The Killer Angels Essay

Words: 993
Pages: 4

The Killer Angels, written by Michael Shaara, attempts to capture the raw emotions, thinking, and action that occurred throughout the five days encompassing the battle at Gettysburg. Shaara submerses the reader directly into the thoughts and dialogues of the commanders, allowing the reader to feel the struggle of sending men into a bloody battle. The Killer Angels is a true piece of historical fiction, as it grasps the core understandings of the battle at Gettysburg, while incorporating ideas and concepts that would accurately fill the unknown events. Shaara accurately and appropriately embraces the events leading to the Battle of Gettysburg to create a series of perspectives that allows readers to not only capture the facts, but dissect …show more content…
The reader is able to first handedly experience a part of history that transformed the landscape of the United States. The Killer Angels is truly a piece of historical fiction, combining historically accurate information with inferences and scenarios that compliment what we know is true. The historical accuracy is evident from cover to cover as facts are checked and rechecked. The easiest to confirm is the dates of the battle, and the Battle of Gettysburg did occur from July 1st until July 3rd of 1863, in which General Robert E. Lee and General George Meade led their respective armies into …show more content…
Robert E. Lee was well respected by his army far and wide, but his relationship with Longstreet was one of respect with areas of disagreement. Shaara shows how Longstreet and Lee disagreed on different tactics when it game to the battle plan at Gettysburg, which historic journals support. The largest question mark on character presentation comes from how he presents Longstreet as a hero, where many historians would have him viewed as a trader to the Confederacy, as he quickly became a republican and accepted government roles. On the United States side, Shaara generally showed the distaste for General Meade, the general like of McClellan, though he lacked to show the overall doubt of competence from government