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Title: Grant Comes East by Newt Gingrich, William Forstchen ISBN: 0-312-30937-6 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Compelling!
Comment: Being a civil war buff, especially when it comes to Gettysburg, I have been anxiously awaiting this novel since I read the first of this series. What I really love is the close relationship that I, as a reader, develop with each of the main characters, regardless of which side they are on. Traditionally, I have always found myself rooting silently for the Union. However, in these books I get attached to both sides and am transported to the battlefields, sharing in the agony and the glory.
The alternate history concept is just plain fun. The many "what if" questions that have been raised and the ensuing debates about Lee's choices at Gettysburg are explored here in great depth. Dr. Forstchen's Ph.D. in civil war history is evident as well as the copius research done to prepare for these books.
As far as "Grant Comes East," is concerned, I was amazed that it was actually better than book one. To me, the sequence of events in book one were pretty predictable having hypothesized similar scenarios myself. But I never took them past the "Lee gets around Mead and heads for Washington," stage. I love being taken beyond the first day in such riveting detail.
I can't wait for book three!
Rating: 5
Summary: Much more than 5 stars are deserved!
Comment: If Gettysburg was phenomenal, I am at a loss for adjectives after just completing Grant Comes East! I've read a lot of Civil War novels, and this was the best since The Killer Angels. Even though this was a novel, and alternate history at that, the realism was astounding! The portrayals of Lee, Grant, Longstreet, Lincoln, and Sickles were especially true to character. I found the entire premise to be plausible, the politics so insightful that I almost felt THIS was the way it really happened. There was no wild speculation or far-fetched theories to live with in this book. "Gettysburg" began the story, with the slight detour that made all the difference--Lee listened to Longstreet, formulated a better plan, and avoided the fateful defeat at Gettysburg. This worthy sequel took the war down a different path, and absolutely every aspect was handled masterfully. Gingrich and Fortschen make a great team. I hated for the book to end, but was elated to see that it's not over...there has to be at least one more masterpiece forthcoming. Newt, please stay off the talk shows long enough to write the next installment, because I CAN'T STAND THE WAIT!!!
Rating: 5
Summary: Lee continues his invasion of the North in late summer 1863
Comment: I just got around to reading "Gettysburg" by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen a couple of weeks ago and it was not until the book reached the end of the first day at the Battle of Gettysburg that I realized I was reading an alternative history of the Civil War. For that matter it was not until I read the book jacket (I hide them as soon as I buy hardcover books so that they will not give away anything) that I discovered Gingrich and Forstchen were writing a trilogy. So I was lucky in that I did not have to wait that long to read the second volume, "Grant Comes East." Now I just have to suffer a year or so until the conclusion comes out.
"Grant Comes East" is accurate as a title in that Ulysses S. Grant ordered East by President Abraham Lincoln to take command of all Union armies and to build a new army, the Army of the Susquehanna, to engage Lee in the Eastern Theater. However, Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia are still on center stage. Having all but destroyed the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Union Mills, the great Confederate victory south of Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, Lee has to move on Washington, D.C. and its immense fortifications. The Federal capital city may well prove too tough a nut to crack, but the Confederate general does not need President Jefferson Davis or anyone else to tell him that the Rebel army has to at least try.
It is really not fair to describe much of what happens after that point because obviously everything hinges on whether or not Lee's gambit succeeds (although I will say that I agree with how the Washington situation plays out). The military and political implications are enormous. What I can talk about is the military situation on both sides. Hood and Longstreet's divisions each have roughly 20,000 men, and Davis is sending Beauregard north to give Lee a third corps. Operating in Maryland also puts the Army of Northern Virginia near Baltimore, the Union's third largest city and one divided in its loyalties in the war and there is still the surviving corps of the Army of the Potomac to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Grant his moving most of this corps from the Army of the Tennessee to Harrisburg for his new Army of the Susquehanna, leaving William T. Sherman behind to cause havoc in Mississippi before joining the Army of the Cumberland in eastern Tennessee. Dan Sickles, the politician turned general, has showed up with his III Corps to stop the rioting in New York City and is angling for command of the Army of the Potomac, independent from Grant, not only to prove he can smash Lee but also as a stepping stone to the White House.
As is the case in the first book we see familiar faces in new contexts. In "Gettysburg" it was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain not only protecting the Army of the Potomac's flank but being sacrificed as the rear guard to save the army from complete annihilation. It was when Chamberlain ordered the 20th Maine's battle flags to be cut to pieces so that they could not be captured that I completely bought into what Gingrich and Forstchen were doing. In "Grant Comes East" another famous Civil War colonel and his regiment are called upon at a pivotal moment to save the day and reverse their personal history. There is one indulgence in having history repeat itself that I thought went a bit far (some battlefield amputations are just too choice to ignore), but overall the authors are clearly charting new ground and maps are provided so we can have some appreciation for the new battlefields over which these armies are fighting.
As important as the battles fought in the "Grant Comes East" there are the political questions of foreign intervention (Napoleon III of France is being courted by Davis) and of arming colored troops. Not only do Lincoln and Grant see the pragmatics of allowing the Negroes a stake in securing the freedom of their race, but Lee has to consider the issue seriously as well. All of these matters will have a big impact on what happens in the final volume. Civil War buffs will enjoy debating the series "what ifs" that add up to these major changes (e.g., Longstreet is transformed into Lee's new Jackson) and will appreciate that the dice are not loaded in the Confederate's favor (e.g., generals on the line continue to make stupid mistakes). The portraits of the principle players are compelling, even if not up to the level of what Harry Turnbull did with Lee in "Guns of the South," and my favorite chapter in "Grant Comes East" is an encomium on the western troops of the Union army, who never received the honor and glory accorded those who clashed in all of the textbook battles in the east.
My suspicions with this trilogy is not that the authors are interested in having the Confederacy win the war but rather with offering an alternative history in which the horrors of Reconstruction are avoided. Towards that end the biggest change, of course, would be for Lincoln to avoid being assassinated and serve out a second term (which may or may not happen), but Gingrich and Forstchen have put another pivotal piece in to position because I think they are going to forgo Sherman's infamous March to the Sea (clearly the war will be over by the end of the Fall in 1983). If the Army of the Tennessee can avoid cutting a swath of destruction through the state of Georgia, then a major cause of Southern outrage would be eliminated. These are just speculations on my part, but they underscore the key idea of this trilogy, which is that we do not know how the end game will play out, which is just another reason why it is well worth reading.
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Title: Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War by Newt Gingrich, William Forstchen ISBN: 031230935X Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 12 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Dixie Victorious: An Alternate History of the Civil War by Peter G. Tsouras ISBN: 1853675954 Publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Pub. Date: May, 2004 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: Fox at the Front by Douglas Niles, Michael Dobson ISBN: 0765304791 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 01 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Return Engagement : Book One of the Settling Accounts Trilogy by HARRY TURTLEDOVE ISBN: 0345457234 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 03 August, 2004 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: 1634 : The Galileo Affair by Andrew Dennis, Eric Flint ISBN: 0743488156 Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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