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The Killer Angles By Michael Sharr Summary

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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. Before coming to war Chamberlain taught at Bowdoin College in Maine, during his school years he excelled in the study of languages. Chamberlain was able to speak seven languages; while he excelled academically his life goal was to become a solider. Chamberlain misinformed Bowdoin College by telling the other staff that he was taking a period of leave for study, since the college would not allow him to participate in any wars. …show more content…

When it came the time to kill the Confederate he was ready and willing; however, he had a great sense of respect for the Confederate soldiers. For example, Chamberlain had ordered his soldiers to take a knee for the Confederate soldiers when they surrendered at the end of the war because he wanted to acknowledge how they have fought bravely in the war. Chamberlain sympathized with the south due to the insight he had about why many of the southerners were fighting. Many southerners believed that they were fighting for their states rights along with traditions, but in reality they were fighting primarily for

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Chamberlain was skilled like no other general. On June 13, 1863, Chamberlain’s men headed north, pursuing General Robert E. Lee’s Confederates toward Pennsylvania. The armies clashed at the small crossroads town of Gettysburg, a name and place that would become quite special for Joshua Chamberlain. On July 2, his 20th Maine was sent to the top of a small hill called Little Round Top with orders to defend his position to the last. The 20th Maine regiment was a small regiment numbering only 358 men.

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He didn't have much experience, but was eager to learn. In a correspondence to his wife, he writes, “I feel that it is a sacrifice for me to be here in one sense of the word; but I do not wish myself back by any means. I feel that I am where duty called me” (Chamberlain “Correspondence” 7). When Chamberlain joined the army, he became lieutenant colonel of the Twentieth Maine. They saw the bloody Battle of Antietam, but didn’t fight in it as they were stationed near Sharpsburg, Maryland (Hillstrom 74).

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The Killer Angels was written by Michael Shaara and tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg. background knowledge from both class and the book lets you know that this is during the Civil War and is exactly in the year 1863. this was the largest battle of the American Civil War and when it finally ended 51000 men either died were wounded, or went missing. from reading this Shaara jumped from key characters like generals from the Confederacy and Union armies like Lee and Chamberlain and the way the book reads is almost as if he is giving you a manuscript of how the war played out. the writer wants to give a clear tale the events that unfolded as the battles and sued and the things that triggered each event the ultimate Lee led to the bloodiest

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Killer Angels, is a historical novel that was written detailing the events that took place just before and during the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. It highlights the trials and hardships that each soldier and officer faced throughout the three-day battle. Throughout the novel, Shaara presents a thesis about the human dimension of war and its impact on the individual and their struggles. How the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the war, and he aims to explore the motivations, fears, and complexities faced by both Union and Confederate soldiers during this crucial moment in the history of the United States. While this book only focuses on a couple of higher-ranking individuals, you can get a sense of what the

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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.

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We all know the outcome of the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865, meaning the North defeated the South and won the treacherous war over slavery. In Michael Shaara's historical fiction novel The Killer Angels, the reader follows the disastrous three day course of the Battle Of Gettysburg; the battle of which many historians believe was the downfall for the Confederate Army and the turning point of the war. In addition to the recent loss of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, the absence of Jeb Stuart and his leaving the entire Rebel army blind, and General Lee's heart condition, the biggest factor for the loss at Gettysburg was Lee's order to make a frontal assault

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The Battle of Gettysburg was July 1 - July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was a game changer in the Civil War for 3 reasons: the geography, morale, and losses. The first reason Gettysburg was a turning point-or game changer- was because the Confederates lost a lot of men. The Confederates lost about 34% of their men (Document B.)

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After he did an outstanding job at Gettysburg, he then went and was given command of another regiment, as this was highly deserved. “Chamberlain was already famous in the Army of the Potomac for his Little Round Top heroics at Gettysburg the previous July, and when he returned to active duty in April 1864 after an extended illness, he was given command of the Keystone State regiments” (Civil War Times 1). Clearly, people had no desire to take what Chamberlain did for granted, in fact, they awarded him the Medal of Honor after his heroic leadership on Little Round Top (“Maine” 1). After he retired from all of the battles that he led, he then went on to be the Republican governor of Maine (“Canada” 1).

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Southern soldiers viewed the confederacy as their country and were compelled to fight for the safety of it. Confederate soldiers enlisted to protecting their native lands from what they understood as invaders. The Confederacy sentiments of the Union was they were imposing upon the southern way of life. For instance, a young soldier from Kentucky wrote “sink or swim, survive or perish” (McPherson 11). The average Confederate soldier felt that they the Union was trying to destroy the legacy of the founder fathers by enslaving them and reversing the actions of the American Revolution.

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“The Killer Angels” is a historical fiction novel published by Michael Shaara and details the Battle of Gettysburg as described by generals on both Union and Confederate sides - all based on real Civil War figures. The story begins with the events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg. General James Longstreet, second in command to Confederate general Robert E. Lee, is informed by a spy that the Union army is moving, contrary to what has previously been told. Believing they must move north in order to catch the Union army by surprise, the Confederate army begins their journey to Gettysburg. Meanwhile, Union general John Buford discovers the presence of Confederate troops and begins preparing for a potential battle, aligning his soldiers alongside

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Knowing that he volunteered to join the Union Army Knowing that he volunteered to join the Union army, it amazed me how he was a college

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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.

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Imagine yourself on a plain field, covered in blood, dead people all around you, and one of them could be your best friend or even your brother. This was the Battle of Gettysburg. Americans were engaged in a Civil War which had begun in April of 1861 with shots fired at Fort Sumter by the Confederates. On July 1, 1863, three years into the war, in a small town called Gettysburg, there was a fierce battle fought between the Union Army of the Potomac led by General George G. Meade and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. Which resulted in a major win for the Union Army after losing many battles.

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After my reading of this novel, the Civil War itself became something that I'll never forget, unlike all the other times I've learned about it in school where it simply just went in one ear and out the other. I've never been to the battle field or knew what it was like, nor did I have any good accounts of what it would be like with my lack of prior preceptions... but, surprising to me, the Killer Angels gave me a really good idea of what it must be like. Because of that, I ridicule myself for dreading to read a book about a war in history. I found myself tearing up in several parts of the book at the courage and bravery and sacrifices made by some of the men who were willing to give and entrust to their leaders and for their beliefs. Colonel

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His speech was so amazing and he had such great traits that he ended up convincing 120 mutineers to go into battle with him. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain provoked a decision for the mutineers that they probably would never have done if they didn’t hear his speech. After Chamberlain’s powerful speech he had convinced all but 6 of 120 men to rejoin the battle and fight alongside Chamberlain himself and help out the North in their battle. In the text on page 8 of Killer Angels it states, “ It is the idea that we all have value, you and me, we’re worth something more than the dirt”(Shaara 8).

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