Re: Alternate World History
In reply to GM SteamRoller (msg # 295):
And I shoved a successful Empire of Mexico, under Emperor Maximillian, on him. ^_^
In this alternate history, Presidente Benito Juarez (and what was left of the Republic of Mexico's Treasury) were successfully captured by French forces, as the Presidential party tried to flee Mexico City, ahead of French forces. Juarez was captured alive and imprisoned--but by Maximillian's order he was treated well.
Maximillian met with Juarez many times, after this--the Emperor trying to convince Juarez that he was not some puppet of France, as well as informing the former Presidente of his intentions to enact many Progressive reforms to both benefit the common citizen, as well as curtail some of the powers that the Old Aristocracy (the rich Mexican Landholders who'd initiated Maximillian's rise to The Throne, in the first place) were abusing.
Juarez listened, even made suggestions on assisting Emperor Maximillian to create a Constitution and a Parliament. Juarez's loyalty to Emperor Maximillian was finalized, when Benito Juarez was given a full Imperial Pardon, and assumed the office of Chancellor-for-Life--the Emperor offered this to Juarez as a guarantee that Juarez would be able to provide a political "counter-balance" to the Monarchy--the Chancellor would lead the Parliament.
Between Emperor Maximillian and Chancellor Juarez, a stable and effective Constitutional Government was quickly established.
But how did the Mexican Empire survive, once the American "War Between The States" ended, and the US Federal Gummint could rattle its sabers about the Monroe Doctrine, again?
Well....
In Mexico, the European allies who'd backed Maximillian still pulled out, and for all the same reasons--Spain, then England, and finally Emperor Napoleon III, withdrew their support, and their military forces. Only the Belgian Legion, who were personally loyal to Empress Carlotta (who was a Belgian Princess, by birth) and the Imperial Mexican Army (which was not very well trained or supplied, and had been treated poorly by Napoleon's French troopers) remained under Maximillian's control.
While the loss of having Benito Juarez as their leader (as well as not having the Republic's Treasury to fund them), the Mexican Revolutionaries in the north were even less effective. But, with the US Civil War over, the Federals would be pouring both money and illicit military forces into the Revolution.
What Maximillian needed was Professionals. Battle-hardened Soldiers, led by iron-willed Generals.
What he got was the weary remains of the armies of the Confederate States of America. But they were Professionals....the Mexican Revolution never had a chance....
Enter ex-Confederate Navy Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury. Before the War Between The States, Maury had been a US Navy Officer and Scientist, studying Ocean Currents and Meteorology. Before The War, Maury had met several times with, and befriended, Maximillian when he was still just an Austrian Archduke--the two shared many scientific and personal interests, and had kept a correspondence over the years. After the end of the War Between The States, Maury had gone to his friend, now Emperor of nearby Mexico, to seek refuge from US reprisals for himself and other Southerners who did not wish to live under The Reconstruction.
Maury's original plan had just been to ask his friend the Emperor for a place where Confederate expatriates could settle in peace, while other Confederate generals such as Fighting Jo Shelby, Edmund Kirby Smith, John B. Magruder, Sterling Price, Thomas C. Hindman, and Alexander W. Terrell (Google these guys, if you're interested! What the Hell else is the Internet good for? Oh, right...Porn. I forgot. Never mind).
These former Confederate commanders had also made their way to Mexico after the war, in some cases followed by hundreds (in Shelby's case 1,000) fighting men from their former commands. They came with the idea of volunteering as a kind of "Foreign Legion" under the Mexican Emperor, rather than live under Federal rule, back in the US.
While all of these men had anticipated seeing the Emperor individually, before any such meetings could be arranged, each former Confederate commander received an invitation to visit the Mexico City home of a "M. Yves Florian Durand", who described himself in his note as "an anguished expatriate of La Belle New Orleans" and wished to discuss with them "the future of our Grand Confederacy". All the ex-Confederate commanders attended this impromptu summit--and each was surprised by the presence of the others.
Monsieur Durand, explained that he was the current, and "legitimate", leader of The Knights of the Golden Circle--a secret society that had, since before The War, been involved in fundraising and spreading sympathy for the Southern Cause, and during the war had not only gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of money and materiel to the Confederacy, but they also actively engaged in espionage and sabotage, on behalf of the Confederacy. He went on to explain that, currently, the Golden Circle had possession of several thousand British Pound Sterling worth of gold, in both bars and loose coin, and he wished to donate this money to the Generals, their soldiers, and the Southern Cause in Mexico.
All he asked in return was to be allowed to attend a meeting, along with all of them, with Emperor Maximillian.
Agreeing to this request, Commodore Maury arranged such a meeting for himself, along with Monsieur Durand, as well as Fighting Jo Shelby, Edmund Kirby Smith, John B. Magruder, Sterling Price, Thomas C. Hindman, and Alexander W. Terrell.
The meeting did not start off well. Anticipating what the Confederate Generals might ask of Emperor Maximillian, Marshal François Achille Bazaine, the commander of all French forces in Mexico, attended the meeting, and, knowing of the French Emperor Napoleon III intention to knuckle under to pressure from the US, and withdraw French forces from Mexico and abandon any plans to support the Mexican Empire--Marshal Bazaine intended to prevent any deals for the ex-Confederates to join with the Imperial Mexican Army.
While Marshal Bazaine had no issues with Confederates moving to Mexico to become peaceful farmers, every time that one of the former Confederates offered their military services, the Marshal proclaimed, quite fervently, that the French Army would provide all needed military forces, and that France would never abandon Emperor Maximillian, and if ex-Confederate forces were allowed to join the Mexican Army "it would be an affront to all of France and Emperor Napoleon III, himself!".
Finally, during one such affirmation by Bazaine, Monsieur Durand interrupted, addressing both Marshal Bazaine and Maximillian in flawless Parisian French, and outright called the French Officer a liar. As the French Marshal blustered through a shocked and offended denial, Monsieur Durand began producing copies of documents from Marshal Bazaine's own Headquarters--documents from the French Military Command, outlining Emperor Napoleon III's wish to remove all French forces from Mexico, as well dates and times for the naval withdrawal of said forces, and there were even several responding documents, signed by the Marshal, himself.
Needless to say, relations between France and Mexico crumbled quickly thereafter, and Maximillian not only accepted the offers of men and support from the former Confederate Generals, but also--after Monsieur Durand gave a generous "donation" of gold to the Imperial coffers--he gave overall command of all Imperial Mexican forces to the ex-Confederates. So, knowing that as soon as the last French soldier was gone from Mexican soil, the US would threaten to invade, the new "Imperial Confederado" High Command began an immediate reorganization and retraining of the Mexican Army. Tons of munitions that the Golden Circle had purchased from Britain, but were unable to deliver before The War Between The States ended, were delivered, now, to Mexico.
While back in the US--specifically in Texas, where anti Federal sentiments still were running high--the Knights of the Golden Circle, calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty", caused as much disruption for Federal forces stationed in Texas as they possibly could, slowing US buildup of forces for a Mexican invasion.
Thus, with the nascent Mexican Counter-Imperial Revolution being stymied from the start by the capture, and eventual pro-Imperial sentiments, of Benito Juarez (and the loss of the Republic's Treasury with him), and the influx of ex-Confederate soldiers into the new Imperial Army (reorganizing and retraining the entire organization into a copy of the old Confederate Army), enough time was bought to allow Emperor Maximillian to prove himself to the People of Mexico (Peons loved him and his wife Carlotta, and recalcitrant Nobles who ignored the Emperors new policies were often visited by steely-eyed, bayonet-armed Confederado Soldiers), as well as time to prove to potential European allies that he had staying power--it didn't take them long to recognize his legitimacy as ruler of Mexico.
With such backing, the US lost the initiative to invade Mexico without causing an International incident.
By 1870, the Knights of the Golden Circle produced enough gold to "purchase" Imperial permission to take control of three US-bordering Mexican states--Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas, on the Gulf Coast. These three states would become the "Distrito Autónomo de los Estados Confederados del México Imperial", or the "Confederate States Autonomous District of Imperial Mexico"--aka, "The Confederate States", "The Confederacy", and abreviated "CSA".
The Confederate States is a member-state of Imperial Mexico, and gains all rights and protections thereof, but it is allowed a wide degree of self-governance and law-making, which takes the form of a Republic, with a President, a Congress, and a Supreme Court--just like back in Virginia. The autonomous Republic must swear allegiance to the Imperial Throne, and acknowledge Imperial Suzerainty over said Republic, as well as obeying a handful of Imperial Mandates (including Slavery and the Slave Trade being illegal in the Empire, and several Land Reforms...which any red-blooded, democracy-minded American would have enacted, anyway).
The Confederate States have completely fortified their side of the Rio Bravo (called the Rio Grande, in the US), with tall, thick walls, heavy forts, and a railway that runs behind it all, using armored trains to rapidly shift men and materials. When challenged by US forces, these fortifications often utilize sophisticated rocket artillery. And there are rumors that the Confederates are working on fast, one-man, steam-powered Land Ironclads (Armored Cavalry).
