Three Weeks' War

Belligerents| **Pro-Union*** United States (Union)
* Roosevelt Army (until Nov 1896)

Commanders and Leaders| **Union*** Brooks Adams (President)
* John Brandon (Vice Pres.)
* Theodore Roosevelt (Comm. General)
* Gene Goodman (Comm. General)
* Daniel S. Lamont (Sec. of War)
* Charles Steen III (Prime Minister)
* Jefferson Wallace II
* George Burr

**Rooseveltists*** Theodore Roosevelt (Prov. President)

The **Three Weeks' War**, known as the Federation War or the Hood War, and as the Second or Third American Civil War by its contemporaries, was a civil war in the United States, starting and ending in November 1896. Armed conflicts were mainly fought between the United States (or the Union) and the Federal States (or the Federation), while coups, both bloody (i.e. the Roosevelt Coup) and bloodless coups (i.e. the Rockefeller Plot) occurred in Washington DC.

The central cause of the war was the contested presidential election of 1896, in which ranked choice voting was implemented for the first time. During the first count of the electoral college, William Jennings Bryan, the winner of the popular vote, was eliminated in every state except for Washoe. Meanwhile, Woodrow Wilson received an unexpected lead, and the election became contingent. In the second round, Wilson was supposed to receive New York's electors based on Ranked Choice Voting, but the New York legislature opted to give Donald K. Hood its electors, giving him the Presidency despite winning 18% of the vote.

## The Three Victors of 1896

The State of New York, led by controversial Governor Luca Mornstar, did not ratify Senator Borah's amendment. During the electoral college official voting process, on December the 14th, 1896, the state of New York, which had narrowly been won by Woodrow Wilson in the election, did not cast their 43 Electoral Votes for Wilson, instead casting them for Donald K. Hood, officially pushing him to 290 Electoral Votes, enough to carry the Presidency.

Along with New York, the State of Washoe, which had been the only state in the Union to vote for William Jennings Bryan in the final round, also ignored the vote of its people. Governor George Burr got the states three electors to cast their ballot for Governor Wilson during the voting, however Wilson denied the states Three electors.

The 1896 Election now had three individuals claiming to be the next President of the United States. William Jennings Bryan, Woodrow Wilson, and Donald Hood.

## The 97 Plot

Donald Hood, a candidates who's age of just 25 years old caused Senator Bulkeley to run against him, had obtained the Presidency with just 18% of the support of the people, after a state had openly defied the final vote to hand him the Presidency.

Among those who defied Hood were:

* Former President John D. Rockefeller
* Governor Charles Steen III
* Donald Hood's running mate, former Secretary of State John L. Sarge
* Senator Morgan Bulkeley
* Former Senator James P. Palmer
* Governor Woodrow Wilson
* Senator Jefferson Wallace II
* Senator William Byrd
* General Theodore Roosevelt

Steen, Sarge, Palmer, and Wallace, with the funding from Rockefeller, planned an insurrection to prevent the Presidency of Hood, who they described as *"A 25-year-old ignorant rich country squire who has no experience and will ruin this nation before his first anniversary in office".* Hood, the son of rich Senator Herbert Hood and Grandson of Senator Johnston Hood, and the Great-Grandson of Former Vice President Patrick Hood, made attempts to appeal to the lower class worker, to no avail.

On December the 28th, 1896, this insurrection began. Protesters, poor working-class Mexican-American War veterans and Bryanites, angered at Hood's "stealing" of the election, marched to occupy the US Government and prevent the inauguration of Hood. President Adams was evacuated to the Emergency White House in Boston, Massachusetts, the second time Adams had to use the office and third time any US President had to.

## The Mississippi Secession Attempt

The State of Mississippi, which voted overwhelmingly for both Woodrow Wilson and Senator Bryan, not only refused the electoral results, but decried secession from the Union over Hood's victory.

While The 97 Plot occupied Washington, the state Governor announced secession from the Union:

*"The State of Mississippi shall henceforth sever all ties with the United States. Come a day has where a man may achieve short of just 20% of the popular opinion and yet still win the election by having his cronies in power in the elite state of New York vote against the people. We cannot and shall not stand by this horrid affront to democracy itself."*

Fearing a domino affect of secession, President Adams and the Cabinet immediately authorized an armed force to take the rebelling state. Meanwhile, the Senate voted to repeal Borah's amendment.

## Adams-Steen Treaty

President Adams entered negotiations with the rebelling forces. Congress and the Supreme Court agreed for the calling of a "Special Election", a power granted following the Hohenhaus debacle. The 1897 Special Election, scheduled to be held without the Borah amendment in November of 1897, would consist of many of the same candidates as 1896. The Three Weeks' War had ended.