Chapter 5: The Rise and Fall of Kings

Harrison’s entry into Washington was seamless.

Victory was assured before the fighting began.

All Harrison had to do was make the triumph as glorious as possible.

And he did.

The parade was grand, banners unfurled, the city alive with music and celebration. Harrison stood atop the Capitol steps, waving to the crowd, the silver eagle gleaming on his sash.

But this left Graham and Lee, who supported Hugh Foster, desperate.

With nowhere left to hide, the news of President Foster’s death could no longer be concealed.

The press swarmed the streets, rumors flying, the truth finally emerging. Graham and Lee found themselves cornered, their power slipping away.

That year, word of President Foster’s death during his eastern tour spread quickly. Graham and Lee forged an order, proclaiming Hugh Foster as the new President of Chicago.

At the same time, with President Foster’s death, Harrison Foster naturally became President.

The black flag emblazoned with the word 'Chicago' and a silver eagle flew over Washington.

The flag snapped in the wind, a symbol of change and renewal. Harrison’s supporters cheered, the city united under his rule.

Meanwhile, Hugh Foster’s faction, ignoring popular resentment in New York, forcibly conscripted laborers, determined to fight to the death against Harrison Foster, who was already in Washington.

This move successfully incited rebellion among the descendants of the old states, long oppressed by Chicago’s harsh laws.

Hugh Foster’s presidential dream collapsed before it began.

Unpopular and lacking troops, Hugh Foster, propped up by Lee and Graham, set up court in New York, but within two months was overthrown by a mutiny among his own conscripts.

The mutiny was swift and brutal, the city erupting in chaos. Hugh Foster fled in the night, his supporters scattering, the dream of power shattered.

Hugh Foster, Lee, and Graham withdrew from a struggle that was never theirs.

Meanwhile, Charles Shepherd and William Grant of Daze Village, Louis Banks of Peoria, Samuel Lane and Samuel Young, uncle and nephew, and the starving Henry Nash stepped onto the historical stage ahead of schedule.

The flaws of Chicago’s oppressive rule finally erupted.

No matter how great Harrison’s civil and military achievements, he couldn’t completely change the course of history.

All he could do was recreate the situation of the late Union era and reunify the States.

"The rivers and mountains of the States—I shall conquer them all. When heroes rise, I will subdue them!"

In Capitol Hall, Harrison, wearing the presidential sash and holding a ceremonial sword, faced the chaos with a fierce smile.

The room glowed with candlelight, the officials assembled in solemn rows. Harrison’s voice rang out, strong and unwavering, the promise of unity echoing through the marble halls.