{"product_id":"civil-war-trilogyisbn-9780345425486","title":"Civil War Trilogy","description":"In the Pulitzer prize–winning classic \u003ci\u003eThe Killer Angels,\u003c\/i\u003e Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Full Measure\u003c\/i\u003e tells the epic story of the events following the Battle of Gettysburg and brings to life the final two years of the Civil War. Jeff Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant—complicated, heroic, and deeply troubled men. For Lee and his Confederate forces, Gettysburg has been an unspeakable disaster, but he is determined to fight to the bitter end; he faces Grant, the decisive, hard-nosed leader the Union army so desperately needs in order to turn the tide of the war. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing seize 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.“Riveting . . . vivid . . . brilliantly depicted.”—\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Last Full Measure\u003c\/i\u003e is more than another historical novel. It is rooted in history, but its strength is the element of humanity flowing through its characters. . . . The book is compelling, easy to read, well researched and written, and thought-provoking. . . . In short, it is everything that a reader could ask for.”—\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Masterful . . . These characters come alive as complex, heroic, and flawed men.”—Baltimore \u003ci\u003eSun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Shaara] writes with considerable sensitivity and skill, setting vivid scenes and adding drama and suspense to a familiar tale.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Exhaustively researched, infused with a profound understanding of the great issues of a nation and the small quirks of the human heart.”—\u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJeff Shaara\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Chain of Thunder,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eA Blaze of Glory,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Final Storm, No Less Than Victory, The Steel Wave, The Rising Tide, To the Last Man, The Glorious Cause, Rise to Rebellion, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Gone for Soldiers, \u003c\/i\u003eas well as \u003ci\u003eGods and Generals \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Last Full Measure\u003c\/i\u003e—two novels that complete the Civil War trilogy that began with his father’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic, \u003ci\u003eThe Killer Angels\u003c\/i\u003e. Shaara was born into a family of Italian immigrants in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and graduated from Florida State University. He lives in Gettysburg.\u003c\/p\u003eBy July 1863 the Civil War has been fought over the farmlands and \u003cbr\u003eseacoasts of the South for better than two years, and is already one of \u003cbr\u003ethe bloodiest wars in human history. It is a war that most believed would \u003cbr\u003ebe decided by one quick fight, one great show of strength by the power of \u003cbr\u003ethe North. The first major battle, called Bull Run in the North, Manassas \u003cbr\u003ein the South, is witnessed by a carefree audience of Washington's elite. \u003cbr\u003eTheir brightly decorated carriages carry men in fine suits and society \u003cbr\u003ematrons in colorful dresses. They perch on a hillside, enjoying their \u003cbr\u003epicnics, anticipating a great show with bands playing merrily while the \u003cbr\u003eyoung men in blue march in glorious parade and sweep aside the ragged band \u003cbr\u003eof rebels. What they see is the first great horror, the stunning reality \u003cbr\u003ethat this is in fact a \u003ci\u003ewar,\u003c\/i\u003e and that men will die. What they \u003cbr\u003estill cannot understand is how far this will go, and \u003ci\u003ehow \u003cbr\u003emany\u003c\/i\u003e men will die.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the North, President Lincoln maintains a fragile grip on forces pulling \u003cbr\u003ethe government in all directions. On one extreme is the pacifist movement, \u003cbr\u003ethose who believe that the South has made its point, and so, to avoid \u003cbr\u003ebloodshed, Washington must simply let them go, that nothing so \u003cbr\u003einconsequential as the Constitution is as important as the loss of life. \u003cbr\u003eOn the other extreme are the radical abolitionists, who demand the South \u003cbr\u003ebe brought down entirely, punished for its way of life, its culture, and \u003cbr\u003ethat anyone who supports the southern cause should be purged from the \u003cbr\u003eland. There is also a great middle ground, men of reason and intellect, \u003cbr\u003ewho now understand that there is more to this war than the inflammatory \u003cbr\u003eissue of slavery, or the argument over the sovereign rights of the \u003cbr\u003eindividual states. As men continue to volunteer, larger and larger numbers \u003cbr\u003eof troops take to the fields, and other causes emerge, each man fighting \u003cbr\u003efor his own reason. Some fight for honor and duty, some for money and \u003cbr\u003eglory, but nearly all are driven by an amazing courage, and will carry \u003cbr\u003etheir muskets across the deadly space because they feel it is the right \u003cbr\u003ething to do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the North come farmers and fishermen, lumberjacks and shopkeepers, \u003cbr\u003eold veterans and young idealists. Some are barely Americans at all, \u003cbr\u003eexpatriates and immigrants from Europe, led by officers who do not speak \u003cbr\u003eEnglish. Some are freedmen, Negroes who volunteer to fight for the \u003cbr\u003epreservation of the limited freedoms they have been given, and to spread \u003cbr\u003ethat freedom into the South.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the South they are also farmers and fishermen, as well as ranchers, \u003cbr\u003elaborers, aristocrats, and young men seeking adventure. They are inspired \u003cbr\u003efirst by the political rhetoric, the fire-breathing oratory of the radical \u003cbr\u003esecessionists. They are told that Lincoln is in league with the devil, and \u003cbr\u003ethat his election ensures that the South will be held down, oppressed by \u003cbr\u003ethe powerful interests in the North, that their very way of life is under \u003cbr\u003esiege. When the sound of the big guns echo across Charleston harbor, when \u003cbr\u003ethe first flashes of smoke and fire swallow Fort Sumter, Lincoln orders an \u003cbr\u003earmy to go south, to put down the rebellion by force. With the invasion \u003cbr\u003ecomes a new inspiration, and in the South, even men of reason are drawn \u003cbr\u003einto the fight, men who were not seduced by mindless rhetoric, who have \u003cbr\u003eshunned the self-serving motives of the politicians. There is outrage, and \u003cbr\u003eno matter the issues or the politics, many take up arms in response to \u003cbr\u003ewhat they see as the threat to their homes. Even the men who understand \u003cbr\u003eand promote the inevitable failure of slavery cannot stand by while their \u003cbr\u003eland is invaded. The issue is not to be decided after all by talk or \u003cbr\u003erhetoric, but by the gun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn both sides are the career soldiers, West Pointers, men with experience \u003cbr\u003efrom the Mexican War, or the Indian wars of the 1850s. In the North the \u003cbr\u003eofficers are infected and abused by the disease of politics, and promotion \u003cbr\u003eis not always granted by performance or ability. The Federal armies endure \u003cbr\u003ea parade of inept or unlucky commanders who cannot fight the rebels until \u003cbr\u003ethey first master the fight with Washington. Few succeed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the South, Jefferson Davis maintains an iron hand, controlling even the \u003cbr\u003esmallest details of governing the Confederacy. It is not an effective \u003cbr\u003esystem, and as in the North, men of political influence are awarded \u003cbr\u003epositions of great authority, men who have no business leading soldiers \u003cbr\u003einto combat. In mid-1862, through an act of fate, or as he would interpret \u003cbr\u003eit, an act of God, Robert Edward Lee is given command of the Army of \u003cbr\u003eNorthern Virginia. What follows in the East is a clear pattern, a series \u003cbr\u003eof great and bloody fights in which the South prevails and the North is \u003cbr\u003ebeaten back. If the pattern continues, the war will end and the \u003cbr\u003eConfederacy will triumph. Many of the fights are won by Lee, or by his \u003cbr\u003egenerals--the Shenandoah Valley, Second Manassas. Many of the fights are \u003cbr\u003esimply lost by the blunders of Federal commanders, the most horrifying \u003cbr\u003eexample at Fredericksburg. Most, like the catastrophic Federal defeat at \u003cbr\u003eChancellorsville or the tactical stalemate at Antietam, are a combination \u003cbr\u003eof both.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy 1863 two monumental events provide an insight into what lies ahead. The \u003cbr\u003efirst is the success of the Federal blockade of southern seaports, which \u003cbr\u003eprevents the South from receiving critical supplies from allies abroad, \u003cbr\u003eand also prevents the export of raw materials, notably cotton and tobacco, \u003cbr\u003ewhich provide the currency necessary to pay for the war effort. The result \u003cbr\u003eis understood on both sides. Without outside help, the Confederacy will \u003cbr\u003eslowly starve.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe second is the great bloody fight at Gettysburg. While a tragic defeat \u003cbr\u003efor Lee's army, there is a greater significance to the way that defeat \u003cbr\u003eoccurs. Until now, the war has been fought mostly from the old traditions, \u003cbr\u003ethe Napoleonic method, the massed frontal assault against fortified \u003cbr\u003epositions. It has been apparent from the beginning of the war that the new \u003cbr\u003eweaponry has made such attacks dangerous and costly, but old ways die \u003cbr\u003eslowly, and commanders on both sides have been reluctant to change. After \u003cbr\u003eGettysburg, the changes become a matter of survival. If the commanders do \u003cbr\u003enot yet understand, the men in the field do, and the use of the shovels \u003cbr\u003ebecomes as important as the use of muskets. The new methods--strong \u003cbr\u003efortifications, trench warfare--are clear signs to all that the war has \u003cbr\u003echanged, that there will be no quick and decisive fight to end all fights.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the Civil War enters its third year, the bloody reports continue to \u003cbr\u003efill the newspapers, and the bodies of young men continue to fill the \u003cbr\u003ecemeteries. To the eager patriots, the idealists and adventurers who \u003cbr\u003ejoined the fight at the beginning, there is a new reality, in which honor \u003cbr\u003eand glory are becoming hollow words. The great causes are slowly pushed \u003cbr\u003easide, and men now fight with the grim determination to take this fight to \u003cbr\u003eits end; after so much destruction and horrible loss, the senses are \u003cbr\u003edulled, the unspeakable sights no longer shock. All the energy is forward, \u003cbr\u003etoward those men across that deadly space who have simply become the \u003cbr\u003eenemy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Edward Lee\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in 1807, he graduates West Point in 1829, second in his class. Though \u003cbr\u003ehe is the son of \"Light-Horse\" Harry Lee, a great hero of the American \u003cbr\u003eRevolution, late in his father's life Lee must endure the burden of his \u003cbr\u003efather's business and personal failures more than the aura of heroism. Lee \u003cbr\u003eis devoutly religious, believing with absolute clarity that the events of \u003cbr\u003ehis life are determined by the will of God. On his return from West Point, \u003cbr\u003ehis mother dies in his arms. The haunting sadness of her death stays hard \u003cbr\u003einside him for the rest of his life, and places him more firmly than ever \u003cbr\u003einto the hands of his God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe marries the aristocratic Mary Anne Randolph Custis, whose father is the \u003cbr\u003egrandson of Martha Washington, and whose home is the grand mansion of \u003cbr\u003eArlington, overlooking the Potomac River. The Lees have seven children, \u003cbr\u003eand Lee suffers the guilt of a career that rarely brings him home to watch \u003cbr\u003ehis children grow, a source of great regret for him, and simmering \u003cbr\u003ebitterness in his wife Mary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLee is a brilliant engineer, and his army career moves him to a variety of \u003cbr\u003eposts where his expertise and skill contribute much to the construction of \u003cbr\u003ethe military installations and forts along the Atlantic coast. He goes to \u003cbr\u003eSt. Louis and confronts a crisis for the port there by rerouting the flow \u003cbr\u003eof the Mississippi River. In 1846 he is sent to Mexico,and his reputation \u003cbr\u003elands him on the staff of General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. Lee performs \u003cbr\u003ewith efficiency and heroism, both as an engineer, a scout, and a staff \u003cbr\u003eofficer, and leaves Mexico a lieutenant colonel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe accepts command of the cadet corps at West Point in 1851, considered by \u003cbr\u003emany as the great reward for good service, the respectable job in which to \u003cbr\u003espend the autumn of his career. But though his family is now close, he \u003cbr\u003emisses the action of Mexico, finds himself stifled by administrative \u003cbr\u003eduties. In 1855 he stuns all who know him by seizing an opportunity to \u003cbr\u003ereturn to the field, volunteering to go to Texas, to command a new \u003cbr\u003eregiment of cavalry. But even that command is mundane and frustrating, and \u003cbr\u003ethere is for him nothing in the duty that recalls the vitality and \u003cbr\u003eadventure of the fighting in Mexico. Throughout the 1850s Lee settles into \u003cbr\u003ea deep gloom, resigns himself that no duty will be as fulfilling as life \u003cbr\u003eunder fire and that his career will carry him into old age in bored \u003cbr\u003eobscurity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the conflict over Lincoln's election boils over in the South, his \u003cbr\u003ecommand in Texas begins to collapse, and he is recalled to Washington in \u003cbr\u003eearly 1861, where he receives the startling request to command Lincoln's \u003cbr\u003enew volunteer army, with a promotion to Major General. He shocks \u003cbr\u003eWashington and deeply disappoints Winfield Scott by declining the \u003cbr\u003eappointment. Lee chooses the only course left to an officer and a man of \u003cbr\u003ehonor and resigns from his thirty-year career. He believes that even \u003cbr\u003ethough Virginia has not yet joined the secessionist states, by organizing \u003cbr\u003ean army to invade the South, Lincoln has united his opponents and the \u003cbr\u003esouthern states, which must eventually include Virginia. Lee will not take \u003cbr\u003eup arms against his home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn late April 1861 he accepts the governor's invitation to command the \u003cbr\u003eVirginia Militia, a defensive force assembled to defend the state. When \u003cbr\u003eJefferson Davis moves the Confederate government to Richmond, the Virginia \u003cbr\u003eforces, as well as those of the other ten secessionist states, are \u003cbr\u003eabsorbed into the Confederate army. Lee is invited to serve as military \u003cbr\u003econsultant to Davis, another stifling job with little actual authority. In \u003cbr\u003eJuly 1861, during the first great battle of the war, Lee sits alone in his \u003cbr\u003eoffice, while most of official Richmond travels to Manassas, to the \u003cbr\u003eexcitement of the front lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn June 1862, while accompanied by Davis near the fighting on the Virginia \u003cbr\u003epeninsula, commander Joe Johnston is wounded in action and Davis offers \u003cbr\u003ecommand of the Army of Northern Virginia to Lee. Lee accepts, understands \u003cbr\u003ethat he is, after all, a soldier, and justifies the decision with the fact \u003cbr\u003ethat his theater of war is still Virginia. Defending his home takes on a \u003cbr\u003emore poignant significance when Lee's grand estate at Arlington is \u003cbr\u003eoccupied and ransacked by Federal troops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLee reorganizes the army, removes many of the inept political generals, \u003cbr\u003eand begins to understand the enormous value of his two best commanders, \u003cbr\u003eJames Longstreet and Thomas Jackson, who at Manassas was given the \u003cbr\u003enickname \"Stonewall.\" Using the greatest talents of both men, Lee leads \u003cbr\u003ethe Army of Northern Virginia through a series of momentous victories \u003cbr\u003eagainst a Federal army that is weighed down by its own failures, and by \u003cbr\u003eits continuing struggle to find an effective commander. Much of Lee's war \u003cbr\u003eis fought in northern Virginia, and the land is suffering under the strain \u003cbr\u003eof feeding the army. The burden of war and of the Federal blockade spreads \u003cbr\u003ethrough the entire Confederacy and inspires Lee and Davis to consider a \u003cbr\u003ebold and decisive strategy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn September 1862, Lee moves his army north, hoping to gather support and \u003cbr\u003enew recruits from the neutral state of Maryland. The advance results in \u003cbr\u003ethe battle of Sharpsburg--known as Antietam in the North--and though Lee \u003cbr\u003edoes not admit defeat, the outrageous carnage and loss of life force him \u003cbr\u003eto order a retreat back into Virginia. But his army is not pursued by the \u003cbr\u003eFederal forces, and with new commanders now confronting him, Lee begins a \u003cbr\u003egreat tactical chess game, and accomplishes the greatest victories of the \u003cbr\u003ewar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn December 1862, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, his army maintains the \u003cbr\u003edefensive and completely crushes poorly planned Federal assaults. In May \u003cbr\u003e1863, at Chancellorsville, Lee is outnumbered nearly three to one, and \u003cbr\u003eonly by the utter audacity of Stonewall Jackson does the huge Federal army \u003cbr\u003eretire from the field with great loss. But the battle is costly for Lee as \u003cbr\u003ewell. Jackson is accidentally shot by his own men, and dies after a \u003cbr\u003eweeklong struggle with pneumonia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLee and Davis continue to believe that a move northward is essential, that \u003cbr\u003ewith weakened confidence and inept commanders, the Federal army need only \u003cbr\u003ebe pushed into one great battle that will likely end the war. In June \u003cbr\u003e1863, Lee's army marches into Pennsylvania. He believes that a great fight \u003cbr\u003emight not even be necessary, that just the threat of spilling blood on \u003cbr\u003enorthern soil will put great pressure on Washington, and the war might be \u003cbr\u003ebrought to an end by the voice of the northern people. The invasion of the \u003cbr\u003eNorth will serve another purpose: to take the fight into fertile farmlands \u003cbr\u003ewhere Lee might feed his increasingly desperate army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome in Lee's army question the strategy, raising the moral question of \u003cbr\u003ehow to justify an invasion versus defending their homes. Others question \u003cbr\u003ethe military judgment of moving into unfamiliar territory, against an \u003cbr\u003eenemy that has never been inspired by fighting on its own ground. There \u003cbr\u003eare other factors that Lee must confront. Though he is personally \u003cbr\u003edevastated by the death of Jackson, Jackson's loss means more to his army \u003cbr\u003ethan Lee fully understands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the invasion moves north, Lee is left blind by his cavalry, under the \u003cbr\u003eflamboyant command of Jeb Stuart. Stuart fails to provide Lee with \u003cbr\u003ecritical information about the enemy and is cut off from Lee beyond the \u003cbr\u003emarch of the Federal army, an army that is moving to confront Lee with \u003cbr\u003euncharacteristic speed. The Federal Army of the Potomac has yet another \u003cbr\u003enew commander, George Gordon Meade, and if Lee knows Meade to be a careful \u003cbr\u003eman, cautious in his new command, he also knows that there are many other \u003cbr\u003eFederal officers now rising to the top, men who are not political pawns \u003cbr\u003ebut in fact hard and effective fighters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe two armies collide at a small crossroads called Gettysburg, a fight \u003cbr\u003efor which Lee is not yet prepared, and the fight becomes the three \u003cbr\u003ebloodiest days in American history. As costly as it is to both armies, it \u003cbr\u003eis a clear defeat for Lee. He had believed his army could not be stopped, \u003cbr\u003eand begins now to understand what Jackson's loss might mean--that as the \u003cbr\u003efight goes on, and the good men continue to fall away, the war will settle \u003cbr\u003eheavily on his own shoulders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoshua Lawrence Chamberlain\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in 1828 near Brewer, Maine, he is the oldest of five children. He \u003cbr\u003egraduates Bowdoin College in 1852, and impresses all who know him with his \u003cbr\u003eintellect, his gift for words and talent for languages. He is raised by a \u003cbr\u003edeeply religious mother, whose greatest wish is that he become a man of \u003cbr\u003ethe cloth, and for a short while Chamberlain attends the Bangor \u003cbr\u003eTheological Seminary, but it is not a commitment he can make. His father's \u003cbr\u003eancestry is military. Chamberlain's great-grandfather fought in the \u003cbr\u003eRevolution, his grandfather in the War of 1812. His father serves during \u003cbr\u003epeacetime years in the Maine Militia and never sees combat. It is family \u003cbr\u003etradition that his son will follow the military path, and he pressures \u003cbr\u003eChamberlain to apply to West Point. When Chamberlain returns to the \u003cbr\u003eacademic community, a career for which his father has little respect, the \u003cbr\u003edisappointment becomes a hard barrier between them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe marries Frances Caroline (Fannie) Adams, and they have four children, \u003cbr\u003etwo of whom survive infancy. Fannie pushes him toward the career in \u003cbr\u003eacademics, and his love for her is so complete and consuming that he \u003cbr\u003elikely would have pursued any path she had chosen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConsidered the rising star in the academic community, Chamberlain accepts \u003cbr\u003ea prestigious Chair at Bowdoin, formerly held by the renowned Calvin \u003cbr\u003eStowe, husband of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her controversial book, \u003ci\u003eUncle \u003cbr\u003eTom's Cabin,\u003c\/i\u003e inspires Chamberlain, and the issues that explode in \u003cbr\u003ethe South, so far removed from the classrooms in Maine, reach him deeply. \u003cbr\u003eHe begins to feel a calling of a different kind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the war begins in earnest, and Chamberlain's distraction is evident to \u003cbr\u003ethe school administration, he is offered a leave of absence--a trip to \u003cbr\u003eEurope, to take him away from the growing turmoil. Chamberlain uses the \u003cbr\u003eopportunity in a way that astounds and distresses everyone. He goes to the \u003cbr\u003egovernor of Maine without telling anyone, including Fannie, and volunteers \u003cbr\u003efor service in the newly forming Maine regiments. Though he has no \u003cbr\u003emilitary experience, his intellect and zeal for the job open the door, and \u003cbr\u003ehe is appointed Lieutenant Colonel, second-in-command of the Twentieth \u003cbr\u003eMaine Regiment of Volunteers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a difficult farewell to his family, Chamberlain and his regiment \u003cbr\u003ejoin the Army of the Potomac in Washington, and in September 1862 they \u003cbr\u003emarch toward western Maryland, to confront Lee's army at Antietam Creek. \u003cbr\u003eThe Twentieth Maine does not see action, but Chamberlain observes the \u003cbr\u003ecarnage of the fight and, for the first time, experiences what the war \u003cbr\u003emight mean for the men around him. Three months later he leads his men \u003cbr\u003einto the guns at Fredericksburg and witnesses firsthand what the war has \u003cbr\u003ebecome. He spends an amazing night on the battlefield, yards from the \u003cbr\u003elines of the enemy, and protects himself with the corpses of his own men.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn June 1863 he is promoted to full colonel, and now commands the \u003cbr\u003eregiment. He marches north with the army in pursuit of Lee's invasion. By \u003cbr\u003echance, his regiment is the lead unit of the Fifth Corps, and when they \u003cbr\u003ereach the growing sounds of the fight at Gettysburg, the Twentieth Maine \u003cbr\u003emarches to the left flank, climbing a long rise to the far face of a rocky \u003cbr\u003ehill known later as Little Round Top. His is now the last unit, the far \u003cbr\u003eleft flank of the Federal line, and he is ordered to hold the position at \u003cbr\u003eall cost. The regiment fights off a desperate series of attacks from \u003cbr\u003eLongstreet's corps, which, if successful, would likely turn the entire \u003cbr\u003eFederal flank, exposing the supply train and the rear of the rest of the \u003cbr\u003earmy. Low on ammunition, his line weakening from the loss of so many men, \u003cbr\u003ehe impulsively orders his men to charge the advancing rebels with bayonets, \u003cbr\u003esurprising the weary attackers so completely that they retreat in disorder \u003cbr\u003eor are captured en masse. The attacks end and the flank is secured.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring the fight, he is struck by a small piece of shrapnel, and carries a \u003cbr\u003esmall but painful wound in his foot. As the army marches in slow pursuit \u003cbr\u003eof Lee's retreat, the foul weather and Chamberlain's own exhaustion take \u003cbr\u003etheir toll, and he begins to suffer symptoms of malaria.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough he is unknown outside of his immediate command, this college \u003cbr\u003eprofessor turned soldier now attracts the attention of the commanders \u003cbr\u003eabove him, and it becomes apparent that his is a name that will be heard \u003cbr\u003eagain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUlysses Simpson Grant\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn in 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio, he graduates West Point in 1843. \u003cbr\u003eSmall, undistinguished as a cadet, it is his initials which first attract \u003cbr\u003eattention. The U.S. becomes a nickname, \"Uncle Sam,\" and soon he is known \u003cbr\u003eby his friends as simply \"Sam.\" He achieves one other notable reputation \u003cbr\u003eat the Point, that of a master horseman, seemingly able to tame and ride \u003cbr\u003eany animal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis first duty is near St. Louis, and he maintains a strong friendship \u003cbr\u003ewith many of the former cadets, including \"Pete\" Longstreet. Grant meets \u003cbr\u003eand falls madly in love with Julia Dent, whose father's inflated notion of \u003cbr\u003ehis own aristocratic standing produces strong objection to his daughter's \u003cbr\u003erelationship with a soldier. Longstreet suffers a similar fate, and in \u003cbr\u003e1846, when the orders come to march to Mexico, both men leave behind young \u003cbr\u003egirls with wounded hearts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrant is assigned to the Fourth Infantry and serves under Zachary Taylor \u003cbr\u003eduring the first conflicts in south Texas. He makes the great march inland \u003cbr\u003ewith Winfield Scott and arrives at the gates of Mexico City to lead his \u003cbr\u003emen into the costly fighting that eventually breaks down the defenses of \u003cbr\u003ethe city and gives Scott's army the victory. Grant leads his infantry with \u003cbr\u003egreat skill, and is recognized for heroism, but is not impressed with the \u003cbr\u003estraight-ahead tactics used by Scott. He believes that much loss of life \u003cbr\u003ecould have been avoided by better strategy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe returns home with a strong sense of despair for the condition of the \u003cbr\u003eMexican peasantry, which he sees as victims of both the war and their own \u003cbr\u003eruling class. It is an experience that helps strengthen his own feelings \u003cbr\u003eabout the abominable inhumanity of slavery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReturning to St. Louis, Grant receives reluctant consent to marry Julia, \u003cbr\u003eand eventually they have four children. He receives a pleasant assignment \u003cbr\u003eto Detroit, but in 1852 he is ordered to the coast of California, an \u003cbr\u003eexpensive and hazardous post, and so he must leave his family behind. The \u003cbr\u003efollowing two years are the worst in his life, and despite a brief and enjoyable tour at Fort Vancouver, he succumbs both to the outrageous temptations of gold-rush San Francisco and the desperate loneliness of \u003cbr\u003elife without his young family. Shy and withdrawn, he does not enjoy the \u003cbr\u003eraucous social circles of many of his friends, and the painful isolation \u003cbr\u003eleads him to a dependency on alcohol. His bouts of drunkenness are severe \u003cbr\u003eenough to interfere with his duty, and his behavior warrants disciplinary \u003cbr\u003eaction. Because of the generosity of his commanding officer, Grant is \u003cbr\u003eafforded the opportunity to resign rather than face a court-martial. He \u003cbr\u003eleaves the army in May 1854 and believes his career in the military is at \u003cbr\u003ea painful conclusion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe returns to his family unemployed and penniless, and attempts to farm a \u003cbr\u003epiece of land given him by Julia's father. With no money to provide the \u003cbr\u003ebeginnings of a crop, Grant attempts the lumber business, cutting trees \u003cbr\u003efrom the land himself. He eventually builds his own house, which he calls, \u003cbr\u003eappropriately, \"Hardscrabble.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe is generous to a fault, often loaning money to those who will never \u003cbr\u003erepay the debts, and despite a constant struggle financially, he is always \u003cbr\u003ewilling to help anyone who confronts him in need.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1859 he is offered a position as a collection agent for a real estate \u003cbr\u003efirm in St. Louis, and trades the small farm for a modest home in the \u003cbr\u003ecity, but the business is not profitable. Though he is qualified for \u003cbr\u003epositions that become available in the local government, the political \u003cbr\u003eturmoil that spreads through the Midwest requires great skill at intrigue \u003cbr\u003eand political connections, and Grant has neither. He finally accepts an \u003cbr\u003eoffer from his own father, moves to Galena, Illinois, in 1860, and clerks \u003cbr\u003ein a leather and tanned goods store with his brothers, who understand that \u003cbr\u003eGrant's military experience and West Point training in mathematics will \u003cbr\u003emake for both a trustworthy and useful employee. But the politics of the \u003cbr\u003eday begin to affect even those who try to avoid the great discussions and \u003cbr\u003etown meetings, and Grant meets John Rawlins and Elihu Washburne, whose \u003cbr\u003epolitical influence begins to pave the way for an opportunity Grant would \u003cbr\u003enever have sought on his own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the presidential election draws closer, Grant awakens to the political \u003cbr\u003epassions around him, involves himself with the issues andthe candidates, \u003cbr\u003eand finally decides to support the candidate Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln \u003cbr\u003eis elected, Grant tells his friend John Rawlins that with passions \u003cbr\u003eigniting around the country, \"the South will fight.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePersuaded by Washburne, Grant organizes a regiment of troops from Galena \u003cbr\u003eand petitions the governor of Illinois for a Colonel's commission, which \u003cbr\u003ehe receives. After seven years of struggle as a civilian, Grant reenters \u003cbr\u003ethe army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eServing first under Henry Halleck, he eventually commands troops through \u003cbr\u003efights on the Mississippi River at Forts Henry and Donelson, each fight \u003cbr\u003egrowing in importance as the war spreads. Promoted eventually to Major \u003cbr\u003eGeneral, Grant is named commander of the Federal Army of Tennessee, but \u003cbr\u003estill must endure Halleck's fragile ego and disagreeable hostility. On the \u003cbr\u003eTennessee River at a place called Shiloh, facing a powerful enemy under \u003cbr\u003ethe command of Albert Sidney Johnston, Grant wins one of the bloodiest \u003cbr\u003efights of the war, in which Johnston himself is killed. Here, Grant's \u003cbr\u003ecommand includes an old acquaintance from his days in California, William \u003cbr\u003eTecumseh Sherman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn July 1862, when Halleck is promoted to General-in-Chief of the army and \u003cbr\u003eleaves for Washington, the army of the western theater is a confused \u003cbr\u003emishmash of commands under Grant, Don Carlos Buell, and William Rosecrans. \u003cbr\u003eWhile the focus of the nation is on the great battles in Virginia, Grant \u003cbr\u003egradually establishes himself as the most consistent and reliable \u003cbr\u003ecommander in the West. He finally unites much of the Federal forces for an \u003cbr\u003eassault and eventually a long siege on the critical river port of \u003cbr\u003eVicksburg, Mississippi. In July 1863, the same week Lee's army confronts \u003cbr\u003ethe great Federal forces at Gettysburg, Grant succeeds in capturing both \u003cbr\u003eVicksburg and the Confederate force that had occupied it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, Lincoln begins to focus not just on the great turmoil of Virginia, \u003cbr\u003ebut toward the West as well, and it is Grant's name that rises through the \u003cbr\u003ejumble of poor commanders and the political gloom of Washington. After the \u003cbr\u003edisasters of leadership that have plagued the army, Lincoln's patience for \u003cbr\u003ethe politics of command is at an end. He begins to speak of this quiet and \u003cbr\u003eunassuming man out West, a general who seems to know how to win.","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303843975397,"sku":"NP9780345425486","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345425485.jpg?v=1730755533","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/civil-war-trilogyisbn-9780345425486","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}