First published 2001
On Tuesday, May 12, 1863, a horse throws General Ulysses S. Grant to his death. This single accident changes everything. Without Grant's leadership, Union forces falter. The Confederacy seizes its chance and wins the war that summer through two crucial military victories. Abraham Lincoln faces a divided nation as the South claims independence. The story follows how this alternate history unfolds across both regions. Former slaves remain in bondage while the North struggles with defeat. International powers recognize the Confederate States as a sovereign nation. Lincoln must navigate political chaos as his vision of a united America crumbles. The narrative explores what happens to ordinary citizens caught between two separate countries where one nation once stood. Kantor traces the ripple effects of Grant's death through families torn apart by new borders and conflicting loyalties.
Genres: american-civil-war, american-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, alternate-history, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: alternate-history, divided-nation
Setting: United States, Confederacy, North, South
Period: 1863
145 pages · Paperback · Forge Books