1824: The Arkansas War
Encyclopedia
1824: The Arkansas War is a 2006 alternate history novel by American writer Eric Flint
.
. The United States, under the influence of Sam Houston
, a Special Commissioner for Indian Affairs, has signed a treaty with the southern Indian tribes, establishing a Confederacy of chiefdoms in the territory that in our time line is composed of the State of Arkansas
west of the Red River
, and the State of Oklahoma
without the Panhandle
, roughly the boundaries of the historical Arkansas Territory
. As a result, the tribes of the southern US, particularly the Cherokee, have willingly left the southeastern U.S. with their wealth and power intact (as opposed to their eventual and devastating forced removal in 1838 in actual history).
Shortly thereafter, in Louisiana, Henry Crowell, a free black man and one of the officers of the Iron Battalion who won the Battle of the Mississippi (which in this time line was the battle that saved New Orleans from the British in January 1815), offended the local Creole leadership by courting a Creole woman. Slave-catchers waylaid Crowell and castrated him. In revenge, the Iron Battalion mobilized and destroyed the homes of the Creole leadership, then smashed the Louisiana militia who came after them to suppress "servile rebellion". (This is referred to later as the "Algiers incident".) Shortly afterwards, Crowell and the Iron Battalion moved to Arkansas.
The easternmost chiefdom, Arkansas, is ruled by Patrick Driscol, nicknamed the "Laird of Arkansas" who was formerly the brigade master sergeant under Winfield Scott
during the Niagara Campaign
. Arkansas banned slavery and quickly became a magnet for freedmen throughout the United States, who are forced to leave their home states when, under the influence of men like Henry Clay
and John C. Calhoun
, the states pass Freedmen Exclusion Acts.
As the book begins, one such family, the Parker family, leaves Baltimore, Maryland, after the head of the household is killed by a mob of whites. They are stopped on the Ohio River by slave-catchers, who plan to take them before a partial judge, have them declared runaway slaves, and sold into bondage. However, before the slave-catchers can haul the Parkers away, a party of abolitionists led by John Brown
and his brother Solomon Brown intervenes and the family is able to continue their journey.
When the Parkers arrive in New Antrim
, the capital of Arkansas, they learn that Crowell's bank will loan the family money to start again if the men join the Arkansas Army. Sheffield Parker and his uncle Jem enlist and undergo a rigorous training regimen.
Meanwhile, Henry Clay secretly finances an expedition led by Robert Crittenden
to attack Arkansas. The expedition fails, but Clay uses this failure as a lever to become the new president of the USA following James Monroe
. Shortly thereafter, Sam Houston's wife Maria gets accidentally shot by an assassin from Georgia
who was aiming for Houston himself in retaliation for his liberal views on race, and he and his son Andrew Jackson Houston leave for Arkansas to aid Driscol and Ross in coming war with the USA.
The novel ends in 1825, with the USA going to war with Arkansas (as an AU of the real history American Civil War
). At the same time, a varied group of politicians led by the losers in the election of 1824, John Quincy Adams
and Andrew Jackson
, meet to create a new political party that will both oppose and defeat Henry Clay and work for an eventual end to slavery in all states when Clay's presidential term is finished.
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
.
Plot summary
The story, takes place in 1824–25, ten years after 1812: The Rivers of War1812: The Rivers of War
1812: The Rivers of War is a 2005 alternate history novel by American writer Eric Flint. The book was originally published in hardcover as simply The Rivers of War. In 2006, the text was made available at the Baen Free Library....
. The United States, under the influence of Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, a Special Commissioner for Indian Affairs, has signed a treaty with the southern Indian tribes, establishing a Confederacy of chiefdoms in the territory that in our time line is composed of the State of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
west of the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
, and the State of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
without the Panhandle
Oklahoma Panhandle
The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, comprising Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the handle of a cooking pan....
, roughly the boundaries of the historical Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
. As a result, the tribes of the southern US, particularly the Cherokee, have willingly left the southeastern U.S. with their wealth and power intact (as opposed to their eventual and devastating forced removal in 1838 in actual history).
Shortly thereafter, in Louisiana, Henry Crowell, a free black man and one of the officers of the Iron Battalion who won the Battle of the Mississippi (which in this time line was the battle that saved New Orleans from the British in January 1815), offended the local Creole leadership by courting a Creole woman. Slave-catchers waylaid Crowell and castrated him. In revenge, the Iron Battalion mobilized and destroyed the homes of the Creole leadership, then smashed the Louisiana militia who came after them to suppress "servile rebellion". (This is referred to later as the "Algiers incident".) Shortly afterwards, Crowell and the Iron Battalion moved to Arkansas.
The easternmost chiefdom, Arkansas, is ruled by Patrick Driscol, nicknamed the "Laird of Arkansas" who was formerly the brigade master sergeant under Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
during the Niagara Campaign
Niagara campaign
The Niagara campaign was the final campaign launched by the United States to invade Canada during the War of 1812. It occurred in 1814.The American forces were commanded by General Jacob Brown and General Winfield Scott.The U.S...
. Arkansas banned slavery and quickly became a magnet for freedmen throughout the United States, who are forced to leave their home states when, under the influence of men like Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
, the states pass Freedmen Exclusion Acts.
As the book begins, one such family, the Parker family, leaves Baltimore, Maryland, after the head of the household is killed by a mob of whites. They are stopped on the Ohio River by slave-catchers, who plan to take them before a partial judge, have them declared runaway slaves, and sold into bondage. However, before the slave-catchers can haul the Parkers away, a party of abolitionists led by John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
and his brother Solomon Brown intervenes and the family is able to continue their journey.
When the Parkers arrive in New Antrim
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, the capital of Arkansas, they learn that Crowell's bank will loan the family money to start again if the men join the Arkansas Army. Sheffield Parker and his uncle Jem enlist and undergo a rigorous training regimen.
Meanwhile, Henry Clay secretly finances an expedition led by Robert Crittenden
Robert Crittenden
Robert Crittenden was Governor of Arkansas Territory and co-founder of Rose Law Firm. Robert Crittenden was born near Versailles, Kentucky....
to attack Arkansas. The expedition fails, but Clay uses this failure as a lever to become the new president of the USA following James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
. Shortly thereafter, Sam Houston's wife Maria gets accidentally shot by an assassin from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
who was aiming for Houston himself in retaliation for his liberal views on race, and he and his son Andrew Jackson Houston leave for Arkansas to aid Driscol and Ross in coming war with the USA.
The novel ends in 1825, with the USA going to war with Arkansas (as an AU of the real history American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
). At the same time, a varied group of politicians led by the losers in the election of 1824, John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, meet to create a new political party that will both oppose and defeat Henry Clay and work for an eventual end to slavery in all states when Clay's presidential term is finished.
Themes
- As in other Flint's novels, 1824: The Arkansas War is heavily centred around American democracy and equality for all men. In this particular novel, Eric Flint is attacking the historical event of American exploitation of Blacks, as well as Native Americans. He also describes Southern slave owners such as Henry ClayHenry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and John CalhounJohn C. CalhounJohn Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
's historical opposition to states rights where slavery was concerned.
- Flint is also showing a possible historical alternative to the "Trail of Tears," in which the Southern Indian tribes, in particular the Cherokees, were forced to give up their land and move to Indian Territory with little more than the clothes on their backs. Flint believes a conflict between these tribes and white Southerners was unavoidable, so he's created a logical scenario in which the tribes move willingly with their wealth and strength intact. In this scenario, the enslavement and oppression of African and Native Americans may end decades before the American Civil War and the wars with the West's Indian tribes. Flint presumably will explore this theme in further detail in sequel(s) to this book.
Historical figures appearing in the novel
- John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, U.S. Secretary of State and candidate for president in 1824, who, in this timeline, does not win the presidency and, instead, allies himself with Andrew Jackson in opposition to Henry Clay. - John BrownJohn Brown (abolitionist)John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
, abolitionist who, in this timeline, settles in Arkansas and continues his fight for abolition of slavery. - William Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen BryantWilliam Cullen Bryant was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.-Youth and education:...
, poet and journalist who, in this timeline, covers both the Crittenden expedition and the Arkansas War. - John C. CalhounJohn C. CalhounJohn Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
, U.S. Senator and Secretary of War during the Arkansas War. While Calhoun does not appear "on-stage", his advocacy for the various freedmen exclusion acts, his disdain for the liberal racial policies of the Confederacy of the Arkansas and his desire to crush the Confederacy, and the role he plays in the election of Henry Clay to the presidency makes him one of the most important figures in the novel. - Henry ClayHenry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, Speaker of the House of Representatives and, in this timeline, winner of the presidency in 1824. - Duwali, Cherokee chief
- William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, U.S. general, who, in this timeline, is tasked with leading an invading army into Arkansas from the east. - Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, U.S. official, and, in this timeline, eventual brigadier general in the Arkansas army. - Andrew JacksonAndrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, U.S. senator, who, in this timeline, becomes an ally to John Quincy Adams in opposition to Henry Clay. - Richard M. JohnsonRichard Mentor JohnsonRichard Mentor Johnson was the ninth Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of Martin Van Buren . He was the only vice-president ever elected by the United States Senate under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment. Johnson also represented Kentucky in the U.S...
, U.S. senator who, in this timeline, while his African American common-law wife and their school-age children are in Arkansas to continue their education, allies himself with Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams in opposition to Henry Clay. - Josiah JohnstonJosiah S. JohnstonJosiah Stoddard Johnston was a United States Representative and Senator from Louisiana. Born in Salisbury, Connecticut, he moved with his father to Kentucky in 1788, and went to Connecticut to attend primary school...
, U.S. politician - James MonroeJames MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, President of the United States - Peter PorterPeter Buell PorterPeter Buell Porter was an American lawyer, soldier and politician who served as United States Secretary of War from 1828 to 1829.-Life:...
, U.S. politician - PushmatahaPushmatahaPushmataha , the "Indian General", was one of the three regional chiefs of the major divisions of the Choctaw in the nineteenth century. Many historians considered him the "greatest of all Choctaw chiefs"...
, Choctaw chief - John RidgeJohn RidgeJohn Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee , was from a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation, then located in present-day Georgia. He married Sarah Bird Northup, of a New England family, whom he had met while studying at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut...
, Cherokee publisher and confederate officer - Major RidgeMajor RidgeMajor Ridge, The Ridge was a Cherokee Indian member of the tribal council, a lawmaker, and a leader. He was a veteran of the Chickamauga Wars, the Creek War, and the First Seminole War.Along with Charles R...
, Cherokee leader - John RossJohn Ross (Cherokee chief)John Ross , also known as Guwisguwi , was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation from 1828–1866...
, Cherokee leader - Winfield ScottWinfield ScottWinfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
, U.S. general, who, in this timeline, resigns his commission upon the election of Henry Clay and becomes a journalist, reporting on the Arkansas War on the scene. - Henry ShreveHenry Miller ShreveHenry Miller Shreve was the American inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi, Ohio and Red rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreveport, Louisiana, is named in his honor....
, steamboat entrepreneur who, in this timeline, is part-owner of the steamboat franchise on the Arkansas River serving the Arkansas nation. - Zachary TaylorZachary TaylorZachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
, U.S. Army officer, who, in this timeline, is tasked with leading an army that threatens Arkansas from the north. - Buck WatieElias Boudinot (Cherokee)Elias Boudinot , was a member of an important Cherokee family in present-day Georgia. They believed that rapid acculturation was critical to Cherokee survival. In 1828 Boudinot became the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, which was published in Cherokee and English...
, Cherokee publisher and confederate officer - Robert CrittendenRobert CrittendenRobert Crittenden was Governor of Arkansas Territory and co-founder of Rose Law Firm. Robert Crittenden was born near Versailles, Kentucky....
, leader of a filibusteringFilibuster (military)A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
expedition into Arkansas. In real history he was Governor of Arkansas TerritoryArkansas TerritoryThe Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
in 1828–1829. - Joseph TottenJoseph Gilbert TottenJoseph Gilbert Totten fought in the War of 1812, served as Chief Engineer and was regent of the Smithsonian Institution and cofounder of the National Academy of Sciences.-Early life and education:...
, U.S. Army engineer who, in this timeline, is a Major in Arkansas service and the commanding officer at Arkansas Post during Crittenden's raid. - Robert Ross, general of the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. In real history, Ross died in 1814, leading an attack on BaltimoreBattle of BaltimoreThe Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, but, in this timeline, he survives to become an abolitionist in England, eventually traveling to America where he thinks he can best serve the cause by assisting Arkansas in military matters. - Charles BallCharles BallCharles Ball was an African-American slave from Maryland, best known for his account as a fugitive slave, The Life and Adventures of Charles Ball .-Biography:...
, General in the Arkansas Army, second-in-command to Driscoll. He was originally a gunner in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812 and, by fate, ended up serving with distinction under Sam Houston and Patrick Driscoll both at the Battle of the Capitol and at the Battle of the Mississippi. Due to his valor and ability, Andrew Jackson gave him a commission, making him the first African American to become an officer in the U.S. Army.
External links
- ericflint.net: "About the Rivers of War" (afterword to 1812: The Rivers of War1812: The Rivers of War1812: The Rivers of War is a 2005 alternate history novel by American writer Eric Flint. The book was originally published in hardcover as simply The Rivers of War. In 2006, the text was made available at the Baen Free Library....
by Eric Flint)