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1812: The Rivers of War (The Trail of Glory) [Mass Market Paperback]

Eric Flint (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)

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Book Description

The Trail of Glory October 31, 2006
Eric Flint’s acclaimed 1634: The Galileo Affair was a national bestseller from one of the most talked-about voices in his field. Now, in this extraordinary new alternate history, Flint begins a dramatic saga of the North American continent at a dire turning point, forging its identity and its future in the face of revolt from within, and attack from without.

In the War of 1812, U.S. troops are battling the British on the Canadian border, even as a fierce fight is being waged against the Creek followers of the Indian leader Tecumseh and his brother, known as The Prophet. In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte’s war has become a losing proposition, and the British are only months away from unleashing a frightening assault on Washington itself. Fateful choices are being made in the corridors of power and on the American frontier. As Andrew Jackson, backed by Cherokee warriors, leads a fierce attack on the Creek tribes, his young republic will soon need every citizen soldier it can find.

What if–at this critical moment–bonds were forged between men of different races and tribes? What if the Cherokee clans were able to muster an integrated front, and the U.S. government faced a united Indian nation bolstered by escaping slaves, freed men of color, and even influential white allies?

Through the remarkable adventures of men who were really there–men of mixed race, mixed emotions, and a singular purpose–The Rivers of War carries us in this new direction, brilliantly transforming an extraordinary chapter of American history.

With a cast of unforgettable characters–from James Monroe and James Madison to Sam Houston, Francis Scott Key, and Cherokee chiefs John Ross and Major Ridge–The Rivers of War travels from the battle of Horseshoe Bend to the battle of New Orleans, and brings every explosive moment to life. With exquisite attention to detail, an extraordinary grasp of history, and a storyteller’s gift for the dramatic, Flint delivers a bold, thought-provoking epic of enemies and allies, traitors and revolutionaries, and illuminates who we are as a nation, how we got here, and how history itself is made–and remade.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The first of a projected two-volume series, Flint's witty, tightly written alternative history presents a subtly revised version of events in the final year of the War of 1812. In March 1814, in the Mississippi Territory, Gen. Andrew Jackson's Tennessee Militia and Cherokee warriors fight a decisive battle against the Creek Indians. In August, a young Sam Houston, the adopted son of a Cherokee chief, arrives in Washington in time to help defend the Capitol building from invading British troops. The British fail to reach Fort McHenry, but they do get to New Orleans, where they adopt a slightly more intelligent plan of attack than in reality. While the enlightened political and racial attitudes of some white characters may seem unrealistic, such views weren't unheard of even in the South before significant expansion west and the emergence of the cotton kingdom. Flint (1632) offers historical figures rarely seen in fiction, such as James Monroe, in pre-Doctrine days, and the British general Robert Ross (not killed outside Baltimore); thorough scholarship in Napoleonic-era warfare; and strong, credible women. Fans will cheer even louder if this outstanding start turns out to be the first of a long saga. 6-city author tour. (May 17)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Flint's new alternate-history saga explores the possibility that the Trail of Tears never occurred by depicting a thoroughly different War of 1812. It begins with Andrew Jackson's campaign against the Creeks, in which the Cherokees fought on Jackson's side. Young Sam Houston, an adopted Cherokee, and Patrick Driscol, an Irish rebel and Napoleonic Wars veteran, are sent to Washington, arriving just before the British do. Though Flint does not eliminate the "battle" of Bladensburg (alas!), his British don't burn Washington and never get to Fort McHenry. They do get to New Orleans, however, where, despite a more intelligent plan of attack than Pakenham actually used, Jackson repels them with the aid of some free black naval gunners, the Cherokees, Houston, and Driscol. And Flint's Pakenham survives. Flint has thoroughly mastered storytelling, and his characterization is masterly. His characters, historical and invented, are plausible for the time and place, and he makes neither an icon nor a demon of anyone. Irresistible for Flint's 1632 series fans and, indeed, for alternate-history buffs in general. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Del Rey (October 31, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345465687
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345465689
  • Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Flint is the co-author of three New York Times best sellers in his Ring of Fire alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure. A longtime labor union activist with a Masters Degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.

 

Customer Reviews

41 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Rivers of War or the Trail of Tears?, June 30, 2005
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Once upon a time, there was a famous American statesman named Sam Houston, who was very badly injured at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. His life changed very much for the worse, and he failed at everything he tried, even with the friendship and patronage of Andrew Jackson. Finally, after living with the Cherokee and watching them be forced on the Trail of Tears, he went to Texas and immortality.

Once upon a time, there was a writer of alternate history named Eric Flint, who decided that with one small change in history, he could plot a way around the Trail of Tears, the Mexican War and the Civil War. What was the change? Houston doesn't get as badly injured at Horseshoe Bend.

On this slender reed, Flint builds one of the best alternate histories ever written. Excruciatingly well researched, he picks real characters like Tiana Rogers (the Cherokee "princess" Houston married in the Original Time Line) and Andrew Jackson (who carried around a trunk full of general's hats so he could stomp on them when he got mad) and Major Ridge, one of the Cherokee leaders best known to the government in Washington.

Flint follows Houston to Washington, where he organizes the defense of the US Capitol against the British, and then to New Orleans, where he, and his sidekick Driscol (the Troll) figure importantly in the eponymous Battle.

This is the first of an alternate history series (at least a trilogy) which should take us well into the last half of the 19th century that might have been, had just one little thing been different.

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit liked it, and well he should. You will too.

Take this book on your summer vacation. Don't say I didn't warn you if you spend your time indoors reading it.

Walt Boyes

The Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Twist in the Flow of Time, June 21, 2006
By 
The Rivers of War (2005) is the first novel in an Alternate History series about the American Frontier. In 1814, Andrew Jackson attacked the Northern Creeks fortification at Horseshoe Bend; the first man over the wall was Ensign Sam Houston. A few months later, Winfield Scott led his brigade of outnumbered regulars against British veterans south of the Chippewa River bridge; the British were defeated, but retreated in good order. Later, Admiral Cochburn invaded Washington and burned the White House.

In this novel, Sam Houston receives only a minor flesh wound in the Battle of the Horseshoe. He becomes a protege of General Jackson and privy to his intentions. Reaching an understanding with Jackson, Sam discusses the situation with The Ridge, an influential Cherokee chief, and other Cherokees.

At the suggestion of Jackson, Captain Houston and Lieutenant John Ross take a party of Cherokees to Washington to discuss American policies toward the Southeastern indian tribes with Secretary of State Monroe. The group also includes the children and nephew of Major Ridge; Sam is charged with finding them suitable schooling. Tiana Rogers goes along just because she wants to.

Lieutenant Patrick Driscoll has also come to Washington to recover from his wounds. A former master sergeant, Driscoll finally accepted a commission after loosing his left arm above the elbow at the Battle of Chippewa. He is accompanied by Private Anthony McParland, a former deserter from the US Army who learned the error of his ways after an abortive execution.

Houston and Driscoll both witness the invasion of Washington by the British and they resolve to defend the city. Each starts gathering "the shattered fragments of disparate units" as US forces retreat toward Georgetown. Although Houston initially decides to protect the President's house, Driscoll persuades him to take these men and weapons to the Capitol Building, which is much better constructed and situated. There they build makeshift ramparts for their few artillery pieces, station men in the windows facing east, and await the British.

The beginnings of this novel are real history, although in the manner of Herodotus and other ancient Greeks. That is, the true events are reported insofar as possible, but dialogues are manufactured for each participant, using such quotes as are available. The alternate history begins with the wounding of Sam Houston as he goes over the wall at Horseshoe Bend; the wound was actually much more disabling than described herein.

The author takes a few historical characters and puts them in a position to defend the Capitol Building, if not the whole city. He shows what General Winder could have done if he had not panicked. Of course, the author used one of the most charismatic and stable of the young officers of that time to lead the defenders and also created the perfect noncom to advise him. If Houston had been able to be there, with a suitable advisor, he may well have acted as the story suggests.

The firing squad incident really occurred, thus Driscoll and McParland are based on historical personages. Yet the names of these individuals were not recorded and little is known of them. So their subsequent actions in this novel are imaginary. But Scots, Irish and Scot-Irish have been coming to the new world since the time of Queen Mary and this trickle became a flood after the American revolution. Many were veterans of European wars of those centuries, including the Napoleonic Wars. So Driscoll is based on the military archetype of the Celtic noncommissioned officer.

Many other characters in this novel were historic personages, including the American statesmen, the American senior officers, and the British commanders. All the Cherokees and other indians named in this work were factual. So was Marie Laveau, voudou queen of New Orleans.

The intent of this series is to present a feasible alternative to the Trail of Tears. Although not resolved in this novel, Houston proposes the idea of a voluntary mass relocation of the Cherokees across the Mississippi, such as advocated and demonstrated by Chief Tahlonteskee. Jackson agrees to concentrate on removing the Spanish from Florida to allow sufficient time for Houston to develop support for this plan among the various clans. Monroe even promises some material and financial aid for the relocation.

Highly recommended for Flint fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of history being remade.

-Arthur W. Jordin
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start for a Promising Story, May 29, 2005
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Rivers of War suffers just a little from being a preliminary for what will likely be the main story in the second book. Nevertheless, it stands up pretty much on its own. The premise is that Sam Houston is only slightly wounded in a battle during the War of 1812 (in real history he was laid up for the rest of the war.) That starts a whole series of events that brings not only Sam Houston, but some of his Cherokee relations to the Battles of Washington and New Orleons and what promises to be a far kinder (and more exciting) fate for the Cherokee nations years later, which doubtless will be related in the second book. I'm looking forward to it.

(...)
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