No Gettysburg
From Alternative History
[edit] No Gettysburg: How the Southern States Won Their Independence
[edit] Introduction
In early 1863, Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens proposed that a delegation be sent to the North to seek terms for an end to hostilities and a recognition of the Confederacy. After the initial opposition of President Jefferson Davis, the ideas of a conference with these aims was approved, and channels were set up between the opposing sides to put it together. But the events of July- the South's defeat at Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg- ended any chance for the success of the conference, and the idea was quickly rejected out of hand by northern leaders. Years later, Stephen's wrote a selection in his book "A Constitutional View of the War Between the States" pondering this conference and its failure:
- "At the time these events were transpiring I thought, if General Lee had remained quietly on the defensive south of the Rappahannock; if all the forces he had collected over and above what were necessary to hold his position there had been sent in aid of the dislodgement of Grant, in his seige of Vicksburg, instead of joining in the movement made into Pennsylvania, that it would have been greatly better for us; and in that state of things, I thought that the conference suggested would most probably have been agreed to; and , also, that the results looked to in its projection would most probably have eventually ensued. ... Upon these questions others must form their own speculative judgements. Indeed, all that could be said on the subject now, as stated before, would be nothing but speculation." ("A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States" by Alexander H. Stephens)
This, of course, encouraged me to speculate, and inspired me to write, and now humbly present to you, the results of that speculation- an Alternate History timeline.
Notes: The vast majority of people in this timeline really existed. It should be assumed that all events before June, 1863 remain exactly as in our timeline. Dates of death for political leaders before 1900 remain the same as in our timeline. This is a timeline written by Stephen Abbott, and was formerly online at www.metro2000.net. Names and dates are essentially unchanged from the 1997 edition.
[edit] 1863
January- President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect.
June - President Davis orders General Longstreet to take a portion of the Army of Northern Virginia to eastern Tennessee to re-inforce General Bragg's forces. West Virginia admitted as a US State (6/20).
July 4- Vicksburg is conquered by US forces.
August 15- A peace party composed of Vice President Alexander Stephens and two Confederate Congressmen is received in Washington by lower level officials of the U.S. State Department, but no action is taken.
September 3- Near Knoxville, Bragg and Longstreet defeat Union forces under General Burnside. Bragg and Longstreet win several battles in central and western Tennessee, including the defeat of General Rosecrans in Chattanooga. October- Meade attempts an invasion of Virginia, but is halted by General Lee.
[edit] 1864
March 12- Officials in the U.S. State Department contact the office of Vice President Stephens, calling for a conference to discuss terms for peace.
April- The "New England Convention" meets to issue its "Proclamation for Peace" calling for the New England states' troops to leave the south and calling for an immediate cease-fire with the Confederacy. Lincoln calls their actions "treasonous" . Central Tennessee is re-taken by Generals Longstreet and Bragg.
May 19- Governors of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Ohio meet to call for an end to hostilities and also threaten to withdraw their forces from the south.
Summer- Heavy anti-draft rioting in New York City, Boston and Chicago. Union General Ulysses Grant retreats from Vicksburg to reinforce Tennessee, and is captured. August- delegates from Eastern Maryland meet discuss secession from the U.S. and joining the Confederate States.
November 8- In the U.S. Election, George McClellan wins with 2,252,000 votes to Lincoln's 1,773,000.
November 14- President-Elect McClellan calls for "an equitable peace" between the beligerents.
Christmas Day- A cease-fire is declared by both sides, as Union troops begin pulling out of the south.
[edit] 1865
January 10- Representatives from the opposing armies meet in Alexandria, Virginia to establish terms for a permanant treaty.
January 16- Many in Lincoln's cabinet, upon seeing the first drafts of the Treaty, say that they will bitterly oppose it, but Lincoln urges restraint, and saying, "It's in other's hands now."
February 22- Treaty of Manassas is agreed to by the Vice Presidents of the United States and the Confederate States in Manassas, VA, ending the war and granting independence to the South.
The terms of the treaty were:
1) Borders
- Washington D.C. will not be invaded or occupied, the "Baltimore-DC corridor" will remain forever within the United States, while parts of Maryland east of this corridor will enter the Confederacy as a state
- The Confederate States will renounce all claims to territory west of the Mississippi River north of the 37th parallel, excepting Southern Missouri
- the Ohio River will be recognised as the northern border of the CSA, excepting Western Virginia, which will remain in the US. and pending pleblicites in Kentucky and Southern Missouri, which will determine if they will join the Confederacy. A pleblicite will also be held in Arizona Territory on its admission to the Confederacy
2) Shipping
- The Chesapeake will remain free for 25 years to United States shipping, but access to the Mississippi River will be regulated by the CS Congress
3) Slavery
- Fugitive Slave Laws must be enforced. All slaves who escape from the Confederate States into the United States in the future are to be returned, and an indemnity must be paid from the US government to the CS government as payment for all slaves who have escaped during the war (but they will not be compelled to return).
February 25- President Davis, in a private letter to a friend in Mississippi, says that he actually cares not if the United States abides by all of the terms of the treaty, "so long as they leave us alone in peace.")
March 5- On his first day as President, McClellan urges Congress to approve the Treaty of Manassas as a "Fair and equitable peace for the future of our two peoples." Until now, the Republicans in the U.S. Senate had refused to even allow it to come to a vote.
March 21- Congress approves the Treaty of Manassas.
June 10- The state of East Maryland is admitted as a Confederate State, as allowed by the Treaty of Manassas.
July- The 13th Amendment is passed by Congress ending slavery in the United States and all it's territories.
August- Kentucky plebiscite votes to leave the US and apply for membership in the Confederacy.
Sept.- Southern Missouri also votes to leave the Union.
Oct.- Arizona narrowly votes to seek admission to the Confederacy.
Nov- Britain recognizes the Confederate States, and signs a trade treaty ensuring the cotton trade and offering military and industrial assistance.
Dec.- Southern Missouri and Kentucky are admitted as Confederate States.
[edit] 1866
Arizona and New Mexico Territories are admitted to the Confederacy as states. The "Union Republicans" , (radical Republicans) regain a majority in the US Congress, blaming the recent defeat on Democrats, "Weak Republicans" , and Lincoln. They call for a rapid settlement of the American west to counter the "Southern Empire" now expanding westward.
April- Justices of the Confederate Supreme Court are appointed by the President and ratified by the Senate. Their first session, however, doesn't take place until September.
Fall- Confederate President Davis announced in a letter to Congress dated August 17, 1866, that the proper numeration of his term began when he took office as President under the Permanent, rather than the Provisional, Constitution, and therefore his term would end in February, 1868 rather than in February, 1867, as many had expected. After a complaint was lodged by several Senators, the newly-established Confederate Supreme Court ruled in his favor in late October, 1866. This move caused many to call Davis "ambitious" and "dictatorial".
September 16- The US Congress sets up a "Committee of Inquiry Concerning the Late War Between the States," hearings on the war, and it calls many generals into the hearings to explain their actions, which results in several court-martials.
[edit] 1867
Dakota Territory and Nebraska are admitted as U.S. states. In Mexico, revolutionaries oust French puppet Emperor Maximillian after French forces leave Mexico. Russia sells Alaska to Britain, and it becomes a territory of the newly-proclaimed Dominion of Canada.
[edit] 1868
February 1- Robert E. Lee officially declines the offer of several political figures to serve as President of the Confederacy, but serves as Secretary of War under Alexander Stephens (GA), who is inaugurated (March 4) as the second president of the Confederacy, with Augustus Hill Garland (Tennesee) serving as Vice President.
November- Edwin McMasters Stanton (Union Republican) is elected President of the US, beginning the era of radicalism in the US.
[edit] 1869
April 10 - President Stanton orders troops to mass upon the US/CS border, to "protect against invasion from the slaveholding states". President Stephens, in an address to the CS Congress, calls for preparedness, and calls President Stanton's actions "Bordering on the nonsensical" and without cause. Colorado Territory and Washington Territory are admitted as US states. The New England states' governors meet to consider secession, and are arrested by federal troops. Rioting in Boston and Hartford kills 50. President Stanton calls for order, and sends more troops to New England.
December 24- President Stanton dies from complications caused by his lifelong asthmatic condition. He is replaced by Vice President John Sherman, who pledges to continue Stanton's programs.
[edit] The 1870s: Yankee Insurrection
[edit] 1870
February 18- The U.S. Congress declares martial law in the nation's capitol, fearing "Southern subversion and Secessionist Treason".
June- In a referrendum, separation from the USA is approved by the mostly Mormon voters in Utah Territory. After a few skirmishes with Federal troops in the Spring, no further military confrontation occurs.
August- An alliance is proclaimed between the new "Nation of Deseret" and the Confederate government.
[edit] 1871
In the USA, the 14th Amendment is passed, August 29, barring secession from the United States, and is quickly ratified by: NewYork, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illiniois, North Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Dakota, California, Oregon, Washington and Kansas, as well as the territory of Idaho. Notably absent from the list of ratifying states are the New England states, who are seriously discouraged with the federal government's handling of the war and what has followed.
[edit] 1872
Spring - Fighting breaks out in Massachusetts between secession advocates and Federal troops, which is easily put down by Union forces.
July 6-12 - A fire does massive damage in New York City, blamed on both Confederate agitators and New England separatists. November- President Sherman is elected to a full term as US President, amid accusations of massive vote fraud.
[edit] 1873
January - President Sherman declares martial law in the New England states and in New York City, which are divided into military districts and administered by the US Congress.
Summer - A scarlet fever epidemic hits several cities in the CSA, killing hundreds.
[edit] 1874
March 4 - Confederate Secretary of State Robert W. Barnwell (of South Carolina) becomes the third President of the CSA, with Howell Cobb (of Georgia) serving as Vice President.
[edit] 1875
March 16 - CSA President Barnwell and Congress secretly authorize a build-up of ironclads and wooden vessels, in the face of the growing militarism of the United States. Autumn- A bumper crop of cotton increases international sales by 20% throughout the CSA.
[edit] 1876
May - Dissatisfied with Sherman's continued militarism, and with his high tariff policy, a group of Moderate Republicans meet in Chicago to form the Liberal Republican Party, in opposition to the "Radical Republicans" and in favor of freer trade policies. They nominate Charles Francis Adams, the former US Minister to England, as their candidate for President, and Senator Lyman Trumbull as their candidate for Vice-President. That same month, the Republicans re-nominate President Sherman for a second full term.
June - Rioting breaks out in Boston. Leaders of the fighting call for a "Second Revolutionary War" to put down the "Republican Dictatorship", but meet with little popular support due to the increasingly violent tone of the leaders of the rioting.
June 10 - The Democratic Party meets in Baltimore and endorses the Liberal Republican nominee Adams.
July 4- Citizens both in the USA and CSA celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
August- Along with dozens of rioters, several of the leaders of the New England insurrection are arrested, with the assistance of New England's governors. President Sherman announces that the insurrection has been officially supressed. Ratification of the 14th Amendment, barring further secessions, is rushed through the Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont legislatures before the end of the year.
November- Union Republican President Sherman is defeated by Liberal Republican candidate Charles Francis Adams, by a wide margin.
[edit] 1877
March 4- President Charles Francis Adams is inaugurated, and pledges to reform government and to end all martial law in the United States during peacetime. May- A bi-partisan committee is set up in Congress to investigate graft and corruption in the just-ended Sherman administration. Two former cabinet officials and several minor officials were convicted of bribery and lesser offenses in the following months.
[edit] 1878
April- President Adams' allies in Congress narrowly pass the Civil Service Reform Act of 1878, which created the Civil Service Commission and took thousands of government offices out of the "spoils system".
[edit] The 1880s: A war, two railroads and a canal
[edit] 1880
March 4 - Augustus Hill Garland (of Tennessee) elected as 4th President of the Confederate States. Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Mercer Talliaferro Hunter (of Virginia) becomes Vice President. In his inaugural address, President Garland declares that a new era of the Confederacy has arrived, "Tested by war, tempered by peace." and calls for a thaw in US-CS relations. He also proposes an intrastate rail system, "which would facilitate trade and contact among the various states of the Confederacy." In May, Congress appoints a committee to discuss Garlands proposal.
November - U.S. President Adams is re-elected, thought the Union Republicans re-gain control of the House of Representatives by 3 seats.
[edit] 1881
January/February- Border raids by Mexican army into Arizona and New Mexico destroy several towns.
March 23- Texas divisions of the Confederate army engage Mexican troops in battle at Laredo, Texas, then strike inside Mexico, winning a major victory at the Salado River.
April 1- Mexican troops take Tuscon, Arizona in a bloody battle.
April 2- President Garland calls for a declaration of hostilities between Mexico and the Confederate States. Congress complies on April 5, and calls for each state to send it's militia to protect the Confederacy. Alabama governor Thomas Hill Watts at first refuses to send troops, seeing it "Not in the interests of Alabama". The Confederate Supreme Court rules (April 29) that Alabama is not in compliance with the terms of the Confederate Constitution. Watts is removed by the state legislature and replaced by Senate President Edward Asbury O'Neal, who immediately calls for troops to be sent to join the Confederate army forming in Texas.
By late summer, all of the troops are assembled in Texas, and the invasion of Mexico commenses in September.
August 10-13 - Confederate forces engage Mexican units in the Battle of Yuma, Arizona.
September 13- CSA forces under the command of General George Washington Custis Lee (son of General Robert E. Lee) force Mexican troops to retreat after the Battle of Matamoros, Mexico.
[edit] 1882
April 15 - Mexican troops strike deep inside California (US) to gain supplies and food, and are persued back into Mexico into Baja California Norte by US Troops. It is a trap, and the US troops are ambushed near Mexicali. A nearby Confederate brigade under the command of Brigadier General Randall Lee Gibson comes to their rescue, defeating the Mexicans. News reports of this battle greatly help to heal relations between the United States and the Confederacy and "An era of brotherly feeling" is declared by many papers in the US for the Confederate troops' actions. Mostly as a result of this, the mid-term Congressional elections in the U.S. are won overwhelmingly by opposition Liberal Republican Party candidates who wish to normalize relations.
Fall- The seige and fall of Monterrey, Mexico under General Lee; the Mexico City campaign begins.
[edit] 1883
March 10- The new, Liberal Republican-controlled Congress eases customs restrictions on the CS/US border in the eastern US & CS.
May 16- Mexico City falls to CS armies.
June 3- The end of the Mexican-Confederate War comes with the signing of the treaty of Monterrey, which gives the CSA all of Northern Mexico, including the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California Norte. The former Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas becomes the state of "New Georgia" and its capital, Monterrey, is re-named Garland City. It is admitted as a state on August 21, Sonora and Baja California Norte are combined into the state of Davis, and admitted to the Confederacy on October 10, with its capital, Hermosillo, renamed Lee City. Chihuahua becomes the state of "Johnston", with it's capital at New Macon, formerly the city of Chihuahua. Coahiula becomes the state of "South Texas", with its capital as Beauregard, formerly Saltillo. Both Johnston and South Texas are admitted on October 27.
[edit] 1884
February 27- The CSA Congress approves a plan to construct a Confederate Transcontinental Railroad, with each state paying for sections of track within its borders, and responsible for its proper maintenance.
March 16- The final plans for the Confederate Transcontinental Railroad are approved by Congress: It would run first from Richmond to Raleigh, then south to Charleston and west to Columbia, South Carolina. Then it would go through Atlanta to Montgomery then on to Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans. From there, the Railroad would pass to Houston and Austin Texas, on to Garland City (Monterrey) and west to Lee City in the state of Davis (Hermosillo). Finally, it would run to the former region of Baja California and end in New Manassas (Ensenada). Work begins with the starting point in Richmond on June 15.
August 22- The Confederate Transcontinental Railroad (TCRR) reaches Raleigh, North Carolina.
November 4- Liberal Republican candidate General Winfield Scott Hancock wins election as President by over 400,000 votes. Governor David B. Hill of New York is elected Vice-President.
November 10- The Confederate Congress begins to examine the slow progress of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and appoints a commission to study the problems and suggest solutions.
[edit] 1885
Feb 22- The Stephens Memorial is unveiled in Atlanta during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the end of the War for Confederate Independence. The incoming U.S. Secretary of State attends, in a gesture of goodwill. It is the highest-ranking official to visit the CSA since the signing of the Treaty of Manassas.
March 4- President Hancock, in his inaugural speech, calls for the construction of a transontinental railroad to "bind the nation up, and heal it's wounds." The idea is wildly popular, and money is appropriated and a committee is appointed by the Congress within a few weeks of President Hancock taking office to discuss possible routes. (A similar action, the "Pacific Railroad Act" had been passed by Congress in July of 1862, but the war and civil strife of the post-war period had rendered it impossible to make substantial progress on such a system.) Confederate Secretary of State Richard Coke (of Texas) attends Hancock's inaugural, the first time any Confederate official has atteneded such an event.
April 10- A United States Minister [Ambassador] to the Confederacy is sent to Richmond by President Hancock. Brigadier General Randall Lee Gibson, the "rescuer of Mexicali" in the recent war with Mexico, who was very popular in the U.S., is sent as the first Confederate States Minister to Washington.
May 6- Upon the recommendation of the Confederate Transcontinental Railroad Commission, the Confederate Congress passes the "Internal Improvements Amendment" to the Constitution, creating a "National Land and Sea Transport Board" to administer internal improvements traversing two or more states, under the direction of the Confederate Congress. Its funding would come from the contributions of each state, based upon population. It is sent to the states for ratification, which is completed by October after much debate.
May 15- Confederate TCRR reaches Columbia, South Carolina.
July 4- The Confederate TCRR reaches Atlanta, Georgia, in time for Independence from England Day, and on October 1, it enters Jackson, Mississippi. By November 30th, it has reached New Orleans.
[edit] 1886
February 9- US President Hancock dies suddenly, succeded by Vice-President David B. Hill (former Governor of New York).
February 22- On Confederate Independence Day, the TCRR enters Houston, Texas, to a great celebration.
March 4- Former Confederate General George Washington Custis Lee (of Virginia), the "Hero of [the battle of] Matamoros", becomes the fifth Confederate President, with Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (of Kentucky, son of the former U.S. Vice President and Confederate Senator (1865-1867) John C. Breckinridge) as Vice President.
May 7- The Confederate TCRR enters Austin, Texas, and on August 6, it lays its first tracks in Garland City (formerly Monterrey). September 29- A final report is issued by the U.S. Congress on the route of the proposed Transcontinental Railroad it will head westward from New York City just north of the Ohio River, through Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Topeka, and Denver, then head northward through Wyoming to Pocatello, Idaho, then following the Snake River to western Oregon. Then, it would join the western part of the rail system, connecting Washington state and San Fransisco, California. A Rail Commission is appointed to oversee the various companies building the railroad, and the first track is laid by October 1.
[edit] 1887
March 19- The Confederate TCRR enters Lee City, Davis (formerly Hermosillo, Sonora). On June 5, it reaches Mexicali in the state of Davis.
July 15- The U.S. railroad reaches St. Louis, Missouri.
July 21- On the 26th anniversary of the 1st battle of Manassas/Bull Run, the Confederate Transcontinental Railroad enters New Manassas, Davis (formerly Ensenada) President G. W. C. Lee sends a contratulatory telegraph to the workers and dignitaries watching as the last spike is nailed into the rails.
September 29- Land for a Nicaraguan Canal is bought by the Confederate Congress, as an investment designed to help facilitate international trade.
October 17- Survey teams arrive in Nicaragua to survey the land for the Canal, which will be of a simple, sea-level design, rather than a "lock" design, rejected by Congress as too costly.
October 22- Work on the US Railroad ends for the winter in Topeka, Kansas
[edit] 1888
Early February- In the CSA, the first teams of workers are sent to Nicaragua, to begin excavation for the Canal project.
March 4- Work on the US Railroad resumes. August- The US Railroad reaches Denver, Colorado.
October 12- An avalanche near Pocatello, Idaho kills 300 working on the US Railroad. Work is halted for the winter. November- Senator Thomas F. Bayard (Liberal Republican) is elected U.S. President, vowing to finish the US Railroad. Immigration from Europe reaches 350,000 for the year ending on December 31, 1887. President Bayard calls for restrictions, but none are imposed.
1889- March 29- Work is resumed on the US Railroad.
April 24- US Railroad reaches Medford, a settlement in western Oregon. May 10- The US Transcontinental Railroad is completed as the final track is laid in Eureka, California. President Bayard telegraphs his congratulations to the workers.
July 16- Anarchists set off an explosive devise in a busy New York City marketplace, killing 100 and injuring over 300. Other explosions in US cities cause Congress to declare a state of emergency.
August 22- Three anarchists are captured near Buffalo, New York attempting to flee into Canada. On November 21, they are hung in a federal prison in New York City after a hasty trial. In early December, their accomplices are caught in Columbus, Ohio and in Hartford, Connecticut.
December 6- Former President Jefferson Davis dies. In later years, his political enemies had forgiven him- even for wanting his "extra year" many people thought he took as president. His name and image had risen in stature and was credited with saving the Confederacy during the troubled war years. Even Confederate President G. W.C. Lee said, during his eulogy, that Davis had "stood by the Confederacy when it tottered on the brink of ruin, and returned it to greatness from ashes." U.S. President Bayard sends his condolences to the Davis family.
[edit] The 1890s: War with Cuba, and first signs of freedom
[edit] 1890
July 16- Confederate Transcontinental Railroad "branch" lines are completed, running from the main line to Jacksonville, Little Rock, and Knoxville.
August 22- Work is halted on the Nicaraguan Canal because of malaria and cholera epidemics.
[edit] 1892
March 4- Former Confederate Senator and Secretary of the Navy Augustus Emmett Maxwell of Florida becomes President, and John Edwin Reagan of Texas becomes Vice President.
March 22- In an attempt to attract workers for the Canal project, which had received much bad press after the epidemics of the previous summer, President Maxwell proposes the Slave Canal Worker Program, which would offer a $1000 bond to any slaveowner to each slave sent to work on the Nicaraguan Canal for a period of six months. Afterwards, the slave would be emancipated if he remained in Nicaragua or in one of the newly-acquired Mexican states. (This program was also an attempt to lessen the effects of slaves providing free factory labor, which was driving wages down for all Confederates). The program receives a warm welcome in both houses of Congress.
April 2 - The United States Congress sets up a Sub-Committee to investigate the purchase of land from Columbia for a canal through the isthmus of Panama.
May 19 - Congress approves the Slave Canal Worker Program.
June 25 - Work resumes on the Nicaraguan Canal. By mid-October, 25,000 slaves had been acquired from their owners for the program and sent to Nicaragua, with many thousands more having been turned away until the next work season.
November 1 - A report from a team of doctors dispatched to Nicaragua by Congress reports that better sanitation and medical facilities have ended the epidemics caused the previous year.
November- U.S. President Bayard is re-elected.
[edit] 1893
February 27 - In his yearly message to Congress, President Maxwell calls upon the nation to finish the Nicaraguan Canal by the end of the decade, "for the greater prosperity of the Confederate Nation, and for the benefit of her People." Several Congressmen propose a one-time, national tax to raise funds to finish the Canal. It is rejected, but a plan to sell bonds are sold through the national treasury is approved, and quickly becomes wildly successful.
[edit] 1895
A glut of cotton on the world market causes a severe downturn in the price of cotton. An economic recession begins in the Confederacy when prices begin to fall in the Spring. However, U.S. factories begin to buy surplus cotton from Egypt, increasing the output of its factories significantly.
[edit] 1898
March 4- John Edwin Reagan (of Texas) is inaugurated as the Confederate President. (He is the son of the first Postmaster General, John Henninger Reagan of Texas). Tennessee Senator David McKendree Key is elected Vice-President. In his inaugural speech, Reagan calls for more emphasis on the "continued industrialisation of the Confederacy, which is incumbent for our survival as a nation." Growth in the clothing industry continues to be explosive, as factories sprout up on the east coast's cities- near prominent harbors- and on the Mississippi river.
March 15- As the Nicaraguan Canal nears completion, President Reagan travels to Nicaragua to visit the site. He becomes the first Confederate President to leave the Confederacy while still in office.
[edit] 1899
March 19- President Reagan voices support for rebels seeking to overthrow Spanish rule in Cuba, and says that he won't oppose those seeking Confederate volunteers to assist in an invasion.
May 16- Spanish gunships attack Key West, sinking three Confederate ships.
May 20- President Reagan asks Congress for a declaration of war against the Spanish Empire, which occurs the next day.
June 1- 20,000 volunteers arrive in Tampa, Florida and 13,000 more in New Orleans, Louisiana to prepare for an invasion of Cuba. Among these are over 1500 former slaves.
June 9- A skirmish off the coast of Texas leaves three Spanish gunboats severely disabled. Three of these ships surrender, while another one sinks.
July 2- In advance of an actual invasion, President Reagan orders a blockade of Cuba.
July 15- Warships leave Tampa Bay and New Orleans for the invasion of Cuba.
July 22-25- Battle of Santa Clara, Cuba results in a rout of Spanish forces.
August 1-9- Battle of Havana.
August 9- Havana falls to CSA invasion forces, including a division of former slaves, whose valiant fighting was reported with interest in Confederate papers.
August 19- Native rebels take control of Santiago de Cuba, a large city in southeastern Cuba. August 20- The Republic of Cuba proclaimed in Havana.
August 26- The final battle of the war occurs near Guantanomo, after which several Spanish naval vessels surrender.
September 3- The treaty of Richmond signed by the Spanish ambassador, ceding Cuba to the CSA.
October 1- Cuba applies for statehood, and on October 15, is admitted as the 22nd state.
November 19- The first ship, the warship CSS Jefferson Davis, passes through the newly-completed Nicaraguan Canal, built in eleven years with the aid of 153,000 now-freed slaves and 20,000 other Confederates. All but 124 survived the building of the Canal, and all of the slaves who remained with the project for at least a year were given their freedom and settled in Nicaragua or in southern Mexico. At the mouth of the westernmost part of the Canal lies "Maxwell Point", named for President Augustus Maxwell. Congress proclaim the day a national holiday - "Canal Day" - which is observed throughout the Confederacy for years to come.
