The Killer Angels is a historical novel that provides insight into what it was like to find yourself at the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the most influential battles ever fought in United States history. The battle was fought between the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, and Michael Shaara does an excellent job of showing both sides of the war by giving the perspectives of the Union generals and the Confederation. Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, sought to launch offensive tactics and take the fighting to the North. General Lee had quickly crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and was in an area just south of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with his 70,000 men. The Army of the Potomac was staying in Washington, D.C. at the time, but was constantly moving after learning that the Confederacy was attempting to invade the North. After Lieutenant General James Longstreet was informed that the Union was heading north toward Gettysburg, General Lee decided to send his army to Gettysburg. James Longstreet believes that General Lee's ego may have gotten the better of him, as the South was vastly outnumbered in men and resources. General Jeb Stuart had been ordered by Lee to keep a close watch on the location of the Union army. General Stuart had failed to maintain communication between himself and the rest of the Confederate army. This meant that General Lee did not know the Union location. On Monday, June 29, Union General John Buford led his 2,000 men to the high ground near the Lutheran Seminary where Confederate infantry were able to push the Union from their position. On Wednesday, the first real day of the battle, the Union took a good position atop Little Round Top, Big Round Top, Cemetery Hill, and Culp's Hill. Colonel Joshua "Lawrence" Chamberlain begins digging and building his armor around them while setting up artillery at Cemetery Ridge. Lee ordered his generals to attack from the west and north, continually striking the Union flanks. The next day, Colonel Chamberlain was ordered to hold the Union high ground at Devil's Den and Little Round Top. This allowed the Union to have better fire and easily fill gaps in the line with 90,000 troops. On the last day of the battle, General Lee launched Pickett's charge which was inevitably crushed, causing massive losses for the Confederates and ultimately the battle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The legendary Battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle took place on June 29 and July 1-3, 1863. The United States was going through a movement to create all men equal, while the Confederate States fought to protect slavery and protect their economies. In the novel, Shaara makes it clear, using the perspective of real soldiers, that the South was fighting to protect its heritage and way of life, while many people in the North wondered why they were still fighting. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is approximately 85 miles northwest of Washington, DC and close to the Maryland border. General Lee was in the midst of an invasion of the North and was trying to turn the situation in the North around by going on the offensive. The result of the battle was exactly the opposite. The South did not succeed in gaining the heights or the ideal locations to install artillery. These locations included: Little Round Top, Big Round Top, Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. Michael Shaara shows the location of each army using a series of maps throughout the novel. Shaaraalso does a great job of showing the differences between the two armies. During the novel, Major General Buford and his men were "way down the ridge they were digging in, all around the crest of the hill" in the middle of the night, preparing for the second day (p. 146). On the contrary, from day one, the South had begun to celebrate their "victory." Lee rode his horse through town after the first day; his “men shouted and screamed as he passed. Many stopped and just smiled and some took off their hats” (p. 136). This shows that the Union put in extra effort to win the battle. Michael Shaara, the author of the historical fiction novel The Killer Angels, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1928. His parents were Italian immigrants, but Shaara was always intrigued by American history. Early in his life he was an amateur boxer and police officer. He quickly fell in love with literature and became a professor of literature at Florida State University. While teaching at Florida State, he continued to write various fiction novels. He was chosen as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Killer Angels in 1975. Shaara's goal in writing this novel is to show the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg and the perspectives of the general who witnessed a critical turning point in the civil war. He wants his readers to feel the emotions of soldiers facing immense pressure. This is evident in Shaara's use of the third-person omniscient point of view in the novel. Michael Shaara writes "To the Reader" at the beginning of the novel saying that he "eschewed historical opinions and returned primarily to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents" (p. xiii). By adding this into the novel, Shaara proves that he is unbiased and wants his readers to feel like they are truly feeling the struggles that reflect that time period, the Civil War. Shaara accurately represents the time period through the character's use of dialogue. During the novel, Colonel Chamberlain reflected on what made a respectable leader. He views a leader as a man who can be trusted and believed in, as well as someone who takes care of his men. “You must take care of the well-being of your men. We must demonstrate physical courage” (p. 124). This same mentality has manifested itself throughout human history, as people tend to follow individuals who rise to the occasion and contribute to the general well-being of others. American history demonstrates this with the election of numerous war heroes to the presidency. Presidents included: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. This demonstrates that the culture of American life and people in general, before and after the Civil War, was continually drawn to war heroes as leaders. Society tends to view these experienced people as role models whose service to their country illustrates true commitment. This is evident in the period leading up to the election of 1869, when the victorious commanding general of the Union Army, Ulysses S. Grant, was elected president. Another connection drawn between U.S. history and the nation today is the divided attitudes of soldiers. Chamberlain shows the division of the nation through his own divisive issues. He has the attitude that black people deserve to be free, but his character is vilified at the sight of a black man. In the book, Chamberlain thinks about the animal qualities of the black man. This is a clear picture of division, and it does not appear that its cause in the war is the same as that of the Union. The motivations of the soldiers who.