Good evening everyone! I hope you can forgive me, this update despite being the longest so far (almost double the usual length!) is not ending the story of the Supreme-Marshal as I expected and I will have to leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger. At least my original goal of bridging the story of the USA up to the French Revolution has been achieved and that means we can focus more on America's Odoacer!
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Chapter 7: Caesar Triumphant
When General Horatio Gates ascended to the office of Supreme-Marshal of the Confederation on July 2nd 1784 via his coup d’état, he was broadly supported by the Soldiers’ Councils which were rising across the United States and opposed by the established state governments. Gates’ proclamation that there would be a new Constitution, and that the rights and liberties of the common man would be respected had earned him sufficient support from the mass-population of the United States that the whole Confederation did not immediately come crashing down.
In New England, the region where the oligarchs most jealously guarded their positions, the states descended into out-and-out civil war as Committee and government militias fought for control. In New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia, the local governments were toppled without significant fuss by the Soldiers’ Committees, while Delaware and Maryland saw their governments kowtow to the new government in Philadelphia. Virginia, New Jersey, and North Carolina all stood defiant against the new government. A “Provisional Legal Congress” would be established in Richmond, nominally claiming to be the legal version of the Congress of the Confederation. This anti-Gates government was primarily organized by Governor of Virginia and author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was always a leading voice in preventing any further centralization of the Confederation, and as head of the most populous state in the United States, his revolt posed the greatest current threat to the new Gates government.
The Supreme-Marshal’s response was to rally the Legion of the United States and as many loyal Committee militias as possible, then march on Richmond and depose Jefferson. On the advice of Marshal Gates, a resolution passed by the Congress of the Confederation declaring Jefferson and his government to be “traitors to the United States” and the army of the “Marshalate” would march out from Philadelphia to quell the rebellion. Two of Gates’ most trusted Generals, Philip Schuyler and Joseph Warren, would be placed in charge of working with local Soldiers’ Committees to pacify New Jersey and New England respectively as Gates marched south.
The first challenge to Gates’ march against Jefferson would occur north of the Potomac. While Maryland had overall kowtowed to Gates’ new government, some members of the Marylander government had not. Allying with the Virginians, the anti-Gates Marylanders would base themselves on the Potomac River, being commanded from the Virginian city of Alexandria. During the initial days of the American Revolution, the Marylanders and allied militias seized control of a few points along the Potomac including Georgetown, Indian Head, and Fort Foote. From here, with creation of the Jeffersonian “Legal Government,” a new “Provisional Government of Maryland” had been proclaimed and slowly seized several small towns near the Potomac border with Virginia. Several hundred Virginian militiamen had crossed the Potomac and with militiamen loyal to the Provisional Government, they attempted to try and topple the Marshalate government of Maryland. They had not been quite successful and were stuck trying to lay siege to Annapolis as Marshal Gates’ army passed by. This somewhat ragtag army would be drawn into battle by Marshal Gates and smashed. With the victory, Maryland would be totally secured and ultimately be the strongest bastion of Gates’ new government.
Virginian militiamen would attempt to stop Gates as he crossed the Potomac. The militia, despite the capable command of George Clark, would be broken by the veteran soldiers of the Legion of the United States. With half his force fleeing on the battlefield, Clark would retreat south, leaving swathes of northern Virginia to fall to Gates uncontested. Hoping to regroup in Fredericksburg and possibly stop Gates from crossing the Rappahannock, Clark would prove a victim of treachery. Militiamen around Fredericksburg would turn against the Jeffersonian government and stop Clark’s retreat. Several miles south of the town of Dumfries, Clark would himself caught between Gates in the north, Fredericksburger militia in the south, and the Potomac in the east. Surrounded and unwilling to lead his men to the inevitable slaughter which would occur if they stood their ground, Clark would surrender to Gates.
Upon hearing the news of Clark’s surrender, the mood in Richmond soured dramatically. Conversely, the local Virginian Soldiers’ Committees would regain their morale and begin rising once more. The only positive news for the Jeffersonians was from New Jersey where Brigadier General William Alexander had successfully held off an invasion by Philip Schuyler despite being outnumbered three to one. Many began to fear the worst as Gates seemed unable to be stopped, at least at the current moment. Jefferson was urged to go into hiding so that he might be able to resist the Gates regime from the shadows, which Jefferson would refuse to do. Thomas Jefferson, so long a proponent of liberty and freedom would not cower before tyrants whether in London or Philadelphia.
Turning over authority of the Virginian militia to Lieutenant Colonel Sampson Mathews, Jefferson would don a private’s uniform to fight alongside his people. In the Battle of Byrd Mill just north of Richmond, Mathews would take his stand. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Virginians would fight like devils. Jefferson’s position fighting alongside the militiamen kept their morale up despite the impossible odds, with the Virginians only breaking when Legionnaires overran their makeshift fortifications. In the close-quarters combat, Jefferson would be slashed by a saber and clubbed unconscious with the butt of a musket. Perhaps to Jefferson’s frustration, neither wound was fatal. Upon coming to, Jefferson found himself imprisoned by the forces of the Marshalate.
Richmond fell the following day, and what little remained of the needed campaigns to smash the Legal Congress’ forces in the south were left to pro-Gates militias and the Soldiers’ Committees. Gates and the Legion would march north, Gates returning to Philadelphia and the Legion assisting General Schuyler in finally cracking the resisting New Jerseyites. Upon returning to Philadelphia, Gates would slowly begin the transition into civilian matters. Thomas Jefferson and several of his supporters were exiled from the United States, [1] most fleeing to Britain however Jefferson would immigrate to France. Gouverneur Morris, a hesitant supporter of Gates, would be dispatched to France with the goal of securing a proper settlement of the border-disputes and the Quasi-War. John Temple, the British Minister to the United States, would comment in a letter to London that the new American regime was “reminiscent of the Commonwealth of [Cromwell] but popular with the common masses.”
With Jefferson in exile, and the suppression of the various revolts against his government, Marshal Gates would make true on his promise for a new Constitution, assembling a second Constitutional Convention. This was, in truth, a convention in name only as it consisted of only six members. Marshal Gates, Generals Schuyler and Warren, Alexander Hamilton, Nathaniel Gorham, and Aaron Burr. Several more prominent Americans were invited but refused to participate. The Second Convention would meet over the winter of 1784-1785, and promulgated a new Constitution on Independence Day, May 13th, 1785. This new Constitution, officially the Fundamental Laws and Constitution of the Republic of the United States of America, [2] was more commonly known as the Bayonet Constitution as it was promulgated by Gates’ military government.
The Bayonet Constitution was broken up into several articles, each detailing a portion of the official structure of the new regime. In truth, despite the preamble proclaiming to “secure the Blessings of Liberty,” the Constitution was oftentimes ignored by the new strongman government as dissent, rebellion, and revolt plagued the new government.
The first Article ordained the establishment of the new legislature. The legislature was broken up into two bodies, the “Popular House” and the “State House” which were elected via separate mechanisms. The Representatives of the Popular House were elected via popular vote from each state, with the number of Representatives being sent to the House being based on each state’s population and serving for five years. The portioning was that each state would receive on Representative by default, and for every fifty-thousand eligible voters [3] they would receive an additional Representative. The relatively high standards for receiving additional Representatives were chosen to try and compromise between the want to represent each states’ interests, and the interests of the general population.
The State House on the other hand was not elected by the population. Instead, the State House was selected via three separate manners. The first was that the Soldiers’ Committee from each state would elect one-third of Delegates, the second was that the Popular House would elect one-third of the Delegates, and the final being that the Supreme-Marshal would choose one-third of the delegates. Delegates of the State House served for life, unless otherwise impeached and removed from office.
Only the Popular House could create laws, although the State House and Supreme-Marshal could “recommend” new laws which was de facto the method of law creation under the Bayonet Constitution. Any law passed by the Popular House would then be sent to the State House, and if given the stamp of approval by the State House, it would then pass to the Supreme-Marshal for ratification. The Popular House could also approve new amendments to the Constitution, which if approved by two-thirds of the Popular House would then pass to the State House where it required four-fifths of verification, and finally to the Supreme-Marshal. The Popular House had no other powers, however the State House had several more. The Delegates of the State House had the authority to wage war, ratify treaties, levy taxation, impeach and remove government officials, and mediate controversies between the individual states. [4]
Article Two of the Bayonet Constitution delt with the Executive. Executive power was invested in the office of the Supreme-Marshal. Supreme-Marshals were to serve for life, something which none of the four holders of the office achieved. Nominally appointed by the Popular House, none of the Supreme-Marshals ascended to their positions in the legal manner either. The Supreme-Marshal could veto laws absolutely, was Commander-in-Chief of the army, and censure members of the legislature. De jure checks on the Supreme-Marshal’s powers existed, however were rarely used, with the true limits of the Supreme-Marshal’s powers being the patience of the army. Finally, there was the curious provision that a Supreme-Marshal could not be succeeded by a descendant, an attempt to prevent the position de-evolving into a monarchy.
Article Three dealt with the Soldiers’ Committees, solidifying them into an institution of the new government. The Committees were re-organized to serve as a military-administrative apparatus, being given authority to conduct the census, organize recruitment, oversee state-militias, and administer arsenals. Elected from veterans, the Committees were now intended to somewhat serve as a bridge between the common soldiery and the state governments. The effect of the enshrinement of the Committees however was to effectively turn them to parallel administrations to the existing State governments, not unlike the Committees of Safety in the buildup to the War of Independence.
Article Four outlines the relationship between the state governments and the federal government, granting the states moderate autonomy in internal affairs but giving the federal government avenues to intervene. It also guaranteed freedom of movement across the state borders, something which was not existent under the Articles of Confederation. The process for admitting new states was also listed within Article Four, along with a guarantee that the states would be permitted a “Republican” government.
Articles Five, Six, and Seven were smaller affairs. Article Five outlined the amendment process of the Constitution, Article Six provided for the Constitution to be the Supreme Law of the United States, while Article Seven provided the process of adoption.
The new Constitution would officially come into effect on May 13th, 1785, with a ceremonial first meeting of the two Houses of the new Congress. Technically, the specifications of Article Seven required the approval of all states which was not finished by May 13th, but this was largely ignored for the ceremonial meeting. Dutifully, all of the states would ratify the Constitution without serious fuss. Green Mountain, [5] the unrecognized sovereign republic whose territory was disputed between France, New York, and New Hampshire, would also ratify the Constitution. Green Mountain would become the fourteenth state on September 5th that year.
With his regime’s new Constitution promulgated without fuss, Gates would pursue several large-scale reforms. First and foremost was the reform of the system of taxation and debts which provoked the American Revolution in the first place. High import tariffs were placed on manufactured goods from Britain, while export tariffs were lowered, with the primary intention being to stimulate domestic manufacturing. Additionally, this policy produced a considerable revenue for the new government, a welcome additional feature. A new currency, the Eagle, [6] was created and based entirely on specie than fiat, with the silver one-Eagle coin being roughly pegged to the British Pound. Continental Dollars would be exchanged with two-hundred dollars being converted into one Eagle. The backpay of veterans and their promised pensions (admittedly trimmed down to one-quarter from the original one-half) [7] were paid in the new Eagles. Another important reform was that the United States was finally able to begin paying off its debts, which after absorbing the individual state debts was roughly fifty-five million Eagles.
Along with the economic reforms, Gates oversaw a diplomatic shakeup with the 1785 Treaty of Madrid. Signed between the United States and the two Bourbon monarchies whose colonies bordered the United States, the Treaty “settled” the border problems. The United States conceded most of the disputed territories with France in exchange for 9.4 million Eagles, while the border with Spanish Florida was re-affirmed to be where it had already been delineated. Importantly, the Treaty granted American settlers who had immigrated into Louisiana or Florida the right to live in the territories so long as they swore an oath of loyalty to their respective kings. These American settlements, which would become known as “Louisvilles” due to the typical proof that a town was loyal to the French being a small monument bearing the French king’s name, would prove a dramatic headache in the years to come for the Louisianian and Floridian administrations.
Despite the Treaty of Madrid officially ending the conflict between United States and her colonial neighbors, the new Marshalate would use the newly gained government revenues to also embark on a campaign of strengthening the army proper. The current existing army, the Legion of the United States, would be restructured slightly with the existing Legion becoming one of four Legions of the United States. Each Legion was a roughly four-thousand-man brigade-equivalent intended for independent operation. The term Legion had been chosen to reflect how the Legion combined all classes of land-forces of the time, infantry, riflemen, cavalry, and artillery, [8] and the new system of multiple Legions continued to reflect this. Broken up into four sub-Legions, each additionally capable of independent action, the Legions were intended to be versatile and relatively autonomous fighting units. Thanks in part to several reforms proposed by Wilhelm von Mayr, [9] a former Prussian Captain and immigrant to America, strict Prussian-style discipline was enforced across the Legions which harmed recruitment but dramatically improved fighting capacity. By 1788, the Legions of the United States were well proving their worthiness in keeping the western frontiers safe and maintaining order.
One of the most important among the developments of the early Marshalate was the growing development of anti-slavery and anti-black sentiment. Slavery was perceived as being a decaying and moribund institution following the American War for Independence, [10] with some states moving to abolish slavery following the War. The growing bitterness towards slavery had two primary causes. The first was that during the chaos in Virginia, a slave revolt broke out near Norfolk. Led by a slave named Braddock who lent the revolt its name, Braddock’s Revolt would be only a relatively small affair, with the number of slaves having rebelled never exceeding a hundred. Despite this however, the revolt was relatively violent and publicized massively. The second was the populist leanings of the American Revolution leading to the holders of most slaves, the planter elite, being perceived in a negative light.
Seizing on the growing bitterness would be one Ebeneezer Caller, a Rhode Island newspaper printer, who would begin writing anti-slavery tracts. These tracts, while they would be quite influential in driving forward the anti-slavery motivation, they were exceptionally racist even for the time. Caller would argue a series of increasingly insane positions on slavery. The tracts started from a relatively reasonable position in 1786, where Caller argued that slaves were a risk to national security due to the potential of foreign powers exploiting the weakness that a slave revolt would bring on. Over the next two years, Caller would grow increasingly conspiratorial, outlandish, and obscene in his claims. His next arguments involved the presence of mixed-raced individuals, referring to them as a “blasphemous fusion of the son of Ham and the daughter of Japheth” and blame their existence for the recent hardships the United States was facing. Later on, Caller would begin claiming that the black population would outbreed the white population as black women were supposedly able to “produce infants by the litter.” [11]
While each of these claims were false, Caller began attracting a large degree of support across the United States, particularly from the poor whites of the south. Before the Revolution, the poor whites of the south had been kept down by the planter elite and had only tolerated said abuses because of racist propagandizing; [12] now the bitterness long suppressed was spilling out but still channeled along the old lines. By 1788, anti-black pogroms were rocking the southern United States, with free blacks and slaves alike being attacked. These pogroms were growing to such intensity that the 3rd Legion had to be dispersed across the south to try and maintain order. Caller’s final widely published tract would claim that the planter elites were in fact secretly Moors in disguise, and that slavery itself was a Trojan horse to import blacks to America so they could “conquer the Saints of America in the name of Mahomet and Satan.” [13] This set off a whole new round of pogroms which now also saw planters threatened or attacked. In response, Caller’s works would be censured and Caller himself arrested.
Across the southern states, the pogroms would only escalate in response, and riots began to rock many southern cities. Caller’s arrest seemingly confirmed the idea of grand conspiracy in the minds of many, prompting the slow accumulation of the myriad small racist organizations into a larger movement, the White Man’s League. The WML proved to be quite effective in organizing pogroms and the violence escalated into near rebellion. Finally, in the Independence Day riots, May 13th, 1789, the insanity reached its crescendo. WML members would attempt to storm the local Charleston Arsenal, only to be bloodily cut down. Philadelphia would order the arrest of the WML leaders and the dissolution of the organization, which would prove more difficult than expected. Thanks to local sympathizers forewarning them, the WML’s leaders were able to escape and flee west into Louisiana along with their most radical supporters. From their isolated western communities, they would prove a continual trouble for the Americans for decades to come; the failure to wipe out these WML remnants would seriously harm the reputation of the Marshalate.
Anti-slavery and anti-black sentiment continued on past the dissolution of the WML, albeit more moderated. New laws passed by the Marshalate would see both the abolition of the international slave trade, and the restrictions on the activities of free blacks and slaves. The event of gravest consequence however would be the emergence of the Society for the Repatriation of the Ethiopian. The SRE would advocate for the deportation of all blacks, free and slave, back to Africa, an idea which would some appreciation from Marshal Gates himself. Gates would, in the last few months of his administration, pass an edict to adopt the SRE’s advice and slowly begin deporting the black population to Africa, an edict which largely went ignored following his overthrow. Nevertheless, the ideas of the SRE would re-emerge decades later to a more successful implementation.
What was wrought in the American Revolution would survive the domestic crises which threatened it, and successfully even issued long-needed reforms, to the surprise of cynics in Europe. As France descended into its own Revolution however, America’s Revolutionary government would find itself put under a different strain than those which existed previously. A strain which would finally bring the American Revolution to a bitter, screaming end.
[1] Executing them was seen as being too far, with Gates trying to prove his regime is an enlightened and progressive one.
[2] While not used commonly, “Republic of the United States” functions as an alternative name for the Marshalate era, contrasting the “Confederation of the United States” of before.
[3] The provision that it is based on voters was intended to encourage decreasing voting requirements, yet another component of the populist leanings of the American Revolution.
[4] Without provisions for a judiciary, this provision is the closest thing for any interstate conflict in the Marshalate.
[5] Vermont, obviously, but it kept its English name out of anti-French sentiment.
[6] Equivalent to OTL’s Dollar.
[7] Debatably better than OTL, where there pensions were eliminated and replaced by five years pay.
[8] This surprised me to learn, for some reason it had always been in my head that the Legion was so named based on America’s Romanophilia.
[9] TTL’s equivalent to Baron von Steuben. Von Steuben never assisted the USA ITTL as France never would get involved.
[10] More or less how it was IOTL before the Cotton Gin.
[11] If Caller’s claims sound more irrational and insane than typical racialism, that’s deliberate. Caller initially played a slightly larger roll and intended to be loosely based on Francis E. Dec, a notable paranoid schizophrenic.
[12] Somewhat less of an entrenched system than it would be in the 19th century of OTL, it still was the prevailing by this point in American history.
[13] As insane as it is, this is actually a modification of claims of some racists IOTL. Slightly out of its time, but rooted in reality nevertheless.
