The Killer Angels

The American Civil War was a part of U.S. history that left a mark on the lives of those who were apart of this time period from 1861-1865. Confederate soldiers and Union soldiers alike went to war fighting for the rights they believed in. Whether it was for wanting the country that won its freedom from Britain to be a united place as one, even with the many differences and similarities there are, or wanting to feel free to be independent from the rest of the world and pleasure itself with rights to do whatever a small group of states chooses to do.

Michael Shaara composed a beautiful piece of literature that will forever enrich the hearts of those who cherish the events of what happened during the Civil War. The Killer Angels is an intriguing novel that gives readers insight about the events that occurred over four days in the third summer of the war. These few days included the events that led up to battle and then endured a fight in the end. This was known as the Battle of Gettysburg. The accuracy of this novel is what makes it a good read for a historical fiction piece of work.

Both the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac settled in Pennsylvania. The Confederates consciously planned when and how to move in order to place an attack on the Union Army, as they had already settled atop Little Round Top; an advantage that might match the Confederate Army. The Civil War had been going on for three years, and since then the south had achieved many victories on the North. For General Lee, to surround the Union Army and achieve another, and hopefully a final, victory could possibly win the war for the Confederacy. With the help of spies and many other faithful officers, Lee had come up with a brilliant plan to take on the Union Army, at least he thought so.

The Confederate Army was made up of over 70,000 soldiers and volunteers. They all fought for many reasons, but both Rebs and Blue Bellies alike could not seem to agree on the real reason the Civil War is being fought. Some say the conflict was over slavery, others argue that it was about rights. All in all, every man involved in the war fights for their country, their generals, their homeland, and for the sake of what they believed in. Soldiers in this army are mostly unpaid, and some join out of respect for the south. These troops were clothed in the garments they could prepare for themselves and the weapons they supplied for one another from home. Rebels, such as these men were, may not have had a certain distinction or uniformity, but as long as they kept to their color scheme of grays and browns, no one could mistake them for a Yankee. General Robert E. Lee was the commanding general of the Confederacy. He was the most beloved man on either side of the war. Robert E. Lee was also the oldest of commanding officers,