Gone For Soldiers
Author(s):
Jeff Shaara
Label: Ballantine Books
Publisher(s):
Ballantine Books
Studio: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $7.99
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
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.
Amazon.com Review
Having chronicled the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, Jeff Shaara casts his eye on the earlier proving ground of the Mexican War in his third novel, Gone for Soldiers. Although it secured the Southwest for a nation emboldened by Manifest Destiny, this two-year conflict has nearly faded into oblivion, eclipsed by the subsequent domestic dispute a dozen years later. Shaara's hallmarks--the deliberations of leaders and the brutal facts of battle--illuminate his engaging diversion into an oft-overlooked struggle in which men who would come to oppose one another fought under a single flag.
The veteran major-general Winfield Scott and an upstart Robert E. Lee anchor Gone for Soldiers. Headstrong, brilliant, and generally distrustful of his less able subordinates, Scott leads the U.S. troops slowly and inevitably toward Mexico City, imparting martial lessons along the way. "The worst consequence of fighting a war is not if you lose, Mr. Lee," he sighs. "The worst thing you can do is win badly." Lee distinguishes himself throughout the campaign, his meticulous scouting and shrewd inferences winning both Scott's admiration and the jealousy of officers whose ambition surpasses their experience. Lee, too, frequently assesses his place in the hierarchy, but he--like Scott--remains more bemused than seduced by the glitter of fame.
This sympathy between the two men grows as Lee observes Scott embroiled in the distracting politics of war: officers salivating for promotion, enemies more preoccupied with saving face than lives, distant legislators issuing directives. If Gone for Soldiers occasionally bogs down during its many lengthy battle scenes, unexpected and delightful small touches arise nearly as often--the "capture" of Mexican leader Santa Anna's wooden leg or the chance encounter between Lee and a young Ulysses S. Grant. Duty-bound and humble, Lee cultivates a perpetual stoicism. "Now we're out here in some place God may not want us to be. It's hard to believe He is happy watching us fight a war," he muses, a sobering coda to the grim calculations of victory. --Ben Guterson
Customer Reviews
Enlightening
After reading many of the works by Jeff Shaara, I found 'Gone For Soldiers' very enlightening. It was not my favorite of his books, but getting to look at the early career of Robert E. Lee and the end of a career for Winfield Scott was very interesting.
The story involves the Mexican-American war. Winfield Scott has taken over control of the US forces from Zachary Taylor. Taylor would later become president of the US. Gen. Scott realizes the skills of a young Capt Lee, who has been working as an engineer.
It is improtant to keep in mind that this book is a fictional version of the events. Not all of the dialog is accurate, but it is very interesting. We also get a glimpse at a number of soldiers who will make their marks in the up coming Civil War.
If you emjoyed the Civil Wat trilogy, you may enjoy a look at the early careers of these soldiers. It is amazing to see how much the politics of that age effected (for good and bad) the military events of the wars.
First Rate Historical Novel
This novel masterfully intertwines the history of the Mexican War with the careers of officers who continued into the American Civil War, helping the reader understand how and where some of the North's and South's better-known generals gained their initial combat experience.
The author provides thumbnail sketches of several of these noteworthy military leaders at the end of the book.
Back to the Future
Very good historical fiction, as you might expect from Shaara. The fascinating aspect of the Mexican War for many people is the fact that the officers who fought together in Mexico ended up years later as bitter enemies in the Civil War. This carefully researched and easily read book delves into the personalities of many of these now and future warriors. With the hindsight of history, we look with sadness or anticipation at the interaction of these men with each other, knowing what lies ahead. In addition to a fascinating account of historic personalities, "Gone for Soldiers" clearly explains why the Mexican War occurred in the first place. I believe this important war has been given short shrift in the history books, but Shaara enlightens us on the whys, wherefores and especially the hows. Good, educational, enjoyable book.
I like the book and It should be made into a Movie
I enjoyed the book, Gone for Soldiers, because it helps to describe how the American and Mexican soldiers lived and faced during the Mexican War 1846-1848. In addition, it describes some of the battles of the Mexican War, under Winfield Scott, from Vera Cruz to the gates of Mexico City. I hope that this book will be made into a motion picture /made-for-television movie in the future, like Gods and Generals and Gettysburg.
Informative but too long
As a Civil War buff I enjoyed this historically accurate account of this little known war. Rightfully so, R.E. Lee and Gen. Scott occupy the central roles with minor roles being played by key characters that reappear during the Civil War. Santa Anna was a real buffoon and Shaara did a good job depicting him as such. The novel was a little too long and it did not quiet measure up to his Father's work with Killer Angels or with his own Civil War novels.
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