on June 29, 1863, the four main characters that we see the most are General Robert E. Lee, Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and Major General John Buford. The book changes it’s point of views between these four men to get different perspectives of what is going on from June 29th to July 3rd of 1863. It all starts with a spy showing up and informing Longstreet that he saw the Union army moving nearby, this information shocked him because General Stuart was supposed to
commanding a large portion of the Confederate Army. Longstreet, who I believe was a man ahead of his time, knew the fast changing style of warfare had to parallel that of the booming changes in technology. General Longstreet is depicted by Shaara, as a full-bearded, intelligent man who was very stubborn and sympathetic, but had an immense respect for his commanding officer, General Lee. With the heavy burden of sending men to their deaths, Longstreet wanted to take upon a defensive strategy to the battle
article by Stan Fanit states, “Lee noticed a hill called Little Round Top that was virtually unoccupied, so he quickly ordered General Ewell to take that hill, if practicable [...] However, Ewell believed that he needed more support from General Longstreet who did not arrive until nightfall. By this time, the Union soldiers had received support and were entrenched on the high ground” (Fan). Another example that supports Lee wasn’t giving his commands cleary and was not very confident is the book Killer
fought the largest battle of the American Civil War. When the battle ended, 51,000 men were dead, wounded, or missing. In The Killer angels the main characters are General Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, and Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain. Lee and Longstreet are both fighting for the South while Chamberlain is fighting for the North. In the book it shows the different points of view that the confederates had on the war and the view the Union had on the war. The two armies
3rd. The story starts in Pennsylvania with the Confederate army moving towards Gettysburg in the span of the first few days. The main characters are General Robert E. Lee who was the commander of the Confederate army, Lee’s number two, General James Longstreet and Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain from the Union side. These characters included in the novel are based on actual historical figures that were very large influences in America’s history. Also, in the beginning of the book, there is a Confederate
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
It is the beginning on the real action and kicks everything off very well. Lee is simply having a calm conversation with Longstreet when all of a sudden Lee hears the sound of gunshots. This immediately made me flip to the next chapter which was Buford’s. He begins hearing the shots as well. Shaara does a great job at adding suspense to the book. The noise builds from single
the disaster that was called the Battle of Gettysburg. This historical fiction novel took place at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and occurred from July 1st to July 3rd in 1863. The novel discussed how the actions of General Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, Colonel Chamberlain and many more men affected the course of events throughout those three long and hot summer days. Michael Shaara truly captured the pressure and stress that follows along with being in charge. To begin with, one major theme
When looking at the back cover of Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, positive reviews of the book, and a brief summary can be seen. The summary begins, “In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fought for two conflicting dreams.” But after reading the book, one would realize that every single soldier on either side for their own personal reasons, that may not have had anything to do with the war. The individual reasons were numerous, but three main ones
called “old Pete” and sometimes “The Dutchman.” Longstreet was not born in Virginia; he was born in the far south in South Carolina. He was a stubborn man, he said what was on his mind, and we would always speak his mind. He was opposed to the invasion of Pennsylvania, but once the army is committed he no longer opposed. But he had great respect for Lee, and ultimately defers to his commander’s judgement, though not without a good deal of argument. Longstreet was the one who sent the spy, who said his
amputate the limb it hit. Amputations were very common and done with anesthesia, which was recently made at the time; sometimes they didn’t use it when amputations occurred. When James Longstreet, a lieutenant general, is riding off back to the camp after the first day of the battle, he sees a wagon with many limbs in it. “[Longstreet] passed by a hospital wagon, saw mounded limbs glowing whitely in the dark, a pile of legs, another of arms. It looked like masses of fat white spiders,” (Shaara, 207). There
parts on every particular day. Important events are uncovered in Shaara’s novel. Shaara’s attitudes toward his characters reflects his own interpretations of the historical figures. Longstreet and Chamberlain as Shaara’s most developed characters in the book. While Shaara is sympathetic to the idea of a visionary Longstreet who understands the nature of modern warfare, he utilizes Chamberlain–a typical citizen and Main professor who became a soldier–to give the thinking man’s view of the Civil War because
Longstreet's spy gathering information on the movement and positioning of the Federal soldiers. Each day of in the novel is narrated from the perspective of the generals from both the Union and Confederacy. James
Longstreet suggests his method to vacate Gettysburg and "move [the Confederate Army] to the right around the enemy flank and interpose between Meade and Washington." (Shaara, 139). This means that instead of facing the Union head on, the Rebels could move
heart troubles and then it goes on to discussions of military strategy, Wow still waiting for general Stuart's report on the Union Army. learning of George Meade becoming the new commander of the Union Army and the Calvary occupying Gettysburg, Longstreet suggests cutting them off from the capital by positioning themselves and between Washington and the Union Army by swinging around from behind. this however aggravates Lee because it is a defensive tactic which he deems is coward and honorable, but
James Longstreet and the failure of Gettysburg The Civil War was one of the Bloodiest conflict in American History, lasting from 1861 to 1865. Not only was the Civil War the deciding factor of the future of the United States, but would also shape the world around it for years to come (How The Civil War Affected Future Warfare 2). During the four years of the Civil War, one Confederate general stood out as one of the most influential men of the conflict: James Longstreet. James Longstreet made
was fighting for. He swore to defend his ground, Lee was talking about the south, so he invades the North and he knew as napoleon knew that a defensive war leads to defeat. General Lee’s second in command was a man called James Longstreet. Although Longstreet did focus on the cause of the Civil War, slavery, he was a “professional” and a strong soldier. He was motivated to fight with the south because at first he believed that the Confederate Army was going to win. That is why he was fighting
As grueling and terrifying as a three day battle sounds you 're not much off. If you were here in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania the sight is not pretty . Being there was horrible seeing the thousands of people dead is a horrifying sight and not one you would want to live to see. This was one of the bloodiest fights and the most memorable . In the last three days the Union showed that we’re a competitor and that we’re going to stand, and not back down. If Lee would have won this battle everything would
American Civil War. In my research based outside of the book, I discovered that several of the characters in the novel are based on real historical figures. Those characters include, General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate army; General James Longstreet, Lee’s second in command; and Union Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, who participated in one of the most famous segments of the Battle of Gettysburg,
Success on The Battlefield Success will only be given to the person who creates it on his or her own. Michael Shaara put this theme in the frontlines of his book The Killer Angels a historical novel about the battle of Gettysburg. Shaara uses the battle to prove not just how people earn success but also perceive it. What each commander does and how it affects the battle overall show just how much somebody’s action affects the outcome. The Killer Angels also shows the consequences of one’s decisions