Gray Victory

Infobox Book |
name = Gray Victory
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Robert Skimin
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject =
genre = Alternate history
publisher = St. Martin's Press
pub_date = February 1988
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (hardcover and paperback)
pages = 378
isbn = 0312013744
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Gray Victory" is a 1988 alternate history novel by Robert Skimin, taking place in an alternate 1866 where the Confederacy won its independence.

Plot introduction

The American Civil War proceeded as in our until July 1864. In this history Confederate President Davis did not replace the "plodding" General Joseph E. Johnston, in command at Atlanta, with the "dashing" John Bell Hood (as he did in our history). Rather than leave the fortifications of Atlanta and get his army destroyed by the Union forces - as Hood did in our time - Johnston kept his soldiers inside, fighting a long-drawn out siege war of attrition until the time of the northern elections in November 1864. The result was that Lincoln lost the support of the war-weary voters, and McClellan was elected president, ending the war by recognizing the South.

Plot summary

For reasons having to do with post-independence Confederate politics and the jockeying for power towards the impending end of Jefferson Davis' term, a court of inquiry is convened to investigate the events of the Battle of Gettysburg and assign responsibility for the failure. Jeb Stuart finds himself cast as the prospective scapegoat.

A band of northern abolitionists, bitter at the way the war ended and southern slavery continued, organize themselves as "Amistad" for the famous slave ship. They infiltrate the CSA capital Richmond, determined to attack the court room where these proceedings take place, kill as many Confederate officials as they can and thus strike a spark which would reignite the war and lead to slavery being finally suppressed. They are under the nominal leadership of Salmon Brown, surviving son of John Brown, consumed with guilt at having backed out of his father and brothers' raid on Harpers Ferry and determined to redeem himself. The conspirators' true leader is, in fact, Verita, a half caste woman who can "pass for white", which enables her to freely infiltrate the Richmond high society, have a tempestuous affair with the unsuspecting Judah Benjamin and gather useful information for the band.

Meanwhile, however, southern Blacks start to organize on their own, creating an organization called "Abraham" (for Abraham Lincoln). Jubilo, a free Black preacher and a major leader of the "Abraham" organization, shelters the members of the band but is far from completely happy with their plan.

The Amistad people finally carry out their assault, which does not come out precisely as meticulously planned in advance. [cite web |url=http://www.enotes.com/gray-victory-salem/gray-victory |title=Gray Victory (Magill Book Reviews) |accessdate=2008-08-19 |work= |publisher= |date= ]

References in other works

Authors Paul Ashdown and Edward Caudill have mentioned the novel in their two novels "The Mosby Myth"cite book |title=The Mosby Myth |last=Ashdown |first=Paul |authorlink=|coauthors=Edward Caudill |year=2002 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location= |isbn=084202929X |pages=231 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=C8SGyEj6bIUC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=%22Gray+Victory%22&source=web&ots=gdQ7NtU__z&sig=NUnO92dxfu1ePCodvkx9yMLiegI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA160,M1] and "The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest"cite book |title=The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest |last=Ashdown |first=Paul |authorlink=|coauthors=Edward Caudill |year=2006 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location= |isbn=0742543013 |pages=218 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tY0p3gZhMTkC&dq=Skimin+%22Gray+Victory%22&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0] .
John S. Mosby is mentioned in the novel as the chief of the military intelligence in the regular Confederate States Army, with the specific duty of monitoring Abraham

ee also

*"Bring the Jubilee"
*"Timeline-191"
*"Captain Confederacy"

References

External links

* [http://www.uchronia.net/bib.cgi/label.html?id=skimgrayvi "Gray Victory" on Uchronia]
* [http://www.librarything.com/work/4305 "Gray Victory" on Library Thing]
* [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?14839 "Gray Victory" on The Internet Speculative Fiction Database]