The Last Full Measure (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

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Author Jeff Shaara rounds out the Civil War trilogy started by his late father Michael Shaara, whose book The Killer Angels describes the Battle of Gettysburg. Just as Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals covers action prior to Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure picks up with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat from Pennsylvania and continues through the end of the war. Shaara focuses on the characters of Lee and Union commander Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, both of whom play prominent roles in the earlier books. He also introduces a new one: Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who would finally defeat the South--something no soldier before him could manage. The Last Full Measure is often exciting and poignant, and fans of The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals won't be disappointed. --John Miller

Book Description

In the Pulitzer prize-winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time, an enduring bestseller that has sold more than two million copies. In the bestselling Gods and Generals, Shaara's son, Jeff, brilliantly sustained his father's vision, telling the epic story of the events culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. Now, Jeff Shaara brings this legendary father-son trilogy to its stunning conclusion in a novel that brings to life the final two years of the Civil War.

As The Last Full Measure opens, Gettysburg is past and the war advances to its third brutal year. On the Union side, the gulf between the politicians in Washington and the generals in the field yawns ever wider. Never has the cumbersome Union Army so desperately needed a decisive, hard-nosed leader. It is at this critical moment that Lincoln places Ulysses S. Grant in command--and turns the tide of war.

For Robert E. Lee, Gettysburg was an unspeakable disaster--compounded by the shattering loss of the fiery Stonewall Jackson two months before. Lee knows better than anyone that the South cannot survive a war of attrition. But with the total devotion of his generals--Longstreet, Hill, Stuart--and his unswerving faith in God, Lee is determined to fight to the bitter end.

Here too is Joshua Chamberlain, the college professor who emerged as the Union hero of Gettysburg--and who will rise to become one of the greatest figures of the Civil War.

Battle by staggering battle, Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Lee and Grant--complicated, heroic, deeply troubled men. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing siege 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.

Full of human passion and the spellbinding truth of history, The Last Full Measure is the fitting capstone to a magnificent literary trilogy.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The last 18 months.......2007-10-12

"The Last Full Measure" picks up where "The Killer Angels" left off. General Lee is still licking his wounds after the Confederate disaster at Gettysburg. He and Longstreet are still on shaky ground personally, and most of Lee's best officers are gone now. Meanwhile President Abraham Lincoln has just appointed General Grant to the new position of Lieutenant General, commander of the Union Army. He pursues Lee for another 18 months whittling away at the southern army until Lee is finally forced to surrender.

It seems like the writing process of this trilogy was just as much an epic as the novels themselves. It starts with Jeffery Shaara's father, Michael, who wrote "The Killer Angels". Then son Jeff takes on the mantel and continues on, going backward before Gettysburg and forward afterward until the end of the war. This book, as you know, is the end of the Civil War trilogy and it ends with a bang, so to speak. This book is so thoroughly heartbreaking at the end, with General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on the run from General Grants Union forces. What did it for me was when Lee was inspecting the troops and they are so pathetic looking and tell Lee they're hungry. And the truce at Appomattox was possibly the best writing I have ever read, with both enemy generals being civil to each other that was obviously a strained effort from both parties.

Saintly Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is still the main Union protagonist through out the novel, though in "Measure" he shares the spotlight with General Grant, who is a moody and somber man, more or less Lee's moral equivalent. Longstreet and Lee are still the main focus of the Confederate point of view, though after the battle at Gettysburg their relationship is strained at best. We see and hear a little of Sherman's March to the Sea, but the main focus is on the battle field in Virginia and in the north.

As before the realities of the fight are examined minutely, with the Bristoe Station, then Overland Campaign to the Siege of Petersburg. The introduction of African American soldiers is new to the Shaara series, but it also shows that the one's who had the most to lose were also willing to fight just as hard and ferociously as their white counterparts.

A worthy conclusion to a great series of books.

Great finish in an outstanding trilogy.......2007-04-04

I think this book, and the two preceding it should be required reading in school. I had no idea how horrific this war was, particularly more so as the brutalities committed on both sides were against our own. There were so many moments when I wanted to stop and cry for the loss of life, and especially at the end when the one man who was capable of healing the country and bringing us all back together as one nation, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated.

The research was impeccable and telling the story from the viewpoints of the various generals absolutely fascinating. The honorable Robert E. Lee, Chamberlain (loved his gracious salute to the surrendering army), and the ever fascinating U.S. Grant.

One quote from so many in the book that just brought tears to my eyes: "Yes, it was horrible, horrible indeed. But he had to tell himself that, remind himself to see it that way. There was no sickening revulsion, no outrage, no indignation at the barbarism. It was just one more scene from this war, one more horror, one more mass of death, blending together with all the rest."

Highly highly recommended, and will definitely open your eyes to the horror of war.

Very Affecting Novel on the last years of the Civil War in the East.......2007-03-20

This is the novel that it seemed that Shaara came into his own. This part of the Civil War was incredibly brutal and Shaara depicts this well. The campaign that Grant and Lee waged was epic and Shaara brings out the humanity of these two men. This book seems just a notch below the "Killer Angels" and is superior in many respects to "Gods and Generals". It is populated by a very human Grant (this book made me want to read more about him) and a very ungodlike Robert E. Lee who propel the story. Chamberlain and his struggles are also depicted and are very relevant because his actions in the last year of the war were as heroic as his actions at Gettysburg. Appomattox is also depicted very movingly. Hopefully this novel will eventually be made into the definitive Civil War film.

Moving finale of the Civil War trilogy.......2007-01-24

I echo the positive sentiments previously expressed. Let me add that the chapters covering Lee's surrender and Chamberlain's salute are among the most moving I have ever read.

A fine study of the last year ..........2007-01-14

... of the American Civil War. I would say this is an excellent history for those who do not particularly have the patience or care to read a history book.

Set as a novel viewing the events of the war through the eyes of it's major players, the story begins with Lee's army at the swollen banks of the Potomac after his retreat from the disaster at Gettysburg. Although the novel does not include the recruitment process of Grant for command of all Union forces as Lt. General (a rank last held by George Washington), nor the strategy session between Grant and his favorite, Gen. W.T. Sherman; it does give a glimpse of why Lincoln chose this man to led the Army.

With the selection of Grant the focus of the war is changed from the dubious capture of Richmond as a means to defeat the South to the defeat of Lee himself. Grant sums it up in a sentence to Gen. Meade (who he leaves in charge of the Army of the Potomac) saying, "Where Lee goes, you will go too." Grant knows that the fighting heart of the South is not in Richmond, but in its most popular leader, Gen. R.E. Lee. When Lee is beaten, the war will end ... and of course, history bears this out.

The tale takes us through the Union defeat in the burning thickets and forest of the Wilderness; Lee's (and Stuart's) brilliant disengagement and race to Spotsylvania and the mule shoe salient -- where the most vicious fighting of the war takes place -- the two armies positioned literally yards from each other, clubbing and stabbing one another to death over and through chinks in the log barricades. It follows Lee's move to the North Ana River where Grant's leaders make a terrible mistake in deployment, but are spared disaster because Lee remains in his tent, too ill to take advantage of the situation. The fight moves further south to Cold Harbor and the wholesale slaughter of Union troops in Grant's biggest mistake of the war. Over 7,000 men are killed in twenty minutes of battle. And finally to the siege of the strategic rail center at Petersburg.

Ultimately Lee will leave Petersburg and march his army west only to be dogged by the Union and finally give up the fight as hopeless at Appomattox.

Although slow moving at times, the average reader will come to know the last year of the Civil War in a way that standard history texts cannot tell it. This is the most critical period of time for each nation's survival. If Lee can hold out for a few more months and Lincoln is not reelected, the pacifist movement in the North will permit the Confederacy their independence and the Union will be broken. With the defeat of Lee in Virginia and the victories of Sherman in Georgia, the South will give up the fight and the Union preserved. We all know the eventual outcome of the struggle. This book gives us the personalized details of how desperate a fight it really was.

Some of the more avid history buffs might be a bit disappointed at the coverage of some events (such as the battle of Cold Harbor), but all in all, this is a fine book on the greatest event in American history. Well written and very readable.

*** Highly Recommended ***

~pjm~

A Confederate Trilogy for Young Readers: The Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Gen. T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Major Gen. J. E. B. Stuart

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A Confederate Trilogy for Young Readers: The Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Gen. T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Major Gen. J. E. B. Stuart
Mary L. Williamson
Manufacturer: Sprinkle Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KBH7X2

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A confederate trilogy for young readers: The life of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Gen. T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Major Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
Mary Lynn Harrison Williamson
Manufacturer: Sprinkle Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00071P56Q

- Robert E. Lee (The Virginia Experience)

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- Robert E. Lee (The Virginia Experience)
Carole Marsh , and Kathy Zimmer
Manufacturer: Gallopade International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0635003678

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THE ROBERT E. LEE READER
Stanley F. (edited by) Horn
Manufacturer: The Bobbs-Merrill Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KNINLK

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The Robert E. Lee Reader
Robert E. [edited By Stanley F. Horn] Lee
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2XV4G

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The Robert E. Lee Reader

Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Product Description

ROBERT E. LEE was the South's most gallant son. He was not only a great soldier; he was a great citizen. Teddy Roosevelt called him the finest general that "the English-speaking peoples have brought forth." But his efforts on the path of peace during the difficult postwar years were equally heroic. The Robert E. Lee Reader brings together extracts from the scores of biographies and personal reminiscences that bear on the career of this legendary figure. Much use is made of out of print sources, difficult to find contemporary accounts and sketches in periodicals and newspapers. From this wealth of material a distinguished historian, Stanley Horn, has created a vibrant portrait of the man and his time.

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Robert E. Lee Reader (Signed copy)
Stanley F. Horn
Manufacturer: Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1949
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NKCQMW

Robert E. Lee Reader (The American Civil War)

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The Civil War Reader

Robert E. Lee Reader (The American Civil War)

Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0914427733

Customer Reviews:

The Civil War Reader.......2002-09-29

The Civil War Reader by Richard B. Harwell is a combination of both the Confederate and Union Readers making this an indispensible companion to anyone interested in the Civil War. By combining both readers in one volume you can cross reference accounts across both sides of the conflict giving you a better picture as to what really happened.

Here the participants describe in their own words the bitterness of the conflict making reading this book realistic as the animosity, battlefield scenes of heroism and horror reach up and grab for your attention.

Like all history, time dimmes the recollection till there is no one left to tell what happens, only the written word is left to tell the succeding generations what had transpired. But so much we forget. The war was more than Lincoln and his generals and his Cabinet, more than battles and heros. The South and the Confederates in this reader is a rough chronological selection from the writings of the times, the writings that were, theoretically at least, available to the Confederate reading public. And here, more than about any other period, the South has felt it necessary to explain itself. Hardly was the ink dry on General Lee's farewell at Appomattox before the South began its attempts to vindicate in print its course during the war. the War of Separation, the War of Yankee Aggression.

This record left by these printed evidences of Confederate life is the truest record of the war. Prejudiced and incomplete as it is, it is nevertheless an accurate picture of the Confederacy, left for posterity. I found this to be one of the best books on both sides of the war as the people who were there, wrote what they felt to be true, giving the reader a glimpse into the psyche of the war.

America in 1861 was still a new country. Just as the war was a test of democratic principle it was a test of democratic education. Never before had there been so literate an army. Such a soldiery was ready, and proud, to relate its experiences. That is why we as the posterity can read eyewittness accounts that recall events in detail just as if we were there ourselves.

Customer Reviews:

The book that announces the New Age is 'Old Age'.......2005-09-21

Dychtwald has two newer books on the same subject, but this early treatment does a very good job at outlining the basic elements of his vision.
Briefly. He points to the fact that people are living longer than they ever have, that the baby-boomer generation is moving into its senior years, that this new generation of elderly people has a power and wealth that no other such generation has had, that with the birth- death there is a dramatically shifting proportion of the elderly in the general population, that this major demographic change is going to effect all aspects of our lives, including family and work. And that it is necessary to take action to prepare for the changes, and make better lives possible.
Dychtwald is an interesting writer, and he certainly is on to a major social trend. I myself however believe he is a bit optimistic about the whole thing. I think our world will be much sadder if it has very few children in it. I think it will be much sadder if it has predominantly elderly people in it, however successful they all are at looking 'younger' than their biological years.
I believe Mankind will make a major mistake if it allows the Elderly to overwhelm the younger generations.
I also have quite a bit of skepticism in regarding to the whole ' cyclic ' life business. I suspect some of us do not want to have 'three or four families' but rather that the one we have is enough. I suspect too it is very optimistic to talk about going back and learning, and making new careers. How many eighty years old are going to do Mathematics?
Youth has powers which are unique and tragically passing. They cannot be replaced simply by adding years on our lives.
I will conclude with one small anecdote relating to my own grandmother, my Bubbe Zeibert of blessed memory. She was a very kind and wise women. When she became so ill that she could no longer be cared for at home my mother reluctantly had to have her admitted to an Old Age home . Once when we were visiting my mother asked her how the place is. She answered," Good, good. But only one problem. There are so many old people here"
I am afraid if the vision outlined here comes true many of us are going to feel the same way.

Newer book available.......2002-08-08

Great book! Important - very important - issues, but dated. Read his new book _Age_Power_. Lots of good facts and lots of excellent suggestions. If you want to be in the know, read this book and write your congressional reps.

Not Up To Date.......2002-05-27

This would have been okay to read in the 80's, but for now it
is not helpful. Outdated information.

Absolutely incredible, scary, but has given me a mission........1999-09-04

I first came across "Age Wave' as a footnote in an insurance flyer. Something made me want to read it. It had to be ordered it since it was hard to find, but I am so glad that I followed my gut instinct. I have read, reread, highligted, bookmarked and folded over corners in my at least seven times through it. The reality has become such an integral portion of my life that I left my position with an insurance agency to do what I really feel is important -- to educate people and TRY to make them understand the importance of long term care insurance to protect our parents, ourselves, and our children. I have never in my life been an activist (during Viet Nam I was in a "coma"), but after having read Age Wave, I have become an activist. I agree that this can be a more devastating situation than any in our age or any preceeding. Ken Dychtwald and his wife are Renaissance people in putting all of the inevitabilities of the modern technologies that we embrace in perspective. What they are trying to tell us, without a doubt, is that we have to cover our butts or "get out of Dodge." The wonderful world that our parents and we as "Boomers" have tried to to build will not last unless we get rid of the denial that people do age and need care and it is not always available. We cannot hide money any longer to qualify for Medicaid. We cannot expect the government to pay for it. The governmet has already told us that. We cannot expect our children and grandchildren to pay 50 to 60 % of their paychecks for entitlements so that we can ignore needed protection or hide money. We need to be responsible once again in our lives and accept the fact that we will age, and will develop chronic illnesses because of advanced age and we will need care. So we must protect our world and our heirs from the devastating effects. I can't wait to read the new book.

Comprehensive Overview on the Subject of Aging.......1999-05-29

Age Wave is really a classic, well-written book that covers all kinds of subjects on aging. The graphics that show the changes in demographics in the U.S. may be worth the book's price alone. One section that talks about how we now play and rest more than we used to was clearly written before the downsizing trend began. But, for the most part, the comprehensive coverage of work, play and all the rest expected in retirement is presented in a consise, easy-to-read style. It is truly a classic, well-written book that should be a good read for anyone interested in retirement and aging issues.

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Innovative and truly simple approach to gourmet cuisine!

It develops the creativity of the home cook

Simple Cuisine: Easy Recipes for Four-Star Food
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0028609913

Amazon.com

Groundbreaking when it was first published in 1990, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Simple Cuisine has since become a classic. Its author, chef-owner of Manhattan's Vong and the four-star Jean-Georges, pioneered the use of vinaigrettes, juices, flavored oils, and broths to produce light but deeply flavorful dishes with a minimum of fuss. The 1998 paperback version presents 200 recipes for these simple but sophisticated treats. They are based on the building blocks listed above, plus phyllo dough, cunningly employed as a puff-pastry alternative. Vongerichten fans and those seeking easy dishes with an haute cuisine pedigree will be delighted.

Beginning with recipes for Vongerichten's stockless basics, the book then explores simple sautés and steamed dishes, Asian specialties, cheese and potato dishes, sweets, and American fare such as burgers, all of which are given the Vongerichten touch (meaning that we end up with interesting combinations like lamb burgers with cilantro and goat cheese). Recipes such as Sea Scallops with Garlic and Saffron Oil, Salmon in Rice Paper with Citrus Vinaigrette, and Cheese Galette with Pecans are easier to prepare than their names might suggest. Desserts like Almond Milk Ice Cream, Hot Cherries with Honey Kirsch, and Bitter Cocoa Sorbet are followed by a chapter of 30-minute menus and a handy cross-reference of the building blocks to the dishes that contain them. As useful as it proclaims itself to be, the book works for all who want to cook the Vongerichten way--but at home and with minimum of effort. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

The Groundbreaking First Cookbook by America's Preeminent Four-Star Chef First published in 1990, Simple Cuisine has been declared a classic by such publications as The New York Times and Eating Well magazine. With simple, quick cooking techniques—steaming, sautéing, and stirfrying—and flavorful, low-fat sauces, Jean-Georges Vongerichten proves that robust restaurant tastes can easily be recreated by home cooks. More than 200 recipes, ranging from Sea Scallops with Garlic and Saffron Oil to Lamb with Artichokes and Olives, will delight with their robust flavors and simple preparations. More than 20 thirty-minute menus are collected here for when you need to quickly put together a dinner party. And when it's time to indulge, Jean-Georges serves up delectable sorbets, ice creams, and sweets. What's more, Simple Cuisine proves that fine dining at home doesn't need to take all day to prepare. Here, the complex sauces of classic French cuisine have been replaced with basic building blocks—vinaigrettes, flavored oils, extracted vegetable juices, and simmered vegetable broths—with the ultimate goal of enabling the home cook to prepare elegant food that is light and effortless. Haute cuisine does not need to be enjoyed only in a restaurant. With Simple Cuisine, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has proven that the exquisite flavors of four-star cooking can be enjoyed at home, without spending hours in the kitchen. Visit us online at www.mgr.com/cooking

Customer Reviews:

Innovative and truly simple approach to gourmet cuisine!.......1999-09-13

Jean-Georges Vongerichten revolutionized the way we cook with this approach to cuisine. The beauty of it is that all these recipes really are easy to use and can awaken your senses to cooking creatively in your own home kitchen. Tons of excellent and easily transferrable preparation skills, too (e.g., a fool-proof way to cook a fish filet). Vongerichten's two cookbooks are the ones I turn to over and over again whether making dinner in the middle of the week for two, or entertaining a large group. The flavors will knock you out!

It develops the creativity of the home cook.......1999-01-28

I loved it. I am a French-born average home cook and it opened up a lot of horizons. It gave me confidence about putting dishes together. Normally, when I read a cookbook it seems that the thing to do is follow the recipe. With this one you get the basic for creativity, not that there are not full-fledged recipes to be reproduced, but the bulk of my interest was on new approach to basics. And it is simple.

Simple Cuisine: Easy Recipes for Four-Star Food

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Simple Cuisine: Easy Recipes for Four-Star Food
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O91XHQ

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