he year is 1865. A United States of America that was reunified—midway through its Civil War—by a British invasion has since scored two resounding victories over its long-ago colonial ruler. The second of these wars liberated Ireland from British rule, a telling blow that the U.S. hoped would prevent further invasions from its one-time mother country. Led by the warmongering Lord Palmerston, though, England has other ideas. Soon enough it is clear that the loss of Ireland is something the British Empire is not prepared to choke down, even at the cost of seeking an ill-advised third engagement with its upstart rival.
Harry Harrison's Stars & Stripes Triumphant opens with an assassination attempt against President Abraham Lincoln and from there moves into the muddy waters of international diplomacy. Having freed Ireland from British control, the United States must now help protect it, a tricky task when North America is so far away and the enemy is right next door. Complicating matters are an inflammatory trade war over cotton dumping, and reports that Irish-born citizens of England—not just men but women and children, too—are vanishing.
With England saber-rattling and Europe's crowned heads quietly sitting out the fray, it falls to the Americans to ready for another clash. To that end, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman embarks on a dangerous tour-by-sea of England's shores, mapping defenses and considering invasion strategies. As his observations pile up, he begins to see a means of attacking the supposedly impregnable island, a chance that offers the hope of finally putting to rest the long conflict with Britain.
With his plan hatched, one considerable obstacle remains for Sherman—getting back home alive!
An upbeat look at a just use of U.S. might
In Stars & Stripes Triumphant, America fights a war for which it is utterly blameless. With Britain detaining cotton ships and gathering Irish citizens into concentration camps, there is no question that a battle is called for. The portrait of events is, in other words, one-sided. If the English have good reason for their trade blockade, the matter is never explored. Any legitimate security fears caused by U.S. ships based in Ireland are not addressed either. Ultimately, this slant weakens the novel's effect, making readers more suspicious of U.S. motives than they might be if other sides of the argument were given fair hearing.
Causative factors aside, Stars & Stripes Triumphant is intended mainly as a display for Sherman as he applies himself to the first invasion of English soil since 1066 A.D. The thrill of this novel is in watching this general bring superior technology, good intelligence and clever tactics to bear on the historically invulnerable island. Harrison therefore concentrates his narrative on the people at the top of the command chain, and on war technology from troop movements and technical innovations to the timing of differing phases of the attack. Details like the book's smallish cast of supporting characters or the effects of war on civilians caught in its maw are treated glancingly, if at all. This approach may alienate readers looking to see more than one historical superstar in action.
Of special disappointment is the minor role of the Irish characters in Stars & Stripes Triumphant. Coming from a country that has become the pawn of two powerful nations, they could have been utterly compelling. Unfortunately, this potential remains unexploited.
That said, this third installment in the Stars & Stripes series offers a swift and pleasant read. It may be a journey whose destination is fixed, but it does offer some spectacular scenery along the way.
