The Killer Angels By John M. Skipper Essay - 781 Words

History 1301 John M. Skipper The Killer Angels is a historic backstory of the days leading up to the Civil War. The story is told from multiple viewpoints including Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, George Meade, and Winfield Scott Hancock. It is mentioned the Army of Northern Virginia is moving behind the Blue Ridge Mountains, and that the Army of Potomac is also moving, but is traveling very slow. This is one of the characteristics which plagued them throughout the war. Shaara gives insight to the background of both Armies. He described the Confederates as a unified group with soldiers of the same background, while the Union is the exact opposite. Its men are very divided soldiers fighting for unification. There is one similarity between the two sides which stands out more than all the others; both sides are ready for the final showdown. Shaara gives insight into this by hinting towards the conflict, yet never telling the reader directly. This causes the reader to be drawn deeper into the story anticipating wha t will happen next. There are illustrations showing movement of the Confederate and the Union armies, an epilogue, and an afterword stating the events after the Battle of Gettysburg. In the foreword, Sharra tells the reader the purpose of the book is to educate the reader on the history of the battle, but also give insight into the soldier’s thoughts. Sharra also writes that out of all the historic writings about the battle, he chose to use letters,