THE BLACK AND THE GRAY

An Alternate History* Timeline of the War of Secession

by Robert Perkins

Background: In March 1865 the Confederate States of America passed legislation authorizing the recruitment of slaves as soldiers for the Confederate armies. By the time this legislation was passed (March 13, 1865) and the War Department acted to implement the new law (by General Order on March 23, 1865), the Confederacy had little time left to live, and little came of the legislation. But what might have happened if the legislation had been passed a year earlier? This is not so far-fetched as it may seem, for by that time there was already a movement within the Confederacy, centered in the Gulf States, to do just that. And in January 1864, Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne made a proposal that, if it had not been squelched at the order of President Davis before it could become public knowledge, might have led to the passage of such legislation. The following is a time-line which examines what might have followed from this possibility. Note that most of the events leading up the passage of the legislation actually did happen...exactly one year later...in history as WE know it.

PART ONE: FROM A SINGLE ACORN...

PART TWO: THE GILDED AGE, 1865-1899

PART THREE: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, 1899-2000

*For the first time reader of alternate history timelines, some definitions of terms which will prove helpful...

"Alternate History" is an exercise in speculation over what might occur if some event in history had happened differently.

"OTL" is an abbreviation for "Our Time Line" or history as WE know it.

The "Point of Departure" (sometimes abbreviated P.O.D.) is the point in the time-line where an event or outcome is changed from what occurred in actual history.

"ATL" is an abbreviation for "Alternate Time-line," or the history which results from the Point of Departure.

Some clipart on this page is courtesy of

The music file of THE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM was composed and is copyrighted by Barry Taylor. For more great tunes like this one, check out THE CONTEMPLATOR'S FOLK MUSIC SITE.

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