The Killer Angels tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg. On July 1, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia, or Confederate army, and the Army of the Potomac, or Union army, fought the largest battle of the American Civil War. When the battle ended, 51,000 men were dead, wounded, or missing. All the characters in the novel are based on real historical figures. They include General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate army; General James Longstreet, Lee’s second in command; and Union Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, who participated in one of the most famous segments of the Battle of Gettysburg, the fighting on Little Round Top.
The story begins on June 29, 1863. A spy comes to Longstreet and informs him that he has seen the Union army moving nearby. This information surprises Longstreet, because General J. E. B. Stuart is supposed to be tracking the Union army with his cavalry. Longstreet thinks the Confederate army must quickly move north to intercept the Union. The Confederates swing southeast through the mountains and toward a small town called Gettysburg
Miles south of Gettysburg, Union Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain awakes to discover that his regiment, the Twentieth Maine, has a hundred new members—mutineers from the Second Maine. Chamberlain gives them a brief speech, asking them to continue to fight, and all but six of the men join the Twentieth Maine freely.
In Gettysburg, General John Buford, leader of the Union cavalry, rides into the town and discovers Confederate troops nearby. He realizes that the two armies may end up fighting in the town, so he takes his two brigades—approximately 2,000 men—and positions the soldiers along the hills in the area. He knows that having high ground is the key to winning the battle, since it is easier to fight from above than below. In the Confederate camp, Longstreet meets with George Pickett and several other generals.
On the morning of July 1, Lee rises and curses Stuart’s absence. He is blind without Stuart, because without him he has no idea where the Union army is. He meets with Longstreet, who wants to swing southeast and come between the Union army and Washington, D.C. Then, Longstreet says, the Confederates can use defensive tactics and have a much better chance of winning the battle. Lee refuses, because he wants to smash the Union army aggressively in one decisive stroke.
Meanwhile, the battle begins at Gettysburg when the Confederates attack Buford’s men.
From July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, the most famous and most important Civil War Battle took place in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederates under Robert E. Lee advanced on the Union in hopes of taking the major city of Philadelphia, Baltimore, or even Washington D.C. Union commander General George Meade was sent to make sure none of this would happen. General Robert E. Lee was determined to invade the North and win a victory important for southern morale, leads his army toward Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he hopes to destroy railroad bridges linking east with west. He is unaware that a large union force headed by General Meade is headed in the same direction.
The book opens with a Confederate spy as he made his way through the Union lines on the night of June 29, 1863 toward Confederate General Robert E. Lee bearing news of the Army of the Potomac as they crossed paths in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The days after follow the various Union and Confederate regiments as they regained their wits about them after the previous Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Marching onward toward Gettysburg, where the most deciding battle of the Civil War would take place.
...as the turning point of the American Civil War. The battle proved to show the most casualties of any battle throughout the war and resulted in a crushing and demoralizing defeat of the Confederates. Coming off of his “perfect battle”, Lee’s overconfidence proved to be a downfall as his expectation for his men greatly exceeded the reality of his army. Added to this, his disorganization and lack of coordination led to numerous disjointed attacks that failed and in turn exhausted his men. Finally, Lee ultimately knew less about his opponent throughout the entire battle, which was a huge switch from previous meetings between the two sides. He was forced to fight arguably the most important battle of the Civil War with insufficient intelligence of the enemy, its positions and its intentions. All of these factors are what caused the Confederates to fail at Gettysburg.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
... Northern Virginia, they have to move into open spaces and climb hilly and rocky terrain. Obviously, Shaara's use of geography is apparent in his outlining of the events at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Two months before Gettysburg Lee had dealt a stunning defeat to the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville Virginia. He then created plans for a Northern invasion in order to relieve pressure on war-weary Virginia and to seize the initiative from the Yankees. His army at a number
There were a few officers who were crucially involved with the Battle of Gettysburg. There were an estimated 165,000 soldiers that fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, making it the largest battle ever fought on American soil. Major General George Meade of the Union and General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army were the leaders of the two respective groups. Other
Gettysburg, so Longstreet became second in command. However, that didn’t help him get Lee to fight a defensive war like he wanted to. Just because Longstreet wanted to fight a defensive war, did not mean he didn’t have aspirations to win. Longstreet fought for the recognition from the people and soldiers around him. He wanted an audience and people to respect and admire him, which is what he got. It is obvious that he fought for
After the battle of Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee wanted to invade the North again to replenish his supplies, and take the war out of Virginia. During the march north, Lee’s army (Army of Northern Virginia) had a few days march ahead of the Army of the Potomac and had most of Army of Northern Virg...
Chesser, Preston, Scott Laidig, Thomas Long Jr., Larry Gormley, and Sanders Marbles. "Gettysburg." Ohio State University. . http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/BattleView.cfm?BID=42. (Accessed March 12, 2014).
“Their differing perceptions of the nature of war form the backbone of the difficult relationship between these two men.” Lee, an older soldier, values more of a strategic and offensive approach, while Longstreet values a defensive warfare approach. Both men consistently argue about which the best option for the confederacy, however, “no matter how much he might disagree, Longstreet defers to Lee’s decisions.” In an argument as of who was right, none of the developed tactics provide any clear evidence as to what was going to work, especially with a military of lesser men, considering the war in 1863. Although General Lee’s tactics did not work during the Battle of Gettysburg, there is no evidence that General Longstreet’s defensive strategy would have worked any better, therefore none can be seen as being right, which kind of debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely hard to replace at this time. Already limited with the amount of men still able to fight, pushing more forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely, and because this battle was one that was fought until
General Robert E. Lee, one of the most famous men in the south and second in charge of the Confederates, General James Longstreet fooled. Would Lee's decison
The battle of Gettysburg occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a meeting engagement, but by its end involved approximately 170,000 Americans. The battle is considered to be the turning point in the American Civil War and is one of the most studied battles in American history. The events that took place at Gettysburg had a tremendous impact on the outcome of the Civil War and the fate of the United States.
Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely. Since this battle was one that went on until a majority of ones sided were depleted, the south should have played it safe against the Unions nearly surplus supply of
Confederate General James Longstreet saw the Union position as nearly impregnable and told Lee it should be left alone. He argued that Lee's Army should instead move east between the Union Army and Washington and build a defensive position thus forcing the Federals to attack ...