Military Review English Edition July-August 2014 | Page 109

BOOK REVIEWS

learned by observation or by experience in the years
before the war. By 1914, the capacity of weapons technology had far outstripped the capability of the contemporary armies to overcome the defensive advantages afforded by these weapons. Worse still, when attacks
succeeded, the attacker proved unable to rapidly exploit
tactical gains. The armies, particularly those in the
West, dug in—however miserable, trenches preserved
lives. They were well conceived and took advantage of
some 30 years of improvement and careful thought as
to how they should be emplaced and developed. Rocky
Road is satisfying both in its explanation of the technical changes and of the development of theory from
Plevna to the start of the First World War.
Col. Gregory Fontenot, U.S. Army, Retired,
Lansing, Kansas

THE LAST FULL MEASURE:
How Soldiers Die in Battle
Michael Stephenson, Crown Publishers, New York,
2012, 464 pages, $28.00

I

n The Last Full Measure, author Michael
Stephenson analyzes a topic that is central to
warfare but seldom discussed: how soldiers have
died in combat. Stephenson, the former editor of the
Military Book Club and the author of a book on the
Revolutionary War examines how soldiers met their
deaths throughout history. His goal is to explain this
topic in a professional, nonsensational, and sensitive
manner, and demonstrate that the battlefield realities
were often harsher than the romanticized visions and
sanitized histories people are accustomed to reading. He argues that “the stench and screams give way
to rousing images. The death agonies settle into the
encouraging heroic gestures of the war memorial and
the movies.” Overall, the author succeeds in his goal and
provides the reader a lasting image of combat’s harsh
realities and a unique analysis of war.
The Last Full Measure brings together the factors
that cause death on the battlefield. The author organizes the book chronologically to account for the
specifics of each historical period concluding with
“Soldiers Die in the Style of Their Times.” This approach makes it easy for the reader to understand the
MILITARY REVIEW  July-August 2014

historical period and see the connections across the
ages. The book primarily focuses on deaths caused by
ground combat rather than by sickness and disease.
Each chapter, from ancient times to the wars of today,
discusses the weapons that killed soldiers, the tactics
and strategy that impacted their deaths, the decisions
soldiers made and the ones made for them, and the
impact of medical services. Stephenson also analyzes
the cultural context that affected the soldiers and
played a role in their motivation.
This unique approach, looking at how soldiers died,
offers the reader a fresh perspective not normally found
in books analyzing the experience of battle. Although
some of the information about the experience of battle
is covered in other books, linking it to how soldiers died
is the book’s strength. Stephenson used memoirs and
other research in his analysis. He weaves these personal
accounts into his analysis where they are particularly
effective at not only illustrating his points, but at providing the reader a feel for the events. The author uses
U.S. sources and adds the perspectives of many other
nations to bring depth to his analysis. Of particular
interest to readers may be the way the author highlights
the connections between historical periods of how
soldiers died.
Although the book is well written, some readers
may find a few of the author’s descriptions a bit over
the top. For example, when describing the killing power
of artillery he writes, “the cannon was a beast of omnivorous and indiscriminate appetite, guzzling greedily
on the herds of men conveniently marching toward its
muzzle.” In addition, in the early chapters, the author
will occasionally reference battles without providing
context, which can be confusing to a reader who does
not know the details of those battles. However, these
points are minor.
Overall, the book will be a great addition to the
libraries of those readers interested in the experience of
battle. I highly recommend it.
Lt. Col. Robert Rielly, U.S. Army, Retired, Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas

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