Killer Angels Essay

Ironically, both the Union soldiers and the Confederate soldiers appear to have been fighting for the same overall causes. Both, the Confederate and the Union soldiers, “expressed about the same degree of patriotism and ideological conventions.” Confederate states fought for “independence, for their property, for their very survival as a nation,” as well as “resistance to tyranny” (McPherson 13, 27, 36). Similarly, the Union states portrayed the same causes as the Confederate states, including patriotism, liberty, upholding of the constitutional law, maintaining the legacy of the American Revolution, and additionally the dissolution of anarchy. Just as the inclinations for the continuance of the warfare were quite similar, both Union and Confederate soldiers attempted to justify their reasons and causes by reflecting on the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War (1776-1783), also referred to as the American War of Independence, was the fight of the thirteen colonies to become an independent

The first side that gets addressed is the Confederate side. While there are many different reasons that the soldiers fought in this civil war, the one of the main causes was for the use of slavery. Many soldiers had the mindset to fight for “a free white man’s government instead of living under a black republican government” (53). This will to uphold the racial inequality was seen in the way the South fought with passion and hatred against the change of their lives (19). Confederate soldiers were mostly bought into the war, due to the plantation owners sending someone else in their names. Soldiers

During one such moment, Chamberlain is reminded of a Shakespearean speech: “What a piece of work man is…in action how like an angel!” (page 126). Upon hearing this, Chamberlain’s father commented, “Well, boy, if he’s an angel, he’s sure a murderin’ angel.” (page 126). From this interaction, Chamberlain came up with “Man: the Killer Angels”, a thought he often revisited over the course of the Battle of Gettysburg, and from which the book acquires its title. Chamberlain acted with the intention of getting something positive out of the war. He never treated the Confederates as though they were less than him: “ Chamberlain put out a hand. ‘Sir’ he said. The Alabama man nodded slightly. His voice was so low Chamberlain could hardly hear it. ‘Do you have some water?’ ‘Certainly.’ Chamberlain offered his own canteen.” (page 243). It is even known that he had his troops salute the surrendering South at Appomattox.

Honor played a major role in novel, Killer Angels. Throughout the book, Honor was a concept that remained important to members of the armies, regardless of whether they were supporting the Union or the Confederacy. Every action and decision was made with the intention of being heroic and as honorable as possible.

For Cause and Comrades is a book written by James McPherson, with the help of diaries and letters written by soldiers from the Confederate and Union forces, he is able to formally detail accounts on why men fought in the civil war. Consequently, McPherson is able to shed light on the mentality and motives that soldiers possessed that made them fight in the war. Although we will never truly know why soldiers fought in the civil war, this book most definitely gives readers evidence that soldiers had certain values and morals that gave them reason to fight.

In the next pages I will explain why Fredericksburg was such a tragedy. Why it was a big morale booster for the South, but a disappointment for the North?

The question was asked: "Why did the north fight"(pg.27). The confederates battled for their liberties, independence, and property. Also, letters were talked about how the northern troopers battled for the heritage of the American revolution. These officers trusted that as Americans it was their obligation to battle. They felt in the event that they didn't get enrolled in the armed force or left the war before the deed was done they weren't Americans and were sell outs. And the men of the war felt themselves as men and warriors for their mother country.

Both sides have different reason in fighting this war, generals and soldiers alike. The Union Army believes they fight to preserve the unity of the United States and, towards the end of war, to abolish slavery in the continental U.S. The Confederate Army believes they fight to protect their homeland, the seceded southern states, and to preserve their way of life. In this bloody war, there are two major characters that play big roles throughout the conflict. They are Robert E Lee and Ulysses S Grant, the highest ranking officer

The Civil War was fought for several reasons, but one was much more prevalent than the others. Slavery. The Confederate States wanted to secede from the Union and create a new nation. They would keep slavery and maintain their way of life. The Union opinion was just the opposite. They wanted to abolish slavery, and keep the Confederate states a part of the Union. In the end, a Union victory ended slavery and kept the United States united.

The South also known as the Confederates was fighting to defend slavery saying it was a god given right for people to own slaves. While the North known as the Union was fighting to abolish slavery because in their minds it was unjust and not fair. This was a war like no other people were using new fighting tactics and starting prisons to enslave those captured during war. More than 409,000 men were captured and put into these camps during the war.

The civil war is a dark time in the history of America. We fought and bleed until we had lost many. But, there were many reasons to such hatred brewing in a nation. One of these was slavery. Until the antebellum, the inevitable issue was just being hidden behind many compromises and acts put in place to... hide it. Abolitionist and Pro-slavery settlers attacked each other. Bleeding Kansas was an example. John Brown had attacked 5 Pro slavery settlers and many Pro slavery settlers attacked Lawrence.

James McPherson is the author of the book What They Fought For. McPherson breaks the book into three parts, “Chapter 1 will explore Confederate elucidations of this and related themes; chapter 2 will look at the Union side; chapter 3 will analyze the perceptions of the slavery issue by both Confederate and Union soldiers” Through the usage of diaries, and letters from the Union and the Confederate soldiers. Will allow us to depict the reasonings for them fighting in the civil war. McPherson state's, “That book will explore the motives of Union and Confederate soldiers for enlisting and fighting in the Civil War.”1 In my opinion, I believe there are more differences in the motivations that led Confederate (Southern) and Union (Northern) soldiers to fight in the Civil War. I believe there may have been a few

In Shaara’s description of the battles, he gives the impression that the civil war is just about southern secession, but in reality the war is based on a number of reasons. The Confederates are trying to gain southern independence, and the Union is trying to prevent this from happening. Also, aside from southern secession, the northern soldiers are convinced the war is based on slavery, as exemplified when Chamberlain’s brother, Tom, says, “If it weren’t for the slaves, there’d never have been no war…that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what them fellers died for…I don’t understand it at all.” (343) This represents an equally agreed opinion of the North, who don’t understand the importance of slavery to the South and why they are dieing

James McPherson, an American Civil War historian and also the author of the Pulitzer Prize- winning novel Battle Cry for Freedom, deliberates the reasoning behind what caused the Civil War in his book What They Fought For, 1861-1865. McPherson specifically examines what the Union and the Confederate soldiers fought for during the Civil War by reviewing the letters that the soldiers wrote home. Many people were under the impression that the soldiers fighting the Civil War had no clue as to what they were specifically fighting for, but this was not true. During the Civil War men were called to defend their nation and their individual rights from an opposing force. The soldiers of both the Confederacy and the Union expressed their impassioned belief as to what they were fighting for through their letters and memoirs, and McPherson skillfully analyzes these letters to determine the cause behind the Civil War.

In his letter home, Squire guaranteed that war was unavoidable and the condition of the country was in jeopardy (Squire, 21 May 1861). The biggest reason he believed in the war effort was to save the foundation of self-government, something that would be undermined or even totally lost if the North were to allow the South to just leave (Squire, 21 May 1861). But, Squire also claimed to "deprecate war" and believed that the North oppose the resistance by a "combined powerful effort to preserve the government" (Squire, 21 May 1861). Squire spoke on the significance of keeping up self-government by comparing the Northerners to the Founding Fathers. He even stated that the Northern cause was more noteworthy than that of the progressives since they were fighting for taxation without representation while the North was now battling for self-government (Squire, 21 May 1861). Squire and most soldiers, regardless of where they’re from or what side they’re on, believed fully in their cause and nationalism contributed to these beliefs of being on the “right” side.