Killer Angels Essay, Research Paper

Chamberlain Entering Bowdoin College, Chamberlain studied thetraditional classical course of study and showed peculiar skillat linguistic communications. But first Chamberlain took his Bowdoin A. B.degree, in the Class of 1852, and returned north for threemore old ages of survey. Turning down the chance to becomea curate or missional, he accepted a place at Bowdointeaching rhetoric. A good bookman, he was besides an orthodoxCongregationalist, an of import factor to his Bowdoincolleagues, for the College was embroiled in thedenominational wrangles of the twenty-four hours. Chamberlain knew small of soldiering despite a shorttime as a male child at a military school at Ellsworth. When thesectional crisis led to civil war in 1861, Chamberlain felta strong impulse to contend to salvage the brotherhood. Althoughsympathetic to the predicament of the slaves, he is non known tohave been an emancipationist and showed small involvement, afterthe war, in the cause of the freedwomans. But the college wasreluctant to lose his services. Offered a twelvemonth & # 8217 ; s travel withpay in Europe in 1862 to analyze linguistic communications, Chamberlaininstead volunteered his military services to Maine & # 8217 ; sgovernor. He was shortly made lieutenant colonel of the 20thMaine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He is best remembered for two great events: the actionat Little Round Top, on the 2nd twenty-four hours of Gettysburg ( 2 July1863 ) , when then-Colonel Chamberlain and the twentieth Maine heldthe extreme left wing of the Union line against a fiercerebel onslaught, and the resignation of Lee & # 8217 ; s Army of NorthernVirginia at Appomattox, when Grant chose Chamberlain toreceive the formal resignation of arms and colourss ( 12 April1865 ) . Always a gallant adult male, Chamberlain had his mensalute the defeated Confederates as they marched by, grounds of his esteem of their heroism and of Grant & # 8217 ; classy to promote the Rebel ground forcess still in the field toaccept the peace. Although ne’er forgotten in Maine, Chamberlain largelyfaded from national position for most of the twentieth century. Nostatue of him was of all time erected at Gettysburg ; few historiansstudied his runs. But amid the rush of involvement in theCivil War in the 1990s he has re-emerged as an exemplaryfigure among the Union generals, the really theoretical account of thecitizen-soldier. Longstreet James Longstreet at age forty-two was the dean of corpscommanders at Gettysburg ; he had been in corps bid twiceas long as anybody else on either side. It was he who wouldcommand of the Army of Northern Virginia if Lee wereincapacitated. He was a adult male who studied the norms andcalculated the odds carefully. Never one to coerce hischances, he preferred to wait for a state of affairs like the oneat Fredericksburg, where he could fix his defences onadvantageous terrain and delay for the enemy to shatterhimself against them. If the odds were non in his favour, he

would wait for the minute when he held the

trumps.Longstreet approached his business dispassionately. To him,victory was the result of thoughtful planning, not heroism.While he supported Lee’s bold strategic offensives, it wasalways with an eye to fighting a defensive battle at theclimax of each campaign. His way of evening the odds withthe numerically superior Union army was to conserve hismen’s lives, not gamble them needlessly in costly assaults.He thus dealt in human life with a conservatism lacking inmany military men, especially in the South. He showedconstant concern for his men’s well-being. At When the bullets began to fly, Longstreet’simmovability translated into a magnificent fearlessness.Longstreet was a native of South Carolina who grew up mostlyin Georgia. When the Civil War began in 1861 Longstreet joined theConfederate army with no ambition for glory. Since he wasthe ranking officer from Alabama, he was instead made abrigadier general. On October 7, Longstreet was givencommand of the Third Division of the army. Lee said “Here comes my war horse from the field he hasdone so much to save!” “War Horse” to Lee, “Pete” or “Old Peter” to his men,”Dutch” to his West Point pals, sometimes “Bull” or”Bulldog,” Longstreet was a man who attracted nicknames. Fewcolorful stories attached themselves to him, however,because of his phlegmatic personality. Interestingly,Longstreet in the first year of the war had been a popularcompanion; his headquarters had been a center ofsocialization where visitors could expect a good time, afine meal, plenty of whiskey. General Lee followed thecustom of pitching his tent close to Longstreet’s. Althoughthe two differed fundamentally in their philosophy of howthe war should be waged, Lee would continue to valueLongstreet even if he was at times presumptuous when headvanced his recommendations to Lee, did not bother hissuperior with unsolved problems. Perhaps this is the traitwhich most endeared Lee to Longstreet Lee’s continuingphysical closeness with Longstreet indicated respect for hisopinions. Fredericksburg, for Longstreet, was the mostinstructive battle of the war. His men, stoutly prepared,repulsed division after division of Federal attackers. Thisbecame the battle he sought to re-fight for the rest of thewar. Perhaps it spoiled him, giving him the notion that ifhe got in position and stayed there, impatient Uniongenerals would crash headlong into his prepared defenseslike Union they did before. When Lee reunited the army forthe Gettysburg Campaign, Longstreet discussed grand strategywith Lee, and somehow got the impression that Lee wascommitted to fighting only defensive battles, the kindLongstreet liked. Combined with Longstreet’s liabilities hisdeliberateness when on the offensive and his habit ofsulking when contradicted. This misunderstanding would haveterrible consequences for the Army of Northern Virginia inenemy territory.