Four Peas to Creating an Authentic Alternative History: Preparation

We have come to the end of our series. If you haven't been following the series from the start here are links to Premise, Probability, and Possibilities. We now move on to our fourth Pea, what I like to call:

P#4: Preparation

I can hear you scream, "what was I doing during the previous three steps?" That was preparing your premise to make a story. Now comes the fun part (at least for me) researching your characters. I have created little who's who bios for just about every fictional character I have created. I know when they were born, where, where they were educated, who they married, how many children they have, who were their classmates, etc. While this may seem an exercise in absolute tedium, there is a point. Without doing this step your Alt-Hi will become Sci-Fi. Not in the sense of the typical definition of the genre, but because your character will seem an outside "alien" observer to the events you describe instead of being able to seamlessly interact with their surroundings. 

Why do you have to do this? You are changing the outcome of one premise, but your character must still be believable within the "correct" timeline. In the case of my story, the key character, John Lee Anderson, is the brother of Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter, went to West Point at the Same time as Grant, served with him in the Mexican War, and during post war assignments in the South, married a distant cousin of Jefferson Davis and retired from active service, and is the father of three sons and one daughter, all of whom have followed their father into military service, to the great disappointment of their mother. Called back into service and assigned to the "Northern reaches of the Nebraska Territory" by President Pierce, he sees his responsibility to the people of the Western States and Territories as outweighing his duty to Washington. That is the bare bones type of research that I do, and I put it into a nice bio that looks like this. (For space concerns I have not done John Lee Anderson but Kenneth Mark Bassett, a supporting character.)

Bassett, Kenneth Mark
b. May 11, 1831 Portland, ME. Graduates from U.S. Military Academy, 1851. Stationed at Fort Kent, ME on Border Patrol 1851-1855. Assigned to command of Brigadier General John Lee Anderson in Nebraska, 1855. Commissioned Captain, 1855. Chief of Police, Upper Nebraska Territory, 1855-61. m. Kimberly Ann Chase, March 21, 1858. Commander Military District Number Five, Wyoming, Dakota Territory, 1861. Commander of Camp Teton (1861-63) and Fort Shoshone (1863-1889). Commissioned Major, 1862. Founder of Territorial Police, 1870. Commissioned Major, Republican Army, 1875. Second Colonel, 1878. Colonel, 1880. Governor of Wyoming (1893-1905). d. Tuesday June 13, 1922 Cheyenne, WY.

I think you can see that, by creating a "life" for your character, you have also created a purpose for his existence in your story (other than a story needs a character). If you do all these steps, you are now in possession of a premise that will survive not only one story, but even being turned into a multi-novel series. You can now begin to write.

The Grand Tour: Dakota

The Council of Territorial Governors began the second wave of secession activity in The West. Sixteen days passed between the end of the first wave, marked by the secession of Texas, and the beginning of the second, which occurred when Wyoming proclaimed itself an Independent Republic.

Most people at the time would have expected Dakota Territory to have led the way, after all, it was where it all started. If General Anderson had not been ordered to 'The Northern Parts of Nebraska", there would have been no Great Western Empire. Alaska got the privilege of getting things started, and that was its payment for years of neglect and abuse. The second wave went to Wyoming, and considering that the territory is home base for Quantrill's Raiders, deservedly so.

Dakota should not be taken lightly, however. Originally known as the northern parts of the Nebraska territory, it was, as previously stated, the area that Brigadier General John Lee Anderson was assigned to back in 1855. Fort Pierre was the site of the first settlement, and it was a good thing that they encountered the peaceful Ansdale's and not the war hungry Dakota, because Fort Pierre was totally unsuitable for defense. Fort Ansdale replaced the crumbling Fort Pierre three years later. The garrison remains the largest in the territory despite the establishment of Fort Abraham Lincoln further north in 1872.

Actually, it was the establishment of that fort that provided the initial spark for independence, especially with the War Department's choice of commander. George Armstrong Custer, 34, was everything General Anderson despised. The goat of the West Point Class of 1861, brash, reckless, and with an ego the size of the west itself, he rose to prominence in the Civil War and is convinced of his own immortality. Anderson, however, at the top of his class, a veteran of the Mexican War, the picture perfect officer and gentleman, has been rewarded with the actual control of the west, if only because Washington has turned its head. The two seem destined to clash.

At the time War breaks out, Dakota is governed by John Pennington. He is the first governor of the territory to actually live in it, and it has affected the territory for the better. That is not to say that he can't have moments of unpopularity. Politically speaking he is Conservative. Though the territory has been suffering from a Grasshopper infestation for several years, Governor Pennington refuses to ask for Federal relief, believing it will create a territory of beggars.

General Anderson never officially got his showdown with Custer. The Golden Boy met his demise at Little Big Horn. Ironically, like his Confederate counterpart JEB Stuart, the field where he died was also the field where he was first wounded in battle. The Custer Luck ran out.

Custer originally came to the Black Hills of Dakota in search of Gold. The territory is still awash in it, but it is black gold. Between natural gas and oil, the territory is an energy powerhouse. Things are a fracking success. Of course of all its customers, selling to the energy starved United States is the best revenge of all. Washington better hope the spigot stays on.

Character Interview: James Davis

Today's interview will also be the first of at least three parts. I still don't know how long things will take. This interview is with James Davis, the Prime Minister of The Republic of Ansdale, and you just can't snag a juicier interview. Like an interview with the President of The United States, you want to cover as much ground as you can. I still haven't decided if this is another military or a government interview. Things sort of overlap in the Republic of Ansdale. Far from a military dictatorship, the overlap allows each group to serve as a check and balance to the other, allowing the Constitution the Supreme Role.

CG: I never knew Americans were into all that King and Country stuff. Prime Minister.

JD: We came up with the idea as soon as we rebelled. It just sounded more important than President. I am no more powerful, though.

CG: Alaska is cut off from the rest of the Republic. How has that affected the war effort.

JD: It hasn't. As soon as the war began we established a War Capital at Reno, also called Republican Capital South. Reno is linked with the mainland republic via Telegraph and Railway. Second Minister Graywolf commands the Alaska front.

CG: Tell me about the Pacific Alliance.

JD: The Pacific Alliance is the baby of Captain Rachel Semmes, so to speak. She's on station at Kamehameha Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. You should talk to her about it.

(Oh the hardships we journalists must go through to get a story. Hawaii. I don't know if I'm up to the task.  Hey, Quiet down in the peanut gallery - Who knew there would be so many volunteers?)

CG: I will attempt to schedule an interview with Captain Semmes. Meanwhile, mister Prime Minister, what can you add on the Pacific Alliance.

JD: To hear Captain Semmes tell it, The Pacific Alliance was born when King Kalakuau wanted assurances that the Republic was not simply a band of Pirates before signing a treaty with us. She left Hawaii with the purpose of creating a loose alliance of nations in the Pacific which would give the United States Navy pause before attacking us. The First to sign up was New Zealand and then Tahiti. Not really naval powerhouses, but it was enough to convince Kink Kalakuau to sign a treaty. The United States of Colombia was next, and it was their addition that got the United States interest because of their interest in the isthmus of Darien (That's Panama, folks) for use as a Shipping Canal. Canada joined last year. That surprised me, considering we took British Columbia and the Yukon from them as part of the war.

CG: What is the Republic's issue with Canada?
JD: Nothing. Negotiations with Canada allowing free travel of Republican troops through those two provinces to Alaska had broken down. We needed the access, so we invaded.

CG: I would've thought that would have brought Great Britain into the war on the U.S. Side.
JD: It didn't. Perhaps Canada realized we were right. Joining the Pacific Alliance makes it seem so.

CG: The war is now entering its sixth year, and it seems no closer to resolution then when it commenced. How do you judge its success.
JD: For a war which has gone on longer than the War for Southern Independence, it may seem strange for me to say that it is going better than we had ever dreamed. Considering the population imbalance, Washington could have ended the war quickly by coming in force, but they feared being drawn in and ambushed, and so have not risked a full engagement. I do not anticipate any Gettysburg's in this war.

CG: The United States may not be willing to risk a full engagement with Republican Troops, but there have been plenty of engagements.

JD: The Federals have made their strategy to conduct a proxy war against the native tribes. It is a war of extermination. There is no reason for it except they know of the mutual defense pacts signed by General Anderson.

(I'm making this part one, folks. We will take a turn in the interview in our next part. Until then Happy Presidents Day.)

Character Interview: Susan Anderson

(While doing this interview, I was unprepared for the information volunteered by Mrs. Anderson. The military interviews have been pretty sparse with volunteered information. Because of that, I have decided to split this interview into two. We will start with the Army Wife side and her family history, and we shall continue in the next post with her children.)

I've finally tracked down a civilian to interview. With a major Sort of. I guess an army wife still qualifies as a civilian. The Civilian in question is Susan Anderson, wife of General John Lee Anderson. She looks to be about 50, originally a brunette, but now mostly gray.

CG: Tell us about your life before you became an Army Wife.

SA: Army wife, it makes it sound so official. I like it. I was born in the deep south. Mobile, Alabama to be precise. I was born Susan Ruth Davis at Sauf Asir, the Davis family plantation.

CG: All you left out is your age.

SA: It's impolite to ask a lady about her age. I will say that I am four years younger than my brother James and ten years younger than my husband.

CG: From what you've told me already I can infer that you are old enough to have been raised among slaves.

SA: Both my husband and I are from slave owning families. I'm the youngest of four siblings and the only girl. At our families greatest we had six slaves. By the time I married John when I was eighteen there was only Uncle Ezra. John was fresh out of the Mexican War, a Major, and stationed at Fort Morgan at the time. Soon after our wedding he resigned from the army and we moved to Trenton, New Jersey. I was a young mother of two boys when my cousin Jefferson, who was Secretary of War, informed my husband that he was being sent to the northern parts of the Nebraska Territory. He was re-commissioned into the army with a rank of Brigadier-General.

CG: At least the bump in pay was appreciated.

SA: Not that I could appreciate it. Fort Pierre, which the army renamed Fort Bennett, but which we settlers still called Fort Pierre, was sold by John Jacob Astor of the American Fur Company. If A trading post couldn't survive, money was useless. I probably shouldn't say this, but I think I know how Astor made his money. By selling useless forts to the Army. It was a wreck from the day we moved in until we burned it to the ground and moved into Fort Ansdale. I thought we had arrived in Hades itself when we arrived. And then we met the savages.

CG: The Ansdales?

SA: Yes

CG: I take it from your answers that you are a Democrat?

SA: Women can't vote in the United States, but yes, my family was Democrat. It is the natural home of the slave owner. And yes, I know we can vote in the Republic, but I haven't so far. My husband is a founder of the New Republic Party, so I guess I am too if I chose to vote.

CG: Back to the Ansdales.

SA: I did see them as savages when I met them. Savages that lived in houses, but still savages. Now Red Thunder and his tribe are our closest allies. Red Thunder is also godfather to the twins J.D. and Katherine.

CG: J.D., that's....

SA: Jefferson Davis Anderson. One of his brothers is Robert Lee Anderson, affectionately called Bobby Lee. I guess I'm the rebel, even though they call John one.

CG: That's four children, and all of them are in the military.

SA: Along with her age, never ask a lady about her failures.

CG:  You didn't want your children to be soldiers?

SA: I had no objection to my sons joining the military. I did insist on them being officers. You have no idea how difficult it can be for someone from the territories to get into west point. Thomas and Robert both graduated from there, but J.D. resigned a year before he would have graduated because war broke out. I have managed to keep my boys out of harms way, however. J.D. is finishing an assignment as Warden of Fort Baranov Military Prison in Southwest Alaska and is about to begin an assignment as Commander of Fort Bannock, because Colonel Renault wants to have a field command before the war ends. Thomas has been at Fort Sitka from before the war, and Robert has been at Fort Bannock as a Ranger. War is a mans job. John is a warrior, it is only natural that our sons should be.
CG: As a Southerner by birth, did you influence your husbands decision to Keep Fort Ansdale out of the previous war?

SA: Not at all. John felt, as did I, that the war was unnecessary, and that he owed it to the people of the territories to maintain an army presence. Washington was busy emptying western garrisons of their troops to send them South. While the orders to do so never reached Fort Ansdale, I think they would have been the only orders my husband ever would have disobeyed.

CG: So then your sympathies were with the South.

SA: No, though we have tapped former Confederates and their families for service in the Republic. Sauf Asir also served as a waystation for escaped Union Prisoners, as well as Confederates wishing to escape capture. We played both sides.

CG: You say you have Confederates in your army.

SA: The best known is Lieutenant Commander Hunter, commanding officer at Fort Bering Naval Yard. He was a blockade runner, escaped prisoner of war, and passed into the territories through Sauf Asir. And then there is Rachel Semmes, niece of Raphael Semmes of the CSS Alabama. She commanded one of our first Naval Vessels in the war and is currently Minister of the Navy, commanding From Hawaii. She is also creator of the Pacific Alliance and temporary ambassador to the court of King Kalakaua.

I think this is as good a place to end it, and I think it gives me a jumping off place to discuss the concept of Women in the Military. Should be fun.

Character Interview: Gray Wolf

This is the biggest scoop yet. I mean really big. An interview with an Ansdale. The Ansdale are an Alaskan Coastal tribe that many years in the past got expelled by stronger tribes. They eventually found their way into the Dakota Territory, and when discovered by Brigadier General John Lee Anderson and his expedition in 1855, the Department of the Interior misclassified them as Ansdale Sioux. It is just Ansdale.

The most powerful Ansdale in the Republic of Ansdale would be the current Second Minister of The Republic, and we'll let him take over from here:

CG: How should I call you?

GW: I was born Gray Wolf, son of Red Thunder, Principal Chief of The Ansdale Nation. When my father decided I should be a Scout for General Anderson's "Blue Tribe", I was also given the Christian name Daniel, so I also go by the name Daniel Graywolf..

CG: So you will be Chief someday?

GW: No. That will fall to my older bother Swift as a deer. I am content to be a soldier.

CG: And second in command to Prime Minister Davis.

GW: And third most powerful in this nation. Even Prime Minister Davis acknowledges that he is less powerful than General Anderson, though he is officially the leader.

CG: Tell me about the Ansdale.

GW: The Ansdale are a nation originally from the coastal parts of Alaska. We were the weakest of the nations in the area and so were forced to leave out native land. We migrated from the area commonly called Anchorage southward and eastward until we arrived in our current homeland in what you call Dakota Territory.

CG: So you are not a branch of the Sioux as the United States Department of the Interior maintains to this day. You are listed as Ansdale Sioux.

GW: We are not Sioux, or any other nation. We are Ansdale.

CG: If your tribe was weak, how is it that you avoided assimilation by another, stronger nation.

GW: For Six generations of Ansdale Chiefs, including my Father, we have created alliances with other nations, through trade. Both the Cheyenne and Dakota, enemies though they are, are both allies to the Ansdale. That has kept us strong.

CG: For our audiences reference, where is the Ansdale Reservation located.

GW: There is none. General Anderson and his blue tribe, as they were originally called, dwelt among us, and even though their presence has grown, they have never forced us off our land. Perhaps it is because, as a former Alaskan nation, we were accustomed to living in houses as they, instead of teepee's. Of course you can always recognize an Ansdale home, it having a totem at its entrance.

CG: In closing I was informed by my staff that you wished to clear up a misconception regarding the death of George Armstrong Custer at Little Big Horn.

GW: Crazy Horse did have a role, but not as much as is given him. What is not known is that the Ansdale Native Cavalry, working with the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho, lured the United States Cavalry into an ambush. Custer thought he was going to face some of Anderson's troops and crush the western uprising in one battle. What happened was that the ANC lured the American Troops into a much larger force than they had planned to face. The result was inevitable.

CG: One final question. Your opinion on General Anderson's practice of naming his garrison's after the nation he has allied with. Fort Ansdale or Fort Shoshone for example.

GW: I can not speak for all of the nations, but the Ansdale are honored. Is not the family of the Blue Tribe Warrior honored when a garrison is named for them.

CG: I would think so. Second Minister Greywolf, thank you for your time.

Three interviews, all with a military bent. Next time I'm going to try to scare up a civilian of sorts. If you think of any questions for Greywolf if I should get another interview, please leave a question in the comments below.

Character Interview: John Lee Anderson

Don't let this get around, but writers have access to some of the most cutting edge technology out there. I mean, there would be a mad rush if everybody knew, but we have a Way-Back Machine. For this interview, we are going back to the "City" of Reno. I put that in quotes because there's only six thousand or so in the Whole of Washoe County. Now this is a kind of scoop for bloggers everywhere. Getting a one on one interview with the Minister of War of the Republic of Ansdale during their War of Independence against The United States. Minister of War John Lee Anderson.

CG: General Anderson, thank you for having me here today.

JLA:  If an interview with an Eastern Newspaper will help put pressure on Washington to let us go our own way, then it is worth it (NOTE: I told him I worked for a newspaper. It's easier than explaining a blog to someone in the 19th Century.)

CG: How shall I describe you to my readers? Western Pioneer?, Mexican War Veteran?, Father of His Country?

JLA: I think that 'A Loyal Servant of His Country' would suffice.

CG: Some would think that strange coming from someone currently at war against his former country.

JLA: That would depend on your definition of country. Since 1855 I have considered my country to be Dakota, and by extension, the West.

CG: 1855, that would be President Pierce.

JLA: Correct.

CG: A review of your military career reveals only one gap, that of the civil war. Some would accuse you of disloyalty by sitting out the war when you were needed.

JLA: If President Lincoln had ordered Fort Ansdale to joint the fight, then I would have complied. Dakota was far outside the theatre of war, and I was not going to risk the lives of my men in a regional squabble that we had no cause to involve ourselves in. The Decision did make me many enemies, though.

CG: One of those enemies, George Armstrong Custer, recently met his untimely, though some would say not entirely unexpected end at Little Big Horn. Now history records the actions of Crazy Horse being responsible to the victory, but you have a different view.

JLA: Crazy Horse was involved, but I think it is unconscionable that the role of the Ansdale Native Cavalry was not recognized. Without their and various other Republican Troops, Custer and his troops would have triumphed, which would have been very bad for our cause. I know it is uncouth to feel no sorrow over the passing of a former soldier in arms. Perhaps if he was less of an ass I would.

CG: Back to the former Civil War. Since you are a native Kentuckian and having married a Southern Belle who was cousin to Jeff Davis himself, one might infer that your sympathies were with the South.

JLA: And they would be wrong. I am also brother to Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter fame. As to Susan, she was the loyal Army Wife and followed my choice. Sauf Asir was even used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, with the full approval of Mistress Davis (NOTE: Sauf Asir is the Davis Family Plantation near Mobile, Alabama)

CG: That may not clear you of suspicion, General. I know for a fact that you were not exactly a fan of Secretary of State Seward, at least as far as your brother is concerned.

JLA: Seward used Sumter as a pawn to placate the South, and he failed. There was a way to save both Sumter and Pickens, and he failed. Seward is dead, however, and I am not. I will speak no more of this.

CG: Certainly Seward couldn't be all that bad. He was responsible for the Alaska purchase.

JLA: In some sense he is the Father of The Republic. Alaska has been quite profitable to our cause in that respect.

CG: I feel its profitability is yet to be tapped, General. Getting back to the Southern rebellion, what is your personal view as to Slavery?

JLA: I am glad it is gone, but I am still convinced that the price was too high. If we could have been just a bit more patient, I am convinced that agricultural machines such as the McCormick Reaper would have caused slavery to wither and die in a couple of years.

CG: So your view on the Freedman's Bureau call for "40 Acres and a Mule"?

JLA: It is misguided. I am glad it has not been official policy for Lincoln, Johnson or Grant. You can not rectify a wrong by creating another wrong. We have already proved that with the so-called Reconstruction. The Rise of The Klan can be directly linked to the misguided attempts of the Radical Republicans to make the "South Pay" for the war.

CG: I know that your wife's family was a slave holding family, and I believe yours was as well. Wouldn't it be reasonable to say that you should have favored the Confederacy?

JLA: Not at all. Fewer than ten percent of Southerners owned slaves, and most of those were like Susan's family, which owned less than five slaves. While the war eventually revolved around the abolition of Slavery, it was initially about States Rights. Secession occurred to protest Federal Control of State affairs.

CG: Some feel that the last war settled the issue of secession forever?

JLA: I disagree. All it settled was slavery. And the fact that the side with the most guns will most likely win. We only have a few States out west, mostly we have territories. Until war broke out, we had a desire to be admitted to the Union as a State. If we were not in the Union, how can we be faulted for leaving it?

CG: For the sake of my readers, what are your reasons for separation?

JLA: There are many, but I will mention the most egregious. While the people of Alaska should have been admitted to all the rights and privileges afforded Citizens of The United States ten years ago, they had not even been afforded the most basic of civil laws. We had to act. Now we have war.

CG: The war is now entering its sixth year, already two years longer than The Confederacy held out. They say there is no end in sight. What is the secret to your success?

JLA: Success only comes with victory. The secret to our resistance lies in the fact that the Federals have been unable to control the field of battle. We are able to attack quickly and then withdraw into the frontier. It has been extremely disheartening to the Federals

CG: Is that all?

JLA: No. We have also gambled on new weapons. Our artillery has been assigned the Gatling Gun, and our navy has purchased a new invention which is called the torpedo. We are extremely pleased with the tests on this weapon and are eager to see how it performs in an engagement.

CG: It is interesting that you have used the word gamble, because I see that your middle son Robert is courting Leah Quantrill, who is quite the card shark.

JLA: And quite the Cavalry Officer. Yes, Yes, and the Daughter of Satan. Susan is still not quite sure how to act around her, but Robert is smitten with her, and she with him. On one of her trips through she gave me some plans for a series of gambling and music halls that she thinks would liven things up here. I admire her initiative, but I doubt that sort of business would amount to anything.

CG: I would not reject the proposal entirely, General. You could hide them from the general population, so as not to stir up much opposition. Perhaps the Nevada desert. At least if the idea is unsuccessful it will be lost in the desert sand.

JLA: An excellent idea.

CG: In closing, I heard your daughter Katherine recently got married. Congratulations.

JLA: Susan and I are extremely proud. I think we'll have to wait a while for any grandchildren, because Katherine is happy at Fort Republic in Alaska and Major Morgan is commanding the First Cavalry at Wyoming. Susan did an extremely fine job transforming Fort Republic into Mobile, except for the weather.

CG: General Anderson, thank you for your time

A "Republican" Primer

That should get some clicks. Now that I have decided to get this blog running and showcase some of my writing, I guess a brief introduction is in order.

Republican doesn't refer to the Republican Party, it refers to The Republic of Ansdale, a nation which encompasses pretty much everything west of the Mississippi River. The nation was proclaimed in 1875, which led to the War of the West, also known as the Second American Civil War. Not as deadly as the first, the second war also was more of a guerilla war, though it did feature automatic weapons (the gatling gun) and torpedo warfare. It lasted twelve years.

Didn't hear about anything about this in school? Didn't think so. What about the Dakota Expedition of 1855? That started everything off during the Pierce administration. Seems that the American Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was the head, had made the fort their HQ during the western expansion, but things played out in the trapping world as they do from time to time if you're not careful and so they sold the fort to the US Army, sight unseen, (one of many reasons why people see the term military intelligence as an oxymoron). President Pierce needed someone to lead a combined Military/Civilian expedition into the region and claim it for the United States, since the region was at that time a subject of international contention. Pierce chose John Lee Anderson, a retired Army veteran of the Mexican War. Fort Pierre was a wreck, and was never really used. It was the base around which the settlement was placed, and was replaced by Fort Ansdale three years later.

What's an Ansdale? Long story. Seems like most of my answers bring up more questions. The short answer is they (according to the U.S. Interior Department) are a sub branch of the Sioux or Dakota. The truth is much more interesting.

For a brief primer, I would encourage you to check out my History of The Ansdale Rebellion Page. It is a Chronology of the Story. It should pique your interest.

I welcome all my Triberr friends to this new blog as I try to showcase my writing interests as well as my music interests. My new tribe "Spinning a Tale" is in its infancy, and if you cover music or writing in your blogs, don't be surprised if an invite shows up. I hope you will accept.

An Empire Rises.