Killer Angels Chapter Summary

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ared Krug
Mr. Ditmar
History Book Report
10/9/14
The Author of Killer Angels is Michael Sharra. The setting of this book takes place in Gettysburg Pennsylvania towards the end of the Civil War. This is the town where the last battle of the Civil War took place and when General Lee finally decides to surrender. After a major number of casualties during the battle of Gettysburg. The Battle begins with the armies of the Potomac and Lee’s army beginning to Scout out or spy on each others movements. The main characters in this book are James Buford, Lawrence Chamberlain, Robert E. Lee, and James Longstreet. As the story progresses the story is told through the eyes of these main characters. James Buford is a Union Cavalry officer his job is to …show more content…

Longstreet is smart and very strategic, and he isn’t afraid to voice his opinion. But he is a solider to the core he will obey order to the letter and he isn’t afraid to be in front of the battle lines. His plan might have won the battle of Gettysburg if Lee would have been more open to ideas. Longstreet is a very good leader but he is also a follower too. Lee sent his up the hill time after time till the wasn’t hardly and men to fight. Longstreet wanted to let the fight come to them and get the out in the open and/or go up the right side to flank them. But Lee shot down those …show more content…

Lee sends his entire army up the steep hills right up the center in hopes of breaking through line. Longstreet advises him not to do this because the casualties would be too great. Longstreet develops a plan to go around the army and attack from behind surprising the enemy and over take them with less casualties. As he begins to present this idea to Lee, Lee shoots in down right away because he is so convinced that if he charges and attacks the center they will break lines and it would leave the South a great victory. Lee begins the charge and it turns out to be a complete disaster for the south but he kept trying till there was hardly any army left. Longstreet is down at the bottom of the hill when Lee finally makes his way over to him. Lee wanted to charge again but as Longstreet explained to him there was nothing left to charge with. Lee begins to realize how wrong he was and starts saying how much it was his fault they lost. Lee finally orders the retreat and the men that came back that night they weren’t as cheerful as they were the night before. The night before the big charge everybody was laughing and singing. The were praising the best leader that night which was lee. The men that night were quite and sobbing and listening to the other men that were being operated on or laying out there

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