| abstract | - The point of divergence is September 10, 1862, during the American Civil War. In our timeline, a Confederate messenger lost General Robert E. Lee's Special Orders 191, which detailed Lee's plans for the Battle of Antietam. The orders were soon found by Union soldiers, and using them George McClellan was able to defeat the Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Antietam. In How Few Remain, the orders are instead recovered by a trailing Confederate soldier. In Maryland, McClellan is caught by surprise, enabling Lee to lead the Army of Northern Virginia to victory. Lee next forces McClellan into battle on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and destroys the Army of the Potomac in the Battle of Camp Hill on October 1. Lee goes on to capture Philadelphia, earning the Confederate States of America diplomatic recognition from both the United Kingdom and France, thus winning the war (which is known as the War of Secession in the alternate timeline) and independence from the United States.
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