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Those
of us who love history enjoy the speculation inspired by the
investigative method known as imaginary history.
Imaginary history poses the “what if” or counterfactual
questions that stimulate debate about actual historical events and
the circumstances that might have altered those events.
What
if the fierce weather storm at Normandy had not broken by June 6,
1944? What if Genghis
Khan’s son had not suddenly died on the eve of the Mongol
invasion of Europe in 1242? What
if General Robert E. Lee’s lost order hadn’t been lost?
How different would the history of the United States and
the entire world have been? These
are just some of the intriguing questions posed in a fascinating
book entitled “What If?”
The
book is edited by Robert Cowley and contains the writing of some
of the world’s most renowned historians.
The book’s 20 essays are arranged in chronological order,
beginning with the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. and
ending with Chaing Kai-shek’s attempt to eradicate the Communist
Chinese from Manchuria in 1946.
In between are wonderfully engaging essays by such
luminaries as Cecelia Holland, William H. McNeill, John Keegan and
Stephen Ambrose. These
essays contain hypothetical scenarios that challenge the reader to
reexamine long held views on a particular episode of history.
At
the battle of Granicus River in 334 B.C., a 21-year-old Macedonian
king was saved by one of his soldiers from a fatal battle-ax blow
to the head. What
if the battle-ax had met its mark and the king had died?
The world would have lost the conqueror known as Alexander
the Great. Josiah Ober speculates that Alexander’s death would
have resulted in the survival of the Persian Empire of the east
while the Hellenistic period, “the cultural seedbed of the
West,” might never have occurred.
In
“What the Fog Wrought,” David McCullough considers the
consequences to the American Revolution if George Washington
hadn’t escaped the British blockade of Long Island in the summer
of 1776. He argues
that Washington might have been forced to surrender to the British
forces and his capture may have ended the American colonies hope
for independence.
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Other
subjects of conjecture include how one strategic blunder by Adolph
Hitler may have cost him victory in World War II, the missed
opportunities by an overconfident Napoleon, and the mysterious
plague that saved Jerusalem and preserved the Jewish religion (as
well as paving the way for Christianity and Islam).
One
of the most interesting counterfactuals is James McPherson’s
“If the Lost Order Hadn’t Been Lost.” On September 13, 1862,
an Indiana corporal discovered an envelope in a clover field
containing General Robert E. Lee’s Special Orders No. 191.
This “lost order” was the blueprint for the Confederate
Army’s fall campaign. As
a result of this chance discovery, the Union army’s victory at
the bloody Battle of Antietam was a setback for the Confederate
cause. What if
the lost order hadn’t been lost and Antietam had never happened?
McPherson writes that the Confederate States may have
continued their march northward and the ultimate outcome of the
Civil War could have been a Confederate States of America
independent of the United States.
“What
If?” is an engrossing look at the quirks and curiosities of
history and how random elements of chance, luck and weather can
determine an outcome. Cowley,
who is the founding editor of “MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of
Military History,” has assembled a talented group of writers
whose knowledge and expertise lend credibility and realism to
these essays. One of
the book’s pleasures is that the reader can randomly enjoy any
chapter desired; the book is not dependent on a chronological
cover-to-cover reading.
“What
If?” is recommended for anyone who enjoys history, current
events or imaginative historical scenarios.
For
more information, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call
732-8878.
[Richard Sumrall,
Lincoln Public Library
District]
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