Victory Isn’t What It Seems in The Day After Gettysburg

It’s a bit more complicated than that and, without away the plot, the book seems to argue that no one is truly the victor in any war—especially not one that saw so much blood shed on both sides, and fought over such a terrible issue as slavery, which had already caused incalculable suffering.
In this version of history, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia cannot cross safely back into Virgina after the defeat at Gettysburg, and instead must turn and fight Mead’s pursuing Army of the Potomac. The result is a victory for Lee, but it leaves his troops in enemy territory and with scarce supplies. For Lincoln and Mead, the situation quickly develops into a crisis, as the Union Army is in no shape to wage another pitched battle, and Lincoln has no clear successor to Mead, save for Ulysses Grant, largely an unknown even after his great victory at Vicksburg.
It’s an intriguing premise, one developed by the late Conroy, author of numerous history-twisting novels, and completed by J.R. Dunn, a science fiction writer, a former editor of The International Military Encyclopedia, and the author of the non-fiction book Death by Liberalism.  I might argue Lee’s troops were in no shape to turn and fight the Army of the Potomac at that point—especially with the destruction wrought by Pickett’s charge—and if Mead had chased him, Lee might have had to surrender. But that’s what’s fascinating about alternate history: it’s not so much about what probably would have happened, but what, conceivably, could have happened.

Those looking for an examination of the military maneuvers of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern  Virginia will be more than satisfied. The main points of view are one Union and one Confederate officer with similar commands, following along as their respective armies stalk one another in the months after that last-ditch victory by Lee. There are also chapters from the point of view of the foot soldiers, providing insight into decisions made by the commanders through their eyes. Some characters who died in history live, and vice versa.
However, those looking for a complex examination of the Civil War and its causes will not find it here. While the plight of slaves fleeing the Southern States after the Emancipation Proclamation is touched upon, and while there are a few appearances by whites sympathetic to their cause, those elements remain strictly in the background. More time is spent on John Wilkes Booth and his army of conspirators, and with a renegade Confederate who literally rapes and pillages the countryside, and I can hardly say I found the latter sections easy to read. It’s clear the author disapproves of the soldier’s actions, and he provides a warning about the rape in the novel’s forward, which is much appreciated. Still, we read about those horrific events through the point of view of the murderer and rapist; the victims aren’t given a voice, and experiencing their pain through the eyes of their attacker is troubling. As for Booth, he comes across as more a drama queen, with grandiose notions, albeit a dangerous one.
There is an author’s note at the end concerning the process of creating an alternate history that sums up the difficulties in creating a realistic “what if?” scenario:
But there are some elements that can’t be changed—the motives, personalities, and characters of the participants above all. However much you may alter the historical circumstances, the individuals (particularly those that the critical literature calls “icons”—the actual historical actors) must remain the same, their personalities, foibles, weaknesses, and habits all unchanged. If you want to remain honest to your premises and your art, these must stand as they were, as far as you can grasp what they actually were in the first place.
Agreed.  While you can change events, you cannot truly change people. I might argue that Lee is perhaps too idealized here, but one could counter-argue his actions are similar to those he took in real life, after his defeat. To question that is more of a debate between Mr. Dunn and myself than indicative of a flaw in the story.
As for the ending? Well, it’s certainly an interesting “might have been,” and isn’t that the aim of the whole endeavor?
The Day After Gettysburg is available now.