South Wind Rising. An Alternative Outcome to the American Civil War - Stewart B. White

What if?

What if Robert E. Lee's plan to crush George McClellan on the Virginia peninsula had worked to perfection, resulting in the surrender of McClellan and his Army of the Potomac? What if Albert Sidney Johnston's forces had wiped U.S. Grant and his host off the bluffs of the Tennessee River at Shiloh? And, if these battlefield victories had led to Confederate independence ... what then?

Imagine two vastly different societies on the North American continent, one with a heritage of democratic self-government, already embracing industrialization with gusto, and one vigorously rejecting those notions in favor of a neo-feudal, agrarian ideal.

Imagine these Two Americas entering the Progressive Era of the early 20th century, bringing its profound changes in ideas about the role of government. These changes were experienced in Europe as well, of course, and the seeds of totalitarianism found fertile ground on the other side of the Atlantic.

Imagine the Two Americas intervening together in the European conflict of 1914-18, but continuing to follow different paths: racial attitudes would develop very differently in the two countries.

South Wind Rising is a brief but lively and engaging exploration of this alternative past.