The Killer Angels Summary / Study Guide

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The Killer Angels | Introduction

Michael Shaara’s novel The Killer Angels (1974) covers a four-day period (June 29, July 1–3, 1863) during which the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the American Civil War, was fought in Pennsylvania. Shaara describes the battle from the points of view of several of the main participants, the most important being, on the Confederate side, General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and Lieutenant General James Longstreet, commander of the Confederate First Army Corps and Lee’s second in command, and on the Union side, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, commander of the Twentieth Maine Infantry regiment. Shaara reveals the thoughts and feelings of these and other soldiers as they play out their parts in the historic battle: why they fight, what motivates them, what their beliefs are, what decisions they make and why. Through dialogue and inner monologue, the author explores the great issues of the day, including slavery, states’ rights, and theories of war and how they are applied to the battle at hand, as well as religious and philosophical issues such as the role played by chance and destiny in the great battle. In vivid prose that recreates the sights, sounds, and smells of battle, The Killer Angels makes readers feel that they are right there in the midst of the action. The Killer Angels won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975 and was the basis for the film Gettysburg in 1993.

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See Also:

• - For teachers, the The Killer Angels Lesson Plan.
• - The Killer Angels summary and study guide in the eNotes.

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