Gone for Soldiers

A Novel of the Mexican War

By: Jeff Shaara

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

With his acclaimed New York Times best sellers 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 15 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 8,000 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 40-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 chapter is finished.

©2000 Jeffrey M. Shaara (P)2000 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brilliant does not even begin to describe the Shaara gift. Thank Gods and Generals that it was passed from father to son." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

great narration, lackluster writing

I quite like many of Jeff Shaara's works. However, this is not one of his best. When his writing lacks, the cardinal sign is that the characters embody pre-devised tropes he often falls on in his lesser works. The dutifully modest soldier, the hotheaded general, the commander that causes trouble, the military genius, etc.

When different characters feel the same between novels, it's a sign that the writer is not putting forth their best efforts. As this was Shaara's third outing, perhaps this is the genesis of those tropes he so often falls back to.

Great Book but…

Why do the Audio Book Chapters not line up with the Book Chapters. Even the headings are wrong on the audiobook. Im confused and it makes it hard to go back and forth between audio and book.

Good Book - Annoying Reader

He seems to think that words spelled like "Strength" should be pronounced "Strenth". While that may be a minor thing, it is a book about a war. The word "Strength" comes up rather a lot. This is just the most obvious example, he mispronounced a lot of words. I generally over-look minor issues but after a while it really started to grate on me. Worth the listen, but I do wish that someone had corrected him along the way.

Like being at the Mexican War

Gone for Soldiers is a must book for anyone that is interested in the civil war. It does and excellent job of describing what made good and bad soldiers. The main focuse is on Winfield Scott,(who I did not know much about) and Robert E Lee. Plus you get a look at Grant , Longstreet, Johnson and others.

It is interesting and seems to be based on facts. There is no doubt that the author feels that Scott did not get enough credit for the job he did in Mexico, and Polk is shown as doing everything for politics.

The information about how Lee and Grant got recognition is also well done and interesting.

I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a good adventure store.

A must listen for any Civil War buff

Gives great insight into why the south had so many great Generals and how they learned strategy. Also how similar the two wars were from battle plans to technology winning the day.

A War Forgotten

A look into the start of many civil war Generals and figures. The American Mexican war is one that is forgotten, but many men gave their lives in Mexico. General Scott and Captain Lee are the main characters. Great stories inside! Good read!

Not his best.

Jeff Sharra is a talented and wonderful writer. I’ve read almost every book he’s written on the Civil War. I’ve read books he’s written on the Korean War and the Revolutionary war. This seems to be mostly made up conversations and made up thoughts by the characters involved. And frankly, it wasn’t very interesting. I’m sorry to say it, but this one’s a bit of a stinker.

History through the eyes of individuals

I never liked history in school. I did not realize at that time the importance of history on all of us. Besides that, history was never presented in a way that made you realize it was alive, and was formed by people who were just like us. "Gone for Soldiers" not only makes history come alive, it makes a relatively unknown period of history known to us. I remember hearing about the "Mexican War" in school - but that was it. The name of the war and some dates.

The author does a fantastic job of painting portraits of the various characters through whom the story is told. To anyone who has read any of Mr. Shaara's other works, or the work of his father, "The Killer Angels," a thread can be seen connecting each of his works through those characters, their predecessors, and their descendants.

I am indebted to Mr. Shaara to opening my eyes to this segment of American history. I would never have known about the greatness of Winfield Scott but for this book. Most other Americans do not know, either.

I recommend getting this book, either in print or audio, for the sheer educational value of it. Get it, listen to (or read) it, and get your children to listen to it. If for no other reason, get it just for the sheer entertainment value! Mr. Shaara, along with his close attention to the facts, has a remarkable literary talent. On top of that, the narrator, Jonathan Davis, reads not only with superb diction, but using different voices is able to add further brush strokes to the portrait of each historical character.

Thank you, Mr. Shaara, Mr. Davis and audible.com.

A Real treasure on a Neglected Time

The War with Mexico, just prior to the American Civil War, is one of the most interesting and least known chapters of American history. Many of the figures of this war would be the commanders and leaders of the Civil War. They learned the art of war in this event. This book is a great prequel to this tragic time. Told around Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, James Longstreet, George Pickett and Winfield Scott, this book is a gem! I highly recommend it.

Time Machine

This is great compilation of the facts as they happened in 1847. These were 17 hours of great history learning. It was a time machine were I could see all the generals at their formation as so.