The Last Full Measure by Jeff Shaara
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Book Reviews of The Last Full Measure
Book Review: How the hell did it get this far?
Summary: 5 Stars
The whole thing could have been avoided if both sides had shown a little more restraint. But, it came to this. Jeff Sharra has written a superb sequal to his Dad's "The Killer Angels", and brought a fitting end to a sad story. I consider it to be a four book series, not three, as "Gone For Soldiers" is the prequel to the whole sorry mess. This wonderful book gives us the horrors of the last 21 months of our Civil War, told mainly thru the eyes of Robert E. Lee, US Grant, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. This is a novel, but Mr. Shaara has done his research; no errors that I could find [aside from a really bad typo that I'll get to]. Douglas Freeman would have been proud of this, and that's very high praise.
Mr. Sharra gives us accurate battle descriptions, as well as a backstage look at the major characters. Lee was frustrated that Jeff Davis couldn't understand that [a] Richmond wasn't all that important, and [b] the jig was pretty well up, anyway. Still, he fought. There is a reason that the losing General is pretty much the most respected man in American History. The greatness of Lee defies description. Dr. Freeman came close, but it took him 2,400 pages. US Grant was also a great general, as well as a noble man [hell of a thing for a Southerner to say], and he had more resourses. And, he was plain determined. The respect he showed General Lee is plenty of evidence of his nobility. And the glimpses of his family depict a decent man. Noble is a good word for Chamberlain, too. And brave. He hated war, but loved his country. The grace and courtesy rendered to General Gorden, alone, make him a gentleman. Ironic the parallel lives Chamberlain and Gordon went on to live...Governors of Maine and Georgia, and leaders of veterans organizations. Sad about Chamberlain's marriage, but Fanny really made him miserable.
The side players get their space...the great Longstreet, the tragic Anderson, and Pickett. Billy Mahone, still fighting to the end. Probably not an accident that the Generals who went on to wealth and power kept their drive. Phil Sheridan gets his due. Yes, he had skill, and courage. But he was a war criminal, pure and simple. He wanted to slaughter our men for target practice after they surrendered, and Grant had to pull rank to stop him; and he still argued with Grant [in front of our Officers] about feeding them.
The surrender scene, alone, is worth the price. Lee kept his dignity. And Grant was great enough to recognize the indescribable "something" that made Lee Lee. You really need to read this book, but only after reading the others. Yes, Dr. Freeman's seven volumes of Confederate History are definitive, but few will have the time, or desire. The only problem I saw was the typo I mentioned...in a list of failed Yankee Generals, "Pope" is rendered "Polk". Please. If this were non-fiction, that would be a fatal error. John Pope was theirs, a war criminal whose saving grace was his stupidity. Leonidas Polk was ours, had nothing to do with Virginia, and was a man whose personal greatness equalled that of General Lee.
Bottom line: highest possible recommendation.
Book Review: Death and Dying
Summary: 5 Stars
In this epic civil war story seen through the eyes of the country's leaders, military and civilian, Jeff Shaara shows us what it was like, battle by battle, but most of all general against general. Like its title, "The Last Full Measure," the sections of the book are announced from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. More than a novel, more than an historical account, in the style of narrative non-fiction, Shaara opens the hearts and minds of 15 of the major officers in the war between the states and their political leaders. We must, of course, admire author Shaara for his courage in tackling a subject as large and as familiar to so many who may be expected to criticize the slightest ommission or error of fact. A very long book, yet I can't imagine cutting a single paragraph from "The Last Full Measure."
In this novel we come to know intimately the inner workings of the minds of these many heroes and their physical and emotional well-being PLUS in some cases that of the families from which they come and the toll of the war upon their wives and children. In this process author Shaara opens the great wounds of the war, some of which remain unhealed even today. More, in the revelation of their battles, we sometimes come to understand causes of north vs. south differences that survive in today's political landscape.
I found the greatest contribution of "The Last Full Measure" to be in the fictionalized aspects, e.g., the dialogue which is crisp and clear and seems to be precisely what the speaker might have said or thought. This personification of the characters both large and small also holds the reader's interest in the endless landscape of battling armies without boring the reader, a feat accomplished by the lifelike motives and actions of individual players.
The prose in this novel is sure and imaginative employing figurative language to keep it lively without "overwriting," e.g., "There was a a swarm of activity all through the squares of white, the tents disappearing." "he felt a cloud of words inside of him, had to say something . . . if not for them, for himself,"; "But Lee had seen it himself, the sudden ring of blue [ie., Federal roops] coming over the low hills."
"The Last Full Measure" is a wonderful companion for a goodly time -- frightening, horrifying, human, and somehow "filling" like a five course meal. Its readers can't help but feel better, more knowledgeable about things they thought they knew well.
Book Review: An excellent novel, enjoyable, well researched and exciting
Summary: 5 Stars
`The Last Full Measure' is the third and final episode in the Civil War trilogy written by father and son authors Michael and Jeff Shaara. For those of you who are unaware of the chronology, father Michael Shaara wrote `The Killer Angels' an excellent account of the battle of Gettysburg. On the death of Michael Shaara his son Jeff was approach to write a prequel to `Killer Angels'. Consequently `Gods and Generals' is an account of the war from its beginnings up to the battle of Gettysburg. `The Last Full Measure' concludes the story of the war, taking us from Gettysburg to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and beyond.With `The Last Full Measure', Jeff Shaara has, I feel, written a book that will enable him to step out from the shadow of his father's book. `Killer Angels' is often described as the best piece of civil war fiction written, thus Jeff Shaara had a great deal to live up to. Shaara has matured as a writer, his characterisation is more believable and his writing style improved. As I really enjoyed his first book `Gods and Generals', these improvements place `The Last Full Measure' alongside not only his father's book but also a great deal of civil war fiction.
Still using interior dialogue and the description of the thoughts of the characters he writes about, Shaara has created an excellent account of the motivations of, among others, Lee, Grant, Longstreet and Chamberlain. The book takes us through Grants Wilderness campaign, the siege of Petersburg to the final surrender at Appomattox. A danger could have been attempting to condense these events too much, leaving the reader unsatisfied at the lack of description. However, although Shaara does skip some of the details he writes so convincingly that the reader will be swept along with both excitement and anticipation. Shaara's battle scenes are excellent, they are both vivid and horrific and give the reader a sense of what it must have felt like to exist in the throes of battle. Similarly he writes well of the emotions of war and how it changed those who experienced it. This is an excellent novel, it is extremely well written and will be enjoyed by both the civil war enthusiasts and the general reader alike. I recommend it to you
Book Review: Life-like Conclusion to the Civil War
Summary: 5 Stars
Jeff Shaara follows in his father's footsteps ... big shoes to fill indeed! He does a highly admirable job of researching and writing about the heroes, both North and South, who fought during the last two years of the Civil War. This book provides the reader a ring-side seat to key battles and positions, as each side fights to their last full measure of strength. The reader is provided personal information about the lives of the major players: General Robert E. Lee, General Ulysses S. Grant, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. We get inside the hearts and minds of these soldiers and although fiction it rings true to life. Historical fiction is a marvelous method to learn about detailed and important battles which became turning points in this most fundamental war in the history of the United States.
Most impressive descriptions are provided as General Robert E. Lee struggles in his heart and soul to send his valorous troops against the much better equipped Northern soldiers. We learn how strategy and insight gave the South advantages over technology and numbers, in the beginning. We learn that after Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was given command of the North, the tides turned ... and the reasons why. Maps are provided which give proper visualization to the word descriptions of strategic locations and key battles. Divided into four parts, the prolog to each section uses the words of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address very effectively. Each section includes descriptions of a wide range of events, thorough analysis, and human emotions for the years of the war and post war events that it covers.
The book goes beyond the war to include descriptons of when President Lincoln is shot. It concludes with an afterward that gives a wonderful summary of the post-war lives of major participants both Blue and the Gray. Reading this book was truly an eye-opening experience, filled with illuminating moments and unforgettable real people. It leaves the reader hungry to read more about the subject It compelled me to buy more books by this author - for example, "Gone for Soldiers" (the Mexican War) and "Rise to Rebellion" (the American Revolutionary War). Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Book Review: The "End Game" of the Civil War is well told.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fine novel by Jeff Shaara, the son of Michael Shaara, the author of "The Killer Angels." The novel deals with "the end game" of the Civil War, in which Ulysses Grant assumes supreme command of the US Army with the mission from President Lincoln of defeating the Confederate Army. Jeff Shaara uses the same technique of examining the conflict from the perspectives of various characters that "The Killer Angels" employed with such effectiveness. It works very well here, and Shaara tells a great story. It is also good history, and this novel does a fine job of acquainting the reader with the events that took place in the Civil War's late phases. Shaara does a good job of explaining what Grant's strengths (and occasional flaws) were as a military commander, and why this man played a pivotal role in finally bringing the war to a close. In my opinion Shaara does an exceptional job in this novel of telling the story of the Civil War's "End Game." Grant takes over at a time when the Army of the Potomac should have been riding high in the aftermath of Meade's great victory at Gettysburg. But it was not, and that great army still suffered from many of the problems that had caused final victory to elude it for years, despite numbers, and despite the fact that it was the best-organized and best equipped army the world had ever seen. Unforgettable is the scene in the novel where President Lincoln and General Grant are overseeing the unprecedented logistical support being lavished on the Army--Grant points out that if only one certain man--Robert E. Lee-- could see this panorama, the futility of continuing the war would be obvious to him. Unfortunately, Lee leads the Army of Northern Virginia to fight almost to the bitter end; a lesson to foreigners who think that Americans will only fight when the odds favor them. Lee's soldiers were living on grass and acorns by the time Lee finally accepted defeat.
This is a novel that almost all readers will enjoy as well as appreciate for its historical insights.