1901 (novel)

Plot

Three years after the Spanish-American War, the United States enjoys the glow of that victory, but its army remains small, with most of its troops stationed in the newly acquired Philippines and Cuba. German Kaiser Wilhelm II, hoping to challenge British power, offers to buy these territories. When the U.S. refuses, Germany declares war and launches an invasion. German forces land on Long Island’s southern shore, capture Brooklyn, and quickly take Manhattan, then push into Connecticut. President William McKinley, overwhelmed by the crisis, suffers a fatal heart attack. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes president and begins to turn the tide. He recalls several generals and places former comrades from the Cuban campaign—Leonard Wood, John J. Pershing, and Frederick Funston—in command. Despite this, the first major battle against the Germans is lost, and the scattered U.S. Atlantic Fleet cannot respond effectively. Britain secretly supplies the poorly equipped Americans with modern weapons and ammunition. Slowly, the U.S. recovers from the initial shock. At sea, the USS Alabama sinks three German cruisers bombarding Jacksonville, Florida. On land, Funston leads a brigade in Connecticut that ambushes a German patrol, inflicting heavy losses. These victories boost American morale, but the war settles into a stalemate. The Germans fortify a defensive line between the Hudson and Housatonic Rivers and strengthen positions in central New York. General Nelson Miles attacks along the Housatonic using Civil War tactics, but is defeated. Roosevelt decides the U.S. must become a major military power to win. He replaces Miles with 80-year-old former Confederate General James Longstreet and recalls General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., from the Philippines to lead the army in the field. U.S. Army Indian Scouts and other operatives disrupt German supply lines. At sea, the Navy launches surprise raids on German convoys in the English Channel and sinks empty transports returning to Germany near the American coast. The stalemate continues, but these attacks erode German morale.