The Last Full Measure

The Civil War Trilogy #3

by Jeff Shaara

In the Pulitzer prize–winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time. The Last Full Measure tells the epic story of the events following the Battle of Gettysburg and brings to life the final two years of the Civil War. Jeff Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant—complicated, heroic, and deeply troubled men. For Lee and his Confederate forces, Gettysburg has been an unspeakable disaster, but he is determined to fight to the bitter end; he faces Grant, the decisive, hard-nosed leader the Union army so desperately needs in order to turn the tide of the war. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing seize of Petersburg to Lee’s epoch-making surrender at Appomattox, Shaara portrays the riveting conclusion of the Civil War through the minds and hearts of the individuals who gave their last full measure.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Fiction, War, Historical, Military Fiction, American Civil War

560 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

JEFF SHAARA is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of seventeen novels, including Rise to Rebellion and The Rising Tide, as well as Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure—two novels that complete his father's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, The Killer Angels. Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If God is watching us, what judgement does he make now?”

With the completion of “The Last Full Measure”, I have read every novel that Mr. Shaara has written (to date) about the American Civil War. Oddly enough, even though this text was written second out of his six books about the Civil War, the writing might be the best of the group. Less stilted, and ponderous as some of the others could be at times.

Mr. Shaara is at his best when writing about battle. He puts you there in a vivid and very matter of fact manner. He does not comment on what is happening. You can figure that out for yourself. His depiction of the Battle of the Crater during the siege of Petersburg is riveting and heartbreaking.
I plowed through the text at a quick pace, and this text is told mainly from the point of view of Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and Joshua Chamberlain.

Highlights of the book include chapter 52, which is the fateful meeting between Lee and Grant at Appomattox Court House where Lee surrenders his army. The chapter is told from Grant’s point of view and gives an interesting insight into the mind of the victor when he respects his enemy. Chapter 53 is simply beautiful. It depicts the events of April 12, 1865 the actual surrender ceremony between the two armies. The sentiments in the mind of the Union victors, which we get from the point of view of Josh Chamberlain during the ceremony, are of reconciliation and peace. It is beautiful to read and think on.

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially military historical fiction I would give Mr. Shaara a read. “The Last Full Measure” is one of his better efforts. I did not often want to put it down.

[Don Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three books Gods and Generals, The Killer Angels and The Last Full Measure - The Last Full Measure was, for me, the most painful.
In this book the reader is introduced to Ulysses S. Grant and discovers the metal of the man. General Robert E. Lee continues to be the stalwart leader of the southern army. The reader comes to understand the passion of these men as well as the Union commander Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who came away from Gettysburg a hero. Chamberlain is the only one of these three that was not a professional military man.
He was an academic, a professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

It is in this volume that the reader is asked to endure the destruction of Lee's Army and the tole in human life that was involved. The reader is also pulled along through the mud and rain, made to understand what winter was like without coat or shoes. As the war drug on and supplies ran out, Lee had to face the terrible truth that the gallant men that had struggled and died for their cause were becoming less able bodied and fit to fight. He watched his army go hungry and practically naked. It was, for Lee the torment he could not get free from.

The reader also feels the strength of Grant. He, the consummate commander, always moving forward and even when knocked back by the Confederate will to win, Grant regrouped and drove forward or around or through those that opposed his forces. Not once did I feel that Grant doubted his purpose or mission or that it would be accomplished. His field commanders, like Chamberlain, were willing to carry out the orders he issued because they trusted his talent and judgement.

The pain that I felt came from the fact that a proud and dedicated Robert E. Lee could not withstand the punishing force that Grant wielded. There was a dogged desire within the Confederate Army to continue to fight - to perhaps find that one miracle on the field of battle. It was not to be. Lee came to understand that his was the losing cause. Grant, also recognized that the time to stop killing was at hand. Both Armies and the Nation had lost too many of their Husbands, Fathers, Sons and Brothers.It was time to stop.

If you are wanting to read a work that puts you inside the minds and lives of the men and the families of the men that commanded the fields of battle - this is one book you have to read. The entire trilogy is a work I highly recommend.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times.”

When the armies of the North and the South walked away from the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, the victor was clear, but you wouldn't have known by the casualty numbers alone. 50,000 men had been killed, wounded, or captured over those three days, roughly an equal loss for each side. Michael Shaara (Jeff's father) wrote about this battle in his book, The Killer Angels, and I had wondered why he chose that point in time to focus a narrative about our Civil War. Why write a book about one battle, spanning only 3 days during a war that had lasted 4-years? The answer is: it was the turning point. It also marked the first time that General Lee's soldiers had been truly repelled by the Union Army. If the North had lost that battle, the final outcome of the war, and our country could have been very different.

Jeff Shaara separates the individual parts of The Last Full Measure with sentences from the short, yet inspiring and elegant address delivered on the grounds of the Gettysburg battle. ”Four score and seven years ago... And he brings the point of those words home, their meaning in Lincoln's mind, throughout the book. Lincoln believed in those words completely because he believed in our country. That this nation of ours was founded upon something altogether meaningful. That the words liberty and equal written on our Declaration should not be placed in jeopardy by separation. Men had given their lives and for that they should be honored.

For the North, victory on the battlefields did not come immediately after Gettysburg. General Lee was too smart, and the men of the South fought with heart for their way of life. The Union army continued to hamper themselves with mistakes that cost lives. But the style of battle forever changed after July 1863. Trench warfare replaces mass frontal assault. Generals would be slow to adapt to this, but it's the soldier in the field that faces the musket. Their bravery is astounding to me. Picturing the thoughts of Lee, Grant and Chamberlain (and through them, the many individuals who fought this war) are what make these books special to read. Men may have stood on opposing sides but often their thoughts said, "he is no different from me". I came to adore these books for the truth in words like that. At one point, long after the war had ended, Chamberlain walks where he and his men fought at Gettysburg, on a hill called Little Round Top. He remembers his men:

”...But he knew better than any that it was not the generals, not some singular work of genius or valor. If the men, the privates, the men with the muskets, did not want to go forward, there would be no great fights, no chapter in the history books, no generals to wear the medals.”

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Full Measure takes its title from words in Lincoln’ indescribable Gettysburg Address:

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain...”

It also concludes the trilogy begun by Shaara’s father (in The Killer Angels about the Battle of Gettysburg) although sequentially Gods and Generals tells the story of the beginning of the Civil War.

TLFM is in many ways a tragic book and can be emotionally exhausting at times—as was the draining of the nation’s lifeblood which occurred at the end of the war tearing our nation apart yet as it yet cemented it together again. But if we are weary spectators of the carnage as we read, we at least didn’t have to live through it.

To read Shaara’s well-documented and yet fascinating and unforgettable novel is to walk beside our national ancestors and share (in a very small way) in their sufferings. It wasn’t much, but it was a worthwhile journey for me.

Most highly recommended!

[Professor Weasel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is how the majority of the characters talk in this book: "There are.... a lot...... of periods...... in between..... words...."

I read the first 150-200 pages or so of this with such gusto! It wasn't as good as "The Killer Angels," obviously, but it was perfectly readable and exciting. Then things got sluggish. Chapter after chapter where absolutely nothing of importance or interest happenned. A battle was fought. Generals muse on death and destruction. Chamberlain is non-existent; there is absolutely no purpose or point to him being in this story, other than to please TKA fans.

Things I would edit about this book to make it better:
- Yunior should have just picked 2-3 battles: the Battle of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor/Petersburg, and the surrender at Appotomax. There, you have your 3-part book instead of your 500-something borefest. Maybe he was afraid of following in his father's footsteps too much, but there's a reason why "The Killer Angels" was so good: it was thematically condensed as opposed to sprawling and messy.
- IT IS OKAY TO MAKE YOUR NARRATORS UNSYMPATHETIC CHARACTERS. I have a *big* problem with how U.S. Grant was portrayed here. His narative voice is bland and uninteresting. If I were asked "what kind of character is Grant?" I would have no idea how to answer. Boring, maybe.

I couldn't get through the last 70 pages, so I just skimmed them. *SPOILER* Lincoln dies. The South loses the war. *SPOILER*

You should read the first part of the book until you get bored, the Petersburg chapter, and the chapter where Lee freaks out about being sent gunpowder from Richmond instead of food for his starving soldiers.

Maybe I'm being too hard on this book--I feel like I definitely learned a lot about the final days of the Civil War and why the South ultimately lost, but I have to be honest: it became torturous for me to get to the end. I dreaded having to pick this book up and try to read another chapter. Now what's the sense in that?

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up shortly after the events of Gettysburg depicted in The Killer Angels, this novel takes us all the way through the rest of the Civil War, concentrating mostly on the battles in the East, the grand struggle between the newly promoted and positioned US Grant and the steady Robert E. Lee. Indeed, most of the book alters perspectives between the two leaders as well as presenting the viewpoint of Joshua Chamberlain, unlikely hero of Gettysburg and a man who had a Forest Gump-like ability to be in the right place at the right time, culminating in his being the man to whom the South first attempts to surrender at Appomattox at the end of the war.

There is an awful lot of history to cover here and even though this book weighs in at over 600 pages, the author had to choose his scenes carefully to be able to present the larger story. For example, we spend a lot of time in the Battle of the Wilderness because it is relevant to the three main characters, Grant, Lee, and Chamberlain. But we only hear about Sherman and his march across Georgia as well as important battles such as at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Similarly, we don’t see much at all on the political scene; Lincoln makes a few appearances but only when riding out to meet Grant in the field. Jefferson Davis is only on stage one time. No, this book strives to bring us into the action, and show us the brutality of the battles, the hopes and frustrations of the men. Parts of it were very difficult to work through, particularly those from the South’s perspective in the final third of the book when the outcome of the war becomes all but inevitable and the armies are in desperate straits. At times I felt as drug through the mud, worn out and starving as the soldiers did. We do get a lot of personal musings on the nature of man and war from all three main POV figures and while insightful, I felt the story dragged a little too much in some areas and it is for this reason that I took off one star on my rating. But the final scenes of the surrender between Lee and Grant were so well done that I was on the edge of my seat, despite knowing the outcome. I also enjoyed gaining some insight on several of the lesser known historical leaders on the battlefield and just what a huge impact the sudden loss of one man could be.

This is the concluding volume in an unusually developed Civil War trilogy. The middle book, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, was the first book written, won the Pulitzer Prize and is generally regarded as among the finest novels on any aspect of the Civil War ever written. After Michael’s death, his son, Jeff Shaara picked up the mantle and wrote the prequel, Gods and Generals, as well as this sequel, forming a complete trilogy. Many readers can’t seem to get past the fact that although they are father and son, Jeff and Michael are two different authors. Many say that Jeff doesn’t fill his father’s shoes and some seem to go so far as to say “how dare he try to capitalize on his father’s accomplishments!” Well, to each his own I suppose. I will say that 'The Killer Angels' was a great read but I believe that Jeff also writes a damn fine war novel and has gone on to a great career as an historical fiction author. I’ve read most of his books and am never disappointed.

As an armchair historian and one who is especially interested in the Civil War, I highly recommend all three books in this trilogy, no matter the author.

[Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Last Full Measure" is the final book in the Civil War trilogy by the Shaaras. Michael Shaara, the father, started it all when he wrote wrote the Pulitzer-Prize winning "The Killer Angels" about the battle at Gettysburg. He passed away before he could write more. His son Jeff then wrote about events leading up to Gettysburg and next what followed after Gettysburg. Is "The Last Full Measure" as good as "The Killer Angels"? Not quite, but perhaps that's not even a fair question.

"The Killer Angels" covers a four-day battle, with the focus on two days. "The Last Full Measure" covers the two years following Gettysburg to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. As did his father, Jeff Shaara writes about these war years by focusing on a few key characters. The history is meticulously researched; the inner thoughts of these characters and their conversations are imagined, but very plausible.

Several key battles are brought to life: the second Battle of the Wilderness, the disastrous plan of the earthworks, the slaughter at Cold Harbor and Grant's enormous regret, the rush to Spotsylvania, and the siege of Petersburg. (Not a comprehensive listing) Throughout these battles, we see Lee's weary but indomitable spirit and the devotion of his army, although they were badly outnumbered; and we see Grant's dogged determination to prevail and the gradual realization of his army that this General would not retreat, as had so many of their leaders before him.

We also see a gratified Lincoln: he had finally found a General who was not overly cautious, who would press forward unafraid. Lincoln, in turn, gave Grant his full support and confidence. By contrast, we see a rather ungrateful, unrealistic and perhaps self-centered Jefferson Davis, who believed the war was to save HIS capital, and who refused to see that the rag-tag, starving Confederate Army could no longer hold out.

I found the depictions of both Lee and Grant fascinating. Lee is deeply religious; he is stubborn in his belief that God is on the side of the South and he finds that belief hard to reconcile with the loss of many of his best generals - Jackson, Stuart, A.P. Hill and others - and with his ultimate need to admit defeat. But only with the greatest dignity. Grant is a rougher-hewn character; but he is a humble, unpretentious man of great courage, determination, and honor. His generous terms for the South when they suffer defeat by his hand and Lee's dignified surrender are told movingly. They and their armies indeed gave their last full measure. Reading this account, we do believe that this government must not perish from the earth.

There are several more characters worthy of mention (Chamberlain, for example), but you will have to read the book yourself. A glimpse into the home life of Lee, Grant, and Chamberlain is very interesting. Hint: Grant had the happiest marriage of the three. My only criticisms are that the book is too long (600 pages), we are inside the generals' heads too much and too often. The pace becomes slow, even a bit sluggish at times, and the emotions portrayed quite repetitious. How often do I need to read about the "hot anger," "the gut churning," and the "red face"? I think nothing would have been lost by editing out about 100 pages and the writing could be crisper. Yet, this telling of the final two years of the Civil War is an enormous accomplishment.

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still enjoyed the historical information but I did not care for his writing style--it lacks the flair for writing in comparison to his father's book. He overuses phrases of his own making that often confuse the reader left not knowing who he is talking about or who is doing the talking. Sometimes the pace flows and keeps the reader interested, and other times it lags on and on to the point of frustration. He tries to describe the feelings of the characters when he couldn't possibly know what was going in their minds. I appreciate that he was trying to create a picture for us of what it would have been like, but much of it was unbelievable. And I am only referring to the parts that we don't already know as facts from other memoirs and letters. This could be a very good book if those run-on parts were edited from the book. The historical facts are laid out in a well-conceived format that helps us understand the timeline in which the war unfolded. It is this part of the book that will probably persuade me to keep it on my shelf and possibly read it again.

[R.F. Gammon]

*sighs* honestly, I just...don’t like this book. It’s great, and I love the Killer Angels, the one written by Michael Shaara. But something about his son, who wrote this book, just manages to drive me crazy, and I’m not sure why. This book is too long to scream through. XD

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third and last book of this trilogy and the one I liked less. There are, of course, some of the good elements of the other two books, the descriptions of the battles are good enough and there is a lot of effort from the author to show the human side of the protagonists, but it also has several weaknesses. The author chooses to deal more with these battles of the last year of the American Civil War and because there are so many there is not so much room for the characters and their feelings, opposed to what happens in the other two books, but even when he has that room the writer does not manage to deepen enough to them. Something similar, however, is also the case with the battles, the writer has such anxiety to squeeze as much as possible of them that in the end their description is rather hurried. So it's a book that definitely has some positive things but it suffers a lot compared to the other books of this trilogy.
 
Το τρίτο και τελευταίο βιβλίο αυτής της τριλογίας και αυτό που μου άρεσε λιγότερο. Έχει, βέβαια, κάποια από τα καλά στοιχεία των άλλων δύο βιβλίων, οι περιγραφές των μαχών είναι αρκετά καλές ενώ υπάρχει και αρκετή προσπάθεια από το συγγραφέα για να δείξει την ανθρώπινη πλευρά των πρωταγωνιστών, έχει, όμως, και αρκετές αδυναμίες. Ο συγγραφέας επιλέγει να ασχοληθεί περισσότερο με αυτές τις μάχες του τελευταίου χρόνου του αμερικανικού εμφυλίου πολέμου και επειδή είναι τόσες πολλές δεν μένει πολύς χώρος για τους χαρακτήρες και τα συναισθήματά τους, σε αντίθεση με ότι συμβαίνει στα άλλα δύο βιβλία., αλλά ακόμα και όταν αυτός ο χώρος υπάρχει ο συγγραφέας δεν καταφέρνει να εμβαθύνει αρκετά σε αυτούς. Κάτι ανάλογο, όμως, συμβαίνει και με τις μάχες, ο συγγραφέας έχει τέτοια αγωνία να στριμώξει όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερες από αυτές που στο τέλος η περιγραφή τους γίνεται μάλλον βιαστικά. Οπότε πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που έχει σίγουρα κάποια θετικά στοιχεία αλλά πάσχει πολύ σε σύγκριση με τα άλλα βιβλία αυτής της τριλογίας.

[Daniel Ligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to an excellent Civil War trilogy. While Jeff Shaara isn't quite as good a writer as his father Michael ("Killer Angels"), he still does a great job of capturing the look and feel of the scenes and characters. Shaara's portrayal of General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is particularly compelling. Few moments in American history are as tragic or as poignant as the surrender at Appomattox Court House and the events leading up to it, and Shaara tells that story masterfully. Great book!

[Alexw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five enthusiastic stars. Once again through extensive research, Shaara gets you into the minds of Grant, Lee and Chamberlain and their pivotal roles in the Civil War. Dialogue so crisp that you feel you are eavesdropping. Shaara own style on page 35 on his take for fighting hard is because " cursed discipline that keeps the panic away." Lee's fury that his plans are leaked to the press, the horrible death of the wounded as they lay helpless and cannot move away from the fires started by all the muskets firing. Grant's constant pounding with his superior number of troops that Lee recognizes will win the war.

[John Boyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of historical fiction following the final months of the Civil War. Shaara's brilliant narrative mixed with historical accuracy makes for a hard book to put down. Wish they made the movie!!

[The Nutmeg · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last! I finished it!

These books are....really not my cup of tea, as far as the writing style goes, but I've enjoyed spending time with all the commanders as imagined by the Shaaras. And there are aspects of this novel that I'm rather impressed with, such as the trend of the War getting more personal all the time. One of the biggest beefs I have with the writing style IS that it feels so impersonal (...which is ironic, considering the goal is to get the reader inside the commander's head); there are relationships ("TOM!" to quote Chamberlain in the movie Gettysburg; also Armistead and Hancock, Grant and Longstreet, etc.), but for the most part the guys try not to think about that, and for the most part they do a pretty good job. Only in this one, as the war drags on and more men die, they can't ignore the personal nature of the killing any longer. It's significant that when Stuart dies, he sees the man pointing a gun at him and everything else fades away into swirling black mist like in some super dramatic movie scene. Y'know? "They are coming for me," "We have to focus on LEE now," etc., etc.; and then towards the very end of the book, Lee before Appomattox has this vision of Jackson and Stuart and thinks "those were my sons" and it's...yeah. It's sad. And it's personal now.

And gosh, the Civil War is so LONG. This happened to me when I listened to Across Five Aprils a long time ago, too, and also, I think, when I watched the Ken Burns documentary: at first the history is so fascinating, but at a certain point after Gettysburg the narrative stops being interesting and just DRAGS. You can just feel the exhaustion of the nation. It weighs you down and makes you feel kind of nauseous. And if it's like that for a reader, how much worse must it have been for the people actually living through it?

Also. I finally know what becomes of Tom Chamberlain. Which is...90% of the reason I bought this book when I found it at Goodwill several years ago. Turns out Tom becomes a hopeless old soak but I guess I can live with that. I do love my hopeless old soaks. I'll just think of Tom as Sebastian Flyte with a black mustache and pray for the repose of his sad, sad soul.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The predecessor of this book (The Killer Angels) far surpasses The Last Full Measure in most ways - tightness of storyline, style, prose, illustration and delivery of key facts - but, nevertheless, I enjoyed Jeff Shaara's game attempt to conclude the Civil War story in his father's image.
As a "foreigner", I don't have the inculcated knowledge of the War that US students undoubtedly absorb from their earliest school years, so I found the book very helpful in establishing the timeline of events, and geographical juxtaposition of the major locations, of the second half of the unfathomable conflict. I read the book ahead of an imminent holiday to include visits to some of the battlefields. I will find the information provided and animation of the principal players excellent background to my visit.
I do think that the author did draw out the book a little, and relied on " the hand of God" theme overly much, but I'm probably looking for a reason to rate the book a little less than its excellent antecedent.
I recommend the book to Civil War buffs, but make sure you read The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara first.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

this three piece series on the civil war was the best books I have ever read on the subject especially the last one . It was so good I did not want to put it down not like reading a history book but a good story. By the end of the book you felt as if you knew each man personally. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a love of history.

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work suffers from the same flaws as God and Generals. Shaara simply fails to reproduce the genius of his father. The only book in this trilogy that needs to be read is Michael Shaara's original "The Killer Angels."

[BT Philips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shaara does a good job again of bringing the characters of Robert E. Lee and Joshua Chamberlain to life while introducing the awe-inspiring General Ulysses S. Grant. A lot of action is packed into this final installment of the trilogy, but Shaara manages to handle it all pretty well. It begins with the aftermath of the catastrophic Gettysburg campaign and goes all the way through to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. In between, the slow but sure destruction of Lee's army under the boot of General Grant's force is well-narrated.

The return of the stateliness of Robert E. Lee and of the idealistic scholarliness of Joshua Chamberlain are welcome bits of continuity that follow in the footsteps of the first two books. However, having General Grant as a new face was what I enjoyed in particular about this piece of the trilogy. His dealings with many selfish and competing generals within his own army on the road to victory was commendable. In addition to that, his close relationship to President Lincoln during the final year of the Civil War was critical to his success and was given special attention in this book.

As an avid military history buff, I appreciate the attention to detail Shaara gave to most of the major conflicts that fell within the timeline of this book. The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg, Five Forks, and Appomattox are of particular focus. I wish a little more mention would've been given to the Battle of Cold Harbor in order to give a more comprehensive picture of Grant's Overland Campaign (for only the aftermath of that battle is really included in this book). However, I cannot complain much as this final piece of the trilogy measures up closely to the previous two installments.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed rereading this one to prepare for our trip to Virginia and Washington DC in October

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series was recommended to me years ago and it's been on my tbr since 2017. This year I finally decided to knock out that tbr so I started with Gods & Generals, which was a struggle because of Jeff Shaara's writing style. Still I persevered and made it through. I went ahead and read The Killer Angels at that point because it was by a different author (his dad Michael Shaara) and I'm interested in the historical time period. That one was a much better book - more concise and easy to read and less bogged down in guessing about what each of the major players is thinking. So, I picked up this book with a little trepidation.

Ugh. I'm one of those weird readers who has a hard time giving up on a book once I start it. (I've been working on this!) The story is compelling, but the prose is plodding and it drove me crazy to keep reading the same "God is with us so it's all going to turn out somehow" drivel from Lee. Honestly, what Lee was thinking is all guess work anyway since he never wrote his memoirs, and I think Shaara gives him WAY too much credit. In the end, while yes, the southerners were fighting for a cause they believed in, they were still traitors to their country and privileged "gentlemen" who fought to preserve a way of life that depended on the enslavement and ultimate exploitation of others. So, yes, by all means, try to give a little grace and judge them through 1860s eyes instead of 2022 eyes, but good heavens, let's not glorify them! They were brave, yes, but they were not heroes to be emulated and revered. I felt like Shaara was trying so hard to give a "balanced" view of the two sides that he ended up deifying men on both sides, but especially Lee. There was so much inner dialog that it made the book incredibly difficult to get through.

The battle scenes had some good action, but there were just too many of them: the book would have been much better had it focused on 3 or 4 major battles and left the rest out. The afterword where Shaara talks about what happened to most of the major players was interesting, but by then I was so ready to be done that, despite my interest, I still had a hard time concentrating.

This book would have been a thousand times better with a good editor eliminating about 300 pages and keeping the focus on the action of what happened and adding in only the occasional thoughts that could actually be verified by confirmed historical record. 2 stars

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the final book in Jeff Shaara 's Civil War Trilogy. I read it slowly and thoughtfully and came away from the experience actually feeling heartbreak and sadness for Robert E. Lee and his men.

This is what makes Shaara's storytelling so unique: Through the entire series he never "took a side", he told the story of the Civil War through the eyes of the men that lived it, introduced you to their family and friends and made each soldier a human being that you felt you knew. I was sorry to turn the last page and now this journey was at end. Then, while on vacation last week, my husband commented that I had been reading this series since our first camping trip in May. Was it that good? And now, my husband-the non-reader(*English as a second language is hard for him*) has picked up Gods and Generals to begin the series, that makes me happy!

Shaara has written another series dubbed "The Western Front" (who knew that anything west of Virginia was called that?) of the Civil War. I look forward to starting it and learning more about Sherman and some others barely mentioned in this first series.

[Rafe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Michael Shaara's book about Gettysburg, The Killer Angels, and so it was with a lot of anticipation (and a bit of anxiety) that I started reading his son Jeff's companion volumes. Overall, I don't like them. I wish I did. I want to, very much. But I keep finding them overwritten, too much telling, not enough showing, and sometimes so sprawling and incoherent that I, someone who has studied the Civil War in detail and knows a fair amount about it, have trouble keeping track of who is doing what where. I should not have that problem.
What is Jeff Shaara good at, though? His Civil War travel book. It shows evidence of a storytelling gene that his novels lack, and lots of useful information besides.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaara does a great job in pulling the reader into the conflict as each battle plays out. The growing desperation of the South, as its supplies give out and its numbers dwindle, the growing confidence of the North, which iswell supplied and with an almost unending supply of men. Each is vividly drawn.

The same descriptions could be used for its leaders. Lee has to watch while his men go hungry, dressed practically in rags, and wonder when enough will be enough. Grant has the full force of the North’s riches, in both supplies and men, and knows how to use them. Gradually it comes to both how inevitable the North’s win is.

The book is a wonderful conclusion to this magnificent trilogy.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent finish to a remarkable trilogy. Anyone who has a passing knowledge of the Civil War needs to read this set of books. It is an exciting and well told story which will certainly lead me to reading more about this period in US history. Start with Killer Angels. Gods and Generals was good and The Last Full Measure was an amazing way to bring it to the end.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Well-written, well-researched, just too long for this non-Civil War buff. I enjoyed the passages that explored Lee's, Chamberlain's, Grant's thoughts more than the action, although I did read through the battle scenes as well. The last quarter was the best for me as the war draws to its inevitable surrender. I found those pages quite moving.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a great wrap to the civil war. I need to think on this before reviewing.

[Jonathan Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy conclusion to the shaara trilogy that for the first time focuses on the persona of Grant and his stature compared to the other (primarily confederate) generals. What separates 2 armies between each other on the battlefield is truly the men leading them, with generals as the heroes celebrated throughout time. Very interesting as in this book having been written in 1998 is the first to address the changing nature of war itself - with the US civil war as really the first "modern" one that employed such new (and highly dishonorable) tactics as trench warfare and targeting civilian infrastructure such as rail lines that supply the military - not the way that "gentlemen" are supposed to conduct war historically. Just look how far that has continued to denigrate. One common theme for certain is the horror of war. Not surprising how it has moved from a noble battle to anything needed to cause destruction and victory... War is hell and the best service our civilian leadership can support for our military is to avoid war altogether - if only more presidents would heed TR's "speak softly but carry a big stick." Sometimes you do need to use the stick to ensure others know you have it, as this and WWII were clear such cases... Though I think clear that the exception has too often become the rule quite sadly. 2nd takeaway was similar to be other 2 books in the trilogy - Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a total bad ass. A true leader who knew how to inspire men, and with the valor, integrity, passion, and sense of greater cause that I myself would have followed into the battlefield. 3rd was clearly the wisdom of Lincoln who did everything he could to preserve the Union, recognizing the larger impact on future American strength and tenets of democracy. A man well before his time who sadly too many future presidents failed to evoke the same jurisprudence when confronting difficult decisions. Also enlightening to see the relationship btw Lincoln and Grant, as two men with the utmost respect for each other and embrace for the common big picture cause. Some memorable quotes that really paint the essence of this 3rd post Gettysburg chapter of the war when the tide had been turned to Union momentum. Grant, a western cowboy who differed greatly as a rugged horseman vs the traditional Generals who had thus far failed in charge of the Union army: Hooker, Burnside, etc.


Despite graduating last in his class at West Point, a series of strategic successes led to Grant taking charge with Lincoln appointing the rank of Lt.. General (joining only Washington and Winfield Scott), frames with a speech - "if we lose this war, something of great value will be lost with it. History will record that the idea did not work, that our piece of paper did not carry the power of a monarchy, the constitution was not as efficient as the power of an elite ruling class, that it is acceptable for one class of human beings to possess and dominate another. There is a significance to this that goes far beyond our borders, and far beyond our time."

Grant saw the key to ending the war as not taking Richmond, but taking Lee. The men fight not for their confederacy, the paranoid Davis, or belief in a more moral way to live... But for loyalty to Lee. Davis had gone crazy to the point beyond reconciliation. Lincoln met with Davis's delegates ready to offer anything to preserve the union, even keeping slavery on the table, but Davis had his own vision that even his reps could not fully understand. Thus only one solution to end the war - stop the rebel army. Southern media even turned against Davis at one point as the war prolonged and looked unwinnable. Governors stated their opposition to Davis as horrors of war with returning soldiers spread... One man still commanded respect - Lee. Media wanted him to take control over from Davis and end the political incompetence. Lee knew what this would mean - that their way had failed if he did so, and wanted no part of becoming a new dictator of the confederacy.

Chamberlain a bad ass once again. Empassioned speech as he leads volunteer brigades to accomplish what nobody expected in the front of numerous critical attacks.

For the first time in what was modern warfare (at that point), civilian life being targeted by militaries (obvious that this was standard medieval times). Exemplified by Sherman's march in Georgia wreaking havoc on the populace: "if you are not affected, if you are not hurt by what we do, then you will not do anything to stop it. The war will simply continue. As long as it is just the soldiers, these barbaric men with guns who kill each other, as long as the damage is far away, the destruction and death out of yor sight, then no amount of hand-wringing and moral outrage will make it end. If you are affected, if your farms, your crops are destroyed, your neat buildings in your perfect towns burned to the ground, then there will be a reason to stop this. War is not tidy, it is not convenient, it is everywhere, it has to be felt by everyone." first time a "modern" war was fought, not necessarily behaving like "gentlemen" on the battlefield. Use of trenches, not just straight on stand up and watch the man you kill die honorably. Longstreet used land mines that killed civilians and horses equally to protect Richmond. Hardee did the same in Savannah to protect from Sherman. War is hell - no one is more noble than the other... More respectable to prolong the fighting and killing or end sooner via brutal methods. Describing Grant: "he didn't know how much to believe of the reports, whether Sherman had been as vicious as many claimed. But of course, he knew what Phil Sheridan had done to the Shenandoah. If the enemy cannot eat, the enemy cannot fight. Is that any more barbaric than blasting twenty pounds of canister through a line of men? Or dropping a thirty-pound iron ball through the roof of a shelter where men sit, believing they are safe?"

On the front lines, both sides would talk to each other at night, calling each other johnny or billy, or Yankee or rebel. During Gordon's surprise attack, one soldier dropped a timber that caused a loud crack. North soldier asked what it was, saying he would shoot if no answer. Soldier told to signify the attack with a shot responded that they were just gathering corn. Yankee replied that he would not shoot at them while drawing rations. As Gordon gave the order to start the attack, rebel soldier could not do it: "sir, I can't lie to him. I talk to that yank every night. It's not right sir." ultimately did so at order, but fired into the sky and yelled "hello yank, wake up! Look out, we're coming!" Shows that still, this was brother fighting brother on the front lines and as Generals (win Longstreet having been in Grant's wedding party even). Still was a sense of honor at capturing fort Stedman - union officer to Gordon: "My compliments to your operation, sir. You have humiliated a fine commas." "if you permit, sir, I am your prisoner, and wish to remain with my men."

Grant discussing with Sherman near the end "that's what the military is all about, absolute discipline. Washington... No such thing as discipline, as command. The government... Our government can't work that way. And you're right, he's already thinking ahead, already knows what we have to do after the fighting stops. There's a lot of people around Lincoln, a lot of pressure to make them pay, punish anyone who called himself a rebel. He knows that won't work. We're still one country. Our job is pretty clear, take the fight out of them. His job... A lot tougher. He has to take us forward, heal the wounds." Begins touching on Grants aversion for politics... He is a Soldier - knows how to accomplish a job, but has little talent for politics and no taste for it. Amazing that he later became president himself, though seemingly to fulfill what his friend Lincoln could not after assassination.

Chamberlain after the successfull attack on pickett's right flank at Appomattox river, general warren was dismissed by sheridan for being too slow and not getting into the fight. "that is the lesson. This war will be won by the men who move forward, who do not stop to question what they do or what the consequences will be. It is not cause or country or the fellow beside you. It is simple and direct. The rebels were winning this war when they had men like Jackson. Now we are winning because we have men like Sheridan. Whether Warren's removal was justified or Glenn's death was my fault doesn't matter now. These questions will be answered later. Now, we will simply move forward."

Last push from chamberlain to support sheridan's cavalry, with negro troops involved in the fight. "what are they feeling? My god... This is what we are fighting for... At least, it is what I am fighting for. And I can never know... I will never feel what this means to them."

Wisdom of Lee ending the war instead of holding out to fight a guerilla attack like his nephew Fitz Lee in charge of cavalry suggested. Could take more time to kill civilians, politicians, etc but Lee commanded respect. Even Grant acknowledged at his surrender that union won, but Lee did too by maintaining respectfulness throughout. Then Lincoln acknowledging to Grant afterwards that this was about reunification, not punishment. Many southern governors were already in contact... But by Davis. "if he is caught, he will be tried, and convicted, and possibly hanged. Then he becomes a martyr. That's how wounds stay open. The best thing that can happen is if he simply... Disappears. I would not mind if he, say crossed into Mexico, maybe found his way to Europe. He no doubt has friends who would expedite all of that. I can't suggest his publicly, of course... You understand that, don't you, Mr, Grant?" "a government in exile is better than a government coming to its end on a gallows." more wisdom that Is relevant today and if only could have been followed... From Lincoln's embrace of onetime enemies to re-form a union, similar to de-baathification in iraq where such sage advice was ignored - bush43 did not focus on healing wounds and let stead the people's fire for getting revenge take over.

Grant was not a natural politician and struggled for words. Lacked the tongue of chamberlain, and remarked to Lincoln many times that Washington was not his place. Understood lincoln's pov about reconciliation and why better not to punish the south, and recognized that is why he is a military man and not a politico. Declined invite from Lincoln to stay longer in washington where he was celebrated by the people in order to get back to his family and mundane life... Remarked by Lincoln that if
Grant were to stay, could delay his visit to the theater that night. A fateful decision...

[Wyatt Bucey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fitting conclusion to the civil war trilogy started by Michael Shaara and finished by his son.

Though it should be noted that these books are not word for word nonfiction, the author conceded that much of the dialogue is realistic but was made up by him, though the events remain factual

These books cover so much ground and so many characters through the years of the civil war. This book mostly follows the accounts of Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Lawrence Chamberlain through the events after the battle of Gettysburg through the end of the civil war

Robert E. Lee’s unwavering belief in Gods Will was the guiding force for him and by extension his confederate army that would have followed him wherever he led them, though as the war ground on their commitment to the cause could not overcome the lack of food/supplies/clothing, etc

This book described the sheer horrors that men on both sides experienced more vividly than the other two, descriptions of the two armies sleeping feet away from each other at times and the primal forces of man coming out in battle after battle was striking. And despite the Battle of Gettysburg looking like the start of the end in hindsight, I guarantee the men who fought and died vicious deaths between July 1863 and the end of the war didn’t feel like the war was over at all.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is I think the single most interesting character throughout the series, starting off as a young professor in Maine, he joins the Union army due to personal convictions early on in the war, throughout the war he becomes a loved and respected soldier, getting wounded and sick multiple times. But one of things about him that sticks out to me is his continual scolding of himself for “thinking too much” as he can’t help but consider the broader ideas and implications of everything that’s happening. But despite this, he by his own account fights back the primal animal fear that “every soldier faces going into every fight” and emerges as a hero from the war before going on to becoming governor of Maine for four terms. Chamberlain later traveled the world trying to discover something about religion and the nature of man, to learn about other wars to see if there was any difference, if it was in Americans “nature” to fight, but he found that it is not exclusive, it is the history of man. He thought that maybe the existence of pictures, to bring up and close and personal the horrors of war, could be a deterrent in the arc of human history, only for World War 1 to kick off months after he passed.

Ulysses S. Grant is the one character that we get no insight into in the first two books that gets a large chunk of this book dedicated to him. And for good reason as his appointment to the commanding general of the Army of the Potomac may have changed the course of American history. He did not succumb to the issues that plagued the past Union commanders despite some early struggles. There are lots of good descriptions of his decision making/relationships with subordinates/how the war ultimately came to an end but I think the accounts of his relationship with his wife Julia and President Lincoln were the most compelling. He is clearly uneasy about the world of politics in this period of his life and just wants to play his role as the army leader, yet we all know he became president and served for two terms later in his life, there is not much insight into what changed for him on that front other than Lincoln’s assassination.

This book also gives the sense that Lincoln had no interest in “punishing” the south for the war and wanted to focus on healing and bringing the nation back together, committed to the ideals that he believed America was founded on. But his assassination created a vacuum and a shockwave that was and likely is still felt in our country today. There are a million factors making it impossible to say, but how different would things be today had he survived and lived out the duration of his second term?

As the USA seems to be at a critical juncture with stark divisions on so many issues, I want to highlight the fact that many of the men in critical positions in both armies had lived lives that were so closely intertwined with people who they would end up fighting against. In many cases, the closest of friends and veterans of battles fought together became engaged in the bloodiest conflict in American history, egged on by fiery speeches made in Richmond and Washington by people who would never be involved in the fighting.

[James Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three books in this “trilogy,” this, in my opinion, was the strongest. The first of the novels, “Gods and Generals” does a decent job setting the scene and introducing these men. The second, the original, “The Killer Angels,” was ironically my least favorite, as the description of gettysburg from the perspective of the Generals seems to ignore the humanity of the men that actually fought and died in the battle (aside from chamberlain’s chapters, which were usually very aware of the humanity). This novel, however, does an excellent job of acknowledging the human sacrifice on each side. Pickett’s complete change post Gettysburg and his loss of faith in Lee is compelling, Lee’s thoughts while being enclosed by Grant, and finally becoming aware of the men in his army (some sections he even mentions how he can’t think about the faces, can’t look at them because that would make his decisions harder) is a welcome change that Jeff Shaara makes from his Father’s original. Finally, as was the case in “The Killer Angels,” Chamberlain’s chapters are the strongest, as we trace the growth from a relatively unknown Professor from Maine becoming one of the highest regarded Generals of the War. Chamberlain never loses sight of his men, even when he becomes General, which is a rare trait for officers in this series.

The one thing that knocked this review down to 4 stars is how long the ending takes. It felt like the story was mostly over around page 400, but there was still 160 pages left. It felt like they really dragged it out when it could’ve ended sooner.

[Dale Sabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. The last book of an excellent trilogy. Michael Shaara wrote about Gettysburg and his son Jeff wrote the prequel and this last book, the sequel of the war in the East after Gettysburg. Excellent for students of the Civil War, and those with no knowledge or interest in the subject. Great history and story telling. The events are now legends, studied more than any event in our history.

This was not as long ago as you might imagine. The $5 and $50 bill memorialize key players. The US 1925 half dollar honors Lee and Jackson and Confederate soldiers.

The last Gettysburg reunion was 1938. The last combat veteran died in the 1950’s. General Longstreet’s second wife lived until 1962, and other widows lived well into the 21st century.

The war echoes politically to this day. A few examples of many; The current President of the United States, Joe Biden, was among the US Senators who successfully voted in 1975 to restore citizenship to General Lee. I learned to be an Army Infantryman in 1976 at Ft. Benning, GA which was named after an unrepentant Confederate General, and expect that post will be renamed in my lifetime. I remember a fellow US soldier from Georgia I trained with with who disliked me immediately and permanently because I was a “Yankee”.