The Killer Angels Essay, Research Paper

Most people think of the Civil War as a military conflict

between the North and South. Without analyzing the topic,

they do non appreciate the facts that make up this historical

event. When one reads the novel, The Killer Angels, the

reader will hold a much better perceptual experience and apprehension

of what really happened during the war. The Killer Angels,

which is written by Michael Shaara, tells the heroic narrative of the

great conflict of Gettysburg, which left 50,000 Confederate

and Union soldiers dead, wounded, or losing. The narrative is

told from the jumping points of position from several of each

side? s important participants. The book moves back and

Forth from the North and South position. Shaara portrays

the awful abattoir of the three yearss? contending through the

vividly ren- dered ideas and emotions of work forces such as

General Robert E. Lee, Major General John Buford from

the South and from the North, Brigadier General Lewis

Armistead, and Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. This is a

enormously traveling novel, guaranteed unforget- tabular array. The

book instills in one & # 8217 ; s mind what a conflict fought during the

Civil War was actu- ally like to be apart of for the soldiers.

The scene for the book takes topographic point in Pennsylvania, where

the Battle of Gettys- burg is fought. The writer provides

many elaborate maps of both army & # 8217 ; s places. Throughout

the book, the reader is shown the hurting, trouble, anguish,

and other quandary the ground forcess face taking up to the concluding

confrontation. In the beginning of the book we learn about

the North from a undercover agent for the South. His occupation was to reconnoiter the

North & # 8217 ; s place as good count the figure of military personnels. He

studies to General Robert E. Lee an

vitamin D recalls what he saw.

The undercover agent & # 8217 ; s information proved utile to the Confederates & # 8217 ; at

the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle at

Gettysburg is a series of conflicts. At first the South additions

land but finally the North secures the better field

place and crushes the Southern forces. The writer makes

it clear that it is General Robert E. Lee & # 8217 ; s hapless judgement and

de- cisions that causes the South to lose the Battle of

Gettysburg. Lee even credits himself for the South & # 8217 ; s failure,

as quoted in the book, “ No incrimination can be attached to the

ground forces for its failure to carry through what was projected by me.

. . . I entirely am to fault, in possibly ex- pecting excessively much of

its art and heroism. . . could I have foreseen that the

onslaught on the last twenty-four hours would neglect, I should surely hold tried

some other class. . . but I do non cognize what better class

I could hold pursued ” [ The Killer Angels, Ballantine Books,

page 349. ] General Lee wanted to assail the Union military personnels

at Gettysburg, even though the North had the better land,

more supplies, and 1000s of more military personnels. Lee & # 8217 ; s mind

was already set and he did non desire to alter it. Overall,

Lee was a good general, but during this peculiar conflict, he

did non do the best of determinations, which in the sentiment of

the writer led to the Confederate military personnels losing the war. In

decision, I recommend The Killer Angels to anyone who

is funny or inter- ested about happening out what the Civil

War was like. The book provides an accurate and detailed

description of the war. On the screen of the book, General

H. Norman Schwarzkopf is quoted as stating that the book

is “ The best and most realistic historical novel about war I

have of all time read. ”