The Role Of Leadership In Michael Shaara's Killer Angels

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Imagine a devastating war with bodies, covered in crimson liquid, spewed across the battlefield, ears popped as gunshots shattered the air, and porcelain-white smoke enveloping everyone slowly. In the midst of the battle, one leader from each army had a unique set of characteristics that helped them command their army. This description is a perfect resemblance to the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. The novel Killer Angels by Michael Shaara takes place during the Battle of Gettysburg, and two leaders Joshua Chamberlain, from the Union Army, and James Longstreet, from the Confederate Army, have similar yet different characteristics as displayed throughout the novel. Chamberlain has a more positive outlook on family, whereas Longstreet is more depressed on family because of the death of his children. Nevertheless, these two characters both posses a strong, intellectual mind when it comes to the battlefield.
To begin with, Joshua Chamberlain and James Longstreet have one characteristic in common as …show more content…
Tension builds as they look over their differences in personality, but ease as these two leaders see how intelligent they both are. These two leaders are James Longstreet, from the Confederate Army, and Joshua Chamberlain, from the Union Army, and their characteristics are compared and constructed throughout the novel Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Throughout the novel Longstreet remains chronically depressed, but Chamberlain remains content and optimistic about his family. Moreover, they both share brilliance and innocence. However, without these two vital leaders and their role in the novel the Battle of Gettysburg and even the Civil War would have turned out differently if it were not for the actions and unique personality of James Longstreet and Joshua
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