ipl-logo

The Killer Angels Why Did Soldiers Fight

1996 Words8 Pages

The Killer Angels: Why Did Soldiers Fight? In late June of 1863, General Robert E Lee led the Confederate Army north into Pennsylvania to draw the Union Army into battle. Thus beginning the largest and deadliest battle ever fought on American soil. The 3-day Battle of Gettysburg, from July 1 to July 3 1863, would leave an estimated 50,000 dead, wounded, or missing on the battlefield. It ended with the retreat of the Confederate Army after the failure of General George Pickett’s last charge. The Civil War would last another two more years until General Lee’s surrender at the Battle of Appomattox Court House. Michael Shaara’s book, The Killer Angels, tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg and gives great insight on why soldiers fought, their motivations, and how they face death. Each soldier had their own reasons to fight, but one common theme stands out overall, soldiers fight for freedom. During the war soldiers looked for motivation before and during battles, they often find that motivation from their officers. Officers’ actions and character provided soldiers with courage and purpose, to carry on during war. When faced with death on the battlefield, soldiers find their own ways of dealing with it. To understand all of this, first you need to …show more content…

Some came because we were ashamed not too. Many came because it was the right thing to do. All of us have seen men die. Most of us never saw a black man back home. We think on that too. But freedom . . . is not just a word” (Killer Angels 29-30) The north recognizes that they are fighting to free the slaves, but not just for slave’s rights, but for all men to have the right to be judged by whom he is and what he does, not who his father was (Killer Angels 30). Having a noble cause can get Soldiers to join the war but providing purpose and motivation is what keeps the soldier

Show More
Related

Summary Of Dirty Little Secret By Simon Schhama

501 Words | 3 Pages

In the article “Dirty Little Secret” it is stated by the author, Simon Schama, that “To see the Revolutionary war through the eyes of slaves gives a better understanding of why so many of them fought for the crown”(Schama). Schama argues that African American slaves chose the right decision to join British forces subsequently for their freedom and wellbeing. The three main points that will be discussed in this paper include why the slaves did not want to stay on the American side, why they joined the British side, and also what their lives were like on the British side. There was hope for the slaves that one day they would be free in America, but they knew that day was far away.

Read More

The Killer Angles By Michael Sharr Summary

581 Words | 3 Pages

The story of The Killer Angles depicts the historical events of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battles of Gettysburg began on July 1,1863 through July 4, 1863, through the course of four days the author Michael Sharra writes about the conflicting thoughts and feelings the men experience about the meaning. During the four-day war period soldiers, commander, and generals realized how unforgiving war is; therefore, the perspective of war will be forever changed. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is the colonel of the Twentieth Maine Infantry Regiment. Chamberlain was part of the Union and acted as a colonel.

Read More

Summary Of Angels On The Battlefield

1416 Words | 6 Pages

Angels on the Battlefield In the Battle of Gettysburg that took place on July 1, 1863, and ended on July 3, many casualties and injuries resulted from the fighting between those few days, leading to the victory of the Union Army. It is roughly estimated that 620,000 men lost their lives fighting, many for liberty and freedom, others for new opportunities. The Civil War was considered the deadliest and bloodiest battle. Medicine has come a long way now, in comparison to the 19th century, although many lives were lost on the way.

Read More

The Killer Angels By Michael Shaara

923 Words | 4 Pages

The Killer Angels, a book written by Michael Shaara that explains the crucial Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War, along with the perspectives and lives of both the leaders of North and South. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War is explained through the eyes of the leaders of Union and Confederates in a way that is breathtaking and exhilarating. Even though South was determined and bold; The North was able to wear the confederates down because of their leaders who had a strategic plan and clear concept of war to take in prisoners and win for the sake of freedom. The essential concept of war for the Unions meant to free the prisoner slaves and restore the balance and freedom to the country they had fought from the British.

Read More

Summary Of The Necessity Of Battle By Shelby Foote

1683 Words | 7 Pages

Necessity of Battle: Shelby Foote’s Perspective Political, economic, and social factors all fueled the start of the Civil War, and these causes continued to divide the nation throughout the war. These elements of influence overpowered the ability to come to an agreement through debate over the differing opinions; therefore, the Civil War started due to war necessity since fighting could end the disagreements. The North and South failed to come to a compromise, so they both fought a war in a deadly fashion. The Civil War resulted in more American casualties than any other previous war. After each military campaign, Shelby Foote calculates the number of deaths of the North and South and totals them.

Read More

What They Fought For Chapter Summaries

156 Words | 1 Pages

In chapter one of What They Fought For, I learned about the letters and diaries of the Confederate soldiers. The themes of the letters were home-sickness, lack of peace, and the defense of home against their invading enemy. The thought of soldiers fighting for their homes and being threatened by invaders, made them stronger when facing adversity. Many men expressed that they would rather die fighting for a cause, than dying without trying and this commitment showed patriotism. Throughout the letters, soldiers claimed their reason for fighting, was for the principles of Constitutional liberty and self-government.

Read More

James M. Mcpherson's What They Fought For: 1861-1865

1091 Words | 5 Pages

The United States Civil War is possible one of the most meaningful, bloodstained and controversial war fought in American history. Northern Americans against Southern Americans fought against one another for a variety of motives. These motives aroused from a wide range of ideologies that stirred around the states. In James M. McPherson’s What they fought for: 1861-1865, he analyzes the Union and Confederate soldier’s morale and ideological components through the letters they wrote to love ones while at war. While, John WhiteClay Chambers and G. Kurt Piehler depict Civil War soldiers through their letters detailing the agonizing battles of war in Major Problems in American Military History.

Read More

The Killer Angles Essay

492 Words | 2 Pages

The book The Killer Angles is opened up with us viewing the Union Army through the eyes of a confederate spy that tells us everything you need to know about the armies and how each army was fairing at the time of Gettysburg as it gives you a rich back ground of the armies. When their all together they will outnumber you General (Shaara pg8). This book also allows you to peer inside the Southerns ' Great Generals minds and really get a feel of their character and what it was like to fight a war when you stand no real chance of winning. He had never believed in this invasion. Lee and Davis together over ruled him...

Read More

Why Was The Battle Of Gettysburg A Turning Point Essay

746 Words | 3 Pages

Why was The Battle of Gettysburg a Turning Point of the War? The Civil War had many battles and out of all of those battles, The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important. This was because it was the turning point for the whole war. The Battle of Gettysburg was important because of many different reasons.

Read More

The Hurt Locker By Brian Turner Summary

329 Words | 2 Pages

Soldiers on the battlefield are responsible for death, the death of the enemy, the death of their fellow troops and sometimes, their own death. While the thrill

Read More

Battle Of Gettysburg Research Paper

670 Words | 3 Pages

In the battle of Gettysburg, Generals Robert E. Lee and George G. Meade used their strategies to form an unforgettable battle. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the history of North America. The battle lasted three days long. The general of the Confederacy was Robert E. Lee, and the general of the Union was George G. Meade. The Battle of Gettysburg started off when Robert E. Lee formulated a plan to attack the Union in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Read More

Technological Improvements During The Civil War

1415 Words | 6 Pages

With new weapons comes the need for new tactics. lining up in two lines and firing at one another worked when using old fashioned muskets. When done so against rifles, the chance of dying in the front row increases to almost fifty percent, where in the American Revolution it was a little less than thirty percent. These increases in casualties combined with the unwillingness to change tactics from the ones they were familiar with, in turn death rates soared. No battle epitomizes this better than the battle of Gettysburg, which saw nearly nearly sixty-thousand casualties in total, due to the charges by the Confederacy against the Union lines.

Read More

Soldiers Motivations For The Civil War

1074 Words | 5 Pages

Perhaps no one were expecting the secession of eleven states and creation of Confederate States of America in 1861 would be the beginning of a civil war that lasts four years and takes so many lives. Although the election of President Lincoln and slavery could have been the causes of the Civil War, the soldiers’ motivation in enlisting themselves for this war; depending on the geographic location and the time of the enlistment, could vary and partially or even totally be something different. Considering soldiers’ motivations variety and changes based on location and time factors during the four year civil war, this paper by looking for clues in soldiers’ letters as a precious and reliable source, claims the “community pressure” as the dominant

Read More

Battle Of Gettysburg Essay

699 Words | 3 Pages

This took place on the hills south of Gettysburg where the Union successfully held their ground. On the second day they continued the battle where the Confederates gained very little ground but not enough to change the war involving 100, 000 soldiers and with 20,000 killed or injured. It was the final day where the Confederates took a full assault with 12,000 confederates known as Pickett’s Charge which was a center line attacked against the Union. The Union held their ground using artillery fire and rifles which led to retreat of the confederates while successfully pushing them back south.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Alfred M. Green's Speech

825 Words | 4 Pages

Harriet Tubman, a famous abolitionist, once said “I rescued a thousand slaves and I could have rescued a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves”. Many slaves of the 19th century were not able to read or write, and were completely oblivious to natural rights and other political situations happening around them. Alfred M. Green gave a speech in April of 1861 to recruit African American slaves to the army to fight for their freedom. In Green’s speech, he acknowledges the misery African Americans have already been through, points out the flaws in the enemy (the South); and motivates them to participate by using hortatory subjunctives, metaphors, irony, and other rhetorical strategies.

Read More

More about The Killer Angels Why Did Soldiers Fight

Open Document