The Killer Angels is a novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, the deadliest battle of the Civil War, by Michael Shaara. It was published in 1974 and won the Pulitzer Prize for giving the reader a humanistic, engrossing, detailed account of the Battle of Gettysburg.
In a personal note to the reader at the beginning of the text, Shaara clearly lays out the arc of his story: “This is the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from the viewpoints of Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet and some of the other men who fought there,” and that he wrote the story the way he did because he wants history come to life for the reader - Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage, said that a good historical novel lets the reader “know what it was like to be there, what the weather was like, what men’s faces looked like” (xiii). Shaara then concedes that there are many versions of the Battle of Gettysburg, so the novel may not line up with some interpretations of the terrible battle, but he says that he didn't revise any of the actual historical details.
The novel begins with General Longstreet, a Confederate general, who was alerted by one of his spies that the Union Army was nearby. Longstreet was extremely surprised by the spy, as he had one of his men, Reynolds, patrol the area. He then asks the spy if what he saw was accurate, and the spy defends his credibility, even adding that he saw Reynolds at Taneytown: “‘So close I could touch him. It was Reynolds all right’” (8). Longstreet, already concerned at the apparent incompetence of Reynolds, becomes even more afraid when he learns that the spy knows the positioning of his army, as “if this one knows it, they will know it” (8-9). Longstreet then orders his troops to mobilize, and instructs them to move towards the Union army, taking them towards a small town which will soon be known throughout the land - Gettysburg. The fateful moment is seen with General Lee and Longstreet: “Lee bent toward the map. The mountains rose like a rounded wall between them and the Union Army. There was one gap east of Chambersburg and beyond that all the roads came together, weblike, at a small town … ‘What town is that?’ Longstreet looked. ‘Gettysburg,’ he said” (15).
The Union’s predicament is told from the point of view of a man named Chamberlain, who was friends with some fighting on the side of the South. Chamberlain is then notified that some mutineers from the Second Maine have entered the military camp, and Chamberlain, needing as many soldiers as possible, tries to rally them up by giving an inspirational, though unconventional, speech. One of the soldiers who entered the camp tells Chamberlain that “‘This Regiment was formed last fall, back in Maine. There were a thousand of us then. There’s not three hundred of us now,’” as well as the fact that “‘Some of us volunteered to fight for Union. Some came in mainly because we were bored at home and this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came … because it was the right thing to do. All of us have seen men die. Most of us never saw a black man back home. We think on that, too. But freedom … is not just a word’” (29-30). Chamberlain then tells the soldiers that the Union’s side in the Civil War was justified, considering that “‘This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you’ll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, because a king makes them, or just because they like killing’” (30).
Chamberlain then moves on to one of the best parts of his speech, in which he says that America is a great country to be in when it comes to some aspects because in America, all men are created equal, as we all belong to the same species Homo Sapiens and are obliged to be decent towards one another - “‘This is free ground. All the way from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here we judge you by what you do, not by what your father was. Here you can be something. Here’s a place to build a home. It isn’t the land - there’s always more land. It’s the idea that we all have value, you and me’” (30). Overall, Chamberlain’s speech is a massive success, as one of his soldiers told him that all but six of the soldiers decided to participate, bolstering his forces by 114 people.
The perspective then moves on to that of Buford, who is the leader of the cavalry of the Union forces. Buford, upon inspecting the anatomy of Gettysburg, realizes that close-quarters combat could happen, so he calls up some of his soldiers and dispatches them to the hills. Intelligently, he tells them to take the high ground, as shooting at enemies down below is a major advantage for battles. The perspective then reverts back to that of Longstreet, and Longstreet shows that the Southerners still considered themselves to be Americans, despite their loyalty to the Confederacy, as a general named Armistead clearly illustrated: “‘know that government derives its power from the consent of the governed. Every government, everywhere. And, sir, let me make this plain: We do not consent. We will never consent’” (65).
The mantle is then taken from the perspective of General Lee himself to show the clear frustration of the Southern Army: Stuart, a soldier who was supposed to be scouting, hasn’t showed up yet, and Lee is so exasperated that he orders Longstreet to court-martial him if he ever does return. Longstreet then says that he wants the Confederate Army to not make any sudden moves, but the Battle of Gettysburg commences as the two sides clash. Reynolds then goes into the battle but is killed not long after: “When Buford got there the thick stain had already puddled the dirt beneath his head. His eyes were open, half asleep, his face pleasant and composed, a soft smile … He was dead. An aide, a young sergeant, was crying” (96).
A glimpse of normalcy is seen when Chamberlain whistles the brigade call to a man from Maine, and he reveals that its name is “Dan Butterfield,” and when it is sung, it translates into: “Dan, Dan, Dan, Butterfield, Butterfield” (117). Later, Chamberlain prayed for a general, McClellan, to return to lead his troops, as “He prayed for a leader. For his boys” (125).
Around the same time two generals on the Confederate side, named Ewell and Early, succeed in persuading General Lee to attack the left side of the Union’s forces. Unfortunately for Lee and fatally for his soldiers, when they reached their destination (Little Round Top and Big round Top), they found themselves cornered, but since there was no place to hide, they decided that fighting was the only option (the only honorable one, from their perspective, too). Longstreet then states that their military strategy in fighting that battle was nothing more than absurd: “‘There’s no strategy to this bloody war. What it is is old Napoleon and a hell of a lot of chivalry. That’s all it is … What were the tactics yesterday? What were they today? And what will be the blessed tactics tomorrow? I’ll tell you the tactics tomorrow … Christ in Heaven. Tomorrow we will attack an enemy that outnumbers us, an enemy that outguns us, an enemy dug in on the high ground, and let me tell you, if we win that one it will not be because of the tactics or because we are great strategists … It will be a bloody miracle, a bloody miracle” (251-252).
Later that night, Stuart, who had failed the Confederate Army to a degree basically unprecedented and almost obscene by failing to scout, shows up. Stuart is told sternly by Lee that many qualified soldiers want him removed for his failure, and when Stuart asks Lee for their identities, Lee spoke to him as if he was a child, saying that “‘There will be none of that’” (265). Lee then cripples any possible defence Stuart could make not by raging, but by speaking softly, letting Stuart know of his disappointment - “‘You were my eyes. Your mission was to screen this army from the enemy cavalry and to report any movement by the enemy’s main body. That mission was not fulfilled,’” ‘“You left this army without word of your movements, or of the movements of the enemy, for several days. We were forced into battle without adequate knowledge of the enemy’s position, or strength, without knowledge of the ground. It is only by God’s grace that we have escaped disaster’” (265). Stuart, ashamed, gave Lee his sword, signaling his resignation, but Lee frowned, becoming very angry, putting “his hands behind his back” and “half turned his face,” and said with “acid vigor” that every soldier is needed for the third day of battle, including Stuart, and that Stuart, despite his recent failure, was still a good soldier and capable of great things (266). Lee then reminded himself intuitively that Stuart, who was a good person, would try to prove himself in the upcoming battle, so he would ask Longstreet to watch him to prevent any foolish actions. He also remarked that a court-martial would have ruined Stuart’s spirit, and was counterproductive in light of the dire situation everyone was in. Lee then talks to his generals and states that the next day they would attempt to separate the army of the Union by breaking a thin line through the middle. After the army is disconnected into two parts, the Confederate army would then divide and conquer.
The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 3 in the morning, and right before the battle, Longstreet unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Lee that the battle was a lost cause, seeing that the Confederates had no cover amidst a wide open area, not to mention that the Union soldiers had great vantage points for shooting due to their being positioned atop the hills. When the time arrived for the battle, Longstreet appointed Pickett to lead the charge, and Pickett obeys. In what history would remember as Pickett’s Charge, Pickett lost the majority of the soldiers under his command. As stated before, the Confederates were fighting a lost battle, seeing how the geography favored the Union. As the Confederate soldiers charged at the Union soldiers, the Union soldiers had ample time to blow them apart with artillery. Those soldiers who survived the initial bombardment and began running up the hills were then shot at close range. On the third day of the battle, many noted people lost their lives, including General Armistead. Armistead was friends with General Hancock, and, though fighting for opposite sides, were close friends. When Armistead was dying from the wounds he sustained from the battlefield, he told a soldier to tell General Hancock “‘how sorry I am’” (329).
After the massive slaughter, Longstreet, who was praying, saw the remainder of the Confederate forces coming back. What he saw were the ruins of people, as those who survived were grievously wounded and suffering from shell-shock: “They came slowly up the long green slope, a ragged crowd of men. No one was running. They were moving with slow set stubborn unstoppable looks on their faces, eyes down, guns dragging the ground … even though the Union guns had elevated and shells were still falling on them as they came back up the field … the green field dirtied a vast mile with lumped bodies, white and red, and far across the field the whole army falling back in a speckled flood” (331). Longstreet then saw a man who was riding a black horse coming back from the battle - it was Harry Bright, who served Pickett. Bright was completely traumatized, as his face was covered with blood, and “He was screaming … The man went on screaming” (331). The soldiers of the Confederacy then began cheering as General Lee approached, as they saw him as a great leader despite his colossal failure.
Longstreet was then enraged and full of hatred for Lee, as Lee had caused the deaths of untold numbers of people through his stubbornness and delusion: “Along with all the horror of loss, and the weariness, and all the sick helpless rage, there was coming now a monstrous disgust. He was through. They had all died for nothing and he had sent them” (332). Longstreet then entertained the idea of murdering Lee to avenge the deaths of all who had died in vain, but stopped when he saw that Lee was an old man who was deeply guilty, as he said “‘It is all my fault, it is all my fault’” (332). Lee, knowing that he was deeply wrong and that the battle had been lost, then orders a retreat.
The narrative reverts to the Union side, and Chamberlain states that he believes a decisive victory for the union was very possible now that Gettysburg has been won and the Confederate forces crippled. He then recollected the battle, thinking that “It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen,” more beautiful than anything he had ever experienced before, as he couldn’t understand why the Confederate soldiers would attend the battle despite knowing their certain deaths: “He did not understand it: a mile of men flowing slowly, steadily, inevitably up the long green ground, dying all the while, coming to kill you, and the shell bursts appearing above them like instant white flowers, and the flags all tipping and fluttering … you could hear the officers screaming, and yet even above your own fear came the sensation of unspeakable beauty” (342). Chamberlain’s fellow soldier, Tom, then admits that the Confederate soldiers, despite being rebels, were still Americans, and Chamberlain agrees. Tom then admitted his confusion to Chamberlain, as he couldn’t understand why people would fight so hard for an institution as heinous as slavery. Chamberlain concedes that he doesn’t know why they fought so hard either, and Tom states that even if they were ignorant as to why they fought so hard, they still died for slavery in the end. Chamberlain then thinks of the Confederate soldiers as “Killer Angels,” especially considering that in the battle they were basically “Animal meat,” cannon fodder (343).
Ironically, the day after one of the bloodiest battles on American soil was July 4th, Independence Day. In the afterword, it is revealed that Lee asked for permission to resign, seeing the lives lost due to his blunder. Shaara then states that the authorities refused his request, and he fought for the Confederacy for the rest of the war. When the war was over, Lee harbored no ill will towards the Union and laid down his arms, encouraging all Confederates to do the same. Lee also asked Congress for forgiveness, but never received it. Lee eventually died of heart issues in 1870, seven years after Gettysburg. Hancock, the friend of Armistead, is revealed to have survived the wound he received at the battle. As for Longstreet, his fate is extremely ironic, as when he firmly requested to be relieved from command due to his clear knowledge that the South couldn’t win the war, Lee himself denied his request. He was later wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864, and became “Lee’s most dependable soldier, his right hand until the end of Appomattox” (350). At the end of the war, he became a Republican and tried to become allies with Grant to rebuild the South, and the South repaid him by branding him “a turncoat, within two years of the end of the war is being referred to by Southern newspapers as ‘the most hated man in the South’” (350). Even worse, when Longstreet said accurately after the death of Lee that he believed him to be responsible, the South repaid his brutal honesty by loathing him even more, and he wasn’t even invited to a reunion for the Army of Northern Virginia. However, being the soldier he was, Longstreet still walked “down the aisle in his old gray uniform, stars of a general on his collar, and is received by an enormous ovation by the men” (350). Overall, Shaara states that Longstreet was very knowledgeable and realistic when it came to battle tactics, as “His theories on defensive warfare are generations ahead of his time” (350). Longstreet eventually died in 1904, aged 83.
Personal thoughts:
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is a fantastic read on the Battle of Gettysburg. As Shaara intended, the book was the opposite of stale, as it clearly illustrates the drama of the horrific fighting, as well as the humanity of the combatants involved. Shaara, despite growing up in New Jersey, is able to personify the South in a way that makes them seem honorable, and indeed they were, despite the fact that they fought for the truly horrid institution known as slavery (ironically, Britain abolished slavery before America). From my own experience, I heard from one of my teachers that to the present day, Southerners commonly refer to the Civil War as “the war of Northern aggression,” and although I disagree heavily, I do see where their reasoning came from, as Shaara clearly shows the fighting from their perspective. I appreciate that most of the Southerners in the book don’t try to defend slavery morally (because it is basically impossible, since the main premise for the existence of slavery on a moral standpoint is that blacks can’t take care of themselves, which is obviously untrue), but instead focus on winning the battle to maintain the sovereignty of their homeland. When I first read the book, I was infuriated that Lee wasn’t punished for his role in Gettysburg, as well as how he was seen as a hero by the South, considering that his actions led to a colossal waste of life, but now I see that despite having made massive blunders, he did do great things. His potential for error also shows his weaknesses, which is fitting, as even heroes are Homo Sapiens like the rest of us at the end of the day. I loathe how the South turned on Longstreet, who fought for them bravely and consistently, for merely attempting to be accurate about Lee’s role in Gettysburg. Hypothetically, even if he was inaccurate, they should have forgiven him, as he tried his best in the war, as seen in his rationality and level-headedness. In the end, I could see why this excellent book won the Pulitzer Prize, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in war novels, moving characters, and military strategy.
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