A Southern Yarn [Paperback]

Ron W. Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1990

"Possibly the greatest what-if book ever written on American history." (WIS-TV, Columbia, S.C.) "A rattling good yarn! Innovative and imaginative!" says State magazine (N.C.), which compares R.W. Wichards to Douglas Southell Freeman and Burke Davis. "A brilliant blend of fantasy, fact, and fiction," hails The Downtowner of Memphis. (Rokarn Publications)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Rokarn Pubns; 1st ptg. edition (July 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962550205
• ISBN-13: 978-0962550201
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,581,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like this book, but..., April 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Southern Yarn (Paperback)

I am a big fan of alternative histories, and something of a Civil War buff. I REALLY wanted to like this book. The premise is plausible, and the action is pretty gripping. However, apparently NO-ONE PROOFREAD THE DAD-BLAMED THING! It is chock-full o' errors. Not just typos(and they abound! ), but glaring factual mistakes which could have been avoided with a brief glance at any textbook. For example, Confederate General James Longstreet is referred to as "Peter Longstreet". Longstreet's troops nicknamed him "Old Pete", and this apparently led the author to believe this important historical figure's name was "Peter". Spend five minutes checking your facts, dude! Errors like this ruined the "suspension of disbelief" that alternative history stories, more than other stories, require to be succesful. A tiny amount of research could have helped immensely. Nice try, though.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly fast paced what-if scenario about the Civil War!, November 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: A Southern Yarn (Paperback)

Great book about the Civil War. Focuses on a battle at Ox
Ford on the North Anna River in Virginia. The history of the
Civil War changes dramatically from this point.
R. W. Richards is an excellant author. He is my debate
coach at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Va. His books
are very fast paced and fun to read.

1.0 out of 5 stars Any serious amateur Civil War historian will find this book incredibly flawed, December 19, 2011

By 

Ryan Alexander (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Southern Yarn (Paperback)

Three incontrovertible facts about the Civil War that are well known to any amateur historian need to be ignored for this book to make any sense. First, Grant needs to lose his ability to remain calm and in control under fire. As a young officer in Mexico Grant demonstrated his signature trait - remaining calm in the face of battle. Grant was a great General because of his ability to remain focused when it was most required. Grant was flawed as a person when there wasn't anything going on. Two, the casualties were high because massed infantry attacking a fortified infantry line required overwhelming force to achieve success. Virtually EVERY major battle of the war was a ictory for the defender or required guile (Chancellorsville) to avoid a massed assault. SPOILER ALERT So the author has a cavalry charge in the Civil War against massed infantry as the final assault in the fictional battle? After multiple infantry failures the LAST thing a defeated General would do is send in a cavalry charge - considering cavalry against massed infantry had been disproven at Waterloo as an effective tactic against musket fire. Three, Washington, DC was a fort. It was the most heavily fortified city in the world at that point and it would fall that quickly?

I understand the allure that a southerner would have to a book that has a different outcome. But, if you've spent any amount of time reading serious works about the war you will understand why this book is simplistic. There were numerous points at which the South could have defeated the Army of the Potomac in a crushing victory that would not have relied on inventing flaws or actions that have no basis in reality.