The Killer Angels: The American Civil War

The Killer Angels is the book I chose to read for my American Civil War Documentary project. It is a historical novel about real people in history and real events. The story takes place in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863 during the Civil War. Gettysburg was the site of one of the most significant battles in the American Civil War, and this book describes the three day event in great deal.

Although this book is a novel about the Civil War, it is written through the eyes of the soldiers and generals on both sides, the North and the South. That is the factor that makes it so unique and engaging. It is not a textbook account of the battle, nor does it show the Union troops in a better light than the Confederate troops. Every viewpoint from the great General Lee, to a Union colonel, to a spy, to a British adversary is shown, among others.
Shortly after on July 1, 1863, a small part of Lee's army collides with Union cavalry at Gettysburg. Throughout that day, troops from both sides pour into the countryside around the town. At the end of the day, the Confederates had repulsed the Union army and taken the town, but failed to take Cemetery Ridge, the hill that the Union troops had settled on, and very good ground. Lee then must impatiently wait for Longstreet, his second in command, and Longstreet's army to arrive. Meanwhile, on his way to Gettysburg with more of the Union army, Union soldier Colonel Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Maine, receives the responsibility of dealing with the remaining soldiers in the 2nd Maine. Before the war, he was an English professor, and he manages to talk the 2nd Maine into serving under