All,
I'm trying to put together an amateur alt history novel with a military slant and am looking for some unique characters whom showed promise to impact history but died before their time and were largely forgotten by history as a result.
Mainly, I'm looking for US and/or European individuals whom were young around the time of the 7 years war (1755 to 1763) to early in the American Revolution (1775) and might have played an important part in the American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783), French Revolutionary Wars (1792 to 1803) or Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815) had they not died young or had their careers relatively derailed in some manner.
A few examples:
George Howe - a promising young officer whom died at Ticonderoga (1758ish)
Comte de Gisors (future Duc de Belle-Isle) whom was killed at Krefeld in 1758 - well regarded son of a popular soldier.
Axel von Ferson - Swedish noble (rumored lover of Marie Antoinette) whom was murdered by a mob in Sweden.
I'd like to have a relatively blank slate so I might have the opportunity to have some commit some great act (leading GB to victory over the American rebels, conquest of Constantinople, leading an invasion of England, etc)
Ideally, their time of birth would be somewhere between 1730 and 1755 or so but I welcome any ideas.
Thoughts?
Thanks.