MEADE'S REPRISE

Merriam rewrites the ending to the Civil War in his vividly imaged debut novel, which elevates Union Maj. Gen. George Meade to the status of military genius after his trouncing of Lee at Gettysburg. In Merriam's revisionist history, Meade is ably assisted by a pair of Negro spies, Henry Prediger and Josephus Alexander, who provide Meade with so much advance notice about Confederate strategy that Meade is able to outflank Lee at every turn. Nevertheless, Meade's conquest of Richmond proves to be a debacle, with Lincoln pushing to end the war and several of Meade's military colleagues seeking to undermine Meade's ongoing efforts. Merriam puts his impeccable research to good use, offering impressive portraits of Lincoln, and Generals Longstreet and Sickles. He also brings the war and military intrigue to life, although Lee's military talent is noticeably shortchanged. Even given the license of speculative fiction, however, Merriam pushes the bounds of credibility in two important ways. His account of the ease with which Prediger and Alexander gain access to Meade to funnel information seems unimaginable, and his investment of Meade with the personal brilliance to match his military acumen goes against most portrayals of the leader, which found him overwhelmed and out of his element in the political arena. Moreover, Merriam's account of the efforts to put African-Americans on equal footing with whites smacks of modern-day political correctness, and he conveniently ignores much of the vitriol that plunged the South into chaos after the war. This volume presents some compelling historical material, but the unfettered nature of the speculation undermines the storytelling. (Oct.)