Britannia's Fist: From Civil War to World War: An Alternate History

This is an outstanding work by a real historian. The arrogance of Victorian England is not exaggerated in this work. It comes with excellent maps, and a fine "bibliography". The author certainly knows his technical details...but where are Grant and Sherman???

By 1863, Great Britain had become an arsenal for the Confederacy. British built warships, with British crews, CSA officers, fly the CSA flag were raiding America's ships on the high seas. The CSS Alabama, built by the Laird Brothers of Liverpool, is scouring the shipping lanes destroying merchantmen. Under construction are two modern ironclads that can only be used as warships. Great Britain's government is looking the other way while rejecting mounting evidence that the United States will not allow these ships to join the Confederacy. Ambassador Adams said this was closest we came to war. Great Britain backed down, seized the ships and refused to allow them to leave port. That is history. The ability to write "what-if" history requires a good knowledge of history and the ability to alter events just enough to make a good story. Peter G. Tsouras has an abundance of these abilities, coupled with a very readable style and the ability of a great storyteller. He put together a page-turner that is historically accurate and very plausible. The book has an excellent grounding in history with real people acting within their historical norms. Technology, training and experience have realistic major roles in the story. The battles are well done and realistic with both sides acting on historical plans. This book is on par with the excellent Gingrich Forstchen alternate history of Gettysburg. Both contain a very plausible story line and are a joy to read. The worst part of this book is the sentence "To be continued." coming after a critical battle sequence. It leaves the reader hanging and waiting for the next book in what promises be an excellent series.

As a reader of the Alternate History genre, I have enjoyed tales told by several authors. Mr. Tsouras has earned a place with this work. I had not heard about either the Trent Affair nor the Laird rams in my prior readings about the Civil War. The thing I like best about Alternate History stories is when I learn something new about the period. Britannia's Fist is well researched, full of incite about the people and events and his premises are reasonably plausible. I would highly recommend this book to others and look forward to the next book in the series. It should be quite interesting to see how this story develops.

When I heard about Peter Tsouras's new alternate history book, I had to read it. His compilations have always been varied and provocative, but always grounded in a good sense of historical possibilities. His latest book, Brittania's Fist is no exception. Solidly grounded in a shudderingly possible outcome, the author takes us to the dark days of America's Civil War. Following the defeat of the South at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, things looked up for the Northern cause. However, relations with Great Britain, never rosy due to their ill-concealed support for the Southern cause, reach a breaking point not seen since the Trent Affair. In an odd twist of fate, the two nations are suddenly battling at sea, shredding Lincoln's dream of "One War at a Time". Not seen from the perspective of the iconic generals like Lee and Grant, instead we go down to the lower levels of command, from Garnet Wolseley, later one of England's greatest generals, to Thomas Meagher, the retired commander of the Irish Brigade, recalled to the colors when the redcoats are coming again. Faced with a three headed hydra of the Confederacy, England and France, the latter coming up from Mexico, the North seems ready to collapse, but unlikely allies like Russia and innovative designers like Dahlgren and Lowe prove that technology had give the edge to the underdog. Still, its an uphill battle as British soldiers pour down from Canada and the mightiest ships in the British navy appear on the Atlantic Coast. At the end of this first book, the issue is still in doubt, but the North is not the house of cards its enemies expected. Tsouras breathes historical figures to life for us, showing their hopes and dreams along with their grit and determination. Spies, Copperheads, inventors, government bureaucrats and others have their parts to play in this tightly woven tale of a nation at war on all sides. Technological matters of warfare are explained in detail so that the reader understands how battles can be won or lost if soldiers and sailors make full use of the equipment they are provided with. The battle scenes, whether on land or sea, are breathtaking and terrible to behold. You feel the shudder of the deck as huge guns erupt in broadsides, with flame and splinters flying. Tsouras has given us an alternate history tour de force and I will be unhappily chafing for the next installment. Great read, highly recommended to buffs of history and alternate history Andy Nunez Editor, Against the Odds Magazine

Peter Tsouras provides the reader with a fascinating look at "what could have been" during the American Civil War in his latest book "Britannia's Fist". His true mastery is the identification of events and characters from today's footnotes to history that could have had profound influences on history if only the winds of fate had blown differently. Most importantly, Tsouras' gift as a storyteller makes this book a fantastic read. As a responsible historian, Tsouras provides the reader with the actual historic accounting of events. He identifies the two points where America and Britain came dangerously close to armed conflict - the Trent Affair and the open construction of the Laird Rams, two ironclad commerce raiders destined for the Confederacy. Cooler heads prevailed in both instances ensuring the two nations would not begin open hostilities. Tsouras' story pivots on the question of what would have happened if the English government did not stop the trial runs of the two Laird Rams? Tsouras cleverly intertwines historically accurate technology development, international relations policy, and actual events with the story of what could have happened. The story is told so well only historians will be able to discern where history and fiction diverge. The main plot begins by centering on the events leading up to the release of the Laird Rams. President Lincoln, anticipating their escape during their sea trials, sends an adventurous young officer to intercept them before the ships can be married with their Confederate crews and weaponry. The intercept takes place in British international waters, instigating the implementation of the British warplans for a ground invasion from Canada and blue water naval operations. Tsouras also explores the opportunistic possibilities of two other world powers after the initiation of hostilities. The one major sub-plot not fully developed in this story revolves around the Copperhead movement. Tsouras creates "Big Jim" Smoke as the fictional leader of the Copperhead movement in Indiana, who among other things leads a prison break at Camp Morton. The overall concept of a massive Copperhead uprising in the mid-West is visited often, but never fully developed. It looks to play a much larger role in subsequent books of the trilogy. Leaving no detail unturned, Tsouras includes historic references for both the actual events and he creates fictitious references for documents that most likely would have been written if events had turned out differently. They are clearly marked to prevent the curious readers from pursuing non-existent documents. This book is an absolute page-turner. I greatly anticipate the next book in the series.