The Killer Angels
August 12, 2012
Title: The Killer Angels
Author: Michael Shaara
Historical Event Depicted: This novel illustrates the Battle of Gettysburg, often known as the turning point of the great American Civil War. Southern slave-holding states, known as the Confederate States of America, fight the war with loyal Union states for secession. The Battle of Gettysburg is where Union Major General George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeats Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, putting an end to Lee’s invasion of the North.
Main Characters:
Confederate Army
Robert Edward Lee: He is the commander of the Confederate army and very well respected in the South. He is fifty-seven years old in the Battle of Gettysburg and suffers heart problems. His combat strategies tend to be more traditional and reject modern defensive warfare. Unfortunately, Lee overestimates his troops and orders a final charge toward Union lines, ending in disaster.
LTG James Longstreet: Being second-in-command of the Confederate Army, forty-two year old Longstreet is the most vital general to Lee since “Stonewall” Jackson. Longstreet is well aware of modern warfare, involving new technology, and sees the need for improvement in traditional combat strategies. Though Longstreet stubbornly pushes for defensive warfare, he ends up following Lee’s command to charge, having great respect for him.
Maj. Gen. George Pickett: Though he was last in his class at West Point, Pickett now leads his own Virginia division at age thirty-eight. His appointment to West Point was from his personal friend, Abraham Lincoln. Longing for a chance to prove himself, Pickett makes an infantry charge against Gen. George Meade’s Union, on Cemetery Ridge, on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
LTG Richard Ewell: He is forty-six and chosen to replace a portion of “Stonewall” Jackson’s command. Ewell has a great amount of responsibility, taking Jackson’s place; however, he is less
Title: The Killer Angels
Author: Michael Shaara
Historical Event Depicted: This novel illustrates the Battle of Gettysburg, often known as the turning point of the great American Civil War. Southern slave-holding states, known as the Confederate States of America, fight the war with loyal Union states for secession. The Battle of Gettysburg is where Union Major General George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeats Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, putting an end to Lee’s invasion of the North.
Main Characters:
Confederate Army
Robert Edward Lee: He is the commander of the Confederate army and very well respected in the South. He is fifty-seven years old in the Battle of Gettysburg and suffers heart problems. His combat strategies tend to be more traditional and reject modern defensive warfare. Unfortunately, Lee overestimates his troops and orders a final charge toward Union lines, ending in disaster.
LTG James Longstreet: Being second-in-command of the Confederate Army, forty-two year old Longstreet is the most vital general to Lee since “Stonewall” Jackson. Longstreet is well aware of modern warfare, involving new technology, and sees the need for improvement in traditional combat strategies. Though Longstreet stubbornly pushes for defensive warfare, he ends up following Lee’s command to charge, having great respect for him.
Maj. Gen. George Pickett: Though he was last in his class at West Point, Pickett now leads his own Virginia division at age thirty-eight. His appointment to West Point was from his personal friend, Abraham Lincoln. Longing for a chance to prove himself, Pickett makes an infantry charge against Gen. George Meade’s Union, on Cemetery Ridge, on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
LTG Richard Ewell: He is forty-six and chosen to replace a portion of “Stonewall” Jackson’s command. Ewell has a great amount of responsibility, taking Jackson’s place; however, he is less