Michael Shaara
The Killer Angels
Random House, 1975
The Killer Angels is about the preparation up to the Battle of Gettysburg. General Robert E. Lee was the main character of the book for the Confederates, and Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain was the main character of the book for the Union. General James Longstreet felt that General Lee should get the Confederate army between Washington D.C. and the Union army before attacking. General Lee was convinced that it was destiny and that they would win the war by defeating the Union at the Battle of Gettysburg. In the end, General Longstreet was right, and the Confederates lost the Battle of Gettysburg, therefore losing the war.
The Battle of Gettysburg was the four bloodiest days in American history. The reason that the war was fought is because the south was pro-slavery, and the north was anti-slavery. The Union was very smart in fighting defensively. They would hide behind hills and then attack the Confederates when they were not expecting it. There were two views for the Confederates on how they should fight the war. General Longstreet was for defensive tactics and attacking when the time is right. He also understood more about the advances in technology. General Lee was more old fashion and felt that anytime you get the chance, you should attack. This eventually lost him the war.
Michael Shaara did a great job writing this book. He does not let you know what is fiction and what is factual in his writing. He did not write the book about exactly what happened at the Battle of Gettysburg, but he wrote what the generals may have felt at the battle. He was biased toward the south. He wrote more about the southern generals and how they felt about the battle. Over all, I really enjoyed the book and felt that it was well written. It gave a lot of information and it made you feel like you were with them at the battle. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book about...