American History: Killer Angels

Killer Angels

            If the only information that one had about the American Civil War came from Michael Shaara’s Killer Angels, what would they know about the battle of Gettysburg, the motivations behind those who fought on both sides and the war in general? What would one not know if their only information came from this novel?  Another interesting point to be raised is the fact that this writing is a novel.  With all of Shaara’s obvious knowledge of the Civil War, why would he choose to write a novel rather than a fictional book?  I agree with James McPherson who states that the novel’s “real importance is its insight into what the war was about and what it meant”.  I believe that Shaara’s purpose for writing this superb novel was to go into the personal details and backgrounds of the people behind the battle as well as teach the readers some general information about it.

            From reading Killer Angels one would know quite a bit about the battle of Gettysburg, and especially the people behind it.  For instance, one would know that the battle began on July 1, 1863, ended two days later on July 3, and took place during the third summer of the Civil war.  One would also know a great deal about the men on each side, the constitution and American History.  For instance, General Robert E. Lee was a key player for the Confederate Army, was fifty-seven years old and had a serious heart condition.  Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was thirty-four years old, headed the Union Army, and was a college professor.  Both men served as main characters in the novel, as well as in the battle.  Although they had different points of view on many things and had different reasons for fighting, it is apparent that honor kept them as well as most of the other soldiers there.

Some other things that one would know about the battle of Gettysburg from this novel is that it took out one third of General Lee’s army, that the Union Army was victorious over the Confederates and that if the battle of Gettysburg hadn’t of taken place, the Union wasn’t likely to be victorious in the war.  I would also like to mention that if one read only this book to obtain information, they would have no knowledge of the war in general or of the other battles that were fought.

            As for the motivations of the men behind the battle, I believe this subject was a huge factor in Shaara’s choice of making the writing a novel on American History in the 20th Century.  As mentioned earlier, one of the main motivations behind all of the men involved was honor.  On the northern or Union side was Chamberlain, the well educated man who fought because he felt that slavery was wicked and immoral, and wanted to abolish it. Another Union key player was the Irishman Kilrain who was not fighting to free slaves but was fighting aristocracy. Kilrain equated southern aristocracy with the aristocracy of England and how they would rule over and treat the Irish, something that he came to America to be free of.  On the side of the Confederates or the south there was Lee who strongly believed that he was going to die at any time and saw Gettysburg as his final opportunity to engage the north.  Then there were the foot soldiers that were so loyal to Lee, they were fighting for him.  Another angle is that the southerners were fighting to keep their aristocratic ways. Whatever angle, American History shows what eventually happened.

            As for the information that one would not have from reading this novel, there is quite a bit. For instance, South Carolina seceded from the United States on December 20, 1860 which sparked the events that caused the Civil war...a theoretical placeholder in American History.   Through most of the war as many as one third of all Confederate soldiers were absent without leave at any particular time. Also, Lee surrendered at Appomattox because he was aware of how loyal his foot soldiers were, and knew what he could’ve gotten them into.  Another interesting fact is that the day after the last day of the battle of Gettysburg, July 4, 1863 General Ulysses S. Grant captured Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.  This move caused him to ultimately assume the position of supreme commander of the Union armies within one year.  Another thing that a person would not know about the Civil War and American History from reading Killer Angels is that General George Meade began with 92,000 Union men on July 1, and Robert E. Lee began with 76,000...something you wont learn from the History Channel either.   On the last day of the battle the Union’s unwounded or killed men numbered at 23,000 and the Confederates at 28,000.  It has been said that one of the reasons for the high mortality rate was that the men had modern weapons and were lead by men with “premodern military sensibility”.

            Another aspect of the Civil War and of the battle of Gettysburg that this American History book does not take on is the civilian side of it, of the wives, children, and other family members that were left behind to fend for themselves when the war began.  Having experienced this sort of situation recently, I feel that it is necessary to discuss the “home front” aspect of a war.  For example, if given only the information provided in this book readers would not be aware of the horrible conditions that Confederate families were forced to live through.  On one hand there were many very wealthy people who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle during the war; while the majority of people had to watch their children starve to death.  Also, many southerners were in protest of the war and of President Davis’ power, while others did all that they could to support their troops.  They would collect food for the men, make them clothes, and roll bandages for them.

            As mentioned above, this book is clearly an American History novel, and with that comes the fictional aspects of it.  The obviously fictional points include what each character was thinking, saying, or feeling at any time, what the men saw, and the very specific details that were included.  For example, Chamberlain makes a wonderful speech to Maine deserters on pages thirty through thirty-three and does so well that he convinces all but a few of the men to join his troops.  This is clearly a fictional speech, but offers a lot of insight into Chamberlain’s character and personality.  Another example is on page 45 beginning in the second paragraph General Buford is riding through town and noticed “a woman in a dress of rose, white lace at the throat, a tall blond woman with a face of soft beauty, so lovely that Buford slowed the horse staring, before taking off his hat”, this is undoubtedly fiction.  Now this type of stuff may be something for The History Channel. Another fictional aspect of the book that I found entertaining is the quote about “Lee’s Miserables” by Longstreet at the top of page sixty-one.  Also, it is stated and speculated through the novel that General Lee has strong fears of dying soon, and doesn’t have very much faith in his weak heart.  One more thing is the countless details of battle, but the ones on pages two-forty and forty-one seem to stand out.  On these pages Chamberlain’s views of minute details as well as his thoughts are recorded, and are also fictional.

            In conclusion, there are many details and facts about the American Civil War and the battle of Gettysburg that one could learn from reading Killer Angels, but there are also many things about American History and the Civil War that one would not know based solely on this book (maybe some help from the History Channel?)  I think it is important that I mention how truly informative this novel was, and how much insight a person gains from reading it, rather than from reading another american history book.  With that mentioned, there are many facts about the war in general as well as the civilians on the home front that are not mentioned in this book.  I believe that Shaara wrote this as a novel in order to show some insight in to the minds of the key players of the battle, and about what the war meant to people.  The book is really a metaphor for the war as well as a picture of the clash between two different cultures.  Overall, Shaara’s American History novel is about an old, aristocratic, slave-based society up against the new and modern world; something that he depicts spectacularly.