The Killer Angels Movie Analysis

The battle of Gettysburg consisted of three days of combat between the Union and the Confederacy in the American Civil War in 1863. After defeating the Union Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was optimistic and switched from defense to offense. He hoped to gain the support of foreign forces with a successful second invasion of the North. In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the Army of the Potomac stood between Lee and Washington D. C. under the command of General George Gordon Meade. On July 1st, the two sides fought. Generals Hill and Ewell of the Confederates drove Union forces back towards Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. Ewell refused to pursue the Union troops on the hill as he deemed their position too advantageous. Later that day, more Union corps arrived to strengthen the defense further. On the next day, the Confederates attacked the Union's left and right flanks. The Confederates won control of some land but the Union still held the higher ground, Cemetery Hill.

The story was based off of the novel, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. All of the people in the movie were real people. The actors' hair and costumes closely resembled the person that they were acting as. No fictional characters were created to add any drama or secondary plots to the movie. There were not any romantic subplots added to the film either. The battles were portrayed as they occurred historically. Most of the action was filmed at the Gettysburg National. The other scenes were filmed in Gettysburg so the setting and landscape was still very close to accurate. On the second day of fighting, most of the focus was on Colonel Chamberlain and his Maine regiment. There were other battles occurring simultaneously on Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill and other places but the film did not really address them. Of course, there are a few minor historical inaccuracies but this movie largely stays true to the historical