"To the northern portions of the Nebraska Territory." So begins the adventure that birthed the Republic of Ansdale, for Dakota was originally Nebraska, at least until Dakota Territory was created in 1861. Nebraska could be called the father of territories, for not only Dakota, but Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were created from it.
With those ties existing between General Anderson and Nebraska, it is not surprising that Nebraska became the right hand of the Republic. From the beginning the territory became one of Anderson's most reliable supporters. At the start of the War of Southern Independence in 1861, General Anderson made his first move in consolidating his power in the west when he established Fort Pawnee on the Platte River. Though it was assisted by Fort Shoshone, Fort Pawnee was the site from which Fort Leavenworth was successfully bombarded.
Actually, the choice of Pawnee to launch western independence should not be surprising to anyone familiar with the history of the Republic. From its founding, and for the first sixteen years of its existence, it was commanded by Major Gary White, a member of the original Dakota Expedition, a member of the Corps of Engineers, and the architect of Fort Ansdale.
Major White would get his chance to command his crown jewel, but not before Fort Pawnee would host the Trial of The Century. The trial of Jefferson Columbus Davis on charges of Crimes against The Republic, and for permitting a reign of terror in Alaska. Even by Republican admission the trial was nothing more than a show, for General Davis was merely a pawn. The real criminal was the United States Congress, which had failed to create even the most basic of civil laws for Alaska. But you can't put Congress on Trial. No, for the United States Congress to be "found guilty" the Republic of Ansdale must win the war, and there was far more than reasonable doubt as to that verdict.
The trial proceeded, newspapers on both sides of the river covered the events, the United States was embarrassed, and General Davis was found guilty. His sentence was to be exiled from the Republic, back to The United States "on pain of death" should he return. Like everything else, it was an empty threat. General Davis died on November 30, 1879, never setting foot on Republican Soil again.
As to Nebraska, it's loyalty was never in doubt. Fort Pawnee was the only fort of major importance in the whole state. When it became obvious that the West would pursue its independence then Governor Silas Garber immediately supported the move. In a sort of closing of the loop Governor John Milton Thayer was elected as Governor of The State in order to usher in final independence. At the beginning of the conflict in 1875 he was the Governor of Wyoming Territory. The War began at Fort Shoshone in Wyoming in 1875 and a symbolic peace treaty was signed at Fort Pawnee twelve years later. The war, and history, had come full circle.
And so have I...Welcome back to The Republic, folks. This blog, though just a baby, has required an extended nap time as I worked on the WENC Night Beat, which is much more demanding. Don't worry, your visas have been extended. Enjoy the stay.
Today we will be beginning a new feature, a Grand Tour of The Republic of Ansdale. Every week at this time we will introduce you to one of the "States" of the R.O.A. We will progress in the order of their original secession.
It is fitting that both in the order of secession and importance we begin with Alaska. The birthplace of The Republic of Ansdale is no stranger to dreams of empire, it having its former life as part of Tsarist Russia. Russia only was interested in Beaver Pelts, and the supply was rapidly diminishing. Possibly even faster than the Russian Treasury. Since Tsar Alexander II wanted to finance a war into the Amur River to get more access to the fur trade, he willingly sold Russian America to the United States for the paltry sum of $7,200,000 (that's 111 Million dollars, give or take, in today's money). Still, If Alexander could have known about the Gold Rush (1896-1899), or the Discovery of Oil (1968). That knocking sound is the Ghost of Alexander II banging his head against the wall.
Once the territory was safely in American hands it was promptly ignored. Though the title "Seward's Folly" didn't originate right away, those on the continent didn't see its value. Congress made sure they collected tax revenue from it, but didn't provide for even the minimum of Civil Laws, like birth marriage and death. The only law was martial law. In a moment of Supreme Irony, the United States choice of military commander, Jefferson Davis. The people of Alaska weren't laughing.
After eight long years, neither was the United States, for the Republic of Ansdale was born in the remote city of Sitka. In retrospect, the choice was fairly obvious, for though they currently reside in the Dakotas, the Ansdale were originally an Inuit nation from Alaska, driven out by much stronger tribes long before. They see the "Blue Tribe", as Anderson's Federals are originally called, as their solution to reclaiming their ancestral land.
Alaska is divided for organizational purposes into four Military Districts. Originally its Headquarters resides at Fort Sitka, a reconverted Russian American Company post in the Territorial Capital, but it is soon decided that the site is unsuitable and a permanent headquarters is constructed by the Name of Fort Republic at Anchorage. It quickly becomes the Northern Command (NORCOM) of the Republic. Ironically, the fact that Alaska is virtually cut off from the rest of the world has allowed the Western Independence Movement to become extremely organized without attracting any attention in Washington, if they even cared.
Two Republics, the Republic of Alaska and the Republic of Ansdale born on the Same Day, May 1, 1875. The North Star Rises.
The Republic of Ansdale has, at its heart, the land of the North Star, Alaska. Really, without Alaska there would be no Republic. The spark which led to Western Secession was the refusal by Washington to grant their new acquisition any semblance of a Civil Law.
Maybe the Russians should have seen it coming. The signs were about even on the day of the Official Transfer, October 18, 1867. It was an unusually windy day, and the Russian Flag just refused to come down. Trying to save the ceremony from failure, a Russian sailor climbs the flagpole at Baranov's Castle and remove the flag himself.
Once at the top he pulls out his knife and cuts the flag from the halyard. Once freed from the halyard, the Russian Imperial Flag flutters down on the breeze and lands on the fixed bayonets of the American Army. The symbolism, though unintentional, is too much for the already emotionally high-strung Princess Maksutova. As soon as she sees the flag come to rest on the bayonets of the Americans, she faints.
"The Princess has collapsed" Peshurov shouts out, alarmed. "Someone help the Princess."
What will become of Princess Maksutova, or of American Russian relations. Only time will tell.
Greetings to all. With this blog I will be attempting to share with you my creation, The Republic of Ansdale. The Republic has been in development for quite a while. It originally formed back during a boring English Class in high school, and continued to gain steam in college. During my college years I took the movie/miniseries route, and from then on tried to create a series of screenplays. Tried to isn't the right word. I did write two screenplays and was in the midst of starting a third when things took another U-Turn.
I also happen to be a Apple Convert (RIP Steve Jobs). When listening to the Macworld Podcast one day I learned about NANOWRIMO (for the acronymically challenged out there, that's National Novel Writing Month). The idea to turn the Republic into a novel was born. After all, Hollywood was a tough nut to crack. It's got to be easier to write an e-novel, right? Anyway, that is the plan. The story is bigger than one novel of course. It will be a continuing story.
Let me back up a little. History was my favorite subject in High School. On the World History stage I rarely got lower than a B. When it came to American History, I rarely got lower than an A. The Civil War was, and is still, my favorite area of American History. Those years have defined our country. Some similarities can be downright scary. Do you ever wonder why the Civil War and the Civil Rights era were almost exactly 100 years apart. And the Presidents during both were assassinated.
The Civil War led to the period known as "Reconstruction", where the "Radical" Republicans disregarded Lincoln's wishes to "Bind up the nation's wounds" and instead decided to make the South Pay for its crimes. It's probably one of the few times I will blame the Republicans for anything, but who else was there to blame. They controlled Congress, and the Confederacy was 100% Democrat. So there. Reconstruction created a festering hostility that gave birth to such things such as the Klan. I think the period is pretty well settled to be a mistake.
Around the same time as reconstruction we also had the western expansion. Alaska was bought from Russia in 1867 and promptly ignored and left in a state of anarchy. The time was ripe for another war, this time in the west, and thus The Republic of Ansdale was born.
I will be introducing you to the members of the Republic as the days go on, as well as giving you some insight as to how I go about it. Not to bog you down in 1870's America, I may also give insight into my other Work in Progress, and introduce you to Lioness.
Welcome To The Republic. Your Passport has been approved. Enjoy Your Stay.
