Posted on 08/07/2003 6:43:04 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
When Montreat author Bill Forstchen was asked to write a second book with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, he decided to explore how America would have changed had the south defeated the north at Gettysburg.
In the newest novel by this Forstchen/Gingrich team, "Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War," the authors offer a historical alternative simply by answering the 'what if' scenario.
"Gettysburg has always been the great 'what if' for folks interested in the Civil War," said Forstchen, who has written 35 novels of historical fiction and teaches history at Montreat College. "It's the crucial, pivotal, battle for the war. One of my literary inspirations was Faulkner. To paraphrase, he said 'In every Southern boy's heart, there is still the dream.....all things are still possible.'"
Ever since the age of 11, Forstchen says he's visited the site of Gettysburg innumerable times----a battle that claimed the lives of 15,000 men, and killed 7,500 in a matter of 30 minutes during Pickett's Charge.
"In terms of relative population, if the population of the south was equal to what it is today, it would be the equivalent of the south losing a quarter of a million men in 30 minutes," he said. "The American public and most historians as well really don't quite understand the sheer carnage and brutality of the Civil War."
Forstchen studied journals of other soldiers to capture the brutal realism of a Civil War battle scene and to ensure believability----one of the most challenging aspects in writing the novel.
"People who are interested in the Civil War are very knowledgeable and I spent four years of research for the book," he said.
While writing the book, Forstchen said he had a 9-foot by 12-foot topical map of the entire area laid out on his basement floor, photographs, computerized maps, and a few maps original to the period.
In working with Gingrich, Forstchen said he learned a great deal about the history of Washington politics.
"He's had his extensive experience in Congress, so he had good political insight," Forstchen said.
Forstchen said there's no comparison between this new book and the previous effort from Gingrich/Forstchen titled, "1945," a book neither of the authors was fully satisfied with.
"We had major problems with our publisher on that one and we weren't satisfied with the book at all," Forstchen said. "This book was far more complex and extensive a lot more of the time. I spent close to a year in the writing process exclusively."
In handling the alternative to history approach, Forstchen tried to make the story seem as realistic as possible.
"Too many books in this genre are acts of God books where somebody gets shot in the opening. I tried to make it a lot more subtle and realistic," he said.
In crafting the novel, Forstchen actually modeled one of the Confederate soldiers in the book after his next door neighbor, Lee Robinson.
Robinson, who attended a recent book signing inside the Black Mountain Library with Forstchen, was quick to point out his photograph in Civil War regalia on page 190 of the book.
"It was a thrill of a lifetime," Robinson said. "The shocker was having him call me in and I find my name and my character in the book. He had written me into the book, it was great.
"I was in shock in a way, this guy here is one of my best friends. I was beside myself he would think enough of me to do that for me," he said.
The graphic content of the battle scenes was necessary so that Americans today could understand the brutality of Gettysburg, Forstchen said.
"There's yet to be a movie that accurately captures what a Civil War charge was like," Forstchen said. "During one Confederate charge, an account says the men bayed like wolves at the sight of blood. It's a frightening thing to say."
By writing the battle scene realistically, he said "it emphasizes how incredibly brave these men were because they would turn around to do it again a month later."
Forstchen hopes readers will enjoy the book enough to want to read the second book and perhaps a third, if the authors decide to turn the project into a trilogy.
"I hope they have a good read," he said. "With any of my novels, the nicest compliment you can get is that the story becomes real. For students of history, I hope it provokes a desire to know more."
Forstchen's wife, Sharon, said the project is her husband's best work.
"He really brought it to life," she said. "This book seemed to go real easily for Bill. There was not a lot of pressure from the publisher or the editors. There's so much accuracy. Every location was mapped out and the emotion of the people and the characters was really good."
During his research, Forstchen said he learned how courageous these soldiers were in fighting for their cause.
"On both sides of the war, you see this beautiful heartbreaking devotion to their country and the causes they fought for and to their flags," Forstchen said. "Men on both sides would unflinchingly die for their flag or to carry it forward."
As for his character of Lee Robinson, Forstchen says he'll definitely be back.
"He'll crop up again in the next book," he said. "I'm always more interested in the common man's view. What it was like for the ordinary citizen as a soldier."
Forstchen will sign more copies of his book at the Sourwood Festival on Saturday.
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