If The South Had Won The Civil War

Rating:
Summary: The beginning of it all....
Review: My interest in "what-if's..." began when I read this story in LOOK Magazine in November,1960. I read it so many times, that before I realized it, I had memorized it. I still consider it one of the best of the genre, because it is written like a history book and definitely is NOT a novel. It got me interested in history....real history. In the 60s and 70s the paperback version (slightly longer, which implied more to me that LOOK had edited it down rather than Kantor amplifiing it) could be found in every college book store. The ending was different,however, reflecting the publication date, I think. Instead of the final meeting of the three presidents on the anniversary of the firing on Ft. Sumter, it ended on December 20, 1960. "This date was suggested by President Hill because it will mark the centennial of the secession of South Carolina from the Union."

Rating:
Summary: The beginning of it all....
Review: My interest in "what-if's..." began when I read this story in LOOK Magazine in November,1960. I read it so many times, that before I realized it, I had memorized it. I still consider it one of the best of the genre, because it is written like a history book and definitely is NOT a novel. It got me interested in history....real history. In the 60s and 70s the paperback version (slightly longer, which implied more to me that LOOK had edited it down rather than Kantor amplifiing it) could be found in every college book store. The ending was different,however, reflecting the publication date, I think. Instead of the final meeting of the three presidents on the anniversary of the firing on Ft. Sumter, it ended on December 20, 1960. "This date was suggested by President Hill because it will mark the centennial of the secession of South Carolina from the Union."

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story of What If?
Review: This book looks at what would have happened if just a few things were changed during the Civil War. On May 12, 1863, near Vicksburg, Mississippi, General Ulysses S. Grant is killed in a freak equestrian accident. This seems to take the wind out of the Army of Tennessee, whose expedition had started earlier that year with such promise, but whose fortunes had been getting worse and worse. The remaining Union forces surrender to the Confederate Army at Vicksburg. Farther north, the Battle of Gettysburg truns into a defeat (perhaps slaughter is a better word) for the Union forces, who surrender to Robert E. Lee.

Word reaches President Abraham Lincoln that the end is near. On July 4, 1863, he and his family flee the White House at night, in the back of a horse-drawn ice truck. His first destination is Richmond, Virginia, where he is the "guest" of president Jefferson Davis. There is little or no looting of Washington by the advancing Confederate forces, though a number of White House items somehow make their way into Confederate homes. The looting is done by the citizens of Washington, whose name is changed from District of Columbia to District of Dixie.

America is given a chance to move the offices and documents out of Washington, and they eventually end up in the new capital of Columbus, Ohio, which is renamed Columbia. Seward's Folly, the purchase of Alaska from Russia, never happens. Throughout all of this, Texas remains independent.

In 1898, a Confederate battleship is blown up in Havana Harbor. The Confederate States declare war on Spain, and send an expeditionary force against Spanish forces in Cuba. After a successful campaign, the island is rebuilt and Cuba becomes the newest member of the Confederate States of America. Through the 20th century to the present, relations between the three countries (United States, Confederate States and Texas) are actually pretty good.

This is a fascinating book. History buffs, especially Civil-War history, need to read it. Some knowledge of history, more than the usual amount, would be a help. This is highly recommended.



Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: This is a fun, well written story about an alternate America in which the Confederacy wins the civil war. It was first published in the 1960s, well before most other alternate history stories out today. This story is part of the inspiration behind Guns of the South and the Great War series by Harry Turtledove. The tone of the story is very optimistic, almost too much so for my taste, but this does not take away from the quality of the ideas, and the emotions present in it. It is very short for an alternate history novel, and makes a good read over a weekend.

Rating:
Summary: What would happen
Review: This is a very good book about the civil war and what could have happened if the north lost. When you read this book you will find out what happens to President Lincoln and the rest of North America. This book recalls the battle of Gettysbur and many others of this american war. It goes up to the sixties (which would have been the present when this book was written). I encorrage anyone who enjoys the past and wars to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: What would happen
Review: This is a very good book about the civil war and what could have happened if the north lost. When you read this book you will find out what happens to President Lincoln and the rest of North America. This book recalls the battle of Gettysbur and many others of this american war. It goes up to the sixties (which would have been the present when this book was written). I encorrage anyone who enjoys the past and wars to read this book.