The Day After Gettysburg

May 1, 2017
Conroy’s death in 2014 left many fans of alternate history grieving. Fortunately he left behind unfinished work, including this Civil War novel, expertly completed by novelist and military historian Dunn. The day after the horrific battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee decides that the Union army under Gen. George Meade is as battered as the Confederates, if not more, and he attacks the hesitant Meade instead of fleeing across the Potomac River. The surprising and bloody result reinserts the Southerners deep into Pennsylvania, to the state’s suffering, along with inspiring John Wilkes Booth to craft a somewhat different plot against President Lincoln, two years early. As always, Conroy’s work effectively focuses on those with boots on the ground, revealing snippets of grand strategy and confusion through the eyes of historical luminaries such as Lee and Lincoln. The novel too strictly follows Conroy’s usual formulas, including a romance between the hero and an affluent heroine, but fans will be pleased that Dunn’s work also matches Conroy’s high standards for writing style, solid plotting, and frenetic battle scenes. Agent (for Conroy): Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary.