The Confederate States of America: What Might Have Been Book

A distinguished historian's vision of how the Civil War could have turned out differently, and with what consequences. What if Lee had avoided defeat at Gettysburg? What if a military stalemate had developed, coupled with growing antiwar sentiment? What if Lincoln had been defeated in the 1864 election and Great Britain had recognized the Confederacy? What would have been the careers of an independent Confederate States of America and a defeated United States? In the right hands the "what if" question can give us unusual access to the fascinations of history. It can transform the inevitable back into the possible, restoring the contingency and the drama of events. Roger L. Ransom, a master of historical analysis, follows the consequences of the "what if" scenario over an extended period of time, showing us the logical and historically valid outcomes of his counterfactuals. The result is a historical vision that is fascinating, convincing, and a source of insight into the critical events of the Civil War as they actually happened. 24 maps.Read More