''The Last Full Measure'' ( (), ()) is a novel by American author

Jeffrey Shaara Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American novelist and the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara. Biography Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated f ...

, published on May 2, 2000, by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

. It is the sequel to '' The Killer Angels'' and '' Gods and Generals''. Together, the three novels complete an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

trilogy relating events from 1858 to 1865.

History

The novel, along with the second part of the trilogy, ''Gods and Generals'' (1996) were written by Shaara after the death in of his father, Michael Shaara, author of the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning ''The Killer Angels''. Employing the same style as the previous two books in the series, ''The Last Full Measure'' is written as a first-person narrative from various officers of the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and Confederate Armies as they regroup after Gettysburg and move into the final two years of the war. Characters featured include General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

, newly promoted Brigadier General

Joshua Chamberlain Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (born Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, September 8, 1828February 24, 1914) was an American college professor from Maine who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army. He became a highly respected and ...

, and Lieutenant General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. The novel's title comes from a line in the Gettysburg Address: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion." Like the first two novels of the trilogy, ''The Last Full Measure'' was planned to be made into a feature film by

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...

. However, '' Gods and Generals'' performed so poorly at the box office that the project was abandoned due to lack of interest and funding.

References

External links

Random House ''Last Full Measure'' Page

Jeff Shaara's Official Site
1998 American novels Novels set during the American Civil War Novels by Jeffrey Shaara Ballantine Books books Novels set in Virginia {{AmericanCivilWar-novel-stub