The Medieval South [OOC/Sign-Ups]

[Sarderia]

Sarderia, about the telegram, the revolver rifles are no longer in production. Colt stopped producing them in 1862. If you want rifles, you need to go to Harper's Ferry.

Damn, my bad, I forgot about that. Well you can ignore the rifle part, or alternatively in the reply state that you're not going to produce the rifles.

[Union Princes]

Yeah, the colt revolvers are powerful but they have a tendency to explode in soldiers' faces. That's why the rifle had to be put out of service. The soldiers who use this ended up hating it.

[Dahyan]

WIP, obviously.

Newton Knight - (1829 - )

Account Name: Dahyan
Occupation: Governor, farmer, jayhawker, former outlaw, war veteran
Motives: Protection of the interest of yeoman farmers, spreading abolitionism, defence of the Union in Maryland
Background:

Newton Knight was born in November 1829 in Jones County, Mississippi, as the eighth child out of twelve in a family of poor yeoman farmers.

Homeschooled by his mother, Newton grew up to be a pious Primitive or Old School Baptist. In accordance with his creed, Knight forswore alcohol and developed a moral opposition to the institution of slavery.

In 1858, Newton Knight married Serena Turner and established a farmstead in neighbouring Jasper County.

As a typical yeoman subsistence farmer in the rural South, Knight had little sympathy for the secessionist cause and its slavery-driven underlying economic reasoning. As such, in January 1861, he backed anti-secession candidate John H. Powell for the secession convention, but the tide of anti-Union sentiment amongst Mississippi elite could not be stemmed.

In July 1861, Knight was conscripted into the Confederate Army and enlisted into the 8th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Later, he requested and was granted transfer to Company F of the 7th Mississippi Infantry Battalion together with several of his friends and neighbours.

In the course of 1862, Newton Knight and his peers grew more and more enraged with the Confederate political system, especially upon the passing of the Twenty Negro Law which greatly benefited Southern gentry at the expense of common redneck farmers. Combined with increasing food shortages and hardship faced by the women and children at home, this led to severe malcontent amongst Knight and his ilk. This was made all the worse due to Knight receiving word of his brother-in-law Morgan Lines severely maltreating the children of Newton and Serena who were left in his care.

In October 1862, Knight deserted from the army nmwhiel camped nearby Corinth, and trekked nearly 200 miles back home. Upon arriving in Jasper County, Knight shot and killed Morgan, and brought his family back to the homestead. In early 1863 however, he was identified and captured by Confederate forces, who jailed him and subjected him to torture and mistreatment and burned down his farm and homestead as punishment for desertion.

Soon afterwards, Newton Knight escaped from custody and made his refuge in the bogs of the Leaf River, soon joined by his wife and children. While evading Confederate patrols in the swamps, Knight encountered other deserters and fugitive slaves at the borders between the counties of Jones and Covington, and gradually a form of organisation ensued.

In October 1863, the group of which Knight had by now assumed command killed Confederate officer Major Amos McLemore, whom had been sent to round up deserters in the area. In the coming months and years, the newly christened Knight Company organised into an irregular militia, developing into a protection force for local farmsteads and attacking Confederate patrols, tax collectors and conscription officers.

The Knight Company grew steadily to over 150 troops, and were a severe thorn in the side of the Confederacy. Using guerilla tactics and evading capture using extensive knowledge of the land, Jones County and the surrounding areas remained more or less out of effective Confederate control until the end of the war. In the spring of 1864, the guerrillas even went as far as declaring the independence of the Free State of Jones.

However, by 1865 it had become clear that the position of the Knight Company would eventually become untenable as a Confederate victory in the war drew close. In a bold move, Newton Knight decided to move his entire company north, joined by a large number of local farmers and their families as well as other Southern Unionists, abolitionists, runaway slaves and jayhawkers.

With support from pro-Union bushwhackers in East Tennessee, the group made its way to Virginia and eventually to Maryland, where they linked up with Federal troops. Settling in the Old Line State, Knight supported the efforts of the Union to safeguard Washington DC, joining the US military with the rank of Captain.

After the US defeat in the Civil War, Knight eventually retired from armed service and took up a career in law enforcement, becoming a US Marshal in 1868.

His renown as a jayhawker and Southern Unionist made Knight a rather well-liked figure in his new home state, and in 1872 he went into politics as member of the Radical faction in the Republican Party. He quickly built up a political following and aided in the spread of a Republican powerbase in the other wide Democrat-dominated state. In 1875, he ran in the gubernatorial elections and won, being sworn in as Governor of Maryland that same year.

Newton Knight and Serena Turner had grown apart by now, and officially divorced on amicable terms in 1874. Newton Knight subsequently married Rachel, an African American freedwoman.

Titles/Positions: Governor of Maryland (Union)
Holdings: Maryland, particularly the Annapolis-Baltimore axis
Politics: Radical Republican
Faith: Primitive Baptist

[Alaroma]

Shit we have a *gag* Republican among us.

[Khasinkonia]

My my my, Texas is looking awfully absolutist there...

[The United Empire of Exucular]

The Medieval South 2: South goes souther.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ ... ed_country)

[Alaroma]

My my my, Texas is looking awfully absolutist there...

I didn’t start shit, smh. Though consolidation into a functional state is the goal.

[Vienna Eliot]

Secondary characters are accepted by default, barring complaints from the community. If after a day or two you don’t see a character added to the OP, bring my attention to it. Working on adding everyone to the OP now. I’ll have another IC post soon as well.

I should apologize for the rough OP’ing I’ve been offering. I’ll be sure to kick it up a notch now that we’re up and running.

Wait, what about my app?

Missed it. She is accepted.

I have three questions. Was Israel accepted, can it be said the Confederate State/Territory of Arizona exists, and how standardized is the Confederate Military.

Vassals are responsible for their own defense. So that is to say, it is probably not standardized at all.

Arizona is pretty far west. It might be hard for anyone to have a hard claim to power there — that said, that doesn’t mean nobody would say it’s theirs. Just that the enforceability of any such claim is shaky at best.

Jackson and Colt are approved. What were the questions about foreign relations etc?

DId Britain have diplomatic relations with the Confederates either during or following the Civil War in this timeline? I’d like to know as my app depends quite heavily on it.

Given that the South has regressed to a political era preceding Westphalian sovereignty, I would say that most foreign relations were conducted between other countries and Asheville — for which I will offer that there were British-Southern relations — with other foreign relations conducted by vassals themselves, directly — as, for instance, the Louisianans probably do with France.

We don’t have great precedent for how feudal systems interact with non-feudal nation-states, but if anyone keener on history has some input, it’s welcome.

Is it confirmed that the Union controls Maryland and Virginia? If so, I'd gladly take Maryland, for sure.

It's not confirmed, per se, but it's known that the Union still meets in Washington. So there must be a very significant influence of the Stars and Stripes in Maryland.

Last I heard, they don’t even say y’all in Baltimore.

[Alaroma]

Well that settles that, Confederate Arizona is a thing, and I’m gonna help it until it grows into something useful or the Union kills us all.

It also means I’ll need to detail my troops later.

[Khasinkonia]

DId Britain have diplomatic relations with the Confederates either during or following the Civil War in this timeline? I’d like to know as my app depends quite heavily on it.

Given that the South has regressed to a political era preceding Westphalian sovereignty, I would say that most foreign relations were conducted between other countries and Asheville — for which I will offer that there were British-Southern relations — with other foreign relations conducted by vassals themselves, directly — as, for instance, the Louisianans probably do with France.

We don’t have great precedent for how feudal systems interact with non-feudal nation-states, but if anyone keener on history has some input, it’s welcome.

I will note that France would not conduct any sort of relations with Louisiana. Louisiana would conduct relations with Spain, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, and on occasion other nations as well. The primary reason being that the aforementioned are all part of the same extended royal family, so Louisiana Bourbons are most likely in more frequent contact with European nobility as compared to most of the other noble branches of confederate nobility, simply due to family ties that are largely absent or significantly more tenuous elsewhere.

[Union Princes]

I wonder how the CSA would deal with the Jewish immigrants from Europe that would occur in 1880 and continue till 1914.

[Khasinkonia]

I wonder how the CSA would deal with the Jewish immigrants from Europe that would occur in 1880 and continue till 1914.

If they keep their heads down, all will be okay.

Also, Sarderia, if you're using official names in the telegram, the official name of Louisiana is the Kingdom of Louisiana. Just in case that was what the plan was.

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

WILLIAM "BILL" MERCER - (1836 - Present)

Account Name: Capile
Occupation: Bodyguard and Agent of His Excellency Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Chancellor of the Imperial Council
Motives: Helping his friend and mentor Stonewall Jackson, Money
Background:
The first of seven children born on a small farmstead near Edinburg, Virginia, to struggling Protestant Scottish immigrant parents, William James Mercer Jr. was raised in the saddle, displaying exceptional, untaught horsemanship early in his youth. He was much better with equines than with people, possessing a solitary, solemn, and— thanks to his stature of 6'3"— somewhat imposing nature. William was the first lettered member of his family, who used their meager savings to hire a tutor for their firstborn. Faith closely followed literacy, as young William immersed himself in God's word, though he did not care for church, preferring to speak with the Almighty alone.

Amazingly, William escaped the farmer's fate which befell his siblings, managing instead to achieve entrance at the prestigious Virginia Military Institute. He struggled through the rigors of formal education, and though he graduated in the middle of his class in 1858, his diligence and piety were noted by then-Professor Thomas Jackson. The microscopic Army offered few opportunities for advancement; thus, although he was a man of little ambition, Mercer utilized his VMI connections to land jobs among Virginia's high society. Many Virginian aristocrats found themselves too preoccupied with galas and balls to attend to their manifold properties, and so William established himself as a mildly successful property manager and rent collector. He abhorred this work, despite the goodwill it garnered him with his wealthy employers, and came to quietly despise the Southern gentry because of their ostentatious excesses. Before William could truly settle into his middle-income position and court a bride, the Civil War began.

Eager to leave behind his hated status as taxman, the VMI graduate left Richmond at the first sign of secession and was granted a second lieutenant's commission in the 1st Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment under Colonel J.E.B. Stuart. His unit served under General Thomas Jackson, who requested early in the war that Mercer be transferred to his staff. William distinguished himself as a competent staff officer and valorous horseman as early as First Manassas, and continued to serve "Stonewall" Jackson ably throughout the war. Due to his unsurpassed skills as a rider, Mercer often delivered sensitive messages for the general and, when Sandie Pendleton was fatally wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville, became Jackson's aide-de-camp. Throughout the remainder of the war, Jackson, himself a somber man, came to highly trust and respect his adjutant, whom he regarded as a faithful servant and confidant.

Eventually, the glorious days of the war came to a close, and Mercer, having achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel, returned to civilian life a changed man. The brutality of the war had stripped him of the gentility he'd imbibed at VMI, uncovering a coarse and hardy Scotsman who longed for action. Unwilling to return to his pre-war practice and with the family farm in ruins, William Mercer was the first to rejoin his old commander when Stonewall Jackson took charge of Virginia following the collapse. Becoming Jackson's right-hand man in the Roanoke Rifles, William was soon entrusted not with military commands, but rather confidential affairs: a string of mysterious, untimely deaths eliminated Jackson's rivals for control of Virginia. Shaken from his faith and his civility, Mercer had no problem silencing foppish Virginian nobles and replacing them with the non-nonsense Jackson.

Although his change in demeanor opened a rift between him and the more genteel Jackson, the latter retained Mercer as an invaluable asset. As Stonewall Jackson's eminence grew, Mercer became not only his agent but also his bodyguard and majordomo, tending to the general's properties in addition to executing his will in the Imperial Court. Now that the old Emperor has passed, William has sensed that the next few years will hold unprecedented change, and is ready to do whatever it takes to help Jackson retain his power and accrue even more.
Titles/Positions: Lieutenant Colonel (Formerly)
Holdings: None
Politics: Supports whatever Jackson does without question; privately, he is utterly uninterested in slavery and most other domestic issues, and is most concerned by the looming threat of the Union, believing that Confederates should unify to face down the North
Faith: Presbyterian (non-practicing)

[Union Princes]

Well that settles that, Confederate Arizona is a thing, and I’m gonna help it until it grows into something useful or the Union kills us all.

It also means I’ll need to detail my troops later.

You'll gonna have to deal with the Apache and the Union. Especially the Apache. Hope you're prepared to deal with Geronimo. Cause whatever happens, the Union has the money and manpower to clean house

[Sarderia]

I wanted to make a second character. Dahyan, do you need a Union general marching beside you? Under the STARS and STRIPES obviously.

[Alaroma]

Well that settles that, Confederate Arizona is a thing, and I’m gonna help it until it grows into something useful or the Union kills us all.

It also means I’ll need to detail my troops later.

You'll gonna have to deal with the Apache and the Union. Especially the Apache. Hope you're prepared to deal with Geronimo. Cause whatever happens, the Union has the money and manpower to clean house

Indian wars have been a thing forever, but I have a mildly more annoying problem to deal with rn.

[Sarderia]

Well that settles that, Confederate Arizona is a thing, and I’m gonna help it until it grows into something useful or the Union kills us all.

It also means I’ll need to detail my troops later.

You'll gonna have to deal with the Apache and the Union. Especially the Apache. Hope you're prepared to deal with Geronimo. Cause whatever happens, the Union has the money and manpower to clean house

Y'all Texans need to deal with pulling your state together first. Anyway, how's the weapons?

[Union Princes]

I realize there's a surprising amount of fairly level headed confederate characters so far. I can only imagine how they would deal with KKK, racial science, and Marxist ideology.

https://youtu.be/DQQdnve5fQk this is a good video to check out

[Khasinkonia]

I realize there's a surprising amount of fairly level headed confederate characters so far. I can only imagine how they would deal with KKK, racial science, and Marxist ideology.

https://youtu.be/DQQdnve5fQk this is a good video to check out

Ah, you've only seen diplomatic Ernestine. Just you wait until the Sun Queen comes out to play.

[Sarderia]

I realize there's a surprising amount of fairly level headed confederate characters so far. I can only imagine how they would deal with KKK, racial science, and Marxist ideology.

https://youtu.be/DQQdnve5fQk this is a good video to check out

Ah, you've only seen diplomatic Ernestine. Just you wait until the Sun Queen comes out to play.

I'd like to see how a West and Ernestine meeting turns out.

[Khasinkonia]

Ah, you've only seen diplomatic Ernestine. Just you wait until the Sun Queen comes out to play.

I'd like to see how a West and Ernestine meeting turns out.

Given that he's just started a rather large kerfuffle with the King of Texas, and addressed Louisiana as a "state", he might be keen on clarifying his intent, as it seems overall anti-monarchist rather than anti-Boykin for the moment. Perhaps a pre-emptive notification might be in order, since he seems rather keen on finding new friends?

[Alaroma]

I'd like to see how a West and Ernestine meeting turns out.

Given that he's just started a rather large kerfuffle with the King of Texas, and addressed Louisiana as a "state", he might be keen on clarifying his intent, as it seems overall anti-monarchist rather than anti-Boykin for the moment. Perhaps a pre-emptive notification might be in order, since he seems rather keen on finding new friends?

I mean, he is anti monarchist.......

[Khasinkonia]

Given that he's just started a rather large kerfuffle with the King of Texas, and addressed Louisiana as a "state", he might be keen on clarifying his intent, as it seems overall anti-monarchist rather than anti-Boykin for the moment. Perhaps a pre-emptive notification might be in order, since he seems rather keen on finding new friends?

I mean, he is anti monarchist.......

From his app, it seems more anti-Boykin rather than anti-Emperor. Although working with the absolutists in Louisiana for him would probably be something of a deal with the devil.

[Khasinkonia]

Daily reminder that the port of Houston doesn't exist yet.

[Alaroma]

I mean, he is anti monarchist.......

From his app, it seems more anti-Boykin rather than anti-Emperor. Although working with the absolutists in Louisiana for him would probably be something of a deal with the devil.

It undermines both your predisposed positions.

Daily reminder that the port of Houston doesn't exist yet.

Daily reminder it can still export cotton

Edit: On that note, will temporarily redirect some trade to Louisiana