Jack of Harts

Everything that happened in Virginia, from the arrests to the attempted nuclear bombardment, showed everybody what they had to lose. Which is why it was so important that West Virginia quickly announced their support for the Petersburg Assembly’s government. North Caroline, Tennessee, and Kentucky followed shortly thereafter. Over a dozen States recognized them within the week, and more followed in the weeks after that. By the time Convention of States met, it was Governor Freemon they welcomed as the official representative of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Richmond government protested that inclusion, and it is one of the many historical objections raised that question the legality of the Convention of States. But the Convention was clear on who it wanted to hear from, and who they considered the legitimate Commonwealth government.

The Petersburg Assembly grew to control the majority of Virginia’s landmass, if nowhere near a majority of its population. It started in the Shenandoah Valley, stretching from Winchester to Lexington to Bristol and beyond. Most of the counties bordering the Blue Ridge Mountains also followed them, including the fairly major cities of Charlottesville and Lynchburg. And the counties surrounding Norfolk and Hampton also joined what some called the breakaway Virginia. They controlled the majority of the military and law enforcement in the end, though the much larger land area diluted their strength greatly. The other Virginia ran many successful raids for valuable materials and people because of this. How else did a legitimate government deal with rebels? Damn Rebels for the more salty. Or worse. Many outsiders called them South Virginia, to their utter and complete disdain. They were the only “real” Virginia after all.

The situation in Virginia became both more stable and more chaotic after the General Assembly began meeting in Petersburg. The rump Assembly still meeting in Richmond declared them illegitimate. The Petersburg Assembly returned the favor. Most Virginia counties picked one or the other to follow. As did most military or law enforcement organizations. This was the more stable part. People moved from one to the other, sometimes by choice, and sometimes just ahead of mobs with baseball bats and knives. Some did not get out before the mobs found them. Law enforcement calls sometimes went unanswered, and sometimes officers from the OTHER Virginia answered the calls. Sometimes local officers or military rolled out to stop them, and sporadic fighting raged throughout the border counties. This was where the chaos came in.