The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels, written by Michael Shaara, is a gripping novel about the turning point in the Civil War. In this novel, Shaara, follows the Generals and Colonels of both the Union and Confederate armies from June 29, 1863 until July 3, 1863. The book discusses the strategy and logic used by each of the commanding officers of either army, along with the non-war side of each officer.

In this historical novel, based on the battle of Gettysburg, the characters and events are, for the most part, historically accurate, however Shaara, who was not actually present at Gettysburg, had to fictionalize what the character's thoughts and conversations were. In "To The Reader", Shaara writes "The interpretation of character is my own." Sharra also states "I have therefore avoided historical opinions and primarily gone back to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents." Shaara is stating that the character's interactions were based on the letters and other documents that were written by those men that fought in the battle of Gettysburg. The difference between this and an actual historical account is simply the fact that Shaara wrote a book that has plot and a story line to it, and although it has an inevitable ending and the outcome of each battle is set in the history books, Shaara has put his own analysis on the battles. If he was to write a historical account he could not have used any fictionalized conversations or thoughts in the book. This would have limited him to writing the book without opinion and to sticking strictly to the facts. Shaara's descriptions of the battle scenes are not entirely accurate because there was not adequate photography at that time, and he was not present, however they are very detailed. He also describes the men's emotions vividly, but one can only assume that this must be based on letters and other documents, and partially fictionalized.

General Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate Army and was a brilliant tactician. Lee has a traditional outlook on war which often conflicts with that of Longstreet's. Lee constantly implies the importance of offensive warfare. He was born into a military family, attended Westpoint, and was almost predestined to become an officer in the army. He was a devoted Christian and when it came to war he conducted himself accordingly. Lee presented himself as a very moral man. "What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world." In fact on December 13, 1862, Robert E. Lee, while commanding the Army of Northern Virginia at the battle of Fredericksburg, turned to General James Longstreet and said, "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should get too fond of it." Shaara states that Lee did "not own slaves, nor believe in slavery, but he does not believe that the Negro, 'in the present stage of his development,' can be considered the equal of the white man." It does not seem like Lee is fighting the war for any other purpose than the fact that he did not believe that any black man or woman should be considered equal to the white man. Lee may not have been fighting for the same cause as the rest of the Confederate Army, however he was fighting for a cause - his own belief in the inferiority of the Negro. He would have disagreed with Forster's statement, "I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country" as he was a devout Christian and a moral man who "loved Virginia above all". General Lee felt that the war was sacred and holy because he was fighting for the freedom of the people of Virginia, and all supporters of the Southern cause. For this reason he would agree with Woodrow Wilson's statement: "When men take up arms to set other men free, there is something sacred and holy in that warfare."

After the battle of Gettysburg Lee asks to be relieved of command due to his physical health, and failure to defeat the Northern Army. Lee comments upon the battle by saying "No blame can be attached to the army for its failure to accomplish what was projected by me...I alone am to blame, in perhaps expecting too much of its prowess and valor...could I have foreseen that the attack on the last day would fail, I should certainly have tried some other course..." Although Lee's request was not accepted and he fought out the duration of the war, it seemed as though he learned his lesson, and did not perform any offensive actions for the remaining time he was in command. At the end of the war, Lee did not hold a grudge against the Union, and asked his men to lay down their arms. Lee sadly was never pardoned by Congress, and died of heart disease in 1870. Some historians believe that Lee suffered a minor heart attack during the battle of Gettysburg.

General James Longstreet became Lee's second in command after the death of "Stonewall" Jackson. Shaara describes Longstreet as a stubborn man whose more visionary tactics on war often conflicted with those of Lee's. Longstreet is portrayed by Shaara as a man ahead of his time, someone who has seen the future of warfare and knows that it will be won through the proper use of technology. Longstreet was quoted as saying "Why do men fight who were born to be brothers." This quote shows Longstreet's more sympathetic side, as opposed to the stubborn man that is portrayed in the book. When Longsteet and Lee arrived in Gettysburg and found the Union Army had already taken the high ground, Longstreet felt that it would better serve the Confederate Army to retreat from Gettysburg and take hold of a better position where they could entice the Union Army into attacking them on ground of their own choosing. Shaara states that, "He did not believe in offensive warfare when the enemy outnumbered you and outgunned you and would come looking for you anyway if you waited somewhere on your own ground." General Longstreet, after the war was over, was also quoted as saying "I hope to live long enough to see my surviving comrades march side by side with the Union veterans along Pennsylvania Avenue, and then I will die happy." What these quotes show is that Longstreet was morally opposed to war and he did not look at the Union as his enemy. Although there may have been a softer side to Longstreet he made sure it did not conflict with his decisions