Rating: 
Summary: Shines plenty of light on a dim war
Review: Jeff Shaara's "Gone for Soldiers" is his third book. They say good things come in threes, and whoever "they" would be are right. Although a little longwinded at times, this is a definate story to keep on your bookshelves.Shaara brings much light to the forgotten figure of Winfield Scott. "Old Fuss and Feathers" is described by Shaara as a leader with the flame for battle and leadership still in him, but no flame at all for his subordinates. He even dislikes his son-in-law, who's on his staff. Robert E. Lee is an expert engineer and scout who catches the eye of Scott with his crack work. Lee is portrayed as a little more mellow and enjoying rather than his CW days. Shaara still plays both characters out to a T, and makes the book all that much better. His battle scenes are long and tense, with adequate maps to go along with the narrative. What I liked best is when the assault on Chapultapec comes, Shaara moves away from Scott and Lee, the "brass" of the book, and goes to the everyday soldiers - Longstreet, Pickett and the ladders, Jackson and the artillery duel, and Grant in the sneak attack. It is a brilliant way to climax a book and take a smooth transition to the end of the war.
Rating: 
Summary: this is a good book but
Review: it doesn't hold a flame to the trilogy. This book sometimes seems like its just trying to pack as much stuff about Robert E Lee in it as possible, but I guess thats because he is basically the main character after Scott. The battles are interesting because if you don't read this book chances are you'll never learn about them in any history class, but it is interesting to see how bad Scott beat Santa Anna. i liked this book mainly because it has been my only introducting to the Mexican American War
Rating:
Summary: Positively Scrumtulescent
Review: Shaara captures his readers fantastically to reveal 2 true American heroes that are often forgotten about in history books. Shaara brings historical characters such as General Winfield Scott and Captain Robert E. Lee back to life in this high action/drama and tells the story of the first meetings of Scott, Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet, Grant and others that 13 years later would be fighting against each other in the Civil War. Almost impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: The Master of Military histories
Review: Jeff M. Shaara is the master of the period he writes about from the military perspective. This book like his others grips the reader by taking him or her into the minds of those young officers who will eventually rise to Generals and whose fight in the Civil War determined our country's future. This book is both a great read and a great historical novel. If you find reading history boring, you will be pleasantly surprised by the action paced excitement of this book. Well done, Jeff.
Rating: 
Summary: Moderately interesting, but...
Review: A moderately interesting account of the U.S. expeditionary forces under Gen. Winfield Scott...that is, if you can stomach Shaara's nauseating adulation of Robert E. Lee, who - for no historically accurate reason - is the novel's main character. (Read it - you'll see what I mean.)
Rating:
Summary: Gone for Soldiers
Review: A general's-eye view of the Mexican War. Well, it's better than his Revolutionary War books; it's got some characterization and moves reasonably fast. Still, I never felt drawn in, which is a pity, since there aren't a lot of novels on the Mexican War out there. I really think that the emphasis on using only real historical people as protags is a crutch of sorts, and the effect is to make the characterization seem less believable than it would if the characters were invented. Reasonably enjoyable, but not great fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Good book on a forogotten war
Review: This is actually the first book I have read written about the mexican war. I have seen that one of the criticisms of this book is that it leaves out a good portion of the war, namely then general, soon to be president zachary taylor's role in the war. I agree that is a weakness of the book, it's why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. However, the book does shed light on the often forgotten war, namely General Scott's march on mexico city. I particularly enjoyed the account of many of those who would become famous 13 years later in the civil war, such as lee, grant, meade, beaugard, jackson, longstreet, among others. Overall the book may not be as exciting as the author's others but it is enjoyable. Good addition to anybody's historical fiction library.
Rating:
Summary: Gone for Soldiers
Review: The Mexican War is the most forgotten, even though it is the first of the United States efforts regarding manifest destiny outside of what is US today. It defined our methodology for future endeavors. I thought it quite interesting that many of the junior officers would play a great role in the coming Civil War and that the Mexican War gave them the experience they needed. I also found it interesting that Lee was an engineer during this conflict at the age of 40 and used his ability to scout positions to create the advantage which undoubtedly gave him the blue print which caused the North so much trouble during the Civil War. Winfield Scott's relationship as depicted by Shaara with Lee was clearly favoritism and his relationship with his senior officers was strained and childish. If this book really shows the true situation, War is run by infantile, ego maniacs, which is scary. But I guess we already new that. I also could not help but draw correlations between the Iraq and Mexico war, from the march from the Sea, to the war is not going well in the eyes of observers, to walking into the gates of the City, to the looting, to military strategy. It seems to me that Wars of this type, unprotracted, follow a certain pattern and this book spells it out although the book dragged on a bit at times. But then again, I am a bit of an action addict when it comes to War novels.
Rating:
Summary: From Halls of Montezuma to Shores of Bagdad
Review: Gone For Soldiers a prequel to the civil war trilogy, this book follows the Mexi8can War thru two major characters, Robert E Lee, a young captain of engineers, and the aging veteran of the War of 1812, Winfield Scott. While well worth reading on its own, it was enhanced by reading it in the week following Bush's attack on Iraq -- Shaara presciently describes an amazingly close historical precedent [the book was published in 2000] -- an American president seeks to avoid difficulties with domestic politics by making a preemptive attack on a vastly inferior nation. Whether 'Manifest Destiny' or a new world order and a war on terror, the result is an invasion of a sovereign country. The initial invasion goes well, but is soon bogged down when the mismatched enemy forces refuse to come out in open field battle. Political decisions have as much to do with strategy as military ones. While the president talks of supporting the troops, there is inadequate supports in both guns and manpower, and no preparation for the aftermath. Initial forecasts of enthusiastic welcome as liberators turns to guerilla war as the army moves inland and Scott is forced to deplete his already small forces with numerous garrisons to contain and control his supply lines. Scott must keep casualties to a minimum knowing that public support for this war is thin, and relies on a risky campaign of maneuver against a numerically superior but technologically inferior enemy.
Rating:
Summary: A glorious triumph in our dusty history
Review: This book has brought light to an area of american history where very many peopl would just care less about. Definently an award winning book!
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