079 - What If The Confederacy Won The American Civil War?
Threads From The National Tapestry: Stories From The American Civil WarShow Notes
About this episode: For millennia humans have reflected on historical events. Quite often, one poses the timeless question: what if - had a life been spared or taken, had a candidate won rather than lost and, as it relates to this episode, what if a battle or war ended differently? So, with a degree of trepidation, we address that last question and will do so through the works of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and two university professors. With writing fueled by incredible imagination and plots, characters and consequences drawn from factual trends and themes, we offer three stories from the genre of alternative and counterfactual history. Three stories that address “what if” the South had won the American Civil War.
----more---- For Further Reading:
If The South Had Won The Civil War by MacKinlay Kantor
The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove
The Confederate States of America: What Might Have Been by Roger L. Ransom
Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War by William Forstchen and Newt Gingrich
Grant Comes East: A Novel of the Civil War (The Gettysburg Trilogy, 2) by William Forstchen and Newt Gingrich
Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory: A Novel of the Civil War (The Gettysburg Trilogy, 3) by William Forstchen and Newt Gingrich
Subscribe to the Threads from the National Tapestry YouTube Channel here
Thank you to our sponsor, The Badge Maker - proudly carrying affordable Civil War Corps Badges and other hand-made historical reproductions for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history. Check out The Badge Maker and place your orders here
Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org
Producer: Dan Irving
More from Threads From The National Tapestry: Stories From The American Civil War
About this episode: Back in 1969, Columbia University Press published Volume I of a biography written by historian Grady McWhiney. The work chronicled the life of a full general in Confederate service. There was to be a Volume II but, as Civil War historian Richard McMurray reportedly put it, “McWhiney found his subject so nauseous that he abandoned the project.” No question, the subject of McWhiney’s research was stern, intimidating, quarrelsome, a martinet, but despite those flaws, he commanded the Confederacy’s leading army in the Western Theater for much of the conflict. This is the story of a field commander who once was tabbed the most despised man in the Confederacy. This is the story of Braxton Bragg.
About this episode: The October 1777 victory at Saratoga opened the door for an alliance with France, and that nation's aid was crucial for American independence. All too aware of that fact, Jefferson Davis made European recognition a priority. For as many Southerners put it, this was their second war for independence. Conversely, Abraham Lincoln was just as committed to keeping the Confederacy isolated. This is the story of two governments waging war in the art of negotiation. This is the story of diplomacy in the American Civil War.
About this episode: In this, the 250th year of American independence, we look back over time’s shoulder to revisit the nation only eleven years after its great civil war. From Philadelphia, Washington City and the relatively civilized East Coast to the wilds of the territories, Montana, Dakota and New Mexico, we bring to light issues that dominated then and still linger. Our focus: this country as it struggled to come into its own - struggled to establish its identity. For our 100th episode, we tell the story of our nation’s Centennial. This is the story of the United States in 1876.
About this episode: Shots had been fired and mobilization in both North and South began. Many believed it would be over in six months. Only a few anticipated a four-year struggle which would bring political, military and social change. Changes that few could even begin to imagine. In the first months of the conflict, the pieces on the military chessboard were being placed and opening moves calculated. Like so many conflicts over the course of time, there was excitement in the air and opportunity for glory. For this episode, the story of a naïve Union and Confederacy at the beginning of the American Civil War. When death in battle spawned poems and song and when the conflict was still a rebellion and long before it became a social revolution. These are the events of June 1861 and the events that led to the first land battle of any consequence. These are the stories of the early days of the war and the Battle of Big Bethel.
About this episode: In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5, the title character states that, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” That line resonates well with many during the opening months of the American Civil War. With war as their stage, many believed the struggle provided opportunity for personal acclaim and glory. Some were successful. Some were not—there at the beginning but not the end. And when politics, poor performances and toxic personalities reduced some to historical footnotes, there were some who had been waiting in the wings, took center stage and found lasting fame. For those who sought or were cast into roles as this nation was plunged into civil war, this is their story. A story—full of sound and fury—of those who were Early Players for the Union and Confederacy.