The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is a novel that outlines the Battle of Gettysburg. It is told from a third person omniscient point of view with the main character rotating each chapter. The book covers a four-day period covering the Battle of Gettysburg and gives insight to each side of the fight (Union and Confederate).
The book begins on Monday, June 29, 1863 and provides an introduction to the circumstances directly before fighting begins. A spy named Harrison, hired by Longstreet comes back to the Confederate camp and alerts General Lee of the proximity of the Federal troops. Both Lee and Longstreet, another Confederate general, adopt an untrustworthy attitude toward the spy. After dismissing Harrison, the two discuss the news that Harrison has brought, along with Stuart’s absence, and the report that Meade has replaced Hooker as the Union general. The information brought by Harrison is magnified in its importance because Stuart has left the Confederate army “blind” with the lack of his information. After careful consideration, General Lee decides to march for the town of Gettysburg where he will attempt to gash the Union troops.
On the Union side of the battle, we are introduced to Colonel Chamberlain, who commands the 20th Maine Regiment. As Chamberlain, younger brother Tom, and fatherly aide Kilrain lead the regiment, the colonel is presented with a dilemma. The army has dumped one hundred and twenty mutinous Maine men in his lap, with orders to shoot any man who refuses to fight. Chamberlain is faced with the task of convincing the tortured men to follow him and he approaches using utmost kindness and respect for the men. Chamberlain delivers an emotional and moving speech that convinces the vast majority of the men to join his regiment, nearly doubling his manpower. Meanwhile, fellow Union commander John Buford stumbles upon Confederate troops who, he is told is heading for the town of Gettysburg. Buford immediately sends word to General Reynolds, and takes a risk by settling into a defensive position northwest of the town.
Day two, Wednesday, introduces the debate that will be ongoing between Lee and Longstreet between taking an offensive or defensive approach to the upcoming battle. Lee would prefer to hit the Union Army hard and fast and end the war quickly, whereas Longs...
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...w knowing that the South has no chance for success. Lee will not even let Longstreet consider the option and Longstreet feels an obligation to his men anyways. Lee finally admits that he was wrong all along and that Longstreet was right, and his plan would have had more chance for success. Lee departs to issue the order for retreat as he says these words.
The novel ends as Chamberlain and his brother, Tom, are walking the corpse-ridden battlefield discussing how so many men can march to their death in support of ending slavery. Chamberlain believes all the men left on the battlefield are equal in God’s eyes. The two head back to camp, victorious, and ready to celebrate the coming Fourth of July.
The Killer Angels does an excellent job of recreating the Battle of Gettysburg in an easily understandable, yet descriptive manner. Shaara uses a back-and-forth method to make the book suspenseful as the Union Army and Confederates each seem to be on the brink of victory until the final battle. The Union victory marks a key turning point in the Civil War, and the tension and energy resonating from this novel gives a great feel to how important and hard-fought the battle was.
As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today.
It is 1865, and the war between the states has just ended. Booth’s rage is peaking as he recalls Union General Ulysses Grant’s participation in the fall of the Confederacy….
Furthermore, the first attitude that the Union reveals is their overall reason for being there. On page 30, Chamberlain explains, “This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you’ll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot… But we’re here for something different. I don’t…this hasn't happened much in the history of the world.
Lee, where they ride off planning the retreat. Longstreet believes the war can not be won
From the perspective of Colonel Chamberlain, Chamberlain believes that slavery is one of the curses of nobility traced back to the horror of old Europe, and that the south was now fighting to transport slavery into new soil, ultimately “forming a new aristocracy”. Chamberlain declared that fighting the war at Gettysburg is the best decision to make. He also feels that the union is a different kind of army, one that it out to set other men free, with beliefs that the free ground should not succumb to a divisive line determining what were free and slave states. In context, Chamberlain is essentially grasping the point that those of the union army were fighting for, “the dignity of man”, essentially each
Shaara’s novel Killer Angels shows the battle of Gettysburg through a number of unique viewpoints. Shaara offers a more intimate view of the battle than other Civil War novels. A reader can see the battle through the eyes of both Union and Confederate leaders. Through the novel the reader is able to see why each character is fighting and what they hope to gain from the war. Readers can also see the effect that the war has on the different characters. I will examine the war through the eyes of several different characters from Shaara’s novel.
The book begins with an in-depth explanation of what happened in the latter stages of the Civil War. Major battles like Sayler’s Creek, High Bridge and Richmond are described through detailed language. For instance, at High Bridge, “Each man wages his own individual battle with a ferocity only a life-and-death situation can bring. Bullets pierce eyes. Screams and curses fill the air. The grassy plain runs blood red.” (page 61). All of these iconic Civil War battles led up to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and the inescapable rebuilding of a new nation Abraham Lincoln had to deal with. Next, John Wilkes Booth is introduced and his pro-Confederate motives are made clear. His conspiracy to kill the president is described and his co-conspirators like Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt who also attempted to kill Secretary of State Seward a...
The first scene takes place at Antietam Creek, Maryland Sept. 17, 1862 at The Battle of Tatum. The Union marches on foot lead by Shaw, only to be bombarded with cannon shots and gunfire. After the battle he was taken to a hospital where he heard Lincoln would be issuing an emancipation proclamation to free the slaves. At a house party afterwards, Robert sees Gov. Andrew and meets Fredrick Douglas who tells him there is to be an all black regiment of which he would like Robert to be colonel. He asks his friend Kevin to assist him in leading this group. On November 27, 1862, black volunteer soldiers are brought to Readville Camp in Massachusetts. There we meet the main characters of the 54th Mass. Regiment. Rawlins is the future Sergeant Major and is a father figure to the group. Trip seems to have an angry personality who takes his frustration out on others. Thomas, a childhood friend of Shaw’s, is well educated and has not been exposed to harsh reality of the slavery scene.
“All up and down the lines the men blinked at one another, unable to realize that the hour they had waited for so long was actually at hand. There was a truce…” Bruce Catton’s Pulitzer prize winning book A Stillness at Appomattox chronicles the final year of the American Civil War. This book taught me a lot more about the Civil War than I ever learned through the public school system. Bruce Catton brought to life the real day to day life of the soldiers and the generals who led them into battle.
Born Sinner Aren’t we all sinners? We all have committed acts of violence at some points in our lives, and our answer we are human, we are wired that way or it is our instinct. People have a habit of hurting one another and it comes naturally to them. After reading Flight by Sherman Alexie, violence is a prominent theme throughout the novel. This idea of aggression is represented in many different ways, shapes, and forms.
As a socialistic society we live in we find ourselves in positions were conflicts arise between friends or family. 'The Sniper'; was written by Liam O ' Flaherty to express a subtle yet powerful opinion on such a conflict. With references this essay will analyse the short story bringing to light the structure used to contribute to the theme.
The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.
Sears’ thesis is the Union could have won the war faster. McClellan was an incompetent commander and to take the initiative to attack an defeat the Confederate army. The Army of Northern Virginia, under...
The novel, “Shiloh” by Shelby Foote is a fictional recreation of the bloody battle. The story begins with the soldiers of the Confederate Army heading towards Pittsburg Landing. The men are marching in terrible conditions. It is pouring down rain and they are dragging their tired legs through the mud. The troops come to a halt so the commanders can talk to General Johnston. General Johnston says the only way they might have a chance is if they plan a surprise attack. As the sergeants hand the men their guns, they are told to check the powder in case it got wet in the rain. A group of soldiers test their guns out on a deer running close by. At the same time the shots were fired, the sun came out and the soldiers started to scream and cheer. These noises combined were more than enough to alert the Union soldiers of the Confederates advance. Palmer remembers what his life was like before going to war. He attended the Louisiana State Military Academy when the Confederacy seceded from the Union. One of his professors predicted the south did not have a chance of winning the war. That night Palmer dreams of holding Sherman at gunpoint making him admit that he was wrong. Prior to the battle, the commanders create a battle plan. Palmer is assigned a part in this process. When the plan fails, Palmer learns that planning a battle is more difficult than it seems because the commanders on the ground face challenges that do not exist on paper.
Alexander Stowe is a twin, his brother is Aaron Stowe. Alex is an Unwanted, Aaron is a Wanted, and their parents are Necessaries. Alex is creative in a world where you can’t even see the entire sky, and military is the dream job for everyone and anyone. He should have been eliminated, just like all the unwanteds should have been. He instead comes upon Artimè, where he trains as a magical warrior- after a while. When he was still in basic training, and his friends were not, he got upset, he wants to be the leader, the one everyone looks up to.