The Great War: American Front
Encyclopedia
The Great War: American Front is the first alternate history novel in the Great War
trilogy by Harry Turtledove
. It is part II of Turtledove's Southern Victory Series of novels. It takes the Southern Victory Series from 1914 to 1915.
smashing the Army of the Potomac
at the Battle of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
, in October 1862, and the subsequent Anglo-French diplomatic recognition of the Confederate States of America
, the novel begins on June 28, 1914, the same day Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo
.
World War I breaks out and spreads to North America, where the pro-German United States under Theodore Roosevelt
declares war on Woodrow Wilson
's CSA, which is allied with Great Britain
and France
. After initial US invasions of Kentucky
, British-run Canada
, and western Virginia
, and CS invasions of Maryland
and Pennsylvania
, the conflict bogs down into trench warfare
. Across the Mississippi River
, in the western part of the continent, the conflict is a war of movement.
The novel ends in the autumn of 1915, with the beginning of a Marxist black rebellion against the war-distracted government of the CSA.
Most of the characters in the book are small-time folks being caught up in the bigger world of a global war. One main character in the book whose destiny will be intertwined with that of the twentieth century is an artillery sergeant named Jake Featherston
.
This book is followed by The Great War: Walk in Hell
, and then The Great War: Breakthroughs
.
Great War (Harry Turtledove)
Great War is an alternate history trilogy by Harry Turtledove, which follows How Few Remain. It is part of Turtledove's Southern Victory Series series of novels...
trilogy by Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
. It is part II of Turtledove's Southern Victory Series of novels. It takes the Southern Victory Series from 1914 to 1915.
Plot summary
After a prologue with Robert E. LeeRobert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
smashing the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
at the Battle of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in October 1862, and the subsequent Anglo-French diplomatic recognition of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, the novel begins on June 28, 1914, the same day Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
.
World War I breaks out and spreads to North America, where the pro-German United States under Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
declares war on Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
's CSA, which is allied with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After initial US invasions of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, British-run Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and western Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and CS invasions of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the conflict bogs down into trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. Across the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, in the western part of the continent, the conflict is a war of movement.
The novel ends in the autumn of 1915, with the beginning of a Marxist black rebellion against the war-distracted government of the CSA.
Most of the characters in the book are small-time folks being caught up in the bigger world of a global war. One main character in the book whose destiny will be intertwined with that of the twentieth century is an artillery sergeant named Jake Featherston
Jake Featherston
Jacob "Jake" Featherston is a fictional character inthe Southern Victory Series novel series by Harry Turtledove. He is the fictional timeline's equivalent of Adolf Hitler.-Character introduction:...
.
This book is followed by The Great War: Walk in Hell
The Great War: Walk in Hell
The Great war: Walk in Hell is the second book in the Great War series of alternate history books by Harry Turtledove. It is also part of the Southern Victory Series series...
, and then The Great War: Breakthroughs
The Great War: Breakthroughs
The Great War: Breakthroughs is the third and final installment of the Great War trilogy in the Southern Victory Series of alternate history novels by Harry Turtledove. It takes the Southern Victory Series to 1917.-Plot summary:...
.