What would happen if ?
That's a question imbedded in our consciousness from soon after we learned to talk. It is really one of the roots of fiction, and lots of fiction is based on that question applied to history. What would happen if the US had lost WW II? The Man in the High Castle.
These stories immediately raise questions like, "HOW did the US lose WWII?" There are turning points in history which you can easily see going s different way, but I can't identify one that would have led to a Nazi victory.
I can't see one that would have led to a Confederate victory in the US Civil War, either. (But see the end of McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom for a professional historian's take on that.)
There were points in that war at which small changes could have had big consequences but none of them would have resulted in a Confederate victory.
In The General's Store, I start with one such possible change, show how it would play out, what some consequences of that might be, and then what some possible effects there would be on the private lives of some persons.
Tuesdays and Fridays for 4 weeks, starting last Tuesday.
Just like historical fiction, Alternate History has real people interacting with fictional ones.