Gone for Soldiers Audiobook By Jeff Shaara cover art

Gone for Soldiers

A Novel of the Mexican War

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options
Buy for $17.96

Buy for $17.96

With his acclaimed New York Times bestsellers 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 fifteen 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 eight thousand 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 forty-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 page is turned.©2000 Jeffrey M. Shaara; (P)2000 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc. War & Military Genre Fiction Historical Thriller & Suspense Mexican War
Historical Insights • Engaging Storytelling • Sterling Performance • Authentic Military Details • Educational Content

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
This is a must-read book. It is told through the eyes of the major players in this war: Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, and Santa Anna. The characters are portrayed as real people and not larger than life. The focus is on the events of the Mexican-American War and the men who accomplished them. The pre-Civil War personalities are only mentioned briefly except for Robert E. Lee and his rise to brilliance. Shaara writes a very interesting history but its accuracy is not sacrificed for entertainment. I find this lively telling of history to be more entertaining than today's best fiction writers. After reading this you will want to experience more of Shaara's work. If only Audible would release all his books in unabridged format...

Real history that reads like fiction

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is a great read and eye opening. If you love reading about all the American Civil Generals, you will enjoy this book.

American Heros

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well done. This introduction to the formative period for so many of the famous generals of the American Civil War has left me wanting to learn more about the era of Manifest Destiny. Well written, well performed.

FlIlluminates the far reaching implications of the Mexican American War

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sahara uses his literary style of taking historical events and adding first person conversation of the historical figures of the events. In the book he bring to life his characters and shows how Junior Officers rise in influence that become General Officer in the Civil War. The Mexican War becomes debatable then still is.

Evan Review

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this book very much, and the reader did an excellent job in delivering it.

The style of writing, and the way it was read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews