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How Few Remain (book)

united states of america

Confederated states of america

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United States of America (alternate)

by Rick Wyatt

The United States of America flag is not the 35-star flag of 1865, nor the 38-star flag of 1881, which is when the novel takes place. Instead, it is a 26-star flag, and the star configuration differs from the historical version posted here . Whereas the "real" flag has a configuration (top to bottom) of 7-6-6-7 stars per row, the flag on the cover has a top to bottom configuration of 5-5-6-5-5, representing the 26 states that compose the US in 1881.
Georges G. Kovari III , 20 october 2000

Confederated States of America (alternate)

by Marc Pasquin

On the cover of the Baen Books's paperback edition of the book, there is a CSA flag which is like the flag nowadays usually considered to be the flag of the South, i.e. the rectangular battle flag - but it has only twelve stars (the one in the middle of the cross is missing).
Elias Granqvist , 19 october 2000

"How Few Remain" is based on a history in which the CSA won their independence as the result of some changed circumstances at the battle of Sharpsburg in 1862. The CSA resulting from this was a federation composed of 12 States (including Kentucky), plus the Indian Territory, now known as Oklahoma; but in Turtledove's world ("How Few Remain" is the prequel to a series of novels involving the two American federations and World War I), modern Oklahoma becomes the Confederate State of Sequoyah, which eventually adds a 13th star back to the flags of the CSA.
In this timeline, the late 19th and ealy 20th century CSA have a national flag, which is the "Stars and Bars" with its 3 bars of red/white/red and its circle of white stars on a blue canton, and the Saltire battle flag, which is used as a military flag and a navy ensign. Since Confederate independence was secured in 1862, before the "Stas and Bars" was replaced as the CSA national flag, it makes sense that it would have continued as their national flag. It is unclear whether the military flag is the square pattern of the Army of Northern Virginia or the rectangular pattern of the Army of Tennessee. The cover art would seem to suggest the latter.
In addition to the USA's flag having a reduced number of stars, Mexico is still under Maxillian's Empire in the 1880 timeline of "How Few Remain", and continues as the Empire of Mexico in the later World War I volumes. I would assume, therefore, that the Mexican flag continues to have an imperial crown over the eagle.
Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr , 21 october 2000