Second American Civil War

The **Second American Civil War** was a national conflict in the territory of the mainland United States of America. It was fought between various rebel sides (Southern separatists, White nationalists, socialists, New Afrikan Rebels) against the United States government. Without enough popular or military support, the United States eventually collapsed, leading to the evacuation of what remained of the government to Hawaii and Alaska.

## Second American Civil War

Mobilized American soldiers in Virginia preparing for battle

### **Outcome**

Collapse of mainland Federal authorityEvacuation of American federalists to Hawaii and Alaska

Creation of the Peoples’ Union of America, Southern Union, Legion of America, Republic of Texas, Puerto Rico and California

American-Canadian Refugee Crisis

1922 Economic Depression

## Military coup & rising anti-government rallies

When a coalition of military officers, with a rising sympathy from the American army and navy seized Washington D.C. on April 4th, the United States, already suffering political protests for quite some time would suffer a political meltdown and total societal collapse as those who participated in the coup, known only as the "American Military Junta" failed to disperse growing anti-government riots, even with the help of the national guard and the declaration of martial law.

Anti-government protests, beginning around the time then president Warren Harding banned the SPA grew significantly over a period of a few weeks before the situation spiraled out of control with the military coup on April 4th, which rallied thousands to the side of the protestors, from Maine to Missouri. Day in and day out, protestors marched in support of imprisoned politicians, and, in the increasingly revolutionary atmosphere, turned increasingly violent, leading to a curfew being implemented across 12 cities on the Eastern Seaboard alone.

# The Civil War

## New York's independence

The situation after April 4th seemed increasingly dire for the Federalist cause, and fears began swirling of a civil war breaking out at any minute. People all over the country braced themselves for the news which was about to come. The protestors, ever growing by the day, proved to be the backbone to which the criminalized IWW could spring into action, declaring a general strike throughout the United States on April 14th, reminiscent of the ongoing German Revolution.

With violence forcing the entire American economy to its knees, then governor of New York, Joseph Cannon, aligned with the Socialist Party, began to consider the possibility of secession from the mainland United States in the wake of "never ending political turmoil". Privately, Cannon, himself swept up in the cause for a revolution, used the protests and military coup as an excuse to break away from the United States entirely. Secretly, with the help of politicians, organizers and even some soldiers and national guard members, in the early hours of April 23rd, Cannon made the decision to cede New York from Federal authority, using the help of mutineers and the national guard to force the military out of the state. Within 6 hours, Federal authority was usurped, and all of New York was now under Cannon's forces.

Cannon declared the Republic of New York with the intention of moving other states to join the new nation, but the evacuation of the American military had finally drove protestors in New York to violent outbursts, most famously in New York City. Since the military coup, New York City was put under a strict curfew, with no one allowed to enter or leave the city. Manhattan, specifically, was a hotbed of early protests, and as time went on, protestors and rioters effectively forced all of New York into a standstill, and with the evacuation of American soldiers, rioters, as well as newly formed militia men turned inwards and plummeted entire sectors of the city, targeting the wealthy businessmen who couldn't flee in time. Lynchings by the thousands shocked and horrified the country, and that same day Wallstreet was bombed by strikers.

With the news of the Republic's independence reaching the world thereafter, the provisional military council the very next day responded with a declaration of war, vowing to crush the new republic and all its accomplices using whatever means necessary. Fighting would soon break out all over the state, with hastily formed militias keeping the internal peace and warding off attacks from Washington for the next two weeks.

## Early war (May-September, 1920)

### Socialist consolidation

The Republic of New York, due to ideological squabbling but with the need to stay united in order to fight the mili adopted a moderate stance on everything from the economy to politics, even though an official constitution hadn't been written or even drafted yet. The first few weeks of war were relatively low-intensity battles, but drew the military into a stalemate, unable to push into New York even as the navy blockaded the new country from receiving outside aid. With communications and supply lines cut, Cannon realized he'd have to weaken the Federalists from the inside and hopefully expel them from the White House, but in the end, there'd be no need to. Without the proper information due to the cut communications lines, Cannon had not realized the after effects that war brought. Just as protestors in New York were dying down from the state's independence, protests spread all over the Steel Belt and New England. Through the pressure of rioters, Republican governor John W. Weeks, with leftist sympathies, openly defied Federal authority. On the 7th of May, representatives from Massachusetts signed an agreement with the Republic, merging the state with the new Republic.

Up until then, the American military had mostly been able to keep the public calm even as protests grew due to the fact that New York was contained and the American military surrounded it on all fronts, but the news of Massachusetts joining the state emboldened those against the military who saw the military council as too weak to actually protect the American people. Anti-government riots, strikes and demonstrations expanded. With a large socialist presence in Pennsylvania and increasingly distraught over the situation in Washington, governor William Sproul personally reached out to Cannon requesting admission into the new Republic, so long as "the freedoms and rights of the American people are upheld and protected".

Sproul, somewhat enamored by left-wing politics had initially seen the Republic of New York as an ideological enemy against the now reactionary government in Washington D.C. Privately, Sproul hoped that the war could end soon but didn't believe the military should rule over the American people. After Pennsylvania was admitted into the new Republic on May 15th (de-facto, de-jure Pennsylvania was still under the military), Sproul (now having fled due to his cooperation with New York) and several other high prominent politicians met in Dunkirk to discuss the possibility of reforming New York into a successor of the United States.

The Dunkirk Conference, more often called the Second Declaration of Independence, would be the backbone to the formation of the Peoples' Union of America later on. The conference would last a total of 5 months, and during it, many moderate politicians would either defect to the radicals of the Socialist Party or be forced out of the conference due to the ongoing war, which gave the radicals the precise moment they needed to truly seize power and remain on top.

Until then though, and for those five months, New England would be a battleground for the military and the Republic, slowly giving the Republic more leverage as gains were made in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Republic, for its part, despite being able to win against the military, was facing the ongoing problem of a naval blockade. With little defections to the rebel side in the war, New York barely had a navy to speak of, and without proper importation of food famine became a widespread threat as hunger grew by the day, but so did the navy's incompetence.

Unable to chip away or even take back ports and the small coastline the rebels had, the navy faced ongoing humiliations in the early stages of the war, combined with many people burning government ports or even destroying docked ships entirely, helped to control naval dominance during the early war period. With many workers secretly in support of the rebels, food was smuggled in, albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Across the Midwest and New England however, thousands sabotaged the war effort in favor of the new Republic. A general strike in June paralyzed life in Chicago and Philadelphia, while leftist paramilitaries sabotaged a military barracks in Trenton, killing over 15 people. Railroads and key military infrastructure was bombed, slugging the military and their efforts for a quick campaign to retake New York.

### Violence in the South

As New York declared its independence, war was initially limited to New England even as tensions escalated across the Steel Belt. Nevertheless, the revolutionary violence that swept up the northeast only radicalized the People’s Rights Party and the National Dignity Party. In the South in late May violence broke out in Birmingham after Black workers started a general strike, only to be brutally repressed after a few days with all employees fired and arrested on grounds of suspected ties to the Black Liberation Front.

Racial tensions, already slowly flaring up since the 1890 anti-Cuban riots, finally exploded and opened decades of old wounds. In response to the arrest of all 30 employees in Birmingham, Black workers in Montgomery and New Orleans retaliated by going on strike as well. Since the beginning of the war, the Black Liberation Front watched developments closely, and leadership was conflicted over what to do. As time went on, and as it became clear that this war wouldn’t be over anytime soon, opinions shifted towards a pro-insurrection stance, seeing this war as a perfect time to take power for themselves. Just as workers in the two cities started to strike, chairman of the BLF, W. E. B. Du Bois issued a statement on the war, condemning the military violence that was widely reported on in New York, but also alluded to a possible chance of secession should “the current situation deteriorate any further”.

In secret, BLF forces began amassing a network of weapons in several Southern cities. As rumors swelled up over a possible Black revolution, the People’s Rights Party began bolstering its support over the increasing paranoia of racial violence in several cities. As a result to the strikes and protests by black civilians and workers, counter protests by nationalist and PRP supporters broke out in over 12 cities over the course of 2 months. Clashes were frequent, and as civilian casualties reached into the double digits both sides radicalized.

The Federal response was minimal at best due to the emergency within the Northeast, and in the vacuum came PRP-aligned paramilitaries and militia units, originally formed to "safeguard Federal interests against insurgents", but it soon became clear these organized men had ulterior motives. Like in the Black Liberation Front, politicians in the People's Rights Party became unconvinced Federal authority could easily take back New York especially as new states aligned themselves with the republic. Like up north, southern governors under party leader and Louisiana governor Ruffin G. Pleasant called a convention in New Orleans to discuss the possibility of secession due to the recent failures that plagued Washington D.C.

Over the next month, the convention brought forward a barrage of accusations and alleged abuse by the Federal government against southern states, citing misgivings even as far back as the Spanish-American War and the Insurgency Wars. As the war in New York was expanding, news broke that the convention had ended in August with an overwhelming approval for secession. Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama all merged and proclaimed the Union of Southern American States in New Orleans, the new capital of the country. The war had just expanded, and would be bloodier than anyone could've imagined

### Peaceful Secession in the Northwest

As the atmosphere worsened in the South and Northeast, the Northwest, now under the political wing of the National Dignity Party for the better part of 10 years, remained quiet and calm. Unlike in the Eastern United States where there was a infamous political divide, anyone who opposed the NDP and its supporters were long gone, most of which relocated to California in the years prior to war. Due to the NDP's successful political consolidation over the Northwest, the idea of secession was often touted and, while kept on the down low due to suspicions in Washington D.C., the truth was was that secession, even before the war had long started, was already quite popular, as previous attempts to further expand the party went nowhere. While the National Guard was able to subdue any overt attempts at violence, without the threat of the American military anytime soon after May, NDP militias grew in huge numbers, running basically unopposed as Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington.

With success and ease, many militias turned increasingly vicious in this new atmosphere of war, pressuring the governors and the NDP itself to declare independence and war against the United States. As the Union of the South was proclaimed in August, the writing on the wall was clear over how this war would continue. Before, paranoia over a possible defeat discouraged the Northwest from usurping Washington's authority, but this new development washed away any doubts before.

In Seattle, on September 23rd, the First National Party Congress was called, and within one week, ended in the drafting of the Seattle Declaration of Independence, uniting the states of Seattle, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and even the Dakotas under a new regime called the Commonwealth of America. In less than six months, the Second American Civil War expanded all over the continental United States, effectively sealing the fate of the Federalist cause.

## Federal Pushback (October 1920-January 1921)

In light of the early war, the Federalists after the birth of the American Commonwealth knew the situation was desperate and tried, in vain, to hold out and defend areas of interest, mainly that of Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and upper New England, but the situation was quickly spiraling out of their control. By October, the Dunkirk Conference ended, leading to the dissolution of the Republic of New York in place of the Peoples' Union of America, which only empowered the thousands working against Washington D.C. The general strike in the Midwest lasted until July after a Federal incursion in Chicago and Philadelphia. Despite the strikes being broken however, their morale was strengthened, and after a greater retaliation by the residents of both cities the City of Chicago and the Philadelphia Commune declared independence.

One thing no other rebel country had that the Federalists didn't however, was unwavering military loyalty. Unfortunately, in hindsight, Washington D.C., thinking their enemies would easily crumble even as the war spread from sea to shining sea, underestimated their forces. Without any large scale mutinies, the Feds took great amounts of effort in stirring up infighting in the new Peoples' Union, to little effect initially. Without proper communication lines, and with the war front becoming ever more bloody, the Federalists tried time after time to create fabricated incidents to turn the provisional government against one and another, such as spreading leaflets in New York City. Said leaflets were reportedly given out by the IWW, accusing the American Federation of Labor of conspiring with Washington for peace, though once the news became mainstream both the AFL and IWW quickly shot down the accusations, knowing infighting would only allow the PUA to succumb to reactionary forces.

For various generals however, especially regional generals, their loyalty was found wanting, seeing a series of defections in the South by various officers. On October 15th, seeing Federalist support wane in Florida, a general offensive was hastily created, and over a period of 2 weeks, thanks in part by civilian sabotage, Southern militias reached Daytona beach, where due to a miscommunication, a large Federal division became trapped and encircled by Southern militias, unable to move or get assistance.

In the Northeast, further offensives and even attempts to holdout failed. In the month, a mass evacuation of Federal troops occurred in Rhode Island and Connecticut as socialist militias chipped away at Federal territory. It soon became clear to United States high command that general loyalty didn't matter if it was outmatched with resilience and sheer revolutionary optimism and desire.

While the military held no anti-government sentiments, the same could not be said for the people living under the military. In states even practically unaffected by war such as Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Maine, Iowa and the Dakotas, the overall living situation was vastly deteriorating. Martial law was becoming ever more strict with harsher penalties. Bread lines formed and grew across several cities, leading to overall discontent and anger all over the United States. It didn't help that, in many ways, rebel countries saw greater standards of living that their government counterparts. In the Peoples' Union, a number of sweeping laws started the so-called " American Socialization Period". These laws abolished the private economy, outlawed segregation, and granted women equality under the law. The government mid-October established the "Communal Committee for War", with its primary purpose to ensure social and economic stability even in war. In large cities like New York, initiatives were undertaken to avoid food scarcity and the possibility of bread riots America was currently experiencing.

Communal gardens, made from private land holdings were created while rationing was enforced. In the Southern Union, as hunger was starting to seep through the American army, promises of amnesty and bread were effective, seeing large scale desertions in November and December. Desertions spread to Daytona Beach, where the siege finally ended in a humiliating Federal defeat. Undersupplied with little morale, most people would go to accepting Florida's takeover by the Southern Union thereafter. Further offensives were successful, and after 1 month, by December 24th, any American troops that remained were taken out by sea into Texas.

The Northwest United States evidently saw the least amount of fighting in the entire war with minimal casualties, mostly concentrated in Utah and California. With hunger and impoverishment spreading throughout the states, the governors of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska officially declared themselves a part of the American Commonwealth. Bolstered by this sudden support, the American Commonwealth tried but failed at various attempts to expand further. As time went on, ambitious plans to invade Minnesota and Iowa were eventually scraped due to how overextended the Commonwealth became. The war effort was concentrated in Oregon and Utah, but due to low supplies and general chaos due to the quick absorption of various states, Seattle was unable to expand any further.

By January 1921, all of Vermont, New Jersey and New Hampshire, including border regions of Maine were under the Peoples' Union. Northeast rebels throughout December made decisive gains in Pennsylvania, even reaching the Ohio border. On the 25th, the Philadelphia Commune was absorbed into the Peoples' Union, while Chicago continued to hold out against a government onslaught. The Southern Union, fresh from their victory in Florida made easy gains in Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.

## Rebel Cementation (February-May 1921)

Despite government claims that this war would be over before Christmas during the first stages of the war, it became ever more clear that not only would the war slug on, but a Federal victory was becoming more and more unlikely by the day. As the prospect of famine grew across the US, more people started to turn against the government if it meant safety, shelter and food would be provided. This wasn't a secret, and was instead heavily exploited by rebel states in order to weaken the government.

In the capital, the military government, aware that the situation may end in utter catastrophe for the Federalist cause began cutting corners with the "Race to the Pacific", a plan made in late February to stall and prolong rebels, secure and evacuate important people from the mainland and safeguard what remained of the American military. The Race to the Pacific would be the eventual backbone for the Federal evacuation to Alaska and Hawaii, being their only saving grace to come out of the war as well as the independence of California and Texas.

As plans to evacuate to the Pacific seemed to be imminent, plans were finally put into place over what to do about the Western front of the war. California and Texas were able to hold off rebel armies surprisingly well, and no one was willing to lose those states even if a total evacuation became necessary. As a result, with quick planning by the Military Council and due to the previous agreements of possible Californian/Texan independence, the Council gave the green light for both state governors to declare independence in March. seeing that it was only a matter of time before the Commonwealth and Southern Union would break the frontlines.

On March 15th, the Californian governor and the Texan governor both formally declared their independence, promising that “once order and Federal authority would be restored, our countries will once again be one”. A day later, the governor of Oregon joined California, now all alone to fight the Commonwealth.

At the same time, saboteurs within the American military in Pennsylvania were instrumental in a rebel push all throughout March and April, leaving the majority of the state under the new Union government. Likewise, the Americans recupriated and doubled down on Washington D.C. defenses after suffering a fallback in Delaware and Maryland. What remained of American resistance in New England crumbled after the Battle of Portland, and by April 5th all of Maine was now under the revolutionaries, while an uprising in West Virginia would pave the way for occupation by the new Union.

Mostly unknown to the outside world as the civil war progressed after the Southern Union proclaimed independence was exacerbating racial violence throughout the months. In the beginning, while harsh crackdowns temporarily thwarted the Black Liberation Front's efforts for an uprising, increased discriminations, lynchings and harassment lead to the rapid growth of the BLF's influence within the Black Belt, radicalizing an already weary and frustrated population. While BLF leaders like Du Bois were arrested, the organization continued to function, and it was only a short while after initial crackdowns that plans for a revolt were back on the table by November, thanks to the repressions leaving much of the organization still intact despite suffering losses.

With support growing within the Black Belt, the BLF eventually laid out plans to conduct a mass uprising in the cities of Jackson and Montgomery, cities with the biggest support for the Front. Thanks to months of slow buildup and avoidance of Southern authorities even as the Black Belt was under martial law (in theory; in practice the Union had no support for fully crushing the BLF due to the intensity of the war). Thanks to smuggling operations carried out all over the Southern Union, the uprising was timed for the night of April 10th as the United States was on its knees, hoping this uprising would severely impede the Southern Union’s war effort to the point where socialist forces to the north could possibly attack New Orleans. The mass uprising was planned for April 10th as the United States was now on its knees.

When April 10th came, BLF forces had decided to take on a surprise attack, to handicap the Union as much as possible. The Southern Union, while on high alert, underestimated their enemy, and did not think them as capable of launching an armed attack, to which they'd be sorely mistaken. That night, Black militias in Jackson and Montgomery cut communication lines before swiftly moving into the cities and successfully forcing a mass evacuation of Southern militias over the next two days, leading to the proclamation of the Republic of New Afrika. The revolution, seemingly highly successful, would later turn into a nightmare for all sides involved.

The uprising shocked the world and garnered international attention even as the world was still hooked on the development of the wider civil war, while the actual uprising was much smaller than most had hoped. While the Southern Union initially underestimated the BLF and their strength, the Union did not hesitate to stop the uprising in its tracks once word got out of the fall of Montgomery and Jackson. The BLF had hoped that the Black Belt would soon follow and fall under revolution, but the Union's forces were able to crush any signs of insurrection before the revolt really took off, leaving Montgomery and Jackson completely surrounded by enemy forces.

Despite this, both cities did their best at holding off the Union, and while the uprising was crushed elsewhere, the Union saw high levels of sabotage behind the front lines by BLF supporters, severely hindering the rest of their war aims, a major reason they weren't able to conquer Texas like they hoped. Both cities, in the short time they were under the Afrikan tri-color, created a constitution, set up a revolutionary war committee and instructed civilian militias to patrol the streets and prevent instability. For a short time, segregation was outlawed, and the future seemed brighter, even if only for a fleeting moment.

Up north, the Peoples' Union against an enemy facing a morale plunge and lack of civilian and military supplies, new offensives confidently chipped away at Federal territory. Detroit, Columbus and all of West Virginia fell in April. On the 20th, chaotic fighting wreaked havoc in the Mountain West, specifically in Utah and Colorado, where the small general Dwight D. Eisenhower would become famous for his "March on Denver", a heroic last defence against a Commonwealth onslaught, ultimately leading to a Federal defeat and a greater evacuation of Colorado. For Eisenhower and his men, unable to escape with the rest of the Federalists, they chose honor over death or defeat, and went into hiding. They'd form the backbone to what would later be known as the Rocky Mountain Rebels.

As for Utah, the Commonwealth was finally able to break the frontlines and began a general offensive into the state, capturing Ogden and Salt Lake City in mid-May, while the Nevadan front, caught between Californian and Commonwealth forces, descended into a stalemate once again.

In late May, as peace talks between the new Republic of Texas and the Southern Union began to deteriorate (initially during the Republic's early days of independence, despite Federal pressure Texas remained neutral in the war) as the Southern Union even amidst a full on rebellion, still held on their territorial claims to Texas, pressuring them into being admitted into the Union before peace talks to settle the disputes commenced in early May. But as weeks passed by with no result, and as Southern-aligned militias rose up in Eastern Texas, the Union broke off the negotiations early and invaded Texas, convinced they'd be able to conquer the new Republic easily.

## A War of Attrition (June-December 1921)

While the Union was able to make initial gains in East Texas, going as far as surrounding Houston and taking Dallas, hopes of a quick war went out the window as the Union suffered defeats all throughout the month of June, while slow gains were made in Oklahoma and Virginia. On June 10th, on the two month anniversary of the New Afrikan uprising, the Southern Union went on the offensive and attacked both cities, resulting in ferocious fighting. Despite their determination and tenacity, New Afrikan fighters were ultimately defeated after a two week period. Both cities fell, and BLF leadership was either killed, arrested or fled north. With the fall of these cities, brutal reprisals commenced, including a massacre of over 1,000 individuals from both cities alone, and an extra 5,000 across the Black Belt. For now, the dreams of an independent Black state were crushed.

In the Southwest, with Federal authority beginning to crumble, the new territories of Northern Mexico such as Chihuahua and Coahuila, conquered during the Mexican Revolution, willingly reintegrated into Mexico, not willing to fall to the Commonwealth while also seeing no way out of the fall of America. Likewise, the states of Arizona and New Mexico, fearing a Commonwealth takeover, sided with the Republic of California.

With most of Ohio under the flag of the Peoples' Union, and as the confidence of the rebel state grew as with government authority looking increasingly hollow, New York reached out to the governors of Virginia (of which New Orleans made slow by significant territorial gains), Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, giving them a chance to peacefully integrate into the Peoples' Union without much of a fight. With Red sabotage and public pressure, and with the idea of defeatism looming over the head of the government, the states of Indiana and Michigan sided with the Reds, while Illinois and Virginia refused. Nevertheless, with both states quickly integrated in the new government, Chicago, nearing collapse and a possible famine finally dissolved and was incorporated into New York.

After a final offensive in Washington D.C. had failed, routing New York's forces into surrounding the capital, no quick gains were made for the next 6 months. While it wasn't as intense as, say the trenches of the Great War, some of the worst fighting was experienced during this time. Washington D.C., completely surrounded with nothing more than a small navy bringing supplies, saw dark times coming, and by July as over dozens were starting to die of famine, the military decided to start pulling out of the capital entirely. This event called the Washington Evacuation was chaotic at best. Thousands desperately fleeing the impending battle drowned in the ocean, while the few who managed to flee wound up in Puerto Rico or were captured by the few enemy vessels that were there, as most of the navy was now either in Puerto Rico or in Hawaii.

During this time, the Peoples' Union won its first major political victory with the outside world, as the German Union, itself still widely unrecognized, approached the New York government and was one of the first governments to recognize it instead of the United States. Meanwhile, the stage was finally set for the long awaited Battle of Washington D.C. to take place. With most of the civilian population gone, the only people that remained were government troops with the given order of no surrender under any circumstances. Hearing news of the mass evacuation in late July, Red forces mounted and prepared for a new offensive, starting in early August.

On the 3rd that month, the Reds finally charged into the capital. Underestimating government troops, they prepared for an easy battle, only to be pushed back after one weeks of high intensity fighting. This momentary victory, still celebrated today in Hawaii and Alaska, was the last Federal victory over any rebel country. On the 15th, with a new battle plan and now prepared for the carnage to come, rebels once again entered the streets of D.C. and fought what would be the the bloodiest fight in all of the Second American Civil War. Over the next two months rebel fought building to building, street to street in an effort to secure the capital, draining an immense amount of men and resources to secure the last Federal holdout.

In September, as all of Utah was now under Commonwealth authority, a surprising revolt broke out in Salt Lake City, forcing the Commonwealth to leave not only the capital city but also most of the surrounding area for the next month. The revolters, mainly Mormons upset with their mistreatment at the hands of Seattle proclaimed the Republic of Utah, hoping to expand further and perhaps kick out the authority of the Commonwealth, but that was a fantasy at best. Unable to hold out for much longer, the revolt was crushed by October, but by rerouting soldiers from the front to deal with the Utah unrest was the final nail in the coffin for a possible offensive into Oregon. The only other war gains the Commonwealth made was during December, when Kansas declared independence only to be usurped and destroyed by Commonwealth-sponsored militias by January.

By October, the Battle of Washington still raged on with thousands dead, but unlike the Reds, the government had a very limited amount of supplies and men that could be allocated to the front. Before the battle and even before Washington was surrounded the government, in preparation, pulled most of their troops back to the capital to defend it at all costs, but any lasting effort was in vain. As Federal troops were either killed or surrendered, the last major unknown holdout of government troops came from Union Station, in the center of the city, already quite damaged from previous fighting. As the movement of the United States' loyalist army became known, New York caught wind of the Federal presence at Union Station, largely abandoned since September with the belief that the building remained empty. Not willing to risk more lives over securing the capital, the eventual plan to end the battle was to systemically bomb any known Federal holdouts, which began on the 20th.

All in all, the bombing campaign lasted only one day, but it came at the cost of entirely destroying the capital. leveling the city with such intensity not seen in modern history. As for Union Station, the building was destroyed with over 200 lives lost, either burned alive or died during the building's collapse, now world famous for its role in the war.

On October 29th, Red forces declared victory over D.C., with the last main Federal forces either inland or already evacuated/evacuating by sea. With the only states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota pushing against Red authority, New York had finally broken into the states by January, though they couldn't invade sooner simply because the battle for the capital delayed further plans of invading and conquering elsewhere.

## Federal collapse and peace (January-May 1922)

In the three months following New York's invasion into the upper Midwest, all four states easily succumbed to the rebellion with little resistance due to the damage the war had been causing. Without any proper Federal resistance, an uneasy peace began between all five new breakaway states. Thanks to war exhaustion, no side was willing to openly declare war, but as border skirmishes and resistance cells became quite active, it was the Dominion of Canada which finally proposed a new peace treaty. In April, delegates from all five nations were invited to Ottawa to discuss peace negotiations, but as the after effects of war such as famine and unrest grew and loomed, the peace treaty, known as the Treaty of Ottawa was signed in earnest just 2 weeks after negotiations had begun. The treaty for its part kept the territorial divisions of America the same as they currently were, standing as the current borders for all five countries. The United States government, invited to the peace negotiations refused the offer, too prideful to accept defeat. On May 6th, the treaty was signed, and the war officially ended after two long years of seemingly never ending war, though the problems for a post-war American society was only just beginning.