The Killer Angels

             The Killer Angels tells in great detail, the story of the Battle of Gettysburg. On July 1, 1863, the Confederate and Union armies fought the largest and deadliest battle of the Civil War. Gettysburg was the battle that would prove to be the beginning of the end for the Confederate cause. When the battle ended, 51,000 American men were dead, wounded, or missing.
             The novel begins on a Monday, June 29, 1863. General James Longstreet's spy, Harrison, comes to him and informs Longstreet that he has seen the Union army moving nearby. This surprises and angers Longstreet because General Stuart is supposed to be scouting and reporting on the Union position with his cavalry and has reported back nothing. After conversing with Longstreet, General Lee is forced to swing the Confederate army Southeast through the hills towards the town of Gettysburg. If they didn't move swiftly they risked being cut off from the homeland of Virginia.
             South of Gettysburg, Union colonel Joshua Chamberlain is awoken by the arrival of mutineers from the Second Maine regiment. The other men in the regiment had been sent home because their papers had run out and the regiment was disbanded. The mutineers thought they would be sent home as well but they had signed 3 year papers and rebelled when they found out they were still required to fight for another year. The 120 men were assigned to the only other Maine regiment in the Union, the Twentieth Maine, under the orders that if they don't comply they could be shot. Chamberlain gives them food and coffee and listens to their grievances. He explains to the men that when the regiment was formed the previous year in Maine, it was made up of 1000 Maine men. After all the fighting they were down to less than 300 and the regiment could really use the extra help. He also preached briefly about the union cause and why he personally was fighting. After hearing the Colonel's speech all but six...

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The Killer Angels. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:48, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/28219.html