Southern Victory(Cody and Tigerstar)

How Few Remain(Part 1)

How Few Remain is the name of the very first novel in the Southern Victory series, and talks mostly about a second war between the C.S. and the U.S. The first video in the collaboration talks about the book, and all the events before that.

Cody:

Let's talk about the South!

*YouTube logo is coming for Cody*

Oh. Oh God oh, YouTube! No! Please! 

The American Civil War was the result of decades of tension between the North and South. We all know how it ended. The United States won, the Confederacy was dissolved, and slavery ended. In that whirlwind of conflict, it's often cast aside that the C.S.A. had full intentions of being a legitimate nation alongside the U.S.A. But, as they lost the war, that dream lasted only a brief moment before being snuffed out.

The idea of the South winning the war, becoming its own country, and competing against its northern neighbor has fascinated alternate history writers for decades. I mean, I even covered it. It sparks the imagination of how such a nation would have operated after decades, maybe even spanning into the 20th Century.

Me:

Or the 21st.

Cody:

What would the Confederate States of America be like? And nobody imagined such a world better than the author Harry Turtledove, who wrote a series of novels detailing an alternate reality where the United States lost the Civil War, and the Confederates became their own independent nation. This is the Southern Victory series. Over the source of several novels, we see a world where the South lives on.

What I want to do is talk about this world that Turtledove crafted, including the alternate history he made, in an easy-to-digest format. Maybe even a few jokes. Who knows? I'm not going to talk about characters. But, if you're thinking of reading these books for the scenario alone, then I would recommend clicking off, because, there are gonna be spoilers.

So, since this is alternate history, how does Turtledove's scenario split from our own actual history? What event leads to the South winning the war? One guy... doesn't screw it up. Yes, that's it. One lonely messenger... actually does his job. How does this happen? In the fall of 1862, a message from General Lee himself is successfully relayed, announcing a full-scale invasion of the North. Special Order 191.

Me:

The order involves an invasion of Maryland, though I feel they push farther than that in this alternate realm. Also, the exact date of the point of divergence os September 10, 1862.

Cody:

In our timeline, that message never made it. It was lost and intercepted by the Union, who then used said information to catch the Confederates off guard.

Messenger:

Whoops.

Cody:

In this alternate timeline, things are different. The Confederates, while undermanned, had tactically superior generals, and the Union, well, oh boy. Using the Union's incompetence to their advantage, Lee decides to send his troops straight across the Mason-Dixon line, and into the city of Philadelphia. The Southern invasion catches Union general George McClellan off guard. The Union forces are viciously defeated, leaving the city open for Confederate capture.

Me:

What about Ulysses S. Grant? Also, there will be more information in the next chapter.