The Gettysburg Battle Portrayal in The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels is a historical novel that gives insight of what it was like to be at the battle of Gettysburg, one of the most influential battles ever fought in the history of the United States. The battle was fought between the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, and Michael Shaara does an excellent job of showing both sides of the war by giving the viewpoints of Union and Confederate generals. Robert E. Lee, a Confederate General, was looking to start offensive tactics and take the fighting into the North. General Lee had been traveling quickly through the Blue Ridge Mountains and was in an area just south of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania with his 70,000 men. The Army of the Potomac was staying in Washington D.C. at the time but was constantly moving after hearing the Confederacy was trying to invade the North. After Lieutenant General, James Longstreet gets tipped off that the Union is traveling north towards the direction of Gettysburg, General Lee decides to send his army to Gettysburg. James Longstreet thinks that General Lee’s ego may have been getting the best of him, because the South was greatly outnumbered in men and resources. General Jeb Stuart had been commanded by Lee to keep a close eye on the Union Army’s location. General Stuart had failed to keep communication between him and the rest of the Confederate Army. This meant that General Lee was blind to the Union’s location. On Monday, June 29, Union General, John Buford led his 2,000 men to the high ground near the Lutheran Seminary where the Confederate infantry was able to push the Union back from their position. On Wednesday, the first true day of the battle, the Union took good position at the top of Little Round Top, Big Round Top, Cemetery Hill, and Culp’s Hill. Colonel Joshua “Lawrence” Chamberlain starts to dig in and build its armor around them while setting up artillery at Cemetery Ridge. Lee commands his generals to attack from the west and the north by continuously hitting the Union flanks. The next day, Colonel Chamberlain was ordered to hold the Union's high ground at Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. This allowed the Union to have better shots, and they could easily refill gaps in the line with 90,000 soldiers. The last day of the battle, General Lee launched Pickett’s charge which was inevitably smashed causing mass Confederate losses and ultimately the battle.

The legendary Battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle occurred on June 29th, and on July 1st through July 3rd, 1863. The United States was going through a movement to create all men equal, while the Confederate States were fighting to protect slavery and to protect their economy. In the novel, Shaara makes it clear by using the perspectives of actual soldiers that the South was fighting to protect their heritage and their way of life, while many in the North wondered why they were still fighting. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is about 85 miles northwest from Washington, D.C. and close to the Maryland border. General Lee was on his invasion of the North and was trying to turn the tables on the North by going on the offensive. The result of the battle was the exact opposite. The South was unable to gain the high ground, nor the ideal locations to set up artillery. These locations included: Little Round Top, Big Round Top, Cemetery Hill, and Culp’s Hill. Michael Shaara shows the location of each army by using a series of maps throughout the novel. Shaara also does an excellent job of showing the differences between the two armies. During the novel, Major General Buford and his men had been “all down the ridge they were digging in, all around the crest of the hill” during the middle of night preparing for day two (p. 146). On the contrary, after the first day, the South had started to celebrate their “win.” Lee was riding his horse through the town following the first day; his “men yelled and whooped as he passed. Many stopped and just smiled and some took off their hats” (p. 136). This shows that the Union put in the extra work to win the battle.

Michael Shaara, the author of the historical fiction novel, The Killer Angels, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1928. His parents were Italian immigrants, but Shaara was always intrigued with American history. In his early life he was an amateur boxer and a police officer. He soon fell in love with literature and became a professor of Literature at Florida State University. While teaching at Florida State he continued to write various fiction novels. He was chosen as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize of Fiction for The Killer Angels in 1975. Shaara’s purpose in writing this novel is to show the significance of the battle of Gettysburg and the perspectives of General’s witnessing a critical turning point in the Civil War. He wants his readers to feel the emotions of the soldiers that were facing an immense amount of pressure. This is evident in Shaara’s use of the third person omniscient point of view in the novel. Michael Shaara writes “To The Reader” in the beginning of the novel saying that he “avoided historical opinions and gone back primarily to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents” (p. xiii). By adding this into the novel, Shaara proves that he is unbiased and wants his readers to feel as if they are truly feeling the struggles that reflect this time period, the Civil War. Shaara accurately represents the time period by the character’s use of dialogue.

During the novel, Colonel Chamberlain was pondering what made a respectable leader. He sees a leader as a man who can be trusted and believed in, as well as one who takes heed of his men. “You must care for your men’s welfare. You must show physical courage” (p. 124). This same mentality has been shown throughout the history of mankind, as people tend to follow the individuals who rise to the occasion and help the overall well-being of others. This is shown in American history by the election of many war heroes to the presidency. Many of the Presidents included: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower. This demonstrates that the culture of American life and people in general, before and after the Civil War, have been continuously drawn to war heroes as leaders. Society tends to view these people of experience as role models whose service to their country exemplifies true commitment. This is evident in the time period due to the election of 1869, when the victorious Commander General of the Union Army, Ulysses S. Grant was elected President. Another connection made between U.S. History and the nation today is through the divided attitudes of the soldiers. Chamberlain shows the nation’s division through his own issues with division. He has the attitude that blacks deserve to be free, yet his character is reviled by the sight of a black man. In the book, Chamberlain thinks of a black man’s animal-like qualities. This is a clear picture of division, and it does not appear his cause for fighting the war is the same cause as the Union. The soldiers’ motives for fighting are very different. While Chamberlain fights for liberation, Kilrain fights to prove that he is brave and to put an end to the aristocratic people in the South. Just like today, war divides those who supposedly fight for the same cause.

The moment in the novel that impressed me most was near the end of the battle when General Lee was facing defeat. It takes a true man to admit to their mistakes when they have committed a wrong action. General Lee said to Longstreet, “You were right. And I was wrong. And now you must help me see what must be done” (p. 339). Longstreet had never agreed with Lee’s offensive tactics, by suggesting that the Confederate Army cut the Union off from the North by using defensive tactics. This embodies the true leadership qualities of Robert E. Lee due to his willingness to admit his overconfidence and work to learn from his mistakes. It is through the use of various literary devices that Shaara chooses to impart a certain emotion to the reader. He uses different variations of the third person point-of-view to not only connect with the audience through personal accounts, but to inform the reader on the actual historical context of the events that occurred. While the setting of this historical novel took place in another century during the bloodiest battle on record of the Civil War, so much of what was happening in leadership then still exists today. The mentality and opinions of generals and those leading our country today mirrors that of the generals depicted in Killer Angels. Longstreet and Lee had different approaches in their search for victory. While Longstreet insisted on using defensive tactics, Lee was resistant. While Lee had tough strategies, he was not willing to change what he had always done. This is so true of personalities in leadership today. It is absolutely necessary to change tactics and plans to meet the needs of those one leads and work based on the situation at hand. Longstreet exemplified this attitude. This novel is worth reading because it highlights the emotions and beliefs among the generals along with their interpersonal characteristics. I would recommend this novel to those who want to gain insight into a soldier’s viewpoint of war as well as those who strive to serve in military leadership.