Sharpsburg Sunrise: The Thomas Devareaux Alternative History Military Adventure Series, #0

By Chris Stoesen

Change is in the air.  War in the balance.  A young man seizes his moment.

Before Thomas Devareaux ever set foot on the deck of his airship, his father fought in the defining moment of Confederate history, the battle of Sharpsburg.  As the surviving officer of a company in the 3rd South Carolina Regiment, he leads his company into battle while the fate of the Civil War hangs in the balance.

This is the prequel to the Thomas Devareaux Alternative History Military Adventure Series.  It follows James Devareaux as he becomes the leader of a veteran company of Confederate soldiers during the Battle of Sharpsburg which was known as Antietam in the North.

If you enjoyed the books of the Thomas Devareaux series, check out the prequel that made it all possible.

The story is just over 13,000 words in length.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Stoesen
• Release date: Dec 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781386667254

Book preview

Sharpsburg Sunrise:

A Prequel to the Thomas Devareaux

Alternative History Military Adventure Series

By Chris Stoesen

January 28, 2015

Version 1.04

Cover Photo used with permission from Patti Ballard

Copyright © 2015 Chris Stoesen

All rights reserved.

Dedication

Thank you so much to my wife and son for their love and support. I could not hope for a better family. After all, they put up with my nonsense constantly. Thank you to all of my friends who made the first book such a success that I decided to give it a try again. Thanks to Cate for your editing skills.

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Introduction

Sharpsburg Sunrise is the prequel to the Thomas Devareaux series. It is a short story covering Thomas Devareaux's father and his participation in the American Civil War. Historically, the Battle of Antietam was a turning point in the war. It was only a minor victory for the Union, yet it was the launching point for Lincoln to give the Emancipation Proclamation. European observers were present at the battle. Had the Confederacy had a better showing during this battle, it very well could have been the catalyst for foreign intervention.

The larger scope of the Battle of Antietam is too much for this story. Instead, the focus is on just the actions of Kershaw's South Carolina Brigade and Tyndale's Ohio Brigade. Historically, the two brigades did engage one another, but the outcomes were quite different. The battle was one of the bloodiest days in American History. I attempted to keep the feel of the battle and the tremendous casualties suffered by all sides. For instance, the Sixth Georgia Regiment was reduced from two hundred fifty men to just twenty-four men who were combat effective from fighting in the cornfield. The Sixth Georgia had lost its lieutenant colonel and its major. Its colonel, Alfred Colquitt, was serving as a brigade commander and survived the battle. By contrast, Tyndale's Brigade (Fifth, Seventh, Sixty-Sixth Ohio Regiments and the Twenty-Eighth Pennsylvania) only suffered twenty-one killed, eighty-seven wounded and two missing.

The battle had three distinct phases, morning, mid-day (when Kershaw's Brigade arrives) and afternoon. The first two phases of the battle are focused on the cornfield and its surrounding woods. The afternoon was solely in the area to the east of Sharpsburg. Despite the severity of the casualties reflected above, the Confederacy actually lost fewer men than the North. The morning phase had over seven thousand Union casualties while the Confederacy lost just over six thousand five hundred. The mid-day part of the battle was far less intense with casualties of two thousand nine hundred Union soldiers and another two thousand six hundred Confederates.

I hope that this gives a feel for the battle as you get a glimpse of it through the eyes of James Devareaux.

Chapter 1: Foreshadowing

Tuesday, September 16th, 1862 10:30pm - Near Sharpsburg, Maryland

The flickering of the camp fire cast odd shadows on the men huddled and sleeping on the cold ground. James Devareaux stared at his hands in this eerie light. They shook slightly. His bowels still felt as if they were liquefied. Reaching his right hand into his coat, he pulled out his father's watch and popped it open. It was only ten thirty. He knew he needed to sleep but was not sure he would be able to.

The watch had become a talisman to him. It was such a familiar object. It was supposed to go to his older brother Edward Albany Devareaux II. Edward was such a pompous ass. James remembered his brother's small torments. He lorded over both Thomas and himself. As the youngest, James caught the bulk of his brother's attention. Thomas just waited for his time till he could leave the house. When he left for college, James was the last