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Title: Gettysburg: An Alternate History by Peter G. Tsouras ISBN: 1-85367-482-6 Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Disaster at Gettysburg
Comment: Peter G. Tsouras' Gettysburg: An Alternate History is an interesting investigation of intriguing "what if" issues surrounding the greatest battle of the American Civil War. Military readers and historians will wade through the somewhat dry "blow-by-blow" and arrive at a better understanding of key issues of the battle which are not always obvious in accounts of the actual battle. On the other hand, the general public will not find this book appealing at all but rather, tedious and confusing.
Unlike other works of alternate history, which tend to effect only one change in a historical situation, Tsouras' narrative on Gettysburg poses five major changes. These changes are: (1) what if Stuart had turned up sooner, on the evening of 1 July 1863? (2) what if Ewell had conducted a more vigorous pursuit onto Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill on the night of 1 July? (3) what if Longstreet had persuaded Lee in allowing a wider Confederate envelopment of the Union left flank on 2 July? (4) what if the Confederates had mounted a larger, better coordinated assault against the Union center on 3 July? and (4) what if the Union had mounted a major counterattack after the failure of Longstreet's assault? Tsouras has encompassed the most intriguing possibilities about the battle in this account, but it probably would have been better to "de-link" the alternate events by means of an anthology. By putting all five alternatives into play in the same sequential account, plus other alternate events like Meade and Lee becoming casualties, the alternative nature of this account threatens to snowball out of control.
Tsouras' alternate history does help to highlight certain aspects of the two armies that will be interesting to military readers. First, the early return of Stuart demonstrates the reliance that Lee placed on that trusted commander, rather than just his five brigades of cavalry. Actually, Lee retained several other brigades of cavalry under his control but failed to make use of them in Stuart's (historical) absence. For Lee, Stuart was his Reconnaissance and Security (R&S) asset, not the actual cavalry units. Instead of just moaning, "where is Stuart, where is Stuart?" the historical Lee should have been re-constituting his R&S capability from other cavalry available. This failure to adapt was a major command failure on Lee's part - which has been obscured in actual histories of the campaign - which tend to affix great blame on Stuart. A second military issue that is revealed in this alternative history is the superior Union artillery organization (as opposed to technical and numerical superiority, which is frequently mentioned). The Union artillery at Gettysburg was under the firm central control of Major General Hunt, who coordinated both the artillery reserve and corps artillery. On the other hand, the Army of Northern Virginia maintained much weaker control over its artillery, lacking a central artillery reserve or a senior officer willing to coordinate the artillery of its three corps. Military readers will see in this issue the antecedents of the argument between "decentralization" and "centralization" in fire support with the latter winning in this case. Indeed, Tsouras' alternative clearly places the Union artillery center stage because three times it is the artillery that saves the Army of the Potomac when the Confederates achieve breakthroughs. The need to mass and redeploy artillery quickly was less urgent in the actual battle, but a major asset of the Union army nevertheless.
The weakest aspects of this alternative history are the chosen methodology and insufficient maps to follow the narrative. Tsouras follows in the footsteps of legendary Gettysburg park historian Harry Pfanz and elects to describe the movements, attacks and retreats of virtually every regiment in the battle. This is tedious and unenlightening. At times, the narrative becomes clogged and confusing, with too much low-level detail which does not aid the reader's understanding of how this battle differs from the actual battle. Furthermore, there is a gross insufficiency of sketch maps to follow the battle (nor can the readers use other books on Gettysburg, since the action deviates sharply from the historical dispositions), particularly in the crucial fighting on 2 July. Sedgwick's Union VI Corps movements, which cause Longstreet's flanking attack to unravel, are not even depicted.
As for the "alternate" outcome of this version of Gettysburg, southern readers will not be pleased. Instead of merely suffering a major defeat as they actually did in July 1863, in this alternative history the Confederates suffer a military catastrophe that results in the war ending shortly thereafter. Such a catastrophe was most improbable and readers should consider that a single battle that decisively ends a war - a la Hastings in 1066 - are exceedingly rare in military history. Even after great defeats, armies are often capable of slipping away to recuperate and rebuild. Not here. Furthermore, very few battles in the Civil War achieved anything like decisive results due to the limits of the technology, doctrine and training of the citizen armies involved. That the Confederates would mount a massive 35,000-man charge into massed Union artillery after suffering greater-than-historical losses on 2 July seems really improbable. It seems even less likely that a Union army that was so badly hurt could mount such a decisive end-the-war pursuit after Longstreet's attack fails. In particular, this account tends to elevate Union General Hancock to Napoleonic stature - which is in vogue now thanks to his coronation as "a great general" in Shaara's classic, The Killer Angels. Maybe if Hancock had succeeded Meade on 3 July he would have mounted an aggressive counterattack to crush the Confederates once and for all, but readers should consider that Hooker and Burnside had been aggressive corps commanders who choked when given the senior command. Given the scenario presented here, Hancock would have been just as inclined to "play it safe" since both armies were essentially "fought out."
Rating: 5
Summary: What might have happened if there were a few twists of fate
Comment: Gettysburg: An Alternate History is an epic saga by Peter G. Tsouras that explores what might have happened if a few twists of fate had significantly altered the course of the battle at Gettysburg, and therefore the American Civil War. Written with close heed to the actual events, Gettysburg: An Alternate History is a fascinating "what-if" journey of speculative fancy, often told through the eyes of soldiers struggling to survive the bloody battlefield. Gettysburg: An Alternate History is especially recommended reading for Civil War buffs, and will have great appeal for "Alternate Universe" science fiction fans as well.
Rating: 2
Summary: A novel about Gettysburg
Comment: I expected something different from this book. I thought the author was going to analyze what might have happened at Gettysburg if the facts were tweaked. For example, if Stuart had come onto the battlefield on day 1 instead of day 3, what might have Lee done differently and what would have been the possible outcomes? This sort of speculation would have been interesting from a writer of talent such as Mr. Tsouras.
Instead, what the author has produced is a speculative novel, in which fiction is woven seamlessly in with fact and it is left to the reader to determine which is which. I became impatient with trying to sort out what was fact and what was fiction and gave up. In his quest to confuse the reader, the author has even included fictional footnotes from fictional books.
Some who enjoy speculative fiction might like this book. I think I prefer to stick with the facts. Coddington's book on Gettysburg indulges in some speculation that is far more interesting.
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Title: If The South Had Won The Civil War by Harry Turtledove, Dan Nance, MacKinlay Kantor ISBN: 0312869495 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 03 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Alternate Gettysburgs by Brian Thomsen, Martin H. Greenberg ISBN: 0425183777 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: February, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg by Douglas Lee Gibboney, Burd Street Press ISBN: 1572493178 Publisher: Burd Street Press Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Rising Sun Victorious: The Alternate History of How the Japanese Won the Pacific War by Peter G. Tsouras ISBN: 185367446X Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: Disaster at D-Day: The Germans Defeat the Allies, June 1944 (Greenhill Military Paperbacks) by Peter G. Tsouras ISBN: 1853674117 Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Pub. Date: 15 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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