Lee at the Alamo is an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

short story by Harry Turtledove. It was published online at tor.com on September 7, 2011.

Plot summary

The story begins with the point of divergence in December 1860 by General

David E. Twiggs David Emanuel Twiggs (February 14, 1790 – July 15, 1862), born in Georgia, was a career army officer, serving during the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and Mexican–American War. As commander of the U.S. Army's Department of Texas when the ...

bring unable to take command of the Department of Texas, which leaves Lieutenant-Colonel

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

as the commander. The story itself is set in February 1861, shortly after the state of Texas voted to secede from the United States to join the

Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

, to March 1861. Lee concludes that it is his duty to defend U.S. Army munitions and property in San Antonio, Texas, including the fabled Alamo, rather than to allow their surrender to the seceding Texas government, as Twiggs did in real life. That leads to a Second Battle of the Alamo. Lee is forced to surrender to

Benjamin McCulloch Brigadier-General Benjamin McCulloch (November 11, 1811 – March 7, 1862) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a major-general in the Texas militia and thereafter a major in the United States Army (United States Volunteers) ...

after several weeks of siege but becomes a national hero. After Virginia eventually secedes, US President Abraham Lincoln is able to convince Lee to stay in the Union's service by agreeing to send him west, where he will not be fighting against his fellow Virginians.

Award nomination

"Lee at the Alamo" was nominated for a Sidewise Award for Alternate History in 2012.

References

External links

"Lee at the Alamo" on Tor.com
Short stories by Harry Turtledove 2011 short stories Cultural depictions of Robert E. Lee Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln American Civil War alternate histories Fiction set in 1860 Fiction set in 1861 {{2010s-story-stub