The perfect sequel to "Killer Angels." Spectacular -- you feel like you are there with Lee, Grant, Chamberlain, etc.

This book kept me up way too late on way too many nights -- you'll have trouble putting it down.

Michael Shaara must be smiling in heaven.

I loved The Killer Angelsand didn't really care for the idea of the son adding to it with sequels and prequels and since then a whole series of historical fiction.
This book has far fewer characters and it is hard not to think that the views they express are tailored by history and 20-20 hindsight. With The Killer Angels, you really felt you were in the moment.
I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but I feel my time would probably have been better spent re-reading the Gettysburg classic.

I had read both "The Killer Angels" and "Gods and Generals" when I started reading this. As such, I was expecting an excellent book and a grand finale to the Civil War. Jeff Shaara doesn't fail to deliver and "To the Last Fell Measure" is an excellent book. It primarily follows Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Joshua Chamberlain. Naturally, Shaara would go through the months after Gettysburg rather quickly because Grant's Overland Campaign is going to be the primary sourece of action. I'm glad he did and he gives excellent views of the overland campaign. I could actually feel the frustration that Grant felt at lost oppurtunities that he felt were constant and Lee's desperation to turn back the overwhelming Union tide. I love how you can experiance it all and I enjoyed the time span from the fall of Petersburg to the surrender of Lee's army. Both sides are desperate with Lee trying to get supplies and Grant trying to trap Lee's army. I was sad when the book ended, but I compensated for this by getting other books by Jeff Shaara. To sum it all up, if you loved the first two books, then you will have to buy this book to complete the trilogy.

This was a wonderful read. I learned so much about the Civil War conclusion, until I read this book I could appreciate the real situation of General Lee's army, I always thought he surrendered because of a political compromise and to avoid further useless bloodshed but I realized he really had no choice as his army was practically anihilated in the battles of march -april 1865.

I learned also the ruthless pursuit of victory of the Union armies under Grant, that ultimately decided the issue. Grant really pushed through no matter casualties or personal reputation, ultimately puting an end to the war and to further killing.

Lee was portrayed as a real gentleman at arms, almost as a knight of old, personally I would have followed him, his tactics sometimes were flawed or his secondary commanders did not deliver but he was the real spirit of the Conferderate Army. It was very sad to read of the destitution of his army, no food, no uniforms, but great spirit. In the end they gave it all for Lee but were swallowed by the industrial might of the North.

I liked the portrayal of Chamberlain, also a gentleman soldier, very chivalrous at the end.

This book really touched me, it was not a dry account of battles or meaningless action but the story of real men, desires fears, the grandious and the horror of fratricidal war. The vision Lee has of himself charging ahead of his troops at the moment of his death will always saty with me. Wonderful imaginery.

The whole thing could have been avoided if both sides had shown a little more restraint. But, it came to this. Jeff Sharra has written a superb sequal to his Dad's "The Killer Angels", and brought a fitting end to a sad story. I consider it to be a four book series, not three, as "Gone For Soldiers" is the prequel to the whole sorry mess. This wonderful book gives us the horrors of the last 21 months of our Civil War, told mainly thru the eyes of Robert E. Lee, US Grant, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. This is a novel, but Mr. Shaara has done his research; no errors that I could find [aside from a really bad typo that I'll get to]. Douglas Freeman would have been proud of this, and that's very high praise.

Mr. Sharra gives us accurate battle descriptions, as well as a backstage look at the major characters. Lee was frustrated that Jeff Davis couldn't understand that [a] Richmond wasn't all that important, and [b] the jig was pretty well up, anyway. Still, he fought. There is a reason that the losing General is pretty much the most respected man in American History. The greatness of Lee defies description. Dr. Freeman came close, but it took him 2,400 pages. US Grant was also a great general, as well as a noble man [hell of a thing for a Southerner to say], and he had more resourses. And, he was plain determined. The respect he showed General Lee is plenty of evidence of his nobility. And the glimpses of his family depict a decent man. Noble is a good word for Chamberlain, too. And brave. He hated war, but loved his country. The grace and courtesy rendered to General Gorden, alone, make him a gentleman. Ironic the parallel lives Chamberlain and Gordon went on to live...Governors of Maine and Georgia, and leaders of veterans organizations. Sad about Chamberlain's marriage, but Fanny really made him miserable.

The side players get their space...the great Longstreet, the tragic Anderson, and Pickett. Billy Mahone, still fighting to the end. Probably not an accident that the Generals who went on to wealth and power kept their drive. Phil Sheridan gets his due. Yes, he had skill, and courage. But he was a war criminal, pure and simple. He wanted to slaughter our men for target practice after they surrendered, and Grant had to pull rank to stop him; and he still argued with Grant [in front of our Officers] about feeding them.

The surrender scene, alone, is worth the price. Lee kept his dignity. And Grant was great enough to recognize the indescribable "something" that made Lee Lee. You really need to read this book, but only after reading the others. Yes, Dr. Freeman's seven volumes of Confederate History are definitive, but few will have the time, or desire. The only problem I saw was the typo I mentioned...in a list of failed Yankee Generals, "Pope" is rendered "Polk". Please. If this were non-fiction, that would be a fatal error. John Pope was theirs, a war criminal whose saving grace was his stupidity. Leonidas Polk was ours, had nothing to do with Virginia, and was a man whose personal greatness equalled that of General Lee.

Bottom line: highest possible recommendation.

This book is the last installment of a three part trilogy, to give an over view of the characters originally seeded in Jeff's late father's work - The Killer Angels, which the movie Gettysburg was inspired from.

This book, tells the 'rest of the story' of characters selected originally in the book of "Killer Angels" and brings from the point of the post Gettysburg Battle, bringing General Lee and his Confederate forces back into Virginia and to the surrender at Appomattox.

I will also say, that again - Mr. Jeff Sheera's book is quite accurate when it comes to comparing with the Official Records of the Rebellion, the Official orders, transmissions back and forth--

It also plays a key role in tracking the amazing life and career of Lt. Colonel Chamberlain; through all his wounds and healings; the near mortal wounds and healings--to be given command, then promoted as a Brigadier General- by General Grant, to which was his first field promotion hearing how serious Chamberlain's life hung in balance--and, the later honor of being selected to recieve arms of surrender by the Confederates, under the galant General Gordon. The simple order of Chamberlain at such occasion; probably turned the course of emotions by commanding his Division to hold their rifles as a show of a salute.
Grant in selecting this non-traditionally trained officer; who was to be one of the best by 'doing' and learning on the actual battlefield--to make real impacts throughout his military service.

The book presents, in a beautiful as well as factual manner - how genuine General Grant and General Lee came to terms of surrender and how dignity reigned throughout the process. Lt. General Grant's making absolutely sure there would be no form of celebration, humiliation and at all times treat the Confederates as guests--from Vicksburg to post Appomattox surrender--is evident. This is supported by many post Civil War statements and publications. To, include Lt. Colonel Marshall who served with General Lee and spoke at General Grant's funeral in an eulogy.

Without orders, General Chamberlain had the same spirit of intent-- both Generals support the intent that the Civil War was over--it was now time to respect one another in dignity and compassion.

It is a book I would highly recommend.

IF anybody wants the movie version to be published; in speaking with Mr. Jeff Shaara, who supplies his web site information and he does answer your E-mails; he cannot find funding for this last trilogy--so, if you good folks have ideas and sources--contact him. Hollywood won't give him the time of day, as it isn't marketable to them--but, to those who study history--this is an important work to be finished. "The rest of the story" should be told. If I had the money, I'd fund the project in a heartbeat and be happy to be financially poorer for the opportunity to see the DVD version of -- The Last Full Measure.

Of course Jeff Shaara has big shoes to fill and I am sure is often judged on is father's success, but he would definitely make his father proud with this book. You can feel the war and get a deeper understanding of the people who took part in it. Rather than just names in a history book, you feel like you know them.
For similar historical fiction, but with a dash of romance, I would recommend Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia.

This is a great improvement on his "Gods & Generals" which suffered in comparison to his father's "Killer Angels". Now he is writing at the same level as his father and this book makes a fitting conclusion to the Civil War trilogy. The sketch maps throughout are most useful in following the action.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

... 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~

Jeff Shaara does it over and over again. I cant tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I have read all his books on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and I feel like I was actually there! He is certainly a great writer and I would recommend his books to everyone.

Jeff Shaara's "The Last Full Measure" completes a Civil War trilogy. The first volume, "The Killer Angels," was authored by Shaara's father and focused on the battle of Gettysburg. After his death, the second volume, "Gods and Generals," explored the evolution of the Civil War up until the epochal struggle at Gettysburg (authored by Jeff Shaara).

This book looks at the final years of the Civil War, after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. As is usual with a Shaara war novel, several characters provide the viewpoint on events. Among those providing their perceptions of the evolving war include: Robert E. Lee, JEB Stuart, James Longstreet, Ulysses Grant, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

Battles that are discussed include the Wilderness (with Longstreet's brilliant flank attack on Union corps commander General Winfield Scott Hancock as the high point, before Longstreet is accidentally shot by his own troops). There follows a description of the excitement in the Yankee columns as they headed south after a desperate battle; once upon a time, they would have retreated. This time, with Grant at the helm, they were headed south. And all understood that this was a general who would pursue Lee to the end.

There follows a description of bloody encounter after bloody encounter, from Spotsylvania Courthouse, to the death of JEB Stuart at Yellow Tavern, to the bloodletting of Union forces at Cold Harbor, to the brilliant sliding movement across the James River by Grant, to the sanguinary siege of Fredericksburg.

Grant took much criticism, sometimes being labeled "Grant the Butcher," for the losses that the Union army suffered. However, Grant was maneuvering Lee into a siege, and Lee himself noted that if that became the case, then the south would lose Richmond. The book describes the lengthy siege at Fredericksburg, the ups and downs for both sides in the struggle.

Finally, with the defeat of General George Pickett's mobile force at Five Forks, with Phil Sheridan whipping his troops into an attacking frenzy, the war began to draw to a close.

This is a well drawn volume, culminating with the unforgettable scene at Appomattox Court House of Chamberlain providing a small note of grace in a war filled with blood and hatred.

All in all, a touching volume. There is a sense of melancholy in this volume not so apparent in the first two works; note especially Chamberlain's lugubrious sentiments. While the well known narrative device of looking at events through several people's eyes carries with it some problems, it does work well enough in this instance. This provides a human perspective; read in conjunction with hard core historical treatments of the last couple years of the war, the book provides a genuine contribution.