Weirdest ACW

Baconheimer

Baconheimer

I am creating a scenario in which the ACW went a different way, as a much "weirder" war. These are some ideas I had.


  • Background to war is similar to OTL, with Lincolns Election going very similar to OTL.
  • War lasts longer than OTL, up to two decades, but most large-scale fighting is finished before 1867.
  • Gatling Guns used in war, maybe making a lot of seige warfare in the Kentucky Front.
  • "Old Northwest Confederacy", led by secessionists in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, which does not come to much, but splits US forces.
  • Foreign Brigades, such as a Garibaldi Brigade from Italy.
Any thoughts on these? Also, please suggest ideas, but with these constraints.

  • War does not spread to Europe, although Mexico and Canada can be fronts.
 
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SPJ

I plan on doing a similar TL but with ASB levels of weirdness.

Here are some of the ideas I have planned for it that could still fit into your TL.
  1. Solomon Andrews airship design is accepted by the US army and versions of it are used for scouting and bombing raids.
  2. Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol's wooden submarine and its design are purchased by the US and are copied by the south for us in warfare.
  3. The CSA House and Senate pass the movment to enlist slaves and free blacks into he army. Further complicating the social justifications for the war and loyalties on each side.
 

Elfwine

Some of the OTL designs (I'm not familiar with specifics, sorry) rejected as crankpot notions - either for ironclads or guns - being more popular for some reason (say, some bigshot Lincoln has to pay attention to takes an interest in them).

Probably means removing Ripley, which can't be good, but you want weird, gatlings are only the start.
 

frlmerrin

Banned
Well currently my realistic Trent war time-line which I never seem to finish has

Camel corps on both sides
Elephants on the British side
A French submarine
British automotive torpedos
Searchlights
Massed Armstrong Gatlings on the British side
SPGs in Canada
Union armoured trains
Balloons on the British and Union sides
Khaki uniforms
British units performing a Haka before attacking
Chinese, Japanese and Prussian mercenaries
More sheep in the USA
and last but not least stadiametric range finders for the British
 

SPJ

What about a larger and/or more successful attempt by the CSA to capture land in New Mexico/Arizona (either an alternate version of OTL's attempt or a 2nd one in TTL). As well as a large conscription of Chinese immigrants into California regiments to combat them. And/or figure out a way to have some Chinese join the Confederate army and create a version of "Pushing Daisies" Fambing Woo! :)

103fambingwoo.jpg
 

Dirk_Pitt

Banned
frlmerrin said:
Well currently my realistic Trent war time-line which I never seem to finish has

Camel corps on both sides
Elephants on the British side
A French submarine
British automotive torpedos
Searchlights
Massed Armstrong Gatlings on the British side
SPGs in Canada
Union armoured trains
Balloons on the British and Union sides
Khaki uniforms
British units performing a Haka before attacking
Chinese, Japanese and Prussian mercenaries
More sheep in the USA
and last but not least stadiametric range finders for the British
Click to expand...

THAT'S REALISTIC?!
 

KillerT

My weird ACW that I'm slowly working on, is almost a reverse ACW. Imagine if you would an America where New England seceded due to a worse war of 1812. The balance of slave and non slave states starts to shift...the Louisiana Purchase has still occurred and Texas eventually joins the union. We then reach the stage where there are four North American States, ie BNA, USA, Mexico and New England Federation. Sometime in the 1860s, possibly earlier we see the non slave states breaking away to form the Congressional States (ie CSA), the slave states stay as the union army... Major event occurring during this ACW is a Trent like incident with the result that we get British intervention on behalf of the CSA against the slave states of the USA. Now how doth all that sound?

(Regarding mini gaming you would use blue coats and butternut units for the US Army, grey Rebs for the new style CSA, plus green jacketed New Englanders plus of course redcoats.)
 

Zuvarq

Benito Juarez takes refuge in California after Emperor Maximilian wins the French intervention in Mexico.

Baconheimer said:
"Old Northwest Confederacy", led by secessionists in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, which does not come to much, but splits US forces.
Click to expand...
The Old Northwest Confederacy is also called the North Western Association (N.W.A.). When the Union tries to annex them, the N.W.A stationed somewhere in Indiana goes 100 miles and runnin' back to Compton, Illinois.
 
Baconheimer

Baconheimer

Zuvarq said:
Benito Juarez takes refuge in California after Emperor Maximilian wins the French intervention in Mexico.

The Old Northwest Confederacy is also called the North Western Association (N.W.A.). When the Union tries to annex them, the N.W.A stationed somewhere in Indiana goes 100 miles and runnin' back to Compton, Illinois.
Click to expand...
I dont know about that second part.
frlmerrin said:
Well currently my realistic Trent war time-line which I never seem to finish has

Camel corps on both sides
Elephants on the British side
A French submarine
British automotive torpedos
Searchlights
Massed Armstrong Gatlings on the British side
SPGs in Canada
Union armoured trains
Balloons on the British and Union sides
Khaki uniforms
British units performing a Haka before attacking
Chinese, Japanese and Prussian mercenaries
More sheep in the USA What would that do?
and last but not least stadiametric range finders for the British
Click to expand...

KillerT said:
My weird ACW that I'm slowly working on, is almost a reverse ACW. Imagine if you would an America where New England seceded due to a worse war of 1812. The balance of slave and non slave states starts to shift...the Louisiana Purchase has still occurred and Texas eventually joins the union. We then reach the stage where there are four North American States, ie BNA, USA, Mexico and New England Federation. Sometime in the 1860s, possibly earlier we see the non slave states breaking away to form the Congressional States (ie CSA), the slave states stay as the union army... Major event occurring during this ACW is a Trent like incident with the result that we get British intervention on behalf of the CSA against the slave states of the USA. Now how doth all that sound?
Click to expand...
Sounds interesting. Not exactly the most plausible thing, but hopefully that was not what you were planning on.
 

frlmerrin

Banned
Zuvarq said:
Benito Juarez takes refuge in California after Emperor Maximilian wins the French intervention in Mexico.
Click to expand...

I have him and the remnants of his army retreating north from Paso del Norte but once the French have taken Fort Yuma and the CSA hold Texas he has nowhere left to run and the last few thousand Juaristas are defeated by a French expedition south of Albuquerque.
 

frlmerrin

Banned
More sheep in the USA. What would do that?
Click to expand...

An attempt by the Unionists to cloth their soldiers in the face of a British blockade and the subsequent rise of a larger woolen textile industry in the USA.
 
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