The Killer Angels Summary

The novel “The Killer Angels”, written by Michael Shaara, tells about the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the most pivotal conflict during the American Civil War. It is common knowledge that Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his army of 70,000 to the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania after gaining a victory against Union forces at Chancellorsville, Virginia. He believed that with a recent win his troops were ready to attack and defeat the North. The battle took place from July 1 to July 3 of 1863 and resulted in a Confederate defeat. The Confederate’s suffered a loss of 28,000 men with the Union losses at 23,000 men. This book brings a more personal and factual retelling of the Battle of Gettysburg. History is one of my favorite subjects and this book put me on a journey I’ve never experienced when reading and learning about history. The way that Shaara retold the story using old letters and viewpoints of people who stood on that battlefield is exhilarating. By also using old maps of army’s locations and how each regiment was moved gave a surreal feel as if I was standing there. I wasn’t excited about reading this book in the …show more content…
I love how Shaara starts to show Lee as being stubborn, too fixed on his ideas, and ignoring alternatives from other generals when he says, “General, the enemy is there…and there’s where I’m going to strike him” (Shaara pg. 285). It then starts to lead the reader into Pickett’s Charge, the bloodiest loss of life during the battle. The section captures the horrifying disaster of the battle. Brigadier General Lewis Armistead himself comes across as a valiant warrior, with his hat on the tip of his raised sword heroically urging his men on. I loved how these men knew they were possibly going to die and continued anyways, for the glory and chivalry they’ve grown to know. These men who faced death head on showed bravery, even though the order was a foolish