The vast Ohio Territory and Great Lakes region under Charles' effective control encompassed the future areas of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Only the Kentucky area was not under complete control because the Western Expeditionary Force was recalled by Adams before it could cross the Ohio River. However, there were many towns there that had voluntarily revolted and seceded from their status as British Colonies.
Additionally, the Ohio Territory theoretically occupied a small portion of the land that later became Pennsylvania and New York due to the British king's prohibition of westward expansion.
In reality, however, apart from Pittsburgh and a few other places, these border regions had largely been effectively managed by the respective states themselves and were not within Charles' control.
On the third day of the new year, 1778, the Pittsburgh Council held its first full meeting to discuss Charles' proposal for a formal union with the Ohio Territory. This proposal, after more than a week of fermentation, had already spread throughout this small city of only tens of thousands of people. Now, it was merely bringing the discussions from under the table to the forefront.
It wasn't that no one opposed this merger plan; some believed it might drag down Pittsburgh's economy, being burdened by the undeveloped Ohio region. Others argued from an administrative division perspective, stating that there had never been a local government for such a large area.
There was a multitude of fragmented opinions, but these opinions themselves were not representative, and once the key figures had made their decision, there was no longer any chance for them to propagate their views.
The Council ostensibly held a special hearing to listen to the opinions of civilian representatives from the Ohio Territory and Pittsburgh. The representatives from the Ohio Territory were naturally those who leaned towards Pittsburgh, such as mining magnate David Bull, while Pittsburgh's representatives were, without exception, figures like Hans, who were close to Charles.
At the hearing, they all strongly demanded the merger of Pittsburgh and the Ohio Territory, stating that the two were brothers and compatriots, with interconnected and mutually beneficial economies. Only by uniting could they have a better tomorrow.
Almost everyone who participated in the hearing strongly called for an immediate merger. After only two days of preliminary discussion, the Council made a decision on the third day, passing the proposal to formally merge the Ohio Territory with Pittsburgh by an overwhelming majority. It was decided to establish the new unified governing body.
Under the instigation of Charles' direct confidants, a charter for this new unified body was quickly approved. The new political entity was given the unique and provocative name: the Ohio and Pittsburgh United Territories (O.P.U.T.).
This name caused intense debate among some easterners who had come to Pittsburgh for the holidays. They were not opposing or endorsing the name, but rather discussing what impact it might have on the Articles of Confederation currently being deliberated by the Continental Congress.
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, often abbreviated as the Articles of Confederation or simply the Articles, was the legal document intended to formally establish the United States of America. The names—United States of America versus Ohio and Pittsburgh United Territories—sounded dangerously similar.
Those easterners speculated whether Charles and his followers were preparing to secede from the Thirteen American Colonies and establish their own country.
However, at this time, due to the delay of the Charlestown campaign, the Articles of Confederation was two months later than in history and had not yet been formally passed. People only felt the hidden meaning behind Charles' rush to pass the merger of Ohio and Pittsburgh just before the Articles were to be voted on shortly after the New Year.
The Pittsburgh Council completely disregarded the gossip of outsiders. With ample strength behind them, they were not worried about the stance of the easterners and continued to discuss the personnel arrangements for the newly established Union. Although theoretically, only the Continental Congress had the authority to make personnel arrangements, the Pittsburgh Council was strong now.
After including representatives from the Ohio Territory, the original Pittsburgh Council successfully transitioned into the new governing body, the Union Council. With Charles' support, Patrick successfully secured the position of Governor of the Union, and he would also serve concurrently as the Mayor of Pittsburgh.
However, because the Ohio Territory's population was actually similar to Pittsburgh's, but its area was dozens of times larger, it was impossible for the Union government to manage it effectively in this era of backward communication and transportation. Therefore, after discussion, the Council decided to largely omit many traditional state government official roles, establishing only four state-level supervisory positions.
These were the State Public Security Committee, the State Trade Committee, the State Transportation Committee, and the Union Court. These were to be overseen by Major Sherman, Hans, William, and the original Pittsburgh notary Old Sherman, respectively.
These positions were essential for the effective management of the Ohio Territory. This was also in line with Charles' original intention to more easily utilize Ohio's vast market and rich resources, and to more effectively control the Louisiana transportation route. Therefore, these positions were all held by Charles' confidants or allies, and absolutely not given to those who sought official positions through connections.
Specific administrative management would occur at the level below the Union. The Council decided to further divide the Union into seven major Administrative Regions. Each Administrative Region would have a governor, similar to a mayor, for direct management.
However, this was a large area comparable in territorial size to the Thirteen American Colonies, and the division of such a large piece of land into Administrative Regions could certainly not be concluded in a few words. In the end, everyone took out rulers and began drawing directly on the map of the Ohio Territory. Because if they were to conduct on-site inspections and fair divisions, it would be unknown how many years it would take to truly yield results.
With a few swift strokes of the ruler on the map, the largest Administrative Regions were divided. North of the Ohio River, the Great Lakes region basically followed the division of what later became the six states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, with the additional inclusion of Pittsburgh as a directly administered municipality.
The voluntarily defecting towns south of Ohio were collectively named Kentucky. They would be placed under military rule by Major Sherman, serving as a frontline against the southern British Colonies, and would require a small number of militia to be stationed for defense.
To Charles' surprise, while initially many people sought various positions, once the Union-level supervisory positions were announced, with subordinate committees responsible for recruitment, Charles found that those who had been constantly sending him gifts had mostly gone to the homes of those supervisors. As for the positions of governor in the Administrative Regions, hardly anyone sought to scheme for them.
This was truly because the Ohio Territory was too desolate. Apart from the natives, a governor in many places might only manage a few small towns of a few hundred people; if a town's population exceeded a thousand, it could become an administrative capital.
In such places, not only was the power of an official small, but there was also the risk of being scalped and beheaded by natives. Wealthy individuals naturally were unwilling to seek such positions.
Most appointed officials at this time were still motivated by wealth when traveling thousands of miles for office, so only those who genuinely wanted to be officials were willing to take on such unprofitable positions. In a fit of anger, Charles decided to simply allow these Administrative Regions to hold direct elections. Even an Administrative Region with only a few thousand Colonists could directly elect its governor.
At the same time, to win over native tribes, some naturalized natives were also granted the right to vote. However, to avoid causing resentment among white settlers, a strict naturalization standard was set, meaning that each Administrative Region basically had only a few dozen naturalization quotas.
After half a month of busy work, the general arrangements for this new Union were finally settled. Charles no longer had time to wait for the election results, because an envoy from the Continental Congress, summoning him to return to Philadelphia to participate in the discussion of the Articles of Confederation, was already standing before him.
In January 1778, Charles returned to Philadelphia. At this time, a strange atmosphere permeated the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The discussion of the Articles of Confederation was of great importance, and many state governors had personally rushed over. Of course, this also included a few states whose entire territory had been occupied by the British army; these governors had nowhere to go and could only hide in Philadelphia, constantly complaining and urging the Continental army to quickly send troops to liberate their states.
However, in reality, this article, which concerned the future of all states, indeed greatly agitated the nerves of each state. This atmosphere was exacerbated by the news that Charles had formalized the Ohio and Pittsburgh United Territories just before the vote. This strange mix of political agitation and unspoken tension, where neither opposition nor full support for the Articles dared to be spoken directly, grew increasingly thick.
As soon as Charles returned to the castle with his retinue, he saw his old adversary, John Adams, and several representatives who supported the Federalist faction, waiting in front of his castle.
"Oh! Isn't that Governor Adams? Why have you come to Philadelphia again? Are the battles in Virginia very relaxed now?" Charles deliberately shouted loudly. Knowing that this fellow would humble himself and proactively visit him, it must be about the Articles of Confederation, but Charles didn't mind making fun of him before the official discussion began.
"Uh... I'm just here to participate in the Continental Congress vote." Adams was caught off guard by Charles' initial question, rendering all his prepared remarks useless, and he had no choice but to answer Charles' question.
"Participate in the Continental Congress vote? Are you referring to the Articles of Confederation? That thing should only require looking at the voting results; haven't your proxy rights already been entrusted? Why do you still need to come to Philadelphia yourself? Mr. Adams, what exactly is the situation with the battles in Virginia? Has the British army at Charlestown received army reinforcements from Great Britain?" Charles fired off another series of questions.
Adams was an old politician after all. Although Charles' initial questions forced him to answer, he immediately realized how to respond and simply smiled relaxedly:
"I'm indeed not as proficient in matters of war as Councilor Charles, so the battles in Virginia are entirely under the command of General Greene. As for the news from Charlestown, the General should have special intelligence sent to the Military and Ordnance Committee; you can go and look at it yourself later!" The implication was that Charles himself had not fulfilled his responsibilities.
Charles' smile stiffened, knowing that it was indeed difficult to openly challenge Adams. He simply gave a faint smile and nodded, inviting him into the castle for a moment.
As soon as they were seated, Adams, this Federalist, eagerly asked Charles about his stance on the Articles of Confederation. He also stated that General Washington was also a staunch Federalist, but due to the need for the military to remain neutral in political matters, the General had not clearly expressed his position. He had heard before that Charles also supported the Federal System, so even though the two had previous conflicts of interest, now, facing this proposal with a common interest, he was willing to proactively abandon their animosity, hoping that Charles could also understand that they should take a consistent stance.
Charles found it truly laughable that Adams, this old politician, could plainly say he would abandon past grievances for a common political goal. This must be the style of true politicians, often turning friends into foes over a political opinion, and often shaking hands with enemies over a political issue. Charles greatly admired Adams' style.
However, he did not immediately state his position clearly, but simply said:
"Mr. Adams, this is merely a vote on the Articles of Confederation, not a proposed Federal Constitution. Even if we support the establishment of a Federal Nation, we shouldn't have any objections to this preliminary proposal, should we?" He also secretly muttered to himself, If you say you're abandoning grievances, then you're abandoning grievances; wouldn't that make me lose face?
"But I heard you established a state government in Pittsburgh—the Ohio and Pittsburgh United Territories. Although this doesn't directly conflict with the current Articles of Confederation, do you really support the establishment of a Federal Nation?" Adams asked cautiously.