The Confederate’s Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. That was essentially the end of the Civil War although others continued to fight briefly afterwards. The former Confederate states all regained representation in the United States Congress within the next few years. Eventually they all formally terminated their succession by decrees or legislation. The last place to officially rescind its succession was… Town Line, New York?!?
For the benefit of 12MC readers from outside of the United States, let’s turn to a map.
Notice the location of Town Line, NY. The nearest state that seceded from the Union was Virginia. A town just outside of Buffalo joining the Confederacy is downright confounding. It shouldn’t happen. It reminds me of Winston, Alabama, the southern town that wanted to remain with the Union, except in the opposite direction.
Town Line did not rejoin the United States formally until 1946, at least according to them. The U.S. Government would contend that they never had permission to leave anyway so they never could have left. However, that would ruin the story so I’m going to conveniently ignore it.
The best source for a bit of historical background and the story of Town Line’s return is the Buffalo History Gazette. I’d recommend you take a look. There’s also a bit of skepticism so feel free to make up your own mind.
Historical Context
Town Line got its name because of its placement on the line between the towns of Lancaster and Alden. People of German descent, including recent immigrants, settled there and the village grew. They formed a tight community with strong Democratic leanings surrounded by Republicans. Thus they differed culturally and politically from their neighbors.
Naturally, they became upset when Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, won the presidential election of 1860. There were a couple of incidents that might be more speculation or perhaps revisionist history than factual. These included treatment of prisoners of war and the actions of runaway slaves at a nearby underground railroad site. Whatever the reasons, the town voted 84 to 40 to secede during the summer of 1861. Several men also left town and headed south to join the Confederate Army.
Things didn’t go so well for the Confederate sympathizers of Town Line as the war progressed. Their neighbors harassed them. Many of them fled across the nearby border into Canada. After the war, the whole secession vote had little meaning to the pro-Union residents who remained. Also memories began to fade over ensuing decades. Then everyone seemed to forget about the hamlet’s unusual status for another sixty or seventy years.
Reunification
Attempts at reunification went along in fits-and-starts. Occasionally it came up and residents repeatedly voted it down. Maybe they liked their unique status. Who knows. Eventually President Truman weighed-in on the issue, somewhat tongue-in-cheek:
“There are few controversies that are not susceptible to a peace time resolution if examined in an atmosphere of tranquility and calm rather than strife and turmoil. I would suggest the possibility of roast veal as a vehicle of peace. Why don’t you run down the fattest calf in Erie County, barbecue it and serve it with fixin’s in the old blacksmith shop where the ruckus started? Who can tell? The dissidents might decide to resume citizenship.”
This spurred the residents of Town Line to — finally! — rejoin the union on January 26, 1946, by a vote of 90 to 23. The last stronghold of the Confederacy fell.
This odd legacy remains even to this day on the patch of the Town Line Volunteer Fire Department, the “Last of the Rebels 1861-1946.”
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