning with the disaster of the Compromise of 1850 (Which the Democrats thought was so effective that they declared the issue of Slavery was over and they would never...

Suppose that Mexico has an easier time in the first few years after its independence (several PODs can be used for that, the best one probably being Vicente Guerrero accepting his defeat in the 1828 presidential election instead of launching a coup) to the point it is strong enough to avoid the...

Okay so this started from a conversation I was having with a friend about the upcoming Victoria 3 and the American Civil War, so sorry if this is a bit disjointed. This isn't a fully developed TL, a WI, or an AHC, it's just a sort of loose idea I had that I wanted to start about. The basic...

We all know how awful Andrew Johnson was the moment he became President from how he handled Reconstruction, but we also know how the North would not be all that receptive to a Radical Republican Presidency in 1865-1869 if they somehow escape Booth's assassination. What other southern Democrat do...

So I'm writing a short story, and an important part of it is the Battle of Bull Run... Also, Robert E. Lee decided to fight for the Union instead of the South. What if the Confederacy lost the Battle of Bull Run? How do they lose? And how does this affect the Confederacy moving on? Would it...

How about we reverse the fates of Germany and America: What if the Union had decisively defeated Confederate forces at Antietam in September 1862 (maybe Order 191 gets lost or something), and eventually won the War Between the States, while Prussia failed to bring the South German States into...

The American Civil War began in 1861 with the capturing of Fort Sumter by the south. What if this changed, what if in some alternate world, the South had succeeded much earlier? How far back can we make this civil war go? How would this affect American history? Who do you think might've won in...

If General George McClellan is not appointed to the post in 1861, and does anyone think that McClellan not being in command is a good or bad thing for the Union?

Love him or hate him, nobody can deny Stonewall Jackson's status as one of the most iconic figures of the American Civil War. And a big part of why he became so iconic was his death from health complications caused by a friendly fire incident at the Battle of Chancellorsville. What if this...

If the Confederacy won the American Civil War, would there really be a round two, and if so, who would be the winner?