1873 Confederate States Presidential Election (Brothers No More)

The Confederate States Presidential Election of 1873, the 3rd C.S. presidential election, was held on November 4, 1873. This was the first election in Confederate history that featured more than one major candidate, although these candidates did not run directly against each other. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, famous for helping to win the Southern Independence and Mexican-Confederate Wars, won a sound victory over Senator and former Vice President Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia.

Background
President Robert E. Lee's term in office had been a time of continued success for the young Confederacy. After a request from France, Lee had intervened in the ongoing Mexican Civil War. This evolved into the Mexican-Confederate War, where Confederate armies fought against both sides in Mexico and ended up taking several northern Mexican states. General Stonewall Jackson had largely led the war effort and was now even more famous than he had been after the Southern War of Independence.

Jackson had long planned to run for president at some point. He didn't dare run against Lee in 1867, and so plotted his course for 1873. His chances were greatly bolstered when Lee publicly endorsed Jackson's candidacy. Several other generals hoped to get a piece of the post-war presidential pie, but they soon realized that Jackson was the main man in this election.

No one expected another major candidate to run, and so most observers were surprised when Senator Alexander H. Stephens announced his candidacy. Stephens had clashed with President Jefferson Davis during his time as vice president and was displeased when President Lee continued many of Davis's policies. He feared that Jackson, being from the same lineage of Virginian generals, would do the same. Stephens strongly believed in his image of a decentralized, peaceful Confederacy. He thought that the general-presidents were slowly building the C.S.A. into a strongly centralized military state.

The Campaign
Stephens did not want to directly campaign against the popular general as he feared being seen as unpatriotic. Instead, he presented himself as a more experienced alternative to Jackson. He wrote editorials that explained his views, and these editorials were widely published in newspapers across the nation. Stephens' opinions were most popular in the Deep South, including his home state of Georgia. Northern Confederates in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina largely disregarded them. Not once did Stephens say a word against Jackson. Jackson returned the favor.

Stonewall did not think he would need to do much to win the presidency. Privately, he only saw Stephens as a minor challenger with little chance of making an impact. He did make several appearances with President Lee, but otherwise he stayed at home for the duration of the campaign.

Results and Aftermath
Most were surprised when the results came in and had Stephens winning three states. Those in the know had largely expected Stephens to not win any states at all, with a slim chance of winning his home state if anything. Stephens' views, however, had proven to be very popular in the Deep South. People there were strongly in favor of states' rights, agrarian society, and slavery. Stephens shared all of these opinions, while Jackson was seen as more moderate.

Jackson won by a large margin in the popular vote, due to his popularity in the big population centers of Virginia and Tennessee. Almost no one voted for Stephens in those states, as they were completely satisfied with Lee and Jackson's plans for the C.S.A. The races were much closer in the Deep South, often coming within a few percentage points. Stephens won his home state by 5%, Alabama by 2%, and South Carolina by less than 1%. He came within 5% in Mississippi and Louisiana, though victories in both those states still would not have been enough for a victory.

Jackson went on to have a controversial term in office. The highlight of his administration was his meeting with President Pendleton of the U.S. for the bicentennial celebrations in 1876. He also managed to get the U.S. to pass a fugitive slave act in return for that visit. Reactions to his meeting were very mixed in the C.S. Citizens in border states were largely happy with the proceedings, as warm relations with the Union would mean more business and trade for them. People in the more rural Deep South did not care at all about that and thought that Jackson was throwing away the C.S.A's integrity. Some even suspected that he was trying to reunify the Confederacy with the Union.

President Jackson's actions led to the formation of the Southern Party, which supported all of Stephens' views. Stephens would run again in 1879, this time on the Southern Party ticket. He ended up defeating the Lee and Jackson backed candidate James Longstreet to finally become president.