But maybe not for long given the presence of Confederate ironclads and the book's title is 'Abortive Freedom'.
We shall have to wait and see
I have been reading this story on and off and I have to say that it is pretty good. A lot better than Britannia's Fist I should say; that trilogy got strange later on. But given the dire straits of the Union here, from the Union Army problems to the better Confederate situation and the political homefront that seem to be closing in on Lincoln, I had considered an independent Confederacy a sure thing but also considered a Union victory which in my opinion would be more interesting as it could chronicle how the Union won despite the higher stakes and how it affects them in the long-term. Nice that you keep us guessing about the final outcome.
I am glad I beat Tsouras's...
interesting trilogy! I'm hopeful you'll continue enjoying it! I do keep the outcome close to my chest on this one. But I've gone back and forth (ish) over the years, and didn't firmly decide on the actual outcome until roughly 2017. The future holds some interesting changes in North America, and many different visions of an American future are cropping up. Expect to hear more from the book "
Staking Claims to a Continent: The North American Revolutions of the 1860s" by TTL's James Latimer!
Speaking of which, how far would this go beyond the Great American War, as in as far as the 20th century?
So far I'm firmly committed to the outcome of the 1872 election and up to 1876. The notes and major future details are settled as far as 1895 at present (with some minor variations) but I do have enough rough material which could stretch the TL out to the mid 20th century, where I could probably go into the 1960s. There's some big stuff in the 1870s I want to get through first however!
Grant winning the battle but losing Thomas is a hard trade, hopefully it isn't a career ender. Likewise burning Kentucky to get Forrest could be a boon, but might also be sowing the seeds of his demise if it raises the ire of all of Kentucky. Though, if anyone can do it, it's Sheridan. As far as the Confederacy goes... maybe, just maybe, Bragg will start to learn from his mistakes.
Nice to see Johnston back in the saddle, but he'll have a hard go of it with the governors if it's anything like OTL.
Grant has some hard knocks, and he's arguably campaigning through some of the toughest terrain outside of Northern New York right now, with an army that's marching in a manner similar to those in Mexico, through worse terrain! Burning Kentucky to get Forrest may not be an overall savvy move to placate truculent Kentuckians, but strategically it is a necessity!
Sheridan has many roles left to play...
Yeah, this really is a TL where Johnston can catch even fewer breaks than OTL. He's got a unique situation with these governors here too. Joseph Brown is a staunch anti-Davis politician, so is friendly with him, but won't spare anything more than he absolutely has to for defending beyond Georgia. John Milton is a staunch Davis ally, and has the benefit that his state is sending a lot of foodstuffs north so he commands an outsized strategic/political capital compared to his states population, while also distrusting Johnston's judgement. Surprisingly, from my own research, Milledge L. Bonham of South Carolina might have been the most likely to support more military prepardness as he did quite a bit for it OTL. I have my doubts the South Carolina legislature would have as much fire for it however...
Great piece of writing, dude. It's fun to try and parse if something is going to be foreshadowing or a red herring. Always fun.
I aim to keep people surprised as to the future
Your comments are always great!
I assume this lot (and any detached units) all have NAWIS minders, to ensure they stay on their best behaviour.
At present, Milne's North American and West Indies Squadron is mere "monitoring" the new American blockade, usually also shadowed by French ships - who perhaps just coincidentally are very active at New Orleans.
American captains currently have standing orders to be scrupulously correct with foreign ships. There is absolutely
no desire in Washington for a round two of this war, and Britain still has significant troop and ship commitments in North America going into 1865 that will be addressed in a few chapters!