Volume I of The Alternative History Trilogy on the Civil War. Speculates on what might have happened if Lee had been able to spring the trap he set for Grant on the North Anna River in May of 1864. 1990 Nominee John Esten Cooke Award for the best fiction about the South or The War Between the States 1990 Nominee Virginia College Store Association Award for literary excellence
The author had a good story, and it was touching at moments. The change in history was one not seen elsewhere, which was refreshing. He did get Salmon Chase's name wrong, though, and has the soldiers flying the Stars and Bars (first national flag) in 1864, when the Stainless Banner (second national flag) was the flag of the Confederacy. A followup as of a century later would be interesting to see, hopefully not falling into the cliché of (a) the US attacks again and reabsorbs part or all of the CS, because "revenge," (b) the CS breaks apart for whatever reason, (c) the CS becomes a socialist/communist/fascist/leftist dictatorship with lots of racism because no enlightened northerners could tell them otherwise.