American Civil War alternate histories
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American Civil War alternate histories are alternate history fiction that focuses on the Civil War ending differently or not occurring. The
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
is a popular
point of divergence 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 ...
in English-language alternate history fiction. The most common variants detail the victory and survival of the
Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
. Less common variants include a
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
victory under different circumstances from actual history, resulting in a different postwar situation; black American slaves freeing themselves by revolt without waiting for
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
's
Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
; a direct
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and/or French intervention in the war; the survival of Lincoln during
John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth ...
's assassination attempt; a retelling of historical events with
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
elements inserted; the Civil War never breaking out and a peaceful compromise being reached; and secret history tales. The
point of divergence 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 ...
in such a story can be a "natural, realistic" event, such as one general making a different decision, or one sentry detecting an enemy invasion unlike in reality. It can also be an "unnatural" fantasy/
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
plot device such as
time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
, which usually takes the form of someone bringing modern weapons or hindsight knowledge into the past. Still another related variant is a scenario of a Civil War that breaks out at a different time from 1861 and under different circumstances (such as the North, rather than the South, seceding from the Union). American Civil War alternate histories are one of the two most popular points of divergence to create an alternate history in the
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
, the other being an
Axis victory in World War II A hypothetical military victory of the Axis powers over the Allies of World War II (1939–1945) is a common topic in speculative literature. Works of alternative history (fiction) and of counterfactual history (non-fiction), including stories, ...
. Depictions of the later development of a victorious Confederacy vary considerably from one another, especially on two major interrelated issues: the independent Confederacy's treatment of its black population and its relations with the rump United States in the North.


Scenarios

* The South wins the Civil War, and slavery still exists as of the time of the story. Examples include the 2004
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
'' C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America,'' where the United States is annexed by the Confederate States and
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
continues. In Ben Winters' ''
Underground Airlines ''Underground Airlines'' is a 2016 novel by Ben Winters which is set in a contemporary alternate-history United States where the American Civil War never occurred because Abraham Lincoln was assassinated prior to his 1861 inauguration and a ...
'', slavery has remained legal in the "Hard Four" (
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
,
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
and a unified Carolina) and slaves are controlled by electronic device implanted in their spines. Its name evokes the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
in relations to its setting. The novel attracted praise for exploring racism through the alternate-history mechanism. * In ''Hallie Marshall: A True Daughter of the South'' (1900) by Frank Williams, the earliest known Civil War alternate history, the Confederacy won by mobilizing black slaves to its army, their participation turning the tide at Gettysburg. Thirty years later, the independent Confederacy is full of happy, well-treated black slaves feeling perfectly content under the benevolent, paternalistic planters, comparing favorably with the rump United States, which is torn by a brutal class struggle, with nominally free factory workers protesting inhumane working conditions or starving in unemployment. In ''
Gray Victory ''Gray Victory'' is a 1988 alternate history novel by Robert Skimin, taking place in an alternate 1866 where the Confederacy won its independence. Plot introduction The first point of divergence occurs during the American Civil War in May 1864, ...
'', set in the immediate aftermath of the war, the Confederacy is faced with both subversion by Northern
Abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...
and the increasing organization and assertiveness of
Black Southerners Black Southerners are African Americans living in the Southern United States, the United States region with the largest black population. Despite a total of 6 million Blacks migrating from the South to cities in the North and West from 1916 ...
, and the story gives the clear impression that no matter who wins, the end of slavery is inevitable. * Slavery ends in the South in name only, or minorities are oppressed into low socio-economic parts of society, such as in ''
The Guns of the South ''The Guns of the South'' is an alternate history novel set during the American Civil War by Harry Turtledove. It was released in the United States on September 22, 1992. The story deals with a group of time-traveling white supremacist member ...
''. Freeing the slaves is attributed to Robert E. Lee, who becomes the second
Confederate President The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...
. It is logical to assume that his prestige would have run high and made him a plausible candidate to succeed
Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
, but the position he would have taken regarding slavery is the subject of some debate. However, ending slavery would not necessarily provide equality for Black Southerners, and ''
Bring the Jubilee ''Bring the Jubilee'' is a 1953 novel of alternate history by American writer Ward Moore. The point of divergence occurs in July 1863 when the Confederate States of America wins the Battle of Gettysburg and subsequently declares victory i ...
'' has blacks, despite Lee's grand gesture, remaining disenfranchised into the 20th century, as are people from
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, who are annexed by the Confederacy. The rump United States is completely broken down by its defeat and becomes an impoverished and backward country while the Confederacy goes on to annex everything to its south as far as
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...
(except the
Republic of Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and so ...
) and become a major world power. In Harry Turtledove's ''
Southern Victory The ''Southern Victory'' series or Timeline-191 is a series of eleven alternate history novels by author Harry Turtledove, beginning with ''How Few Remain'' (1997) and published over a decade. The period addressed in the series begins during th ...
'' series, it is President
James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...
who abolished slavery as a prerequisite for retaining
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and French support for the Confederacy in the Second Mexican War, but blacks remain an underclass that is very oppressed and discriminated against, denied basic
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
, and is not even allowed to have surnames. In later volumes of the series, the blacks rise in a brutal armed revolt, called the Red Rebellion, during the Great War, which leads to a
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
-like genocide. * A more optimistic result in ''
The Guns of the South ''The Guns of the South'' is an alternate history novel set during the American Civil War by Harry Turtledove. It was released in the United States on September 22, 1992. The story deals with a group of time-traveling white supremacist member ...
'' and several other works has both nations settle down and have reasonably good neighborly relations within a few years of the war's end and, in some cases, agree to reunite as one nation after 50 or 100 years of being apart. ''
If the South Had Won the Civil War ''If the South Had Won the Civil War'' is a 1961 alternate history book by MacKinlay Kantor, a writer who also wrote several novels about the American Civil War. It was originally published in the November 22, 1960, issue of '' Look'' magazine. ...
'' by
MacKinlay Kantor MacKinlay Kantor (February 4, 1904 – October 11, 1977), born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded th ...
has reunification come later: in the 20th century, the United States, the Confederate States and Texas, which
seceded Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...
from the CS, become economically integrated and in both World Wars all fight against Germany as close allies. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, all three feel threatened by Soviet missile bases and armored brigades in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, which was never purchased from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. They announce formal reunification in 1961, on the precise centennial of
Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...
. Conversely, a GURPS game setting book presents a 1993 in which the US and the CS still watch each other warily across an armed border that stretches to the Pacific. * In ''
Southern Victory The ''Southern Victory'' series or Timeline-191 is a series of eleven alternate history novels by author Harry Turtledove, beginning with ''How Few Remain'' (1997) and published over a decade. The period addressed in the series begins during th ...
'', the US and the CS develop into hereditary enemies that go to war again every decade or two, spend the rest of the time preparing for new war, and become entangled in webs of worldwide military alliances. ''Southern Victory'' has both drawn into the Great War. They open an American front of
trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became ar ...
that is every bit as terrible as the one in Europe, and a generation later go to war yet again with the Confederacy developing a murderous tyranny similar to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Conversely, the 1914 of "A Hard Day for Mother", in ''Alternate Generals'' 1 by William R. Forstchen, sees an amicable treaty of reconciliation and voluntary reunification between the two nations.


Fiction


Novels

* ''
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter ''Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' is a 2012 American action horror film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and based on the Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (novel), novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith, depicting a fictionalized history of ...
'', by
Seth Grahame-Smith Seth Grahame-Smith (born Seth Jared Greenberg; January 4, 1976) is an American writer and film producer, best known as the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling novels '' Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'' and '' Abraham Lincoln, Vampire ...
, recasts the Civil War as a war on
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s that use slaves as a food source. The novel was later made into a film of the same name. * "Beyond the Wildest Dreams of
John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth ...
" by Jay Winik, first printed in '' What Ifs? of American History'', a scenario in which Booth assassinates not only Lincoln but also
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
and
William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...
. * ''
Bring the Jubilee ''Bring the Jubilee'' is a 1953 novel of alternate history by American writer Ward Moore. The point of divergence occurs in July 1863 when the Confederate States of America wins the Battle of Gettysburg and subsequently declares victory i ...
'' by
Ward Moore Joseph Ward Moore (August 10, 1903 – January 29, 1978) was an American science fiction writer. According to ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', "he contributed only infrequently to the field, uteach of his books became something of a clas ...
* ''Britannia's Fist'' (trilogy) by Peter Tsouras. Britain and France enter the War in 1863 when British-built warships enter the Confederate Navy, instead of being seized by British forces before they could service, as really happened. * ''By Force of Arms'', ''Rebel Empire'', ''Reaping the Whirlwind'', and ''Flags & Honor'' by Billy Bennett. A series of books focusing on a victorious CS that has won the Civil War after the Battle of Gettysburg and its subsequent conflict with the US under
William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
in the Second American Civil War with aid from the French Empire, war with
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
over the territory of
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in 1895 called the Spanish–Confederate War, and an alternate
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
between the "Continental Entente" (the Confederate States and the French Empire) against the "Grand Alliance" (the United States and the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
). * ''Confederate States: What Might Have Been'' by Roger L. Ransom. * ''
Crosstime Traffic ''Crosstime Traffic'' is a series of books by Harry Turtledove. The central premise of the stories is an Earth that has discovered access to alternate universes where history proceeded differently. "Crosstime Traffic" is the name of the company ...
'' series by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
visits many alternate realities and briefly mentions a few in which the South won the Civil War. The fourth volume, ''
The Disunited States of America ''The Disunited States of America'' is an alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. It is a part of the Crosstime Traffic series, and takes place in an alternate world where the U.S. was never able to agree on a constitution and continued to g ...
'', focuses on an alternate reality in which the adoption of the
Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
resulted in the dissolution of the United States by the 1800s. There were frequent small localized wars between states (such as
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
versus
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
versus
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
) but no single massive civil war. * ''
The Difference Engine ''The Difference Engine'' (1990) is an alternative history novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It is widely regarded as a book that helped establish the genre conventions of steampunk. It posits a Victorian era Britain in which great t ...
'' by
William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...
and
Bruce Sterling Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the ''Mirrorshades'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the cyberpunk subgenre. Sterling's first ...
. In an alternate reality in which Charles Babbage successfully develops an analytical engine by 1824, Britain interferes in North American affairs to prevent the rise of the United States as a world power. By 1855, the Confederate States had seceded from the Union with other breakaway states including a Texan Republic, a
Californian Republic The California Republic ( es, La República de California), or Bear Flag Republic, was an List of historical unrecognized states#Americas, unrecognized breakaway state from Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico, that for 25 days in 1846 ...
and a Communist
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
Commune; there is also a Native American-dominated
terra nullius ''Terra nullius'' (, plural ''terrae nullius'') is a Latin expression meaning " nobody's land". It was a principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state's occupation of it. : : ...
in the
Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
. *
Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt is a fictional character created by American novelist Clive Cussler and featured in a series of novels published from 1976 to 2021. Pitt is a larger-than-life hero reminiscent of pulp magazine icon Doc Savage. Pitt is a citizen of the ...
series: Volume 11: '' Sahara'' by
Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list m ...
. The series's recurring
MacGuffin In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail for ...
in which the heroes discover an astounding secret history, involves the
Lincoln assassination On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth, while attending the play ''Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the hea ...
in this one. It is a brief side plot that is only tenuously related to the main adventure and is completely left out of the Sahara (2005 film), film adaptation of the novel. * ''1862 (novel), 1862'' by Robert Conroy. After the Trent Affair, the United Kingdom joins the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy.
If the North had Won the Civil War
by Andrew J. Heller Set in an independent CSA in the Twenty-First Century, it is the story of a professor at a Southern college who writes an alternate history wherein the North wins the Civil War, instead of the South, as in his own timeline. In the Confederacy, Blacks are non-citizens confined to Preserves and live in primitive conditions. The other half of the novel contains the professor's alternate history of the Civil War. * ''Fire on the Mountain (1988 novel), Fire on the Mountain'' by Terry Bisson. Instead of a Civil War breaking out between North and South, there is a massive successful slave revolt in the Deep South, with blacks creating their own separate nation called "Republic of New Afrika, Nova Africa," which leads to Socialist revolutions in France, the United States, Ireland, and Russia. * "The Forest of Time" by Michael F. Flynn. A war among the Thirteen Colonies directly follows the American Revolution, resulting in a stillborn United States and a perpetually-balkanized North America. * ''Gettysburg: An Alternate History '' by Peter Tsouras. A counterfactual account of a Confederate victory at The Battle of Gettysburg * ''Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War'', ''Grant Comes East'', and ''Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory'' by Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, and Albert S. Hanser * ''
Gray Victory ''Gray Victory'' is a 1988 alternate history novel by Robert Skimin, taking place in an alternate 1866 where the Confederacy won its independence. Plot introduction The first point of divergence occurs during the American Civil War in May 1864, ...
'' by Robert Skimin * ''
The Guns of the South ''The Guns of the South'' is an alternate history novel set during the American Civil War by Harry Turtledove. It was released in the United States on September 22, 1992. The story deals with a group of time-traveling white supremacist member ...
'' by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
. Members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging travel back in time from 2014 South Africa to the Confederacy in 1864 supply Lee's Army of Northern Virginia with AK-47s and small amounts of other supply technologies, resulting in a Confederate victory. * ''Hallie Marshall: A True Daughter of the South'' by Frank Williams. The earliest Civil War alternate history, it was written as far back as 1900. * ''The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln'' by Stephen L. Carter. Lincoln survives his assassination at Ford's Theatre in 1865 but is impeachment, impeached by Congress. * "Old Northwest, The Northwest Conspiracy" by Thomas Fleming (historian), Thomas Fleming. First printed in ''What Ifs? of American History'', it is a scenario in which the Copperheads (politics), Copperheads successfully launch the Northwest Conspiracy, which results in the states of Indiana, Illinois,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, and Kentucky breaking away from the Union and forming their own nation. * "Lee at the Alamo" by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
. A story published online at http://www.tor.com/2011/09/07/lee-at-the-alamo/ * ''The Lost Regiment'' series by William R. Forstchen. A Union Army regiment is transported into an alien world, that faces off against aliens such as the Tugar and the Bantag. * ''A Rebel in Time'' by Harry Harrison. A racist army officer goes back in time to bring about a Confederate victory. * ''Russian Amerika'' by Stoney Compton. The backstory is only vaguely defined, but the point of divergence seems to be a Confederate victory in the 1860s. * ''Shattered Nation: An Alternate History of the American Civil War'' (trilogy) by Jeffrey Evan Brooks. The series focuses on the Confederacy winning its independence in 1864 by achieving victory at the Battle of Atlanta, thanks to a telegram that keeps Joseph E. Johnston as general of the Army of Tennessee. * ''The Battle of Shiloh, Shiloh Project'' by David Poyer * "Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster. Confederate victory is one of several alternate realities briefly visited in the story. * ''A Southern Yarn'' by R.W. Richards, Jeff Bogart, and Nancy Willard-Chang. Lee is able to trap Grant during the Battle of North Anna. * The ''Southern Victory Series'', by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
. * The ''Stars and Stripes trilogy'' (''Stars and Stripes Forever'' [1998], ''Stars and Stripes In Peril'' [2000], and ''Stars and Stripes Triumphant'' [2002]) by Harry Harrison (writer), Harry Harrison. The Trent affair and the death of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, elicit a war between the Union and Britain, eventually seeing America reunited under one government. * ''Stonewall Goes West'' and ''Mother Earth, Bloody Ground: A Novel of the Civil War and What Might Have Been'' by R.E. Thomas. Stonewall Jackson takes control of the Army of Tennessee during the Western Theatre of the American Civil War, Western Theatre to bolster the Confederacy's chances there. * TimeRiders: volume 4: ''The Eternal War'' (2011) by Alex Scarrow. Britain enters the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, turning the war into an unending stalemate. * In ''
Underground Airlines ''Underground Airlines'' is a 2016 novel by Ben Winters which is set in a contemporary alternate-history United States where the American Civil War never occurred because Abraham Lincoln was assassinated prior to his 1861 inauguration and a ...
'', by Ben H. Winters (2016). President-elect Lincoln is assassinated in 1861, and a version of the Crittenden Compromise is adopted preventing the Civil War from occurring. Slavery thus continues in four southern states (the "Hard Four" comprising
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
,
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, and a united Carolina) to the present. The title refers to the secret network assisting escaping slaves, updated from the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
. The protagonist is a black US Marshal who is forced to work tracking down runaway slaves. * ''War Between the Provinces'' series by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
. This
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
allegory of the Civil War is set in imaginary countries with recognizable analogous characters, such as Abraham Lincoln, King Avram, Ulysses S. Grant, General Bart, and William T. Sherman, General Hesmucet. * David Mason (writer), David Mason's ''The Shores of Tomorrow'', diverges from our history long before 1861. Developments in the late 18th Century lead to a technologically backward US becoming totally and permanently dominated by the slave-holding South, a situation lasting until the 1940s, when a series of Northern rebellions breaks out - a major rebel leader being Admiral Franklin Roosevelt, who was killed in the Battle of Long Island Sound. His sacrifice was not in vain, eventually the Northern secessionists win and establish three Free Republics, leaving the slave-holders with only a narrow strip of Mexican Gulf shore.


Short stories

* ''Alternate Generals'', volume 1, contains three US Civil War-related stories: ** "The Charge of Lee's Brigade" by S.M. Stirling. The American Revolution never happened and so Colony of Virginia, Virginia and most of North America remain under British Empire, British rule. In the mid-19th century, Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier General Knight, Sir Robert E. Lee and his lieutenants, including Jeb Stuart, fight against the Russian Empire, Russians in an analogous Crimean War. ** "An Old Man's Summer" by Esther Friesner. In the mid-20th century, Dwight Eisenhower possibly dreams that he
time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
s to the Battle of Gettysburg. ** "A Hard Day for Mother" by William R. Forstchen. A look at what might have happened at Little Round Top if Joshua Chamberlain had fought for the Confederacy, rather than the Union. * ''Alternate Presidents'' contains four stories with wildly different hypothetical Civil War scenarios: ** "Chickasaw Slave" by Judith Moffett in which Davy Crockett is elected President of the United States in 1828 United States presidential election, 1828 after Andrew Jackson's reputation is tarnished by a land-dealing scandal. The Compromise of 1850 leads to an early Civil War and a Confederate victory three years later. ** "How the South Preserved the Union" by Ralph Roberts. It focuses on the Northeastern United States, Northeast seceding from the Union as the "New England Confederacy" after David Rice Atchison accedes to the presidency following President Zachary Taylor and Vice President Millard Fillmore's deaths in a carriage accident shortly into their terms. A Southern-dominated United States fights the New Englanders for two years resulting in a Union victory, with the New England states readmitted and President Stephen A. Douglas passing the Civil Rights Act of 1861, which abolishes slavery and grants freedmen the right to vote. ** "Now Falls the Cold, Cold Night" by Jack L. Chalker focuses on a scenario in which former President Millard Fillmore on the Know Nothing Party is elected the 15th President in 1856 United States presidential election, 1856 after James Buchanan suffers a stroke in October. Fillmore upholds the fugitive slave laws in 1858, which results in ethnic tensions and riots in New England and causes it to secede from the Union. John C. Frémont becomes President of the New England Confederacy with
William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
as his commanding general, opposed by the Army of the United States under Robert E. Lee. ** "Lincoln's Charge" by Bill Fawcett (writer), Bill Fawcett focuses on Douglas becoming President of the United States. In both Roberts' and Chalker's entries, the North seek to secede from the Southern-dominated Union. * ''Dixie Victorious: An Alternate History of the Civil War'' by Peter Tsouras. The anthology of various Civil War/Confederate victory has ten alternate history scenarios, written by various authors. ** "Hell on Earth" by Andrew Uffindell focuses on an Anglo-French intervention on the side of the Confederates against the Union after Albert, Prince Consort, Albert of Saxe-Coburg dies in a carriage incident before he could handle the ''Trent Affair''. It worsens with the wounding of Thomas Fairfax and the death of two British citizens as well as a successful St. Albans Raid in 1861 and a harsh ultimatum to the Lincoln administration. ** "Ships of Iron and Wills of Steel" by Wade G. Dudley focuses on a Union victory at the Battle of Hampton Roads and a Confederate counterblockade with resources properly-allocated to the Confederate Navy. ** "What Will Our Country Say?" by David Keithly focuses on Lee not losing the famous Special Order 191, Lost Orders during the Maryland Campaign. ** "When the Bottom Fell Out" by Michael Hathaway focuses on a financial crisis and collapse of the Union economy in 1862, coupled with a Southern victory in Maryland. ** "We Will Water Our Horses in the Mississippi" by James R. Arnold focuses on Albert Sidney Johnston surviving his wound at the Battle of Shiloh thanks to a tourniquet applied to him and going on to face Ulysses S. Grant in the Vicksburg Campaign. ** "Absolutely Essential to Victory" by Edward G. Longcare focuses on JEB Stuart's cavalry not riding around the Army of the Potomac and staying with Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. ** "Moves to Great Advantage" by John D. Burrett focuses on Braxton Bragg fired from the Army of Tennessee and replaced by
James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...
after the Battle of Chickamauga. ** "Confederate Black and Grey" by Tsouras focuses on the Confederacy accepting Patrick Cleburne's proposal to use black slaves and to free blacks in the Confederate Army as soldiers. ** "Decision in the West" by Cyril M. Lagvanec focuses on the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Civil War for the Confederacy in which there is a different depth of a sandbar, coupled with the disastrous Red River Campaign. ** "Terrible as an Army with Banners" by Kevin F. Kelley focuses on Jubal Early succeeding in his raid on Washington, DC, as a result of the United States Marine Corps loosening on him, which allows him to break the Siege of Petersburg. * "East of Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Appomattox" (in ''Alternate Generals III'') by Lee Allred. In the late 1860s, the CS sends Ambassador Lee to London to assure continued British recognition, and he finds unexpected challenges and even more unlikely allies. * ''If It Had Happened Otherwise'' (1931) anthology contains two relevant entries: "If Lee Had NOT Won the Battle of Gettysburg" by Winston Churchill, and "If John Wilkes Booth, Booth had Missed Lincoln" by Milton Waldman. * "If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox" by James Thurber. Inspired by the above book, the wrong man surrenders. * In "If President James Buchanan Had Enforced the Law," by Joseph Edgar Chamberlin, President Buchanan fully enforced federal law upon South Carolina's succession stopping the civil war. * ''If the South Had Been Allowed to Go'' by Ernest Crosby. Another early Civil War alternate history written in 1903. * "If the Special Order 191, Lost Order Hadn't Been Lost: Robert E. Lee Humbles the Union, 1862" by James M. McPherson, first printed in ''What If? (essays), What If?'' and reprinted in '' What Ifs? of American History'', a scenario posited by McPherson that focuses on the Lost Order staying in Confederate hands, allowing the South to advance to Pennsylvania and to win an alternate version of the Battle of Gettysburg, resulting in the death of George B. McClellan and Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith winning and taking over Kentucky during the Heartland Campaign. The decisive victory allows the Copperheads (politics), Copperheads to win the 1862 legislative elections, coupled with Britain and France recognizing the new nation. Lincoln and his cabinet are thus forced to issue a proclamation to recognize the Confederacy as a sovereign, separate nation by New Year's Eve 1863. * ''
If the South Had Won the Civil War ''If the South Had Won the Civil War'' is a 1961 alternate history book by MacKinlay Kantor, a writer who also wrote several novels about the American Civil War. It was originally published in the November 22, 1960, issue of '' Look'' magazine. ...
'' by
MacKinlay Kantor MacKinlay Kantor (February 4, 1904 – October 11, 1977), born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded th ...
, originally published in Look (American magazine), ''Look'' Magazine in 1960 and published as a book in 1961 * ''A Rebel in Time'' by Harry Harrison (writer), Harry Harrison * "Must and Shall" (collected in the anthology ''Counting Up, Counting Down'', also in Volume 32 of the Nebula Awards series) by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
* "The Lincoln Train" by Maureen F. McHugh in Nebula Awards anthologies Volume 31, ''Alternate Tyrants'', and ''Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction'' * "Custer's Last Jump" by Steven Utley and Howard Waldrop (1976), reprinted in numerous anthologies. * "Hush My Mouth" by Suzette Haden Elgin, first printed in ''Alternative Histories: 11 Stories of the World as It Might Have Been'' (1986). * "All the Myriad Ways" by Larry Niven, with worlds of a CS victory being mentioned only briefly by the narrator in a list of alternate realities known in the story. * In David Mason (writer), David Mason's ''The Shores of Tomorrow'', the slaveholding South dominates a technologically-backward US from its foundation until the 1940s, when a series of Northern rebellions leads to the creation of three Free Republics taking up the interior and leaving the Southrons with "a slave-holding, vice-ridden burned out piece of the coast." * ''The Wild Blue and the Gray'' by William Sanders. The Civil War alternate history is set during World War I in which the Confederate States joins the Allies (World War I), Allies. * In "For the Strength of the Hills" by Lee Allred a Mormon gunsmith develops an early Gatling Gun. With most of the US Army dealing with the resulting revolt, the South uses the opportunity to secede. * ''Clopton's Short History of the Confederate States of America'' by Carole Scott. * In Scott Fitzgerald's story ''The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'', a dynasty of Virginian landowners hole up in a distant mountain valley, keeping hundreds of Black slaves in perpetual bondage, concealing from them that slavery was abolished and telling them that Nathan Bedford Forrest had at last moment rallied the Confederate armies and achieved victory. Thus, Fitzgerald's story in effect posits a secret enclave of a victorious Confederacy persisting into the actual United States of the 1920's. * In Jerry Pournelle's story "The Prince (anthology)#New Washington, New Washington", American-descended space colonists in the far future in effect re-enact the Civil War - only this time around, it is the planet New Washington, settled by Americans from the North, which rebels and tries to get free of the Franklin Confederacy, based on the planet Franklin which was settled by Southerners.


Film and television

*''The Time Tunnel'', episodes 12 ("The Death Trap") and 25 ("The Death Merchant"). *''The Wild Wild West'', episode "The Night of the Lord of Limbo" *'' C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America'', a
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
directed by Kevin Willmott. *''The Legend of Zorro'', a sequel to ''The Mask of Zorro'', which is not Civil War-related *''Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies'' *''Confederate (TV series), Confederate'', a planned-but-ultimately canceled HBO television series. *''Black America (TV series), Black America'', a planned Amazon Video television series that focuses on the US government giving African-Americans their own homeland called New Colonia, consisting of the former slave states of
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, after the Civil War


Games

*''Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontier'' role-playing game, written by Jolly R. Blackburn, Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, Dave Kenzer, Jennifer Kenzer and Mark Plemmons, and published by Kenzer & Company in 2007. *''Damnation (video game), Damnation'' by Blue Omega Entertainment and published by Codemasters. *''Deadlands'' role-playing game by Pinnacle Entertainment Group * ''Dixie'' hex and counter board game by Simulations Publications, Simulations Publications Incorporated (SPI), the Union loses the Civil War and is trying to reclaim the Confederate States of America in the 1930s. *''Doomtown'' collectible card game by Alderac Entertainment Group, Wizards of the Coast, and Five Rings Publishing Group *''Doomtown: Range Wars, a Disk Wars game by Fantasy Flight Games *''GURPS Alternate Earths (1996)'', a supplement of alternate realities published by Steve Jackson Games for the ''GURPS'' Third Edition, which includes the alternate world codenamed "Dixie" in which the North American continent circa 1985 is divided between the northern US and the southern CS along an extended Mason–Dixon line. An updated (current year: 1993) but truncated description of this world, now known as "GURPS Infinite Worlds#Dixie-1, Dixie-1", was included in the GURPS Infinite Worlds#Dixie-1, revised Fourth Edition version of the book (see history at GURPS Infinite Worlds#Dixie-1). *''Victoria II'', a grand strategy wargame by Paradox Interactive, offers an opportunity for the Confederacy to win the American Civil War and become a world power. It is also possible for a northern Free States of America, instead of the Confederates, to break away. * ''Gettysburg: Armored Warfare'', a man from 2060 travels back in time to the Civil War and brings weapons from his time that he gives to the Confederate forces in the hope of changing the future of America. * ''Deo Vindice'', an alternate history mod for Hearts of Iron 4 focusing on an independent CSA during World War II.


Comics

*''Captain Confederacy'' (1986 and occasional tie-ins afterward) by Will Shetterly and Vince Stone. *''Elseworlds: Batman: The Blue, the Grey and the Bat'' (1992) by Elliot S! Maggin and Alan Weiss (comics), Alan Weiss. *''Elseworlds: Superman: A Nation Divided'' (1998) by Roger Stern *''The Amazing Screw-On Head'' (2002) by Mike Mignola *''Elseworlds: Batman: Detective No. 27'' (2003) by Michael Uslan and Peter Snejbjerg *''What If (comics), What If?'': Captain America Volume 1, What If Captain America Fought in the Civil War? (2006) by Tony Bedard *One issue of ''Supreme (comics), Supreme'' written by Alan Moore.


See also

*Second American Revolution, a literary cousin or offshoot of Civil War alternate histories * Second American Civil War, a plot device used in some works set in the future *Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II, a similar plot device regarding an alternate outcome of World War II *Fictional presidents of the Confederate States of America, a list of fictional Presidents of the Confederacy devolved from American Civil War alternate histories *List of alternate histories diverging at the American Civil War


References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em American Civil War alternate histories, Alternate history