Creating an alternate Civil War

Something that has always interested me was the "What Ifs". Generally these what ifs surround the possibilities for a shorter Civil War. As a sci-fi fan, the idea of what ifs also has a power in and of itself. Generally though, they usually revolve around Axis victory in WWII.

For the past couple years, I have been working on an alternate Civil War trilogy. It explores the possibility of Confederate victory. It starts off with a larger victory at Chancellorsville, with three Corps being decimated at the Chancellorsville battle itself, instead of just the one. The story travels all over northern Virginia, up through Maryland and into Pennsylvania, and then back down into Maryland.

I've been publishing the trilogy over on Lulu, and the first one of them has even made it onto Amazon. But when it comes down to it, what makes a good alternative history? Is it simply a good story? Is it a good premise? Or is there more involved to it?

First: I believe research is key. In the book, These Few Remain by Harry Turtledove explores Salt Lake City of the time. He is incorrect with most of his stuff, and many of the characters are not true to form, even in a "future" in which the South won their independence. If the characters and setting don't feel right, it's not going to come out right. One thing I pride myself is how close I keep the real people to how they actually were. Longstreet ends up in command of the Army of Northern Virginia, and actually fumbles and makes terrible battle decisions. This happened to him during the Knoxville Campaign of 1863. Usually a pretty solid commander, he fumbled against Burnside, who easily defeated every attack Longstreet threw at him.

Two: Winking at the real events I believe is a good choice. What I mean is this: In my books, I use a very detailed, "Ok, this has happened, so what would be the likeliest course of action?" Many of times, I'd use the real course of events to dictate how something would turn out. For example, in book 2, Lee meets with Jefferson Davis after destroying over half the Army of the Potomac to discuss what to do next. Davis suggests sending Longstreet West to help bolster against Grant. But Lee suggests moving northwards, saying that the East has more political value than the West. This meeting actually happened, although it was tailored to my "reality".

Three: Not everyone needs to live or die. You don't need to keep every person that has lived or died to live or die. Reynolds, who died at Gettysburg in real life, actually survives the war. But Lee on the other hand, who survived the war all but unscathed (his health deteriorated over the course of the war), actually gets shot.

So, when it comes down to it, the best way to create a viable alternative history is: Research your characters and place, giving a wink at real history and you can have people live or die.