Second American Civil War (The Second Seccession)

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The Second American Civil War (1877-1883) was a multi-party war that occurred within the United States after the New Confederacy fell to the NLF, under the domination of the Freedom Party. NLF forces first assumed power in Richmond and subsequently gained control throughout the United States, except the South.

The principal fighting occurred between the United States Army, often in temporary alliance with other leftist or pro-revolutionary groups, and the forces of the White Army, the loosely allied pro-slavery forces. Many foreign armies warred against the United states, notably Great Britain. The Utah Mormon War is often viewed as a theater of the conflict. Other nationalist and regional political groups also participated in the war, including the Red Army, the Republic of Texas, a Mexican intervention, and even warlordism in rural areas.

The most intense fighting took place from 1878 to 1880. Major military operations ended on October 25th, 1882, when the Blue Army occupied Los Angeles, previously held by the provisional Republic of California. The last enclave of White forces was near Seattle, Washington, and the northwest corner of the country. General Stonewall did not capitulated until June 17th, 1883.

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After the resignation of Samuel Tilden, the New Confederacy was established during the April Revolution of 1877. In the following October Revolution, the US army began to attack rebel areas in the south, with the assistance of various slave uprisings around the area. The Blacks easily overthrew the outnumbered white slave masters, so the South came under US occupation relatively quickly. Ironically, it was fighting in the Midwest and center of the country that was the hardest for all factions.

Sensing war, Samuel Tilden and the Democratic Party were raising their own army- fearing that a Republican domination would harm the country in numerous ways. The United States decided to make peace immediately with Tilden- who wasn’t a real threat.

On December 16th 1877 an armistice was signed between the United States and Tilden’s newly raised “Army of Democracy” and peace talks began. As a condition for peace, the proposed treaty by the Democrats declared that Tilden’s presidency must be assured, in return for peace. In the act that began the civil war, Hayes refused to sign the treaty.

In view of this, on February 18th, 1878, the Civil War began as the Army of Democracy began a series of revolutions all over the Northeast, the main base for Republicans. Signing a formal peace treaty was the only option in the eyes of the Republicans, because the old Republican Army made to put Hayes in office was demobilized and the US army was to overstretch to stop the rebellion. They also understood that the impending Confederate threat.

On March 1st, the Republicans acceded to a peace treaty and the formal agreement, the Treaty of Pittsburgh, which was ratified on March 6th, 1878. The Republicans viewed the treaty as merely a necessary and expedient means to quell a rebellion in the Northeast that was still small.

Tilden took office on March 20th, but it was already too late. The civil war had begun, and he had to give up his policy of doing “whatever it takes to prevent another war”. Even though Tilden gained the presidency, the US Army was still under Republican control, so Tilden used the smaller “Army of Democracy” for his purposes.

The states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas all declared independence from the United States. They formed the “New Confedracy” Samuel Tilden, cut off from the “loyalist” area of the country (the west coast) and surrounded, fortified Washington DC and gave up hope. The Democrats now began to realize that the Treaty of Pittsburgh was pointless- the President was powerless, and the Republicans who controlled the military were the de facto government.

The New Confederacy immediately after formation began their war against the US military, as well as against the slave uprisings all over the South. Their military forces, bolstered by foreign influence and led by Thomas Stonewall Jackson, became known as the White Army. Even though they were pushed out of the South, they controlled most of the middle of the former-USA throughout the war.

Other factions, independent and not aligned with the other three, began to spring up. All over the country, “Red Armies” formed. These armies protected small country towns from the larger armies during the fighting. If you combine all of the Red Armies scattered around North America, it would outnumber the other three, but no such consolidation occurred. In the Midwest, where no rule whatsoever was absolute, warlords and anarchism began. Mexico intervened, invading the Southwest, fighting both the White Army and the US Army in the process. The Native American Union was established in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. The Native American Union played a role in halting the US armies attack on the New Confederacy’s western flank.

To secure order in North America and British interests, the United Kingdom launched an invasion of all Republican-held areas of North America. Britain conquered the northwest, the top of the Midwest, but failed to conquer the Northeast, the Republican base of operations.

The majority of the fighting ended in 1880 with the defeat of Robert E. Lee in southern Florida, but a notable resistance in the west continued until 1883, where General Thomas A. Stonewall surrendered in Seattle, putting the entire United States under control of the Republicans. The Second American Civil War was over at last.

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