Atlantean Servile Insurrection | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Free Republic of Atlantis | Government of the United States of Atlantis | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Frederick Radcliff Lorenzo | Leland Newton Balthasar Sinapis Jeremiah Stafford |
The Atlantean Servile Insurrection, also known as the Great Servile Insurrection, was a civil conflict in the United States of Atlantis in the 19th century. It was led by Frederick Radcliff, the grandson of Victor Radcliff, and ultimately saw the end of slavery on the continent.
Origins: Slavery in Atlantis[]
See: Slavery in Atlantis
Chattel slavery began shortly after the discovery of the continent, with Spanish settlers importing native Terranovans. In time, Africans were also imported in Spanish and French Atlantis. While the British parts of Atlantis did not make use of slaves to any great extent, it tolerated the practice, particularly after French Atlantis fell to the British at the close of a mid 18th century global conflict. With the arrival of the Atlantean War of Independence a dozen years later, English Atlanteans, realizing that they needed the support of French Atlanteans, made no effort to interfere with slavery. Even after settlers won, the new United States of Atlantis let slavery continue. The institution expanded after the USA acquired Spanish Atlantis.
The War Begins[]
While there had been previous slave uprisings, it wasn't until 1852 that an insurrection began that was sufficiently large enough to end slavery once and for all. And it began by happenstance. A slave named Frederick Radcliff had served in the house on Henry Barford's plantation in the state of New Marseille for years. After an accident involving spilled soup, Radcliff was whipped and sent out to the field. He'd been there for a few days when a detachment of soldiers arrived carrying a load of weapons. However, some of their number had come down with yellow jack, and their commander did not want to risk infecting the city of New Marseilles. The fever spread in short order, and soon most of the soldiers were unable to guard the weapons.[1]
Radcliff realized the weapons were unprotected.
The Uprising Spreads[]
Radcliff first killed the overseer Matthew, then rallied the other field slaves to him and stormed the Barford mansion, killing Master and Mistress Barford, as well as seizing hunting gear and weapons. The rebellious slaves then attacked the neighboring plantations and killed their former white masters, while also freeing their black and copperskin slaves. After fortifying the plantations, Radcliff declared that they were now a new Liberating Army and were going to create their own country called the Free Republic of Atlantis by freeing all of their brethren across Atlantis.
First Year[]
The Liberating Army was successful and quickly inspired insurrection across southwestern Atlantis, with the local southern militias helpless to do anything to check their advance. The insurrectionists' advance was also aided by the conflict between abolitionists and slave-holders in the United States of Atlantis. In New Hastings, the Atlantean Senate was completely divided, with the Southern senators led by Consul Jeremiah Stafford wanting an immediate mobilization of the army to crush the insurrection, while Northern senators led by Consul Leland Newton did not want to crush the revolt.
Newton changed his mind when his friend, Senator Hiram Radcliffe of Penzance, convinced Newton that if the army did not intervene, Southern slave-holders would have carte blanche to be exceptionally cruel to the insurrectionists when they were defeated. Newton's ostensible change of heart greatly surprised Consul Stafford, but he was still enthusiastic. The hardly-used Atlantean Army was quickly mobilized, and the Consuls, as per the Atlantean Charter, were placed as its commanders, with foreign Colonel Balthasar Sinapis as their aid and adviser.
Train ride to New Marseilles[]
The train trip to New Marseilles state was anything but peaceful. Twice the train was derailed by boulders and logs placed on the tracks by insurrectionists, and several times Insurrectionists fired into the train from behind trees. Consul Stafford was even injured when a bullet hit his arm. But finally, the Atlantean Army arrived in the small New Marseilles town of St. Croix.
References[]
- ↑ Liberating Atlantis, chs. 1-2.
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