What do You think about Grant Comes East (2006)?
Very good story. Continuing from where the last novel left off is the calling upon Lt.Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to save the day. From here on in Newt Gingrich expands on what might have happened if the Confederacy had won what was originally the Union victory at Gettysburg.The Confederate victory at Union Mills grants the Army of Northern Virginia the confidence to attack Washington, D.C. The battle for Washington was very good but the author paints a realistic picture in that the defenses of the capital are too strong. But with the confederacy stymied the plan goes to an even more remarkable plan. Invade the city of Baltimore and claim the state of Maryland as the 12th Confederate state. This was very well done and was interesting considering the controversy around Maryland's neutrality as well as the federal government's violation of the Constitution. I liked the chaos rampant at first but I respected how it eventually settled.In the end the Confederacy is resupplied and better equipped than it had ever been before. I especially like a chapter that begins with a review that shows the might and power of the Confederate Army. Enjoying fresh meat, bread and canned milk, no longer the starving army it had been for the past two years and dressed in proper grey uniforms not the butternut uniforms.I like how not only is the Confederate President Jefferson Davis involved in the story but also the Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin. Particularly in a scene where Robert E. Lee and Benjamin's rabbi have a discussion on the necessity of freeing the slaves in order to win.The Union perspective is interesting because it goes to show that even in defeat the Army isn't finished but yet isn't done squabbling over who is in charge. Many forget that Lincoln's Secretary of War was a particularly intrusive and was barely tolerated by Lincoln. Some might believe he should have been removed by Lincoln before things got worse. What he does in the previous novel and in this novel justifies him being removed. Don't get me started on Sickles. The guy was a capable fighter but was arrogant and viciously ambitious. It was like Generals Pope and Hooker all-in-one.The story concludes with a fantastic battle fought in Gunpowder Falls that is just as well done as Washington was depicted.Very enjoyable. B+
—Victor Orozco
In book one of this excellent alternative-history series, the battle of Gettysburg never happened; Lee retreated under cover of night and set up a trap that decimated the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln has brought Grant from the western theater and put him in charge of the new Union Army. Historical figures remain true to who they were in real history, but there are different battles & different results from actual history.
—BJ Rose
1. This book has the narrowest bottom margin of any book I have read. On some pages it is even less than a single line. The good thing is the ink is of high enough quality to not have to worry about the lack of a clean place to place your thumbs.2. I was a little worried at first about reading alternative historic fiction, but that didn't turn out to be a problem. Quite a bit of what I know about history comes from well written historical fiction, so I can imagine myself thinking of some of these supposed battles in the future and getting a little confused, but I think it will prove to be easily separated.3. The story did get me thinking a lot about war, and how little about it I understand.
—Dwight
