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Gone For Soldiers
With his acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara expanded upon his father's Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War classic, The Killer Angels--ushering the reader through the poignant drama of this most bloody chapter in our history. Now, in Gone for Soldiers, Jeff Shaara carries us back fifteen years before that momentous conflict, when the Civil War's most familiar names are fighting for another cause, junior officers marching under the same flag in an unfamiliar land, experiencing combat for the first time in the Mexican-American War.
In March 1847, the U.S. Navy delivers eight thousand soldiers on the beaches of Vera Cruz. They are led by the army's commanding general, Winfield Scott, a heroic veteran of the War of 1812, short tempered, vain, and nostalgic for the glories of his youth. At his right hand is Robert E. Lee, a forty-year-old engineer, a dignified, serious man who has never seen combat.
Scott leads his troops against the imperious Mexican dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Obsessed with glory and his place in history, Santa Ana arrogantly underestimates the will and the heart of Scott and his army. As the Americans fight their way inland, both sides understand that the inevitable final conflict will come at the gates and fortified walls of the ancient capital, Mexico City.
Cut off from communication and their only supply line, the Americans learn about their enemy and themselves, as young men witness for the first time the horror of war. While Scott must weigh his own place in history, fighting what many consider a bully's war, Lee the engineer becomes Lee the hero, the one man in Scott's command whose extraordinary destiny as a soldier is clear.
In vivid, brilliant prose that illuminates the dark psychology of soldiers and their commanders trapped behind enemy lines, Jeff Shaara brings to life the haunted personalities and magnificent backdrop, the familiar characters, the stunning triumphs and soul-crushing defeats of this fascinating, long-forgotten war. Gone for Soldiers is an extraordinary achievement that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.
From the Hardcover edition.
In March 1847, the U.S. Navy delivers eight thousand soldiers on the beaches of Vera Cruz. They are led by the army's commanding general, Winfield Scott, a heroic veteran of the War of 1812, short tempered, vain, and nostalgic for the glories of his youth. At his right hand is Robert E. Lee, a forty-year-old engineer, a dignified, serious man who has never seen combat.
Scott leads his troops against the imperious Mexican dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Obsessed with glory and his place in history, Santa Ana arrogantly underestimates the will and the heart of Scott and his army. As the Americans fight their way inland, both sides understand that the inevitable final conflict will come at the gates and fortified walls of the ancient capital, Mexico City.
Cut off from communication and their only supply line, the Americans learn about their enemy and themselves, as young men witness for the first time the horror of war. While Scott must weigh his own place in history, fighting what many consider a bully's war, Lee the engineer becomes Lee the hero, the one man in Scott's command whose extraordinary destiny as a soldier is clear.
In vivid, brilliant prose that illuminates the dark psychology of soldiers and their commanders trapped behind enemy lines, Jeff Shaara brings to life the haunted personalities and magnificent backdrop, the familiar characters, the stunning triumphs and soul-crushing defeats of this fascinating, long-forgotten war. Gone for Soldiers is an extraordinary achievement that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.
From the Hardcover edition.
512 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 2, 2000
408 people are currently reading
3032 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Shaara
49 books2,188 followersJEFF 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews
March 24, 2017
Fascinating detail, especially keen on an inside look at a very young, but already brilliant Captain Robert E. Lee.
Shaara's 2000 historic novel about the Mexican-American War is a fascinating book by itself and can also be seen as a precursor to Shaara's later work on the American Civil War.
Providing a depth of characterization that will be worthwhile to readers and students of this era in American history, the reader gets to know about many historical personages, most notably Lee and General Winfield Scott.
Shaara's 2000 historic novel about the Mexican-American War is a fascinating book by itself and can also be seen as a precursor to Shaara's later work on the American Civil War.
Providing a depth of characterization that will be worthwhile to readers and students of this era in American history, the reader gets to know about many historical personages, most notably Lee and General Winfield Scott.
May 29, 2020
Wow, what a surprise! This was just an excellent book, far more enjoyable than Gods and Generals, which was the only previous Jeff Shaara book I read, and which paled in comparison to his father's The Killer Angels. However, Shaara Jr. has become a better writer, and in taking on the Mexico City Campaign of the Mexican-American War, he found a new conflict that hasn't been overworked before, but which proves to be a brilliant prequel to the "Civil War Trilogy," introducing many of the same characters who will lead both the North and the South 15 years later.
The book focuses almost completely on two characters, Captain Robert E. Lee and General Winfield Scott, telling their story in alternating chapters, (although I really liked how at the very end, he includes individual chapters told from Grant's, Longstreet's and Jackson's perspectives). Lee comes off as a bit prim-and-proper and holier-than-thou, and while that makes him an at-times annoying protagonist, that may well be an accurate portrayal. However, the character of Scott is a revelation. I knew nothing of the man going into the story other than how he is presented in the beginning of Gods and Generals, as an out-of-touch old man who naps away his afternoons. But here he is a real force of nature who embodies both leadership and wisdom. I really want to learn more about the true man now, as well as the Mex-Am War in general -- and isn't that a key goal of historical fiction?
That said, I do have two niggling complaints. The book has almost as many endings as "Return of the King," and Shaara continues to over-abuse the sentence structure his father created for Killer Angels and used to such better effect: "Lee watched them disappear into the brush, thought, He was alive, but...he was waiting to die;" or "Lee felt a rising heat in his chest, thought, My God...they will never come back." Apparently, Lee thought and...paused a lot, because he does this on nearly every page. But otherwise, this is a real page-turner, and I highly recommend it to anyone with even a superficial interest in the Civil War, American history or military history in general.
The book focuses almost completely on two characters, Captain Robert E. Lee and General Winfield Scott, telling their story in alternating chapters, (although I really liked how at the very end, he includes individual chapters told from Grant's, Longstreet's and Jackson's perspectives). Lee comes off as a bit prim-and-proper and holier-than-thou, and while that makes him an at-times annoying protagonist, that may well be an accurate portrayal. However, the character of Scott is a revelation. I knew nothing of the man going into the story other than how he is presented in the beginning of Gods and Generals, as an out-of-touch old man who naps away his afternoons. But here he is a real force of nature who embodies both leadership and wisdom. I really want to learn more about the true man now, as well as the Mex-Am War in general -- and isn't that a key goal of historical fiction?
That said, I do have two niggling complaints. The book has almost as many endings as "Return of the King," and Shaara continues to over-abuse the sentence structure his father created for Killer Angels and used to such better effect: "Lee watched them disappear into the brush, thought, He was alive, but...he was waiting to die;" or "Lee felt a rising heat in his chest, thought, My God...they will never come back." Apparently, Lee thought and...paused a lot, because he does this on nearly every page. But otherwise, this is a real page-turner, and I highly recommend it to anyone with even a superficial interest in the Civil War, American history or military history in general.
December 6, 2021
Jeff Shaara weaves a fine historical fiction storyline that keeps you intrigued! It’s interesting to read about the future leaders in the Civil War working together as one in the Mexican-American War. I’m a fan of both Jeff and his father Michael (Killer Angels is one of my favorite books), so I knew this would be a good one!
July 19, 2025
Another compelling novel from Sharra with the foreshadowing of people fighting the Mexican dictator Santa Anna & who in a few short years will be trying to kill each other in the Civil War. Particularly fascinating was the heroics of Jackson (who earned the nickname Stonewall in the Civil War for not moving from the fighting) as he stood fast in cannon fire that knocked him to the ground.
Wish more would have been about Grant as the main characters were Lee & Scott but still well deserving of 5 stars.
Wish more would have been about Grant as the main characters were Lee & Scott but still well deserving of 5 stars.
October 20, 2020
The Mexican-American War.
A dispute over which river was the border resolved by the United States making it the Pacific Ocean. Gone for Soldiers is a campaign diary of all the people Shaara thought were the good guys. Maybe they removed Indians via the Trail of Tears. Maybe they were slaveholders. No matter, because didn’t men like Winfield Scott and Robert E Lee look goddamn good in army blue.
Good ol boys
Gone for Soldiers takes a perspective that the professional soldier class that would make up the higher echelons of the Confederate States’ army were morally indistinguishable from the Unionists such as Scott or Grant. Lee, Johnston, Jackson, Longstreet, Beauregard, Pickett are heroic duty-bound soldiers, while slimy politicians in Washington deny the United States army essential support.
Characterisation isn’t about creating people that appeal to me. Nor does Shaara have to hold slavishly to history in his portrayals. But the characters are pretty interchangeable as slightly different shades of “our boys in blue”. There’s no appeal to a wider context and you can sense the stirrings of the “Lost Cause” in the depictions of the future Confederates.
Shaara’s one concession to a different viewpoint, the Mexican leader Santa Anna, is that of a moustache twirling villain. Shaara’s caricature of Santa Anna’s ironically draws attention to the shallowness of the rendering of the protagonists.
Shaara also leans heavily on the contrasts between the free United States and the dictatorial minded Mexico. Sure, you can take that viewpoint, and I don’t doubt a number of Americans at the time did. But writing unironically:
Mexico has difficulty governing itself in the best of times.
…when the US Civil War is due within 15 years of the events of the book with plenty of nigh ungovernable tension well before then is, frankly, taking the piss. A historical novel can change events. Shaara changes the historical account of the hanging of Irish Catholic deserters to better fit the theme of duty which, in itself, is fine. But Gone for Soldiers is very very narrow in its theme, in that being a troop is good and makes you a good person.
Show, Don’t Tell
Gone for Soldiers isn’t terribly written. Shaara knows the old tricks, such as Scott crediting his subordinate Twigg for not being so stupid to launch a frontal assault when that was exactly what Twigg planned to do. Lee’s discomfort lying for hours under a tree trunk is another good scene. There’s an intelligent structure to the book, where each battle is a tactical problem to be unpicked with brains and courage and a clear build-up of stakes.
However, Gone for Soldiers leans heavily, way too heavily, on internal monologue. It’s line after line pregnant with analysis:
He looked at the hot glow of the copper ball, thought, God is here! God is watching! That one was meant for me!
In isolation, perhaps not so bad, but wading through a book of it feels like the monkey’s paw of being granted the ability to read minds. It is also pretty tensionless stuff, leading me to query whether you can describe the characters as “richly drawn.” Writing a 1000 different variations on the theme of duty is still one theme.
When Shaara ventures into a third person descriptions, it varies between dull and disastrous. Shaara glitches out on purple prose trying to describe an attack on US supply carts during an armistice. I didn’t have a clue as to what happened until Shaara told me by way of dialogue after.
The dialogue varies in quality. The aforementioned exchange between Scott and Twigg is good. The first meeting between Scott and the lawyer Nicholas Trist is not, as each party trips over the exposition they have to deliver. The final exchange between Scott and Lee is Shaara furiously (and cringeworthily) paddling them away from associations with territorial aggrandizement.
When reading Gone for Soldiers, I wondered how you could turn a book about incredibly insular people with no chat into a movie. As I later found out, another one of Shaara’s has been - Gods and Generals. There is a cut that runs for over four hours. It rates at about 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gone for Soldiers isn’t an 8% book. I even wavered a promoting it to three stars. But it doesn’t offer anything special. Instead it’s a competently written paint by numbers, if each character was telling you what number they were painting and how they felt about it.
A dispute over which river was the border resolved by the United States making it the Pacific Ocean. Gone for Soldiers is a campaign diary of all the people Shaara thought were the good guys. Maybe they removed Indians via the Trail of Tears. Maybe they were slaveholders. No matter, because didn’t men like Winfield Scott and Robert E Lee look goddamn good in army blue.
Good ol boys
Gone for Soldiers takes a perspective that the professional soldier class that would make up the higher echelons of the Confederate States’ army were morally indistinguishable from the Unionists such as Scott or Grant. Lee, Johnston, Jackson, Longstreet, Beauregard, Pickett are heroic duty-bound soldiers, while slimy politicians in Washington deny the United States army essential support.
Characterisation isn’t about creating people that appeal to me. Nor does Shaara have to hold slavishly to history in his portrayals. But the characters are pretty interchangeable as slightly different shades of “our boys in blue”. There’s no appeal to a wider context and you can sense the stirrings of the “Lost Cause” in the depictions of the future Confederates.
Shaara’s one concession to a different viewpoint, the Mexican leader Santa Anna, is that of a moustache twirling villain. Shaara’s caricature of Santa Anna’s ironically draws attention to the shallowness of the rendering of the protagonists.
Shaara also leans heavily on the contrasts between the free United States and the dictatorial minded Mexico. Sure, you can take that viewpoint, and I don’t doubt a number of Americans at the time did. But writing unironically:
Mexico has difficulty governing itself in the best of times.
…when the US Civil War is due within 15 years of the events of the book with plenty of nigh ungovernable tension well before then is, frankly, taking the piss. A historical novel can change events. Shaara changes the historical account of the hanging of Irish Catholic deserters to better fit the theme of duty which, in itself, is fine. But Gone for Soldiers is very very narrow in its theme, in that being a troop is good and makes you a good person.
Show, Don’t Tell
Gone for Soldiers isn’t terribly written. Shaara knows the old tricks, such as Scott crediting his subordinate Twigg for not being so stupid to launch a frontal assault when that was exactly what Twigg planned to do. Lee’s discomfort lying for hours under a tree trunk is another good scene. There’s an intelligent structure to the book, where each battle is a tactical problem to be unpicked with brains and courage and a clear build-up of stakes.
However, Gone for Soldiers leans heavily, way too heavily, on internal monologue. It’s line after line pregnant with analysis:
He looked at the hot glow of the copper ball, thought, God is here! God is watching! That one was meant for me!
In isolation, perhaps not so bad, but wading through a book of it feels like the monkey’s paw of being granted the ability to read minds. It is also pretty tensionless stuff, leading me to query whether you can describe the characters as “richly drawn.” Writing a 1000 different variations on the theme of duty is still one theme.
When Shaara ventures into a third person descriptions, it varies between dull and disastrous. Shaara glitches out on purple prose trying to describe an attack on US supply carts during an armistice. I didn’t have a clue as to what happened until Shaara told me by way of dialogue after.
The dialogue varies in quality. The aforementioned exchange between Scott and Twigg is good. The first meeting between Scott and the lawyer Nicholas Trist is not, as each party trips over the exposition they have to deliver. The final exchange between Scott and Lee is Shaara furiously (and cringeworthily) paddling them away from associations with territorial aggrandizement.
When reading Gone for Soldiers, I wondered how you could turn a book about incredibly insular people with no chat into a movie. As I later found out, another one of Shaara’s has been - Gods and Generals. There is a cut that runs for over four hours. It rates at about 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gone for Soldiers isn’t an 8% book. I even wavered a promoting it to three stars. But it doesn’t offer anything special. Instead it’s a competently written paint by numbers, if each character was telling you what number they were painting and how they felt about it.
November 5, 2022
Audible credit 19 hours 41 min. Narrated by Jonathan Davis (A)
September 2, 2012
I was teaching history, but I always skipped the war between the US and Mexico. There was more curriculum than I could rightfully cover during the school year, and this was my favorite war to skip. It seemed dull as dirt, and there was no real righteousness behind it, as there had been with the American Revolution and the American Civil War. I left it out until large numbers of Latino students moved into my district. Suddenly, instead of mostly Asian kids, I had mostly Latino kids...and the English Language Learners' instructor promised them (and THEN told me) that I was going to teach them about the war between the USA and Mexico. He had a point; kids need to know their own history. I had to make some changes.
Thank heavens for Shaara. While I didn't incorporate his fictional account into my curriculum (the reading level being far beyond what my students could read), it made it feel more real to me, and infused me with greater enthusiasm. Hey, if the war was essentially a land grab on the part of the USA, let's go ahead and teach it as one. Meanwhile, everyone will know whence the saying "Remember the Alamo!" comes.
It seems to me that whenever some general thread regarding historical fiction comes up on Goodreads.com, someone, completely out of left field, finds it necessary to disavow Jeff Shaara. I wonder whether that is because he has set the standard for recently-written historical fiction. I love his work, and I always say so. He can take the most incredibly dead material come alive and seem vital and interesting, and though he takes some literary license (which is what makes it fiction), he tries to stay true to his subject material. He knows his stuff and doesn't abuse it.
So this is my ringing endorsement. I am retired now, but I will continue to read this man's work as long as he can find topics to write about. I can't wait to read the new one; it's on my wish list!
Thank heavens for Shaara. While I didn't incorporate his fictional account into my curriculum (the reading level being far beyond what my students could read), it made it feel more real to me, and infused me with greater enthusiasm. Hey, if the war was essentially a land grab on the part of the USA, let's go ahead and teach it as one. Meanwhile, everyone will know whence the saying "Remember the Alamo!" comes.
It seems to me that whenever some general thread regarding historical fiction comes up on Goodreads.com, someone, completely out of left field, finds it necessary to disavow Jeff Shaara. I wonder whether that is because he has set the standard for recently-written historical fiction. I love his work, and I always say so. He can take the most incredibly dead material come alive and seem vital and interesting, and though he takes some literary license (which is what makes it fiction), he tries to stay true to his subject material. He knows his stuff and doesn't abuse it.
So this is my ringing endorsement. I am retired now, but I will continue to read this man's work as long as he can find topics to write about. I can't wait to read the new one; it's on my wish list!
January 12, 2010
In this work, Jeff Shaara explores the development of America's officer cadre in the Mexican War. Many Civil War generals got their first major wartime experience in this event. Indeed, Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederate States of America, gained some renown for his use of a particular formation in battle.
The two major protagonists in this story are "Old Fuss and Feathers," General Winfield Scott, and a trusted engineering officer, the redoubtable Captain Robert E. Lee. Over and over, Lee's excellent scouting allowed Scott to befuddle the Mexican leader, General Santa Anna.
Other figures whom we meet who will play a role in the Civil War: Ulysses Grant, James Longstreet. Thomas (later "Stonewall") Jackson, George Pickett, and so on). We also learn of superannuated warriors such as General Wool.
All in all, the format developed by his father, in "The Killer Angels," taking a handful of key characters and using them to serve as "informants" in the development of the plotline and events, works well.
All in all, another good read and worthy of its place in the Shaara stable of war novels.
The two major protagonists in this story are "Old Fuss and Feathers," General Winfield Scott, and a trusted engineering officer, the redoubtable Captain Robert E. Lee. Over and over, Lee's excellent scouting allowed Scott to befuddle the Mexican leader, General Santa Anna.
Other figures whom we meet who will play a role in the Civil War: Ulysses Grant, James Longstreet. Thomas (later "Stonewall") Jackson, George Pickett, and so on). We also learn of superannuated warriors such as General Wool.
All in all, the format developed by his father, in "The Killer Angels," taking a handful of key characters and using them to serve as "informants" in the development of the plotline and events, works well.
All in all, another good read and worthy of its place in the Shaara stable of war novels.
June 3, 2023
Not as good as the other 2 novels I've read by Shaara. But still interesting.
I was pretty excited about this one. I never even knew there was a Mexican War. I asked the man who let me borrow this book if this is where the Alamo was fought. And he said, "No."
Not knowing one thing about this book and its war had me super intrigued.
But alas, it ended up just being average. I still had a decent time reading and learning as this is my first history lesson on the Mexican War. In fact, I just found out 3 of our United States Presidents were Veterans of the Mexican War. Which is mind blowing as I don't think that is normal.
My favorite parts of this book were the chapters written from the point of view of Santa Anna. He is the most interesting character here. An arrogant pompous man that valued himself more than anyone else, his chapters were by far the most interesting to dive into. I actually need to look this up, but after reading one chapter in particular I feel like the Mexicans should have won this war, especially in one particular battle, but Santa Anna was too busy looking out for himself and what he can gain from a certain situation and left his of vain general out to pasture one battle.
The person has been giving me these and picking the order I read them in says that the Civil War is next. So I've concluded that he is giving me these in order of dates the wars themselves happened and not in the order written by the author.
Shaara is an author I am not sure I ever would have got to. But exchanging these books with this guy has been an interesting and fun experience. And now I might end up reading all of Shaara's books 😂 I do very much appreciate that Shaara seems to dive deep into these and does him absolute best to make these as close to non-fiction as humanly possible.
I was pretty excited about this one. I never even knew there was a Mexican War. I asked the man who let me borrow this book if this is where the Alamo was fought. And he said, "No."
Not knowing one thing about this book and its war had me super intrigued.
But alas, it ended up just being average. I still had a decent time reading and learning as this is my first history lesson on the Mexican War. In fact, I just found out 3 of our United States Presidents were Veterans of the Mexican War. Which is mind blowing as I don't think that is normal.
My favorite parts of this book were the chapters written from the point of view of Santa Anna. He is the most interesting character here. An arrogant pompous man that valued himself more than anyone else, his chapters were by far the most interesting to dive into. I actually need to look this up, but after reading one chapter in particular I feel like the Mexicans should have won this war, especially in one particular battle, but Santa Anna was too busy looking out for himself and what he can gain from a certain situation and left his of vain general out to pasture one battle.
The person has been giving me these and picking the order I read them in says that the Civil War is next. So I've concluded that he is giving me these in order of dates the wars themselves happened and not in the order written by the author.
Shaara is an author I am not sure I ever would have got to. But exchanging these books with this guy has been an interesting and fun experience. And now I might end up reading all of Shaara's books 😂 I do very much appreciate that Shaara seems to dive deep into these and does him absolute best to make these as close to non-fiction as humanly possible.
May 28, 2025
A very revealing story. About Manifest Destiny.
About the waning of colonialism and the manner in which wars were fought.
About the principal players who would take up arms against one another 13 short years later.
Same story keeps repeating itself because we humans conveniently forget the awful consequence of armed conflict.
Over and over again….
About the waning of colonialism and the manner in which wars were fought.
About the principal players who would take up arms against one another 13 short years later.
Same story keeps repeating itself because we humans conveniently forget the awful consequence of armed conflict.
Over and over again….
July 7, 2008
is a novel of the Mexican War. It is based on the facts and the people of the war, but Shaara reports conversations that probably didn’t happen but could have. He reports thoughts of the main characters which he wouldn't know, but they could have happened. So he takes some literary license to write the book but he does a good job of it. I know a lot more about the Mexican War and the battles that took place as well as the men involved. The two main characters are Robert E. Lee, a young captain. And, Winfield Scott, a crusty old general. There are other characters in the book who were actually in the war and became players in the civil war 14 years later. Several southern military men were involved in the Mexican war and then were prominent in the Civil War. Shaara uses the facts of the Mexican War that are readily available: people, places, times and weaves them into a very entertaining story. It is a war story so there are descriptions of the terrible battles that were held. There are many bumbling generals in the war who have risen to their ranks because of politics. They seem to have no sense. Robert E Lee is portrayed as a very bright, caring, sensitive man who doesn’t want recognition but just wants to do his job the best way he can. It makes me want to read a biography about Lee.
October 19, 2008
Who writes about the Mexican War? Who remembers we even had one? What's really neat about this book is how you get to watch a bunch of famous folks like Lee and Longstreet make their bones in Mexico under one of the more capable generals in American history. Later those guys will fight their friends in the Civil War. Poignant.
December 28, 2018
Haven't been able to catch Jeff's frequency ... not a fan ... with exception of Gone for Soldiers.
Appreciated his interpretation. It combined well with Zollinger's Chapultepec.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Appreciated his interpretation. It combined well with Zollinger's Chapultepec.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
March 24, 2023
I’m so proud of myself for finishing this book! There’s nothing light or fluffy about this book - it required concentration to read, but was still quite interesting and gripping.
As a kid I was not interested in history. The names and dates and events were just facts to memorize to pass a test… then forget. As an adult, I have become fascinated by history, I think through reading great historical novels such as these. These books help me to see the names, dates, and events as real things. I love discovering who these people really were, what they were like, and making connections with the dates and names and time periods in history.
This book makes connections from the Mexican-American War in 1847 to the Civil War. Many of the people who fought (on both sides) in the Civil War got their first war experience in Mexico. I knew very little about this Mexican-American war, and found it fascinating. From the “primitive” ways they waged war (compared to todays high-tech advances), to the amazing bravery, to the archaic notion of Manifest Destiny. (How offensive it sounds in this day & age where there is little love for our country even in our country). Some things haven’t changed at all, such as generals fighting over who would get the recognition and glory, and politicians crafting wars for their own gain.
This book mainly focuses on Robert E. Lee, who was a humble, Christian man who exemplified courage and a steady commitment to the duty he felt God had given him. He didn’t think highly of himself, and was very respectful to those around him. One thing I learned that I did not know, was that Lee was offered the position of leading the Union army in the Civil War, which he declined, and he went on to lead the South! I did not realize how many leaders in the Civil War were in fact men that had fought alongside each other, and even maintained respectful friendships during the war from opposite sides!
This was such a well-written book - I struggle to pay attention if a book is wordy and a bit dry, but the author did an excellent job with this book and even battle scenes had my full attention.
As a kid I was not interested in history. The names and dates and events were just facts to memorize to pass a test… then forget. As an adult, I have become fascinated by history, I think through reading great historical novels such as these. These books help me to see the names, dates, and events as real things. I love discovering who these people really were, what they were like, and making connections with the dates and names and time periods in history.
This book makes connections from the Mexican-American War in 1847 to the Civil War. Many of the people who fought (on both sides) in the Civil War got their first war experience in Mexico. I knew very little about this Mexican-American war, and found it fascinating. From the “primitive” ways they waged war (compared to todays high-tech advances), to the amazing bravery, to the archaic notion of Manifest Destiny. (How offensive it sounds in this day & age where there is little love for our country even in our country). Some things haven’t changed at all, such as generals fighting over who would get the recognition and glory, and politicians crafting wars for their own gain.
This book mainly focuses on Robert E. Lee, who was a humble, Christian man who exemplified courage and a steady commitment to the duty he felt God had given him. He didn’t think highly of himself, and was very respectful to those around him. One thing I learned that I did not know, was that Lee was offered the position of leading the Union army in the Civil War, which he declined, and he went on to lead the South! I did not realize how many leaders in the Civil War were in fact men that had fought alongside each other, and even maintained respectful friendships during the war from opposite sides!
This was such a well-written book - I struggle to pay attention if a book is wordy and a bit dry, but the author did an excellent job with this book and even battle scenes had my full attention.
June 8, 2021
Read this because of interest in Mexican history. This is a very specific story about the military actions that won the U.S. - Mexican war starting with the naval siege at Vera Cruz and through the taking of Mexico City and the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It is very interesting and well-written. Many of the men in the story later became famous figures on both sides of the U.S. Civil War. Does give some insight into the Mexican experience but mostly focuses on the American military figures involved.
June 26, 2021
Ever since I read The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara many years ago, I’ve been enthralled with the work of his son as well. I’m not one of those people who constantly says the son just ain’t as good as his dad. I believe he does indeed have the right stuff, and his numerous awards for writing would seem to bear that out.
I’ve read many of Jeff’s books and enjoyed them all but somehow I missed this one along the way, only his third published book. Now that I think about it, I suppose that is analogous to the subject of the book itself. The Mexican-American War, taking place 13 years prior to the Civil War, is often an overlooked war, remembered most often as a sort of training ground for many of the future military leaders of the Civil War.
I certainly learned a lot from reading this book. I knew some of the basics but to witness first hand the major events of the war through the eyes of key participants was both fun and educational. Turns out it was much more than just a training ground, with all the complex political and military conundrums that plague most wars. The actual results and the what-might-have-been’s are indeed profound, with major impacts on both countries.
Most of the novel is told from the perspectives of two individuals: 1) Winfield Scott, the overall commanding general who probably never received as much credit as he deserves, and 2) the 40-year old Captain Robert E. Lee, the engineer who would win numerous accolades for his brilliant and workmanlike performance. Others also get a chapter perspective, especially during the culminating battle for Mexico City, including US Grant, Lt Jackson (eventually to be dubbed “Stonewall” Jackson), Lt Longstreet, Lt Pickett, as well as General Worth. In addition, many others whose names would become famous in the Civil War are present as well. Interestingly, there are also several chapters from the perspective of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a man who was truly an incredible larger-than-life historical character.
I love reading these sorts of historical novels where I can enjoy the story as well as learn from a trusted source. Looking froward to my next Jeff Shaara book.
I’ve read many of Jeff’s books and enjoyed them all but somehow I missed this one along the way, only his third published book. Now that I think about it, I suppose that is analogous to the subject of the book itself. The Mexican-American War, taking place 13 years prior to the Civil War, is often an overlooked war, remembered most often as a sort of training ground for many of the future military leaders of the Civil War.
I certainly learned a lot from reading this book. I knew some of the basics but to witness first hand the major events of the war through the eyes of key participants was both fun and educational. Turns out it was much more than just a training ground, with all the complex political and military conundrums that plague most wars. The actual results and the what-might-have-been’s are indeed profound, with major impacts on both countries.
Most of the novel is told from the perspectives of two individuals: 1) Winfield Scott, the overall commanding general who probably never received as much credit as he deserves, and 2) the 40-year old Captain Robert E. Lee, the engineer who would win numerous accolades for his brilliant and workmanlike performance. Others also get a chapter perspective, especially during the culminating battle for Mexico City, including US Grant, Lt Jackson (eventually to be dubbed “Stonewall” Jackson), Lt Longstreet, Lt Pickett, as well as General Worth. In addition, many others whose names would become famous in the Civil War are present as well. Interestingly, there are also several chapters from the perspective of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a man who was truly an incredible larger-than-life historical character.
I love reading these sorts of historical novels where I can enjoy the story as well as learn from a trusted source. Looking froward to my next Jeff Shaara book.
September 12, 2019
I have recently read other books about the Mexican War. I was interested in this one because it focuses on the many U.S. military leaders in this war that became famous in the Civil War, fighting on both sides and therefore against each other in the Civil War. It added many details about the actual battles than were covered by the other books I read. This story follows Winthrop Scott as he leads the U.S. Army from Vera Cruz to Mexico City and describes the successes and failures as the Army marches on. That writing was interesting and informative; unfortunately, there was more.
The other writing is painfully boring in places. For instance, Lee must hide for most of the day at a water hole when he was scouting for the Army. Page after page after page after page after page (bored yet?), Shaara takes us into Lee’s mind as he thinks about the most boring parts of his life and describes in minute detail how his legs are beginning to get numb, and what his dreams are and on and on about stuff that was so boring, I forgot it as soon as my eyes moved to the next boring thing. That was the longest day in the history of the United States, maybe the world. And I read it all, just in case something important might be buried in it. That was the worst, but not the only example by a long shot. It was so grotesque that I marked the book from five to three stars.
Started: 2019.04.11 — finished: 2019.05.21
The other writing is painfully boring in places. For instance, Lee must hide for most of the day at a water hole when he was scouting for the Army. Page after page after page after page after page (bored yet?), Shaara takes us into Lee’s mind as he thinks about the most boring parts of his life and describes in minute detail how his legs are beginning to get numb, and what his dreams are and on and on about stuff that was so boring, I forgot it as soon as my eyes moved to the next boring thing. That was the longest day in the history of the United States, maybe the world. And I read it all, just in case something important might be buried in it. That was the worst, but not the only example by a long shot. It was so grotesque that I marked the book from five to three stars.
Started: 2019.04.11 — finished: 2019.05.21
August 31, 2020
A wonderful story, great writing. The book flowed very well. No dry spots. The story of the U.S. vs Mexico War. The tale is told from the point of view of the generals and the officers on each side. I never learned much about the Mexican war in school. Basically they told us when it was and who won. This book gives detailed info on the battles form Vera Cruz on down to Mexico City. And this war was not a slam dunk for us. We were out manned and out gunned, but won with great scouting, courage, and battle plan and execution. This might not be for everyone, but if you enjoy history, and not squemish about war, if you like action, and knowing the inside story on something, I don't think you can go wrong.
July 25, 2018
Perhaps because this war was so much shorter than those Shaara has previously written about, the action seemed too drawn out. At one point it takes a chapter for someone to get up a hill. Also, there were less characters involved, so each had to carry more of the plot.
I did come to appreciate Scott, who comes across as a difficult man, though a gifted commander. As for Lee, knowing his future history, it was hard for me to care all that much about him. It lessened my enjoyment of the book as Lee is really the pivotal character here. Besides, how heroic is a land grab?
What the book has done is made me more curious about the war in general, and its effect on the region.
I did come to appreciate Scott, who comes across as a difficult man, though a gifted commander. As for Lee, knowing his future history, it was hard for me to care all that much about him. It lessened my enjoyment of the book as Lee is really the pivotal character here. Besides, how heroic is a land grab?
What the book has done is made me more curious about the war in general, and its effect on the region.
April 6, 2020
I learn more about history from Jeff Shaara' stories than I ever did memorizing history dates in high school. Every novel I read of his makes me more patriotic. Shaara reveals the challenges leaders face making decisions in war and the complexity of balancing politics with real life on the battle field.
March 23, 2021
Another fine historical novel by Jeff Shaara, whom I always enjoy. And how many novels about the Mexican-American War are there?! Are there any?! (And remember The Alamo took place long before the War). Most of the chapters are about Winfield Scott (as should be) and Robert E Lee, then a youngish engineer. He became a member of Scott's staff and his chief scout, having a large influence on Scott. There are other characters, including several future Civil War leaders. The story is interesting and well-written, as all of Shaara's books are, as well as historically accurate. Very little is written about the Mexican-American War, and this makes you want to read up more on it. I'm sure most people today don't even know that there was a war between the U.S. and Mexico. This is one of Shaara's earlier books (from 2000), but I recommend finding a copy and enjoying it. And previous knowledge of the War is not necessary!
March 11, 2024
Good homer take on the Mexican War.
December 30, 2021
USA!!! USA!!! USA!! I doubt if there has been as one sided account of the Mexican War since the 19th Century. There is absolutely no look at at the country of Mexico, Mexican culture, what was going on with leadership, how the Mexican army was assembled, how Mexico saw the war-nothing. The only look at the Mexican side was his completely dismissive presentation of Santa Anna, reducing him to a vain glorious buffoon and a cartoon character. A man had to have more to him than that to have returned again a again to leadership. But there was no insight into Mexican politics and history. It's all, "they're the bad guys, let's go get them for the glory of America!" He is so blind to Mexico that he never even mentions the Niños Heros, even though every city in Mexico has a street named after them. It would give some insight into the Mexican people.
This author is so verbose you could cut a full third of this book and never miss a thing, In particular his endless creations of the inner thoughts of Scott and Lee is tedious and self congratulatory. All unnecessary. And incidentally who knew the Robert E Lee practically single handedly won the Mexican War?
And any look at how this war served the same purpose as the Spanish Civil War served for the Nazis, a practice exercise for training the future army? No.
By presenting real insight into both sides of the struggle this book could have had a real impact instead of just being a jingoistic glorification of the American Military. It left the field the same as our soldiers leaving no thought to what went on in Mexico following the withdrawal. Surely this is elemental to finishing the history of the conflict.
Hoping for some real knowledge of this was I was more than sadly given only a single focused broadsheet story shallow and empty.
This author is so verbose you could cut a full third of this book and never miss a thing, In particular his endless creations of the inner thoughts of Scott and Lee is tedious and self congratulatory. All unnecessary. And incidentally who knew the Robert E Lee practically single handedly won the Mexican War?
And any look at how this war served the same purpose as the Spanish Civil War served for the Nazis, a practice exercise for training the future army? No.
By presenting real insight into both sides of the struggle this book could have had a real impact instead of just being a jingoistic glorification of the American Military. It left the field the same as our soldiers leaving no thought to what went on in Mexico following the withdrawal. Surely this is elemental to finishing the history of the conflict.
Hoping for some real knowledge of this was I was more than sadly given only a single focused broadsheet story shallow and empty.
December 2, 2014
Somehow as has happened in the past with my reviews I hit the wrong key and lost 30 minutes worth of work so as my patience evaporates I'll summarize my thoughts. I found Michael Shaara's work exceptional. But it's difficult to argue with a Pulitzer Prize winner. I have read several of his son novels and fail to find it as inspiring. The younger Shaara has a tendency to slide into endless internal monologue to advance the plot... problem is we have no idea as to the accuracy of what Robert E. Lee, General Winfield Scott, or Antonio de Lopez de Santa Anna thought at any one point in time. And of course these flights of fancy and imaginings tear us from main story line. For a seasoned novelist the younger Shaara also has a tendency to literally throw a new point of view when it suits his fancy... using it as a convenient and frankly lazy way to expose facts or develop his plot.
Without dwelling on negativity I always admire what must seem like endless research. Suffice it to say that while I have read several of Shaara's novels, as a fan of American military history I have yet to be engaged by his work. I will give this novel 3 stars out of deference to the research that undoubtedly occurred in its development... and the fact that I did learn about an obscure slice of American history. You may find it engaging... sadly I did not!
Without dwelling on negativity I always admire what must seem like endless research. Suffice it to say that while I have read several of Shaara's novels, as a fan of American military history I have yet to be engaged by his work. I will give this novel 3 stars out of deference to the research that undoubtedly occurred in its development... and the fact that I did learn about an obscure slice of American history. You may find it engaging... sadly I did not!
August 7, 2014
This interesting study of the expedition led by General Winfield Scott into Mexico from Veracruz to Mexico City highlights the role played by Captain Robert E. Lee as an engineer and strategist working under the careful, prudent command of General Scott. The string of victories by Scott's army from Veracruz to Mexico City during March to September 1847 would seem in general history books to be little more than an effortless march into the interior of Mexico and gain of immense lands comprising much of the western United States today. But this extremely well written and detailed work of fiction is based on fact, and the dangers, risks and casualties were anything but inconsequential. The contributions of Robert E. Lee to the strategic and tactical successes is evident, but notice of contributions of famous combatants from the Civil War --- Beauregard, Jackson, Joseph Johnston, Longstreet, Pickett and Grant --- are also included. The Mexican War was a proving ground for many of the notable leaders who would distinguish themselves in the Civil War some 14 years later. This is an interesting study of an important, but lesser known war.
July 25, 2015
This was an important American war I knew nothing about, although many of the soldiers play a significant role in the Civil War. This war was 1846-1848 and basically involved a land grab of California, New Mexico and part of Texas. The Americans make it all the way to the gates of Mexico City, due to some heroics of U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee as young men. I do love historical fiction since this genre brings the past alive through characters and dialogue. The details of the war are encased in political struggles taking place in our U.S. capital. I began to understand more of the tension between professional soldiers and the politicians who set the stage for conflicts.
December 30, 2021
2 1/2 stars, sadly have to round down
Such a disappoint for me. I have read a few other of Jeff Shaara's books and enjoyed them all. This one just bored me to tears. It did not end up in my infamous DNF pile, only because I kept telling myself it would get better. It didn't, and I should have listened to my gut and threw back. I have a few more of his books sitting here and I am hoping this one here was the only bomb. I will keep you posted
Such a disappoint for me. I have read a few other of Jeff Shaara's books and enjoyed them all. This one just bored me to tears. It did not end up in my infamous DNF pile, only because I kept telling myself it would get better. It didn't, and I should have listened to my gut and threw back. I have a few more of his books sitting here and I am hoping this one here was the only bomb. I will keep you posted
August 31, 2007
One of the best and most simple books on the Mexican American war. Written in the same style as "Killer Angels" and other definitive novels of the civil war, Jeff Sharra brings this conflict to life while also showing the tight and close relationships of many of the officers who ultimately stood across the battlefields from each other during the civil war.
Particularly good on the development of "Stonewall" Jackson and General Robert E. Lee.
Particularly good on the development of "Stonewall" Jackson and General Robert E. Lee.
July 1, 2011
Solid historical fiction on a little-known or written-about war in US history. Two slight drawbacks... 1) it is in Shaara's formulaic writing style (which isn't, in itself, a bad thing... but it can get stale when you read it a lot), 2) Because he'd written two books about the Civil War, it seems like he's trying a little too hard to fit some of those charcters into the narative.
Read
July 24, 2011Excellent book. It takes many of the Civil War characters we have gotten to know as larger-that-life and gives a glimpse of them earlier in their development. In some ways, it does the same with the country they served.
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