Richmond prepares to strike back ( Eastern coast of North America 1844-1855)
By the time hostilities ended in Europe, no one in North America doubted the relationships between the Republic of Virginia and the Republic of the Carolinas had taken a point of no-return. The harsh peace terms and the complete demilitarisation of the Virginian military forces had left plenty of bad feelings in Richmond and its surroundings, with the freeing of the slave population and the exile of Calhoun supporters worsening the situation.
By 1844, time had doesn't its work and the Carolinian population had enough to pay for the occupation of Virginia, which was materialising in higher taxes and young recruits assassinated in the streets of Virginian cities. President Gordon tried to oppose this move, affirming the Virginians would rearm at the first chance they had, but his speeches were ignored and he was moved out of office in 1845 by Tom Devon and his Liberal Party. The Republicans were ejected from most of the legislative positions at Columbia after a dreadful election defeat the next year, and the occupation of Virginia ended in September 1846. From 1846 to 1852, the Liberals became famous to concentrate on internal politics and ignore virtually everything foreign which was not concerning trade. While the merchant marine and some armed auxiliaries were expanded in great numbers and equipped with steam-technology, the rest of the Virginian navy was badly neglected. New factories emerged from the ground, new industries were developed, new laws were passed to limit the abuse the working class were sufferings. In turn, this gave a prosperity and a wealth per habitant which was superior even to the French Empire of North America on their western frontier. What no one remarked, among the Liberal government, was that this extra-wealth had largely been taken by robbing the army and the navy from subsidies and numbers.
This was dangerous, and not just because the Virginians to the north were dreaming to make Columbia pay in rivers of blood their humiliation of the last war. To the south, the Directorate of Florida was entertaining the idea of expanding once again its territory at the expense of other nations. Accordingly, decreasing the standing regular army to 32 000 men was seen as idiotic by the Republicans and the Conservatives, the two parties doing their best to hamper in the Carolinian legislative branch all attempt to cut back even more the military budget. The voting population tended to dismiss those alarmists in 1846, but as the situation progressively got worse, people started to doubt the words of Minister of War Steven King that there was nothing to fear (except fear itself naturally ).
Naturally, events in Virginia were far less peaceful than the Columbia Liberal, the government main newspaper to pass its propaganda, made believable. As soon as the occupation of Virginia came to an end, a new election in October 1846 saw the return at Richmond of several pro-Calhoun politicians who had been impossible to find when they were Carolinian soldiers in the street. The results of this vote were a dreadful blow to the part of the political class wanting to let the past be gone: 82% of the electors this day voted for the Party of Renewal, a new party which had a lot of in common with Calhoun's deceased Revanchist Party. James McKenzie was elected Consul and took power in the newly build Richmond Pentagon. This was not good news for the black population. In February 1847, the laws which had given them full citizen status in the Virginia Republic were entirely repealed (only the fact the Carolinians had held the lawmakers at gunpoint had authorised this law to pass). From 1847 to 1850, the edicts who deprived non-white Virginians grew more abusive, only missing by an inch the reestablishment of slavery. Moderates like Herbert Calverson and the Moderate Party as a whole were discredited, when some of their supporters were not outright beaten in the street with the police forces refusing to intervene. Those who had not white skin understood very well their time in Virginia was counted, and many chose to fled the Virginian territories to find a better fate elsewhere. Louisiana was often the prime destination, as other nations had heavy moral reservation to welcome former slaves who had illustrated themselves by blowing governmental buildings or setting fire to the houses of their former masters. As McKenzie consolidated his power and progressively purged his opponents, the remnants of Virginian democracy disappeared of the political picture. While five elections would be organised at every level between 1846 and 1852 in Carolina, the one of October 1846 was the first and last election organised by the authorities of Richmond. Rearmament was also increasing, the factories dismantled or destroyed in the previous conflict now being rebuilt, and large surplus of European weaponry finding their way from the other side of the Atlantic.
This rapid change from democracy to pure tyranny shocked the observers assisting to this changes. With the obvious and illegal power grabs of Calhoun and the Revanchists in the beginning of the Carolinian-Virginian war, a lot of persons in the sphere of power of the neighbouring countries had believed a renewal of these ideals was non-existent in probability. But by humiliating completely every member of the upper classes of Virginia, President Gordon and the Carolinian army had achieved exactly that. By 1853, the Virginian army had sufficiently reorganised to form an army of 30 000 men. The navy of Richmond was still lagging behind, but had built a massive iron-hulled ship of the line named the McClellan which gave a lot of worries to the Carolinian admirals.
War Carolinian Minister Stephen King continued to trumpet at Colombia this military program was not directed towards them, but this time the men and women who had given power to the Liberals were not openly agreeing with them anymore. The elections of 1853 saw the Liberals lose their absolute majority to a relative one, which meant in practise some Republicans entered the government (although the Liberals kept the War Ministry). Unfortunately, these new members realised rapidly the mountain of work which were waiting them. By the pretext of needing to avoid any foreign entanglement, the relations between Carolina and the nations of Maryland and Delaware were falling into ruin. Of course, Delaware had always been more than a French protectorate and a free-trade zone than a Carolinian ally, but the loss in influence was still worrying. It was terrifying in Maryland, which despite having received its new independence at the hands of Columbia, was now listening more and more to New Orleans, Quebec and Cordoba than their liberators.
At a moment where Maryland allied could have forced Virginia to fight on two fronts, this de facto neutrality was not a factor to contemplate with joy. In the south, Supreme Director Andrew Jackson had at last died in 1849, a moment everyone in North America celebrated (save Florida of course). The pertinent question was to ask if they had not traded a known evil for an unknown one. Matthew Jackson, the former Director's eldest son, took power in the wake of his father's death and started a purge of the Floridian military system, forcing many old high-ranked officers to retire.
Few neighbouring nations of North and South America were naive enough to believe these were the first signs of a new area in which Florida would become a model of democracy and liberty. This minor wave of optimism didn't live long. March 1850 saw the arrest of the three Dalton brothers, who had been among the main architects of the Georgian invasion. Each Dalton faced a court-martial, was found guilty and then executed by firing squad in less than a week (four days to be precise ). The dreaded Directorate army and Security forces diminished a bit in size during the years 1850 and 1851, but it was logical with all the court-martials and trials for 'defeatism' and 'treason' Matthew Jackson ordered for those who doubted his capacities to lead the Directorate. Otherwise, little changed in Florida. A new city in conquered Georgia was built (and was unavoidably named Jacksonville) but apart from that, calm reigned in the Floridian territories, Director Jackson refraining to make any open hostile moves. Even the fate of the immigrants seemed to get better (though the enslavement of the black population of Georgia undoubtedly played also a role ). Only some persons in Bogota and Québec suspected the worst from this dictatorship, as several of their least patriotic scientists and engineers disappeared after being contacted by men believed to be agents of the Directorate. But the proofs were too slim to accuse a sovereign nation, and while the UPNG and France mounted separately intelligence operations, nothing really convincing was found. And as the size of the Virginian rearmament was more and more threatening, the attention of the Carolinian public would not be turned southwards...
By the time hostilities ended in Europe, no one in North America doubted the relationships between the Republic of Virginia and the Republic of the Carolinas had taken a point of no-return. The harsh peace terms and the complete demilitarisation of the Virginian military forces had left plenty of bad feelings in Richmond and its surroundings, with the freeing of the slave population and the exile of Calhoun supporters worsening the situation.
By 1844, time had doesn't its work and the Carolinian population had enough to pay for the occupation of Virginia, which was materialising in higher taxes and young recruits assassinated in the streets of Virginian cities. President Gordon tried to oppose this move, affirming the Virginians would rearm at the first chance they had, but his speeches were ignored and he was moved out of office in 1845 by Tom Devon and his Liberal Party. The Republicans were ejected from most of the legislative positions at Columbia after a dreadful election defeat the next year, and the occupation of Virginia ended in September 1846. From 1846 to 1852, the Liberals became famous to concentrate on internal politics and ignore virtually everything foreign which was not concerning trade. While the merchant marine and some armed auxiliaries were expanded in great numbers and equipped with steam-technology, the rest of the Virginian navy was badly neglected. New factories emerged from the ground, new industries were developed, new laws were passed to limit the abuse the working class were sufferings. In turn, this gave a prosperity and a wealth per habitant which was superior even to the French Empire of North America on their western frontier. What no one remarked, among the Liberal government, was that this extra-wealth had largely been taken by robbing the army and the navy from subsidies and numbers.
This was dangerous, and not just because the Virginians to the north were dreaming to make Columbia pay in rivers of blood their humiliation of the last war. To the south, the Directorate of Florida was entertaining the idea of expanding once again its territory at the expense of other nations. Accordingly, decreasing the standing regular army to 32 000 men was seen as idiotic by the Republicans and the Conservatives, the two parties doing their best to hamper in the Carolinian legislative branch all attempt to cut back even more the military budget. The voting population tended to dismiss those alarmists in 1846, but as the situation progressively got worse, people started to doubt the words of Minister of War Steven King that there was nothing to fear (except fear itself naturally ).
Naturally, events in Virginia were far less peaceful than the Columbia Liberal, the government main newspaper to pass its propaganda, made believable. As soon as the occupation of Virginia came to an end, a new election in October 1846 saw the return at Richmond of several pro-Calhoun politicians who had been impossible to find when they were Carolinian soldiers in the street. The results of this vote were a dreadful blow to the part of the political class wanting to let the past be gone: 82% of the electors this day voted for the Party of Renewal, a new party which had a lot of in common with Calhoun's deceased Revanchist Party. James McKenzie was elected Consul and took power in the newly build Richmond Pentagon. This was not good news for the black population. In February 1847, the laws which had given them full citizen status in the Virginia Republic were entirely repealed (only the fact the Carolinians had held the lawmakers at gunpoint had authorised this law to pass). From 1847 to 1850, the edicts who deprived non-white Virginians grew more abusive, only missing by an inch the reestablishment of slavery. Moderates like Herbert Calverson and the Moderate Party as a whole were discredited, when some of their supporters were not outright beaten in the street with the police forces refusing to intervene. Those who had not white skin understood very well their time in Virginia was counted, and many chose to fled the Virginian territories to find a better fate elsewhere. Louisiana was often the prime destination, as other nations had heavy moral reservation to welcome former slaves who had illustrated themselves by blowing governmental buildings or setting fire to the houses of their former masters. As McKenzie consolidated his power and progressively purged his opponents, the remnants of Virginian democracy disappeared of the political picture. While five elections would be organised at every level between 1846 and 1852 in Carolina, the one of October 1846 was the first and last election organised by the authorities of Richmond. Rearmament was also increasing, the factories dismantled or destroyed in the previous conflict now being rebuilt, and large surplus of European weaponry finding their way from the other side of the Atlantic.
This rapid change from democracy to pure tyranny shocked the observers assisting to this changes. With the obvious and illegal power grabs of Calhoun and the Revanchists in the beginning of the Carolinian-Virginian war, a lot of persons in the sphere of power of the neighbouring countries had believed a renewal of these ideals was non-existent in probability. But by humiliating completely every member of the upper classes of Virginia, President Gordon and the Carolinian army had achieved exactly that. By 1853, the Virginian army had sufficiently reorganised to form an army of 30 000 men. The navy of Richmond was still lagging behind, but had built a massive iron-hulled ship of the line named the McClellan which gave a lot of worries to the Carolinian admirals.
War Carolinian Minister Stephen King continued to trumpet at Colombia this military program was not directed towards them, but this time the men and women who had given power to the Liberals were not openly agreeing with them anymore. The elections of 1853 saw the Liberals lose their absolute majority to a relative one, which meant in practise some Republicans entered the government (although the Liberals kept the War Ministry). Unfortunately, these new members realised rapidly the mountain of work which were waiting them. By the pretext of needing to avoid any foreign entanglement, the relations between Carolina and the nations of Maryland and Delaware were falling into ruin. Of course, Delaware had always been more than a French protectorate and a free-trade zone than a Carolinian ally, but the loss in influence was still worrying. It was terrifying in Maryland, which despite having received its new independence at the hands of Columbia, was now listening more and more to New Orleans, Quebec and Cordoba than their liberators.
At a moment where Maryland allied could have forced Virginia to fight on two fronts, this de facto neutrality was not a factor to contemplate with joy. In the south, Supreme Director Andrew Jackson had at last died in 1849, a moment everyone in North America celebrated (save Florida of course). The pertinent question was to ask if they had not traded a known evil for an unknown one. Matthew Jackson, the former Director's eldest son, took power in the wake of his father's death and started a purge of the Floridian military system, forcing many old high-ranked officers to retire.
Few neighbouring nations of North and South America were naive enough to believe these were the first signs of a new area in which Florida would become a model of democracy and liberty. This minor wave of optimism didn't live long. March 1850 saw the arrest of the three Dalton brothers, who had been among the main architects of the Georgian invasion. Each Dalton faced a court-martial, was found guilty and then executed by firing squad in less than a week (four days to be precise ). The dreaded Directorate army and Security forces diminished a bit in size during the years 1850 and 1851, but it was logical with all the court-martials and trials for 'defeatism' and 'treason' Matthew Jackson ordered for those who doubted his capacities to lead the Directorate. Otherwise, little changed in Florida. A new city in conquered Georgia was built (and was unavoidably named Jacksonville) but apart from that, calm reigned in the Floridian territories, Director Jackson refraining to make any open hostile moves. Even the fate of the immigrants seemed to get better (though the enslavement of the black population of Georgia undoubtedly played also a role ). Only some persons in Bogota and Québec suspected the worst from this dictatorship, as several of their least patriotic scientists and engineers disappeared after being contacted by men believed to be agents of the Directorate. But the proofs were too slim to accuse a sovereign nation, and while the UPNG and France mounted separately intelligence operations, nothing really convincing was found. And as the size of the Virginian rearmament was more and more threatening, the attention of the Carolinian public would not be turned southwards...
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