Killer Angels

This books message was that the South was not an evil empire history made it out to be.

The book portraits slavery as the major reason the civil war was started. The South was against freeing the slaves, and the North fought for the latter. The book also stated that the south was dependent on the slaves and fought to keep their society enact.

Killer Angels was informative, very fascinating, and I disliked it. I learned many things from it. I learned from the book that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. Before the battle of Gettysburg the South had won most major battles. Gettysburg is defined as a major victory in the war for the North. The winning of this battle gave the North momentum as defined in the book resulting in the North winning virtually every battle for the next two years.

The Battle of Gettysburg greatly depleted ammunition and soldiers from both armies; because of the North’s industrialization they were able to replace men and ammunition faster than the South giving them a grater advantage.

The book portrayed Confederate General Robert E. Lee as an intellectual who’s opinion of slavery was not partisan or predigest, but he believed that in the present state of their development they were not yet able to coexist equally or civilized with Anglo America. The author focuses on General Lee. and whether or not his decision to leave the U.S. military and join the Confederate Army was based upon selfish loyalty to a state flag”. And the author comes to the conclusion that Lee was a hero of great character who stood by what he believed in.

The book also portrayed General Lee narcissistically. His over confidence in his army’s past victory’s compelled him to order his army to charge the North’s army from and unfortified position, up a hill in order to take control of a fortified position held by the North. And after failing numerous times he continued to do so. He even ordered his armory to charge over more than a mile of open field, resulting in the systematic bombardment of his troops; by the time the South’s army reached the North’s position their numbers were minute compared to the opposing army’s.

This book focused more on details and moods, save the tactics that were used in the early battle. The North trapping the South between two ridges on a flat, the charges of the confederate army, and the maintaining of a covered position by the North. The Killer Angels emphasized the fact that the