The Last Shot: The Incredible Story of the C.S.S. Shenandoah and the True Conclusion of the American Civil War ―How a Alaska Whaling Ended an Industry

by Lynn Schooler

Blending high-seas adventure and first-rate research, The Last Shot is naval history of the very first order, offering a riveting account of the last Southern military force to lay down its arms in June 1865. Following orders received the previous autumn, the Confederate raider Shenandoah fell upon a fleet of whalers out of New England working the waters near Alaska's Little Diomede Island. More than two dozen ships went down in a frenzy of destruction that occurred three months after the South's official surrender. In breathtaking detail, author Lynn Schooler re-creates one of the most astonishing events in American military history—a final act of war that brought about the near-demise of the New England whaling industry and effectively ended America's growing hegemony over worldwide shipping for the next eighty years.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, Naval History, American Civil War, Nautical, War

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Lynn is a critically acclaimed writer, guide, and outdoorsman whose work has been published in more than a dozen languages. His first book, The Blue Bear, was awarded the French literary prize Prix Littéraire 30 Millions d'Amis. His most recent non-fiction work, Walking Home, won the 2010 Banff Mountain Festival's 'Best Mountain Literature' prize. His first novel, published under the pen name Lynn D'Urso, was a finalist for the 2011 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and named as a USA Today Best Book. He was also the 2002 Editors at Amazon.com's #1 Choice of Nature Writers.

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. It is a historical account of the career of the Confederate Raider "Shenandoah" and the events leading to its cruise. There were a few places where bad language was used. Mainly when the author quoted directly from documents. Since I enjoy Civil War history, I found this book very enjoyable.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious tale about the successful Civil War commerce raider, CSS Shenandoah, the only Confederate ship to circumnavigate the globe, and one which unknowingly fought on for the lost cause until June 22, 1865. Schooler is a decent story teller, but he too often substitutes modern colloquialisms and personal interjections for the larger context, including the international law created late in the century by what were known as the Alabama claims. There are no citations and (even worse) no index.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining narrative of the voyage of the CSS Shenandoah. This confederate raider was responsible for capturing and or destroying a large number of unarmed Union merchant ships toward the end of the war, and in fact after the war was over. The ship thus had the ignominious distinction of firing the last shot of the Civil War. She was also the only confederate ship to circumnavigate the globe.

[Grant Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get through this one — have been busy with the holidays! I’m not used to reading history books, but this one felt awfully pedantic. It was definitely an interesting story, but perhaps not one I needed to read a whole book about.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found myself desiring footnotes or some type of citation to see where information was coming from, but there is none. That said, there is a lot of detail, you just have to take the author's word for it apparently.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to read. At times it has a feel of Master and Commander to it. It provides good information on a little known aspect of the Civil War.

[Tung · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book details the importance of naval blockades and battles during the war (economic pressure on the South); why England played a role in delivering the Shenandoah to the Confederates and looking past its initial voyage despite its supposed neutrality (dependence on cotton, as well as fear of the growing American might); and the ship’s primary mission as it sailed around the world (to destroy Union merchant ships, especially whalers). Schooler’s narrative follows the ship’s secret launch from England to its random attacks in the Atlantic, to its devastating three-day ship-sinking splurge near the Arctic Circle – which occurred months after the end of the Civil War unbeknownst to the ship’s crew – to its final return to England to escape Union forces. It is an interesting examination of the last shots of the Civil War – fired three months after Lee’s surrender at Appamattox, and thousands of miles away from the East Coast. Schooler delved into the personal logs of many of the ship’s officers, so his narrative ably describes the personalities of the major characters on board the ship. In fact, he quotes from so many logs and sources, he’s able to really set the scenes, filling them with dialogue that feels real. My only issue with the book is that it lacks action in lots of places. You expect action in Civil War books; most of the ship encounters described here are handled as if between noblemen – the captains of most captured ships surrendered without a shot being fired. When the book reaches its climax in the Bering Strait, and more than two dozen ships are destroyed by the Shenandoah, it’s handled in a dozen pages, mainly listing the names of the ships and how many prisoners were taken, or what goods were commandeered. Despite, the lack of action, however, it’s a thoroughly researched work, and a mostly engaging read. Non-civil war buffs will want to rate this book slightly lower; civil war books should make this a definite read.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story about the Confederate commerce raider Shenandoah. Acquired in England about two thirds of the way through the war under somewhat sketchy and illegal circumstances, this ship circumnavigated the earth and captured or destroyed about 40 Union ships. The author uses numerous memoirs from members of the crew, which helps add a personal voice to the story.

The major drawback of this book is it’s somewhat unprofessional writing style. Schooler is clearly not a formally trained historian. The quotes are not footnoted, and there is only a list of the works cited at the end of the book. Also, he uses very informal language (Ex. describing the crew as being “screwed” when they were in a tough situation). Overall, an entertaining book, just not top notch research and writing.

[Aussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a movie waiting to happen. Schooler presents the material in a straightforward, economical writing style; some readers might wish he succumbed to the temptation to inject more color, but on balance he has wisely left the sexing-up to a future director. The true narrative is so compelling and so amazingly obscure that it really needs no dressing up: a motley collection of Confederates - including 43 Australians - continue fighting the Civil War in the Pacific because they don't know the war is over. When - after sinking or capturing a couple of dozen Yankee whalers - they are finally persuaded that they face certain death because of their new status as pirates, the adventure really starts.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is from Juneau, AK where I lived until recently. That got my attention. The book takes place in the Bering Sea. I love the Bering Sea. The book is about the Civil War. Did you know they fought the Civil War in the Bering Sea? Just like those Japanese soldiers found on Pacific Islands years after WWII that didn't know the war was over... the sailors on this schooner kept fighting for the Confederacy after the war had ended. They had no idea it was over.

Very interesting book for both Civil War buffs and sailors of the Bering.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Movie! Movie! Movie!
This is so good! An amazing true story full of detail from the captain and crew diaries I would LOVE to see this in film! Loaded with adventure, near-tragedies, and many a change of scenery. There are some suprisingly hilarious sea-faring characters, too. And a big plus with Schooler's notes throughout giving detail to the curious, unfamiliar subjects, great background information that I found thoughtfully helpful.

[Angie Bollard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I loved the history in this book, I couldn't get past the author's modern references and bad writing. I would be reading a journal entry from one of the officers aboard ship, feeling like I was there, and then the author would chime in and break the spell cast by the original material.

[Mcharris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. Schooler is a wonderful storyteller. He knows how to get the reader involved in the drama. I love the fact that the last shot of the Civil War happened off the coast of Alaska.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and researched book regarding the Confederate raider Shenandoah. The ship was so far out to sea when the Civil War ended they didn't know and continued maurading. Easy to follow characters. Not just a military novel, it reads as a story.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well researched and interesting story, but history buffs will probably find it more palatable than trained historians. There is little analysis or context within the big picture of the war, and the lack of editing made it tedious. Every detail is included, and I didn't have the patience to finish.

[Alex Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy history books, but this felt like a slog. Perhaps it was the subject matter. I almost envied the sailors on the CSS Shenandoah because they got to their destinations faster than the author's sentences.

[Cimuchowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing tale of the last of three confederate raiders on the high seas from London to Alaska and back again.