But McClellan soon discovers a frightening alternate reality in which the Civil War actually occurs. It is a world in which he must face down his political enemies, Lincoln and Stanton, as well as his military adversary, Robert E. Lee at the battle of Antietam.
'I haven't decided when to commit Sumner,' George said, 'probably tomorrow morning, but I'll need him to reinforce our center until I'm convinced it's secure.'
'Hah! So you don't want weird Tom Jackson popping up on your flank, eh?'
'Exactly so. As for Mansfield, he's an honorable old soldier. He'll do his duty. But you're the one I'm counting on to whip them, Joe. Live up to that unspeakable nickname of yours.'
'Let it remain unspoken,' Hooker replied with a gusty laugh.
'Well, I've been called worse,' George said. A simple statement of fact.
They were approaching a tall, waving stand of trees. Dimly in the far background to their left George could see the edge of the Confederate line marked by flags, campfires and glinting artillery.
'I'll leave you here, General Hooker. Be sure to stay in close touch with my headquarters. Set up a signal flag station on the best high ground you can find.'
Hooker snorted. 'I will, General. And tomorrow I'll drive 'em into the damn river.' He frowned. 'If they don't kill all of us first.'
George reached across between their horses to lend a steady handshake. He then faced Dan Webster around to the East, flipped a quick salute and dug his heels into the eager animal. Joyfully, Dan Webster got to do what he loved best, run like fury with George along for the ride. As horse and General streaked along the endless stream of marching blue ranks George twirled his cap at them.
They bellowed cheers that fell into a pattern,
'Our George! Our George! Our George!'
Drummer boys picked up the beat.
'Our George! Our George! Our George!'
The bands joined in.
'Our George! Our George! Our George!
Their bright young faces flashed by him. If only he could save their lives, all of them. Not one of them should die. He turned his eyes away from them as the tears streaking down his cheeks became cold slivers in the wind.
* * *
The Pry House, September 16, 1862, 9 p.m.
George strolled over thick grassy lawn of Farmer Pry's home headed toward the overlook. Behind him he could hear the clink and chatter of his headquarters staff as they finished their supper.
He looked out into the forbidding darkness and felt a light, misty drizzle on his cheeks. Careful, don't fall over. He had ordered that no camp fires burn tonight.
Bobby Lee was not shy about showing up his position. There he sat, two and a half miles off, his Army arranged in a defiant line of resistance, his back to the Potomac, his fires sending out a clear message. 'Here I am, Mac. Come and get me, and see what fatal surprises I have in store.'
George had eaten only a few crackers and some watery bean soup, no wine. Yet his stomach and bowels were already wrenched and grumbling. Perhaps a little brandy later, in order to sleep.
From this elevation the last of the gray-pink Western sky now had faded. Below in the valley of the Antietam, the two facing armies seemed to heave and breath in unison in the misty dark. Through the fields and the mysterious woods and on into the enemy lines, the night was alive with movements felt but unseen, the clanking noises of artillery and wagons, a stray crack from a picket rifle, a shouted challenge, a melancholy howling dog.
He knelt down, tried to pray. No words came. Strangely, without knowing why, he bent forward and put his nose to the grass, breathed in the deep, wet smell of the soil of Maryland. Oh, God, it would be nourished by blood in the morning.
By his decision.
He rose up, brushed the dampness off his knees. Silly thing to do. He saw Nelly's face, experienced the perfume of her hair, felt the spreading pressure of her breasts. No, put those thoughts away. By this time tomorrow the results would be known. He would either be victoriously alive or beaten and dead in his boots. He had no wish to live beyond defeat. Whatever the outcome, Nelly and his little daughter would bear his name with honor.
He went to his tent at the edge of the lawn. Opened the flap. A dim candle burned within. He would close his eyes for a short while. He would put out some cavalry to look for Tom Jackson. It wouldn't do to be surprised.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, fantastical view of McClellan and Antietam,
By elynn@kettering.edu (Flint, MI) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ghosts of Antietam (Paperback)
Since childhood, I've enjoyed the rich detail and focused insights of historical novels. The mix of serious history and easy reading holds my interest every time. IMHO, Ghosts of Antietam offers such pleasures and more. In this meticulously researched novel, John Grissmer begins with a firm historical foundation and, then, adds a new twist. Using facts familiar to any Civil War buff, he places the characters and events preceding the Civil War into a fantasy -- "what if" -- realm. That is, could the War Between the States have been avoided altogether?Underlying the many levels of this novel seems to be a fundamental premise that wars can be avoided; and, despite its fictional nature, the book leaves the reader with intriguing thoughts about the "necessity" of other conflicts of the past and present. Playing with these post-modern notions, Grissmer raises a fascinating proposal: What if the politicians of the late 1800's had seen more "grays" than just "black-and-white" issues? What if, instead of war, a political deal had been cut between powers of the North and South to avoid the Civil War altogether? In answering this question, Grissmer creates an acceptably "real" possibility that the war was avoidable; and -- in doing so -- he has written a thoroughly absorbing read of "alternative history." Beginning with the fiction that Abraham Lincoln dies during his first term in office, Grissmer elevates Hannibal Hamlin, Vice President during Lincoln's first term, to become President. Following this premise, all of Grissmer's other pieces -- combining fact and fiction -- fall into place. For example, it is well documented that Hannibal Hamlin, from Maine, was extremely well regarded by both Northern and Southern factions in Congress. If anyone could have pulled off such a deal, Hamlin would have been a fine candidate. Historical non-fiction also documents the dealmaking abilities of William Seward, who works with Hamlin in Ghosts of Antietam to negotiate a win-win solution with Jefferson Davis. To pull the pieces together, Grissmer has created a solid character study of George McClellan, who serves as a military aide to Hamlin and as the narrator/hero of the novel. Grissmer's riveting depiction of the Battle of Antietam is Civil War reading at its best--authentic, dramatic, taut. As the events of this battle unfolded, I was drawn into the action with tremendous tension, even though I knew what the outcome would be. Grissmer is a skillful writer; and it was not difficult for me to suspend disbelief and buy into the historical fiction he was creating. A conceptual flaw of the book, I feel, lies in the shifting of "realities" from one section of the book to another. As long as I could keep one foot grounded in historical reality, it was easy and intriguing to place the other foot in the fictional world that Grissmer creates. But as I shifted into Grissmer's "transcendental" section of the book, I lost my footing and could not adjust to the writer's new paradigm. But, then, I'm not a science fiction reader, and James Joyce is a struggle for me.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ghosts of Antietam,
By William DeSeta (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ghosts of Antietam (Paperback)
I'm not, particularly, a Civil War buff but being a rabid Wilbur Smith fan I do like an occassional historical novel so when a friend recommended Ghosts of Antietam I approached it with serious reservations. Those reservations were soon dispelled. Grissmer has a definite gift for turning what are often seen as the stick figures of history into interesting, multi-layered characters who engage and inform the reader. His clever use of the "what if" concept illustrates the tenuous nature of the events that often dictate the paths of history and could easily have changed its course. What if Kruschev hadn't believed Kennedy? What if Truman had thought that the Japanese could have been made to see the practicality of surrender before the A Bomb? All that said, it was Grissmer's ability to sweep me along and keep me fascinated with the way he plays off the actual historical events against his brilliant fictional conception of how it might have been that was the real reward for reading this book. It's terriffic historical fiction and if you're a Civil War buff it's an absolute must read for its novel slant on how the real people could have made completely different history if only the coin had landed on the other face. I recommend it highly.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Civil War Novel with an Intriquing Difference,
By John Bryant (Danbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ghosts of Antietam (Paperback)
Want to read a Civil War novel that makes you think? John Grissmers' tale takes the reader to a parallel universe where Hannibal Hamlin (Lincolns' first Vice Pres.) and Jefferson Davis plot to avoid a bloody conflict. He also relates a gripping description of the Battle of Antietem that reminded me of descriptions by Michael and Jeff Shaara. The ending was completely unexpected. I heartily recommend this book to those Civil War buffs who are tired of the predictable.
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