Book Report on the Killer Angels

                                                                                          Jose Resendiz

                                                                                        Oct 15, 2015

                                                                                        AP Language

                                Book Report on The Killer Angels

The Civil War was a gruesome military battle between the North and South leaving

behind what seemed to be nothing but pride and bloodshed, but this is false! In the novel  

The Killer Angels authored by Michael Shaara and published by McKay on 1974 , gives its

readers  a vivid perception and understanding of what actually happened during  the

great battle of Gettysburg, which left 50,000 Confederate and Union soldiers dead, wounded,

or missing. I found this novel quite authentic because it shares many powerful emotional

experiences of living throughout this significant battle.

         There are several main characters in The Killer Angels, but the main two are the

famous Robert E. Lee and Josh Chamberlain. Chamberlain is a Northern colonel who is viewed

as the protagonist, Chamberlain is an unusual man, a college professor turned regiment

commander, he views the war and the people around him more as a philosopher than a

military man. He is from Maine and tends to be very loyal to the people from his home

state ,“What we are fighting for is our freedom from the rule of what is to us a foreign

government. That’s all we want and that’s what this war is about. We established this country

in the first place with strong state governments just for that reason, to avoid a central

tyranny”(Shaara 70). Chamberlain is truly a hero of the Gettysburg battle. Lee is a Southern

general and fights against Chamberlain’s military and together they face many conflicts

therefore he can be considered the antagonist. Lee is very aggressive, which reflects his style of

fighting. He talks a lot and always wants to know what is going on. Lee is also can be a

gentleman, a  man of honor, and a religious man with no vices and considerable patience, “Tell

General Ewell the Federal troops are retreating in confusion. It is only necessary to push those

people to get possession of those heights. Of course, I do not know his situation, and I do not

want him to engage a superior force, but I do want him to take that hill, if he thinks

practicable”(Shaara 92). He is soft spoken and cares about his men, but is willing to use them

boldly for the cause although the outcome maybe death. He believes deeply in his God and

feels God is controlling the course of events.

        The novel begins with a confederate spy telling Lee of nearby Union brigades, Lee then

decides to move towards the town of Gettysburg along with other Confederate comrades

such as James Longstreet and his men commencing the start of the four day battle. The

novel then greatly details what the perspectives were to be like to fighting for each side during

the Civil War era, there were many little conflicts throughout the Confederate army such as

when Longstreet and Lee build tension when Lee was questions of his tactics and training .

 Overall the plot consisted of multiple perspectives of the solders and high ranking men on

Confederate and the Union, by the end of the novel the Union wins the Battle at Gettysburg

when Pickett’s charge fails. Gettysburg marks the end of the South’s second and final attempt

to invade the North. Lee retreats to defend Virginia, where he will be slowly battered down

over the next two years until he is forced to surrender. Gettysburg marks the turning point in

the Civil War, and the Unions victory in 1865  ending of slavery in the United States.

        The setting and time of my novel plays a key part in the storyline. The novel is about the