Gordon McSweeney is prehaps one of the more memorable characters from Harry Turtledove's timeline 191. A giant Presbyterian, he is also an unabashed bigot. With such faults, it's surprising how he grows on the reader. You will follow his exploits to the doors of hell, no matter what you think of his opinions. (And I must say that I was bursting my sides from reading that Alt-AltHist story on the Turtldove forum where McSweeney becomes President of a defeated USA)

The scene here is a depiction of how McSweeney earned the Medal of Honor by roasting an advancing Confederate Barrel (but Limeys call them 'Tanks' -shudup, whod'ja think won the war...) After a recent re-read of the chapter (after having inked the artwork), I realised that I got some things wrong (most notably, the lack of the ridge and the trench). So call it propaganda artwork by some newspaper artist far away from the front.

This work was started back in 2001, but I finally got to inking and colouring it this year. I did have to redraw a few things (mostly McSweeney himself), but overall the composition remains the same.

Based on Harry Turtledove's "Walk in Hell"

Jack Bell 2007