Book Reports On The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, is a story of one of the worst battles, in the worst war that America has ever been apart of—the Civil War. This book is a work of fiction because Shaara tried to recreate personal narratives of different historical figures, and attempt to give a moment-by-moment historical account of the various people and events that took place in the war that goes way beyond what historians know from different records and documents from this time period. Although this book is fiction it has similar traits of a non-fiction novel in that it wishes to give a non-biased perspective on the Battle of Gettysburg. Shaara had the benefit of gathering a lot of information as he could from historical diaries and memoirs, but then

Most Americans are aware of President Lincoln’s famous speech at the battlefield of Gettysburg, but despite the fact that Lincoln’s eulogy was commemorative many people today likely have forgotten the circumstances surrounding the battle. Shaara tells the story from the perspective of both the Union and Confederate generals, which allows the readers to amerce themselves in the situation unlike any other Civil War book.

It’s no surprise that at the beginning of the novel the confederate army is happy with the direction they are going. Up to this point they have completely beaten back the North by beating them in battles fought on their side, and with Robert E. Lee as their general, the South is confident that they are going to be the victors. When Lee receives news of the Union army’s plans from a spy, he quickly devises a plan to strike his opposing side at Gettysburg. This will mark the first time his army fights offensively in the North. There is however, much opposition to his

Lee is a risk taker, and breaks many rules. He is a man of action, and that may have been Lee’s downfall. “They will break," Lee insists. He had directed Longstreet to make three different divisions. Longstreet passes the order along to his generals Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. All the commanders lose most of their men in this battle, and Lee finally admits his error to Longstreet, who gives his order to pull back. Longstreet knew all along that it wouldn’t work but an order is an order and sometimes people need to see their