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)

A fine introduction to an overlooked part of history

While not equal to some of Shasta’s other works, the story of the invasion of the Mexican heartland is more than entertaining in its own right. One drawback is the authors use of contemporary language and idiom. This is quite unlike the Civil War novels; all three of those captured the more twisted pros of the era. Still very much worth the purchase.

Great book about an obscure war

Really enjoyed hearing the stories of the men who would later be involved in the US Civil War. The Mexican war seems to have made a great impact on them, in the friendships they forged and the skills they gained. Good narration but I ended up playing it at 1.4X speed. No distortions and gave it a better faster pace.

Enjoy learning about history

This was my first Shaara book, and I learned why many people love him as an author. At first I almost didn't get the book because it was an period I didn't care much about. I learned that my lack of interest was really due to a lack of knowledge. I not only enjoyed learning more about a fogotten period of our history, but enjoyed learning about the early military experiences of many of the men who would later become the leaders of both sides during the civil war.

headline for this review

What did you love best about Gone for Soldiers?

Robert E. Lee's participation......Winfield Scott's participation
I had an Uncle named after Winfield Scott.

What other book might you compare Gone for Soldiers to and why?

Jeff Shaara's other books

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

Jonathan did a sterling performance

If you could take any character from Gone for Soldiers out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Robert E. Lee and this is about all I had.

Any additional comments?

None

Excellent

The book was very thorough. The reader was good.

Always Good Story Telling. What's Next?

Where is Jeff Going Next? I'd love a real departure. Perhaps to ancient Rome.

Great History, Blustery Philosophy, RE Lee's Blog

I feel like I could both go on forever about my feelings on this book or make an brief summation, so I'll go for the latter in favor of brevity. Parts of it I truly loved, and were intriguing looks at pivotal moments, and the philosophy of historical figures which seemed gleaned from really intense research. Other parts were truly dull.

RE Lee was a brilliant warrior, who under the tutelage of Scott, built the skill base and reputation that would launch his more famous career in the later rebellion. But he's not a very fun guy to hang out with as far as a protagonist goes. He's intentionally joyless, naive, and stuffy, all flip sides of the extreme attentiveness to duty that makes him so effective. I feel like giving him a foil, a "Watson" if you will, who is more likable and easier to identify with would help characterize the man even better. More time spent with Longstreet, Grant or Beauregard would have livened the story up. The sections that featured Winfield Scott, in my opinion, were the highlight of the book.

A more sympathetic character on the Mexican side would have been intriguing as well. Santa Anna was kind of a nasty dictator by almost all perspectives, and his parts of the text are pure mustache twirling villainy.

Fascinating!

The Mexican War...under taught and largely misunderstood. So, this is a compelling study and simply fascinating, with many parallels to current times. Worth every minute.

Shaara's One-Off Novels are Amazing

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy anything Jeff Shaara produces, his multiple series on the American Civil War and Second World War are superlative in the pantheon of truly authentic American storytelling. His ability to make the reader (in this case, a combat veteran) truly feel the searing heat of a war, and the inner monologue of strategic decision-makers make his stories almost impossible for me to put down.

That being said, his one-off novels are legitimate gems to me. Gone For Soldiers is without a doubt the first book anyone who wants to read/re-read his (and his father's) ACW books. You get to see a younger Lee, still making mistakes yet utterly efficient as a subordinate to almost everyone on a General's staff. We get to explore the mind of an oft-forgotten American military genius, Winfield Scott. The ability of Shaara to transition from tactical details of the battlefield to the ability of commanders to see the big strategic picture is masterful in the extreme. This is a similar pattern we can see in his other one-off books To The Last Man (a WWI Novel), and a personal favorite of mine The Frozen Hours (a Korean War novel).

Bottom line, this book is a wonderful read or listen. The ONLY flaw I've found with the narration (this is my nerdy side coming out) is that William Worth probably didn't have a distinctive Texan accent, as he was born/raised in New York. This is allowable in the need for the narrator to best distinguish between characters. Otherwise, Jonathan Davis is extremely engrossing. This book is one of my favorites in a wide selection of favored American literary classics. If you enjoy reading about the Mexican War, or the American Civil War, they seamlessly intersect here.

Very enjoyable historical novel

This is a very enjoyable novel of the War against Mexico. Many of the characters will be major players in the Civil War. If you like the style of Jeff Shaara this book is a must.