“What If...?” Every Civil War armchair general asks the question. Possibilities unfold. Imaginations soar. More questions arise. Asking “What if...?” is often more than an exercise in wishful fantasy. A serious inquiry sparks rigorous exploration, demands critical thinking, and unlocks important insights.
The Great “What Ifs” of the American Civil War is a collection of thirteen essays from acclaimed historians. Each entry focuses on one of the most important events of the war and unpacks the options of the moment. To understand what happened, we must look at what could have happened. This is not a collection of alternate histories or counterfactual scenarios. Rather, it is an invitation to ask and to learn.
