Even handed, two-sided compassionate story telling
The Last Full Measure is the third leg of a trilogy, written by Jeff Shaara, about the battle of Gettysburg and the men who fought in that conflict. The first leg, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, tells the 3 day tale of Gettysburg itself, primarily from the eyes of Lee and Longstreet. Borrowing from Stephen Crane's approach to the Red Badge of Courage, Shaara wanted to know what it was like to be there, the weather, the men's faces, their thoughts, their feelings. To do this Shaara ignored any historical opinions and went for the words of the men themselves, from their letters, their diaries and other documents. It was this book, and Shaara's approach to the story telling, that inspired Ken Burns to make his film, The Civil War, and made both tellers of this tale so successful in their own professions, film and prose.
In the second leg, Gods and Generals, a prequel to Gettysburg, the author, Jeff Shaara, introduces us to four young military men, Robert E. Lee, TJ “Stonewall” Jackson, Winfield Scott Hancock, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and their graduation days at West Point in the mid 1840s. They are a new breed of fighting man, college-educated, professional in the arts of war, who then honed their battle skills in combat during the Mexican War (1846-1848), before being idled through 13 years of peacetime, until war broke out again in 1861. This tale focuses on the events, from 1858 to June 1863, that brought these professional soldiers, with their new arms, artillery and their battle-tested skill sets, to those low hills and Pennsylvania farmlands for those 3 tragic days in July of 1863.
Having the storytelling style set in the first book, Jeff Shaara brings us a post Gettysburg sequel, The Last Full Measure, that follows three men, Lee, Ulysses S Grant, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a Union hero at Gettysburg, through the last two years of the war. Since Gettysburg, there is a change in the way men see war, and in the way they fight it. Gettysburg has badly wounded both sides and though it is clearly a defeat for Lee's army, neither side is quick to pursue another fight on such a huge scale. Depicting both sides even-handedly and compassionately, we are led through major battles with major leaders. We are given a balanced experience of the temperament, sensibility and character of the generals of both sides of the battle lines. It is through the lives of these 3 particular men, men with character, dignity and honor, that the author wants to pose the political, military and social paradigm shifts that changed them and this nation forever.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
