Katie Cline
The Killer Angels Book Review
June 21, 2012 The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara: The Random House Publishing Group, New York, 1974.
The Killer Angels is a stunning recollection of the telltale battle of the Civil War: the Battle of Gettysburg. Set from June 29 to July 3, 1863 and told from the vantage points of several soldiers and commanding officers from both sides, including Lee, Longstreet, and Chamberlain, Michael Shaara effectively paints a picture of the war that divided America, from the tactical planning to the emotional hardships The book opened with a sodden Confederate spy as he blazed through the Union lines in the dead of night on June 29, 1863 toward the headquarters of Confederate general Robert E. Lee with
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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. Overall, I found Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels an interesting book; it shed a new and different light on the Battle of Gettysburg by showing it from multiple points of view. I believe that Shaara was successful in writing in the diction of his chosen narrators; he used slang and dropped “g’s” for the Confederate soldiers and used proper grammar and British terminology for the Englishman, Freemantle. I was also impressed by his knowledge of military terms and the effectiveness of which he used them. The terms were used enough that
Wars have been fought for many different reasons through the years, and that holds true for the American Civil War (1861-1865). In Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, the reasons for fighting the war are brought about through the officers and soldiers at a famous battle site of the Civil War, Gettysburg. Gettysburg was one of the most documented battles of the whole war. It took place over a span of three days and can be viewed as a turning point from Confederate prominence to Confederate demise. As in any conflict, there are two sides to the story. The Union and the Confederacy each had their own views as to why they were fighting the war. Victors write the history so too often only the Union side is
The novel The Killer Angles, by Michael Shaara, gives a story like depiction of the American Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg. In this novel we see the views of both Confederate and Union armies. The officers for both sides in this novel used to go to war with each other but are now on different sides according to their political views. In the end both armies realized the war had accomplished nothing but all the deaths of soldiers.
The Battle of Gettysburg brought the dueling North and South together to the small town of Gettysburg and on the threshold of splitting the Union. Gettysburg was as close as the United States got to Armageddon and The Killer Angels gives the full day-to-day account of the battle that shaped America’s future. Michael Shaara tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of the generals and men involved in the action of the battle. The historical account of the Battle of Gettysburg gives the reader a chance to experience the battle personally and not the history book manner taught in schools. A historical novel gives the facts straightforward and provides no commentary by the people involved in history. The
6. How does Shaara portray General Lee in this work, especially Lee's decision to attack at Gettysburg, despite Longstreet's advice not to? Why doesn't Longstreet want to fight at this particular spot?
Killer Angels is a 1974 historical novel by Michael Shaara. The book tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The novel is told through the voices of both Union army and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia leaders who were in battle there. The novel is laid out in days and each new chapter for the day gives a number and the name of the man who is the focus of the chapter. In Killer Angels, the Army of Northern Virginia’s demise is highlighted by a few different features. The failing health and age of Robert E. Lee served to distract him from military obligations, the advantage point the Union side had over Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, and the most significant reason for demise, was the
The pain, joy, bloodshed, death, and sorrow of the Civil War are all contained in the book called, "The Killer Angels." This book will show you the thoughts, feelings and actions of many of the leaders of both armies. By reading this book you will get an in depth view of the bloodiest days of the Civil War. Even if you know absolutely nothing about this war, you can still read and understand everything that is portrayed. This story not only gives you the view of many of the major leaders, but it also gives you the maps an strategies used in this war. It also shows you the conflicts in making these strategies. This book has inspired many, but the true question is will it inspire you? Reading this book will cause
The Civil War was one of the most important and bloodiest wars in American history. It tore a nation apart and then brought it back together. An author, Michael Shaara wrote a book about the Battle of Gettysburg and how both sides, the Union and the Confederate, interpreted it. This novel was named The Killer Angels. After reading the book, visiting the Atlanta History Center allowed to learn and experience the life of soldiers during the War. The Civil War began on April 12th, 1861 and came to a much wanted end on May 9th, 1865. When walking through to Turning Point at the Atlanta History Center, the learning tools there helped bring to life the purpose, challenges, cost, and the long lasting effects of the War by allowing visitors to read,
When an author writes a book he has a message that he is trying to get across to the reader. This message is called a theme. In The Killer Angels Shaara's theme was freedom for the slaves. The Northerners truly believed that the slaves deserved to be free, and their desire to set slaves free was the cause of the Civil War. Just before the Battle of Gettysburg, Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain of the 20th Maine gave a speech to a group of mutineers. He told them that the war in which they were fighting was unlike any war in history. The war in which they were fighting was not for money, property or power. It was a war to set other men free. After the battle began, Sergeant Tom Chamberlain asked a group of prisoners why they
The battle of Gettysburg was one of the most important battles in the Civil War. If I was a Union soldier on cemetery ridge or little round top, I would be scared. Imagine bullets tearing down your friends around you, blood spattering the ground and yourself. I would be thinking “imgoingtodieimgoingtodieimgoingtodie” over and over. However, I would grasp onto that little light at the end of tunnel, hope. I would feel tortured inside, but I’d have to kill fellow human beings to save my own life. I would wonder if this was the most ethical way to settle a problem. But I would have to kill other soldiers, and that would kill me inside. With the fear of getting killed, the adrenaline rushing through my veins, taking the shot to end one life, and save another. And I would have to face this internal conflict over and over until it was safe, or until another soldier decided to make that same decision and chose me as their target. This is what I would feel if I was a Union soldier in the battle of Gettysburg.
There was never a bloodier war on American soil in history than the Civil War. Those short four year took the lives of thousands soldiers and destroyed many infrastructures of America. The war, however, was more than a battle between Lincoln and Davis, North and South, slavery and freeman. The Civil War was a war of ideals. The accounts told by the soldiers shown that, although the two sides did not agree on most topics, the North and the South did held certain ideals. In The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, the eyes of James Longstreet and Joshua Chamberlain expresses the battle between the North and the South as an opportunity to show their major contributions, their loyalties to their troops, and their opinions of the war that shaped them.
There was never a bloodier war on American soil than the Civil War. Those short four years took the lives of thousands of soldiers and destroyed many infrastructures of America. The war, however, was more than a battle between Lincoln and Davis, the North and the South, slavery and freeman. The Civil War was a war of ideals. The accounts told by the soldiers shown that, although the two sides did not agree on most topics, the North and the South did held certain ideals. In The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, the eyes of James Longstreet and Joshua Chamberlain expresses the battle between the North and the South as an opportunity to show their major contributions, their loyalties to their troops, and their opinions of the war that shaped them.
The Killer Angels is an historical novel about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. The book captures the human nature of many historical figures over three fateful days in rural Pennsylvania in 1863. North and South, Yankee and Confederate; The Killer Angels provides a glimpse into the hearts and souls of some of the men who fought in this infamous battle and their own reasons for being in a fight to the death against their fellow countrymen.
The Battle of Gettysburg was amongst one the most important turning points during the Civil War. It was a three-day bloody battle between the Union and Confederate forces which would ultimately lead up to the victory of the Union. In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara shows a depiction of the battle through the eyes of the officers and tries to give the reader a first-hand look into the daily struggles that they had to deal with when it came to distinguishing between what’s best for their men and chances of success in the battle. In the book, we are introduced with two important officers: Colonel Chamberlain of the Union force, and General Lee of the Confederate force. Throughout the book, we witness different leadership strategies and philosophies between both officers which ultimately serve as their road to success or failure in the battle. Focusing on General Lee’s philosophy on leadership, “To be a good soldier, you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.”, it reinforces the idea that in order to fully succeed at battle, you must set aside and sacrifice your sense of sympathy towards your soldiers as a way to avoid making emotional decisions.
Knowledge about past significant events is crucial, as it helps us to understand exactly what helped to shape our country the way it is today. This information can only be gained by accurate depictions of historical events, which is evident in the film, Gettysburg. The epic war film, Gettysburg, is directed by Ronald F. Maxwell in 1993, and is known for its accurate depiction of the clash between the armies of the Union and Confederacy in a small Pennsylvania town, during the Civil War in 1863. Gettysburg is based on the famous book The Killer Angels . Through close analysis and observation it is evident that Gettysburg, is portrayed as an objective re-enactment of the events that occurred in The Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.
The book begins on Monday, June 29, 1863 and provides an introduction to the circumstances directly before fighting begins. A spy named Harrison, hired by Longstreet comes back to the Confederate camp and alerts General Lee of the proximity of the Federal troops. Both Lee and Longstreet, another Confederate general, adopt an untrustworthy attitude toward the spy.