The Killer Angels

At age 34, Chamberlain, who prefers to go by Lawrence, is the colonel of the 20th Regiment of Infantry, Maine Volunteers. Before the war, he was a professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine. He is tall, handsome, and charming. He speaks seven languages but has always wanted to be a soldier like his father and grandfather; his mother wants him to be a minister. When Bowdoin refused his request to join the Union Army, he applied for and was granted a sabbatical to study in Europe. Instead of going to Europe, however, he joined the 20th Maine.

Shaara portrays Chamberlain as a thoughtful, moral man who refuses to shoot his men for running from a fight. He also stands out because of his thoughts on Blacks, whom he sees as equal without exception. He is also very patriotic and views America as a place where everyone should be free and able to become whatever they like, so he fights to defend the freedom of mankind. He is also a caring commander, treating his soldiers the same way he does his students: with dignity, respect, and concern. As a leader, he enjoys the thrill of army life and battle, finding joy in the small details of what it means to be a soldier. His quick thinking on the battlefield saves the Union Army from a flank attack by the Confederates, and his fame as a capable commander grows through the war.

One of Chamberlain’s greatest struggles is that his brother Tom is part of his regiment. He is in constant conflict with himself as an officer and a brother. On one hand, he asks that Tom refers to him by his last name to avoid the appearance of favoritism, yet when he uses his brother to cover a gap in the line in his defense of Little Round Top, he is ashamed of himself for so easily putting him in harm’s way. After Little Round Top, he tries to have Tom moved to another unit, but Tom stays in the 20th Maine for the remainder of the war, and both brothers make it home after the Confederacy’s surrender.

After the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain is promoted to brigadier general and then major general by General Grant following the Second Battle of Petersburg, where he was severely injured during another brilliant fight. He recovered and was back in command several months later. In all, he was wounded six times and recognized for bravery four times. At the end of the war, Grant honored him with the responsibility of accepting Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. Ever the gentleman, he ordered his men to come to attention as the Confederate officers and soldiers passed, a great show of respect to the defeated army. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his defense of Little Round Top. When he returned to Maine, he was elected governor and served four one-year terms. After his time in office, he returned to Bowdoin and was elected president of the college, where he sought to modernize the school. He died at age 85.

Longstreet is a large man from South Carolina with a full beard, long hair, and blue eyes. At 42, he is lieutenant general of a division and is Lee’s second in command, becoming “the rock of the army” after Stonewall Jackson’s death (76). He’s also a famous poker player but gives up the game after three of his children die of fever within a week of each other. A stubborn man, he often speaks his mind—though unfailingly loyal to Lee—yet he is patient and has a soft voice. He is sloppy, gloomy, and appears dull and unfun. He speaks slowly and often searches for the right word when in conversation, but he is healthy and seems to never tire.

In terms of battle tactics, Longstreet was ahead of his time. He developed trench warfare and theories of defensive warfare that weren’t appreciated until after the Civil War. He disagreed with invading the North but follows Lee’s every command, even when he prefers defensive strategies over Lee’s more offensive approach. He is a brilliant soldier and strategist, and he loves to talk tactics.

After Gettysburg, he requested to be relieved of command because he no longer believed the South could win the war. Lee asked him to stay, so he did and was badly wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. When he recovered, he remained Lee’s most dependable commander through the end of the war. After the war ended, he attempted to work with Grant to help rebuild the South, but the Southerners deem him a traitor. He also shared his opinion that Lee was at fault for the South’s loss at Gettysburg; because Lee had since become a symbol of the greatness of the South, this further alienated Longstreet. However, when the Army of Northern Virginia didn’t invite him to a reunion years after the war, he showed up anyway and was given “an enormous ovation by the men, with tears and an embrace from Jefferson Davis” (334). He died in 1904 at age 82.

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson died of pneumonia less than two months before the Battle of Gettysburg. He was shot by his men by mistake when riding back to camp, and his death was a significant loss to the Confederate Army and Lee. Jackson was Lee’s most outstanding and reliable commander, and his death haunted Lee for the remainder of the war. Jackson’s influence permeates The Killer Angels and has a significant impact on Lee when making decisions or facing bad news. For example, when Lee, Early, Rodes, and Ewell are discussing the failed attack on Cemetery Hill at the end of the first day, Lee suddenly feels exhausted. Once refreshed from a drink of coffee, Lee sees “the face of Jackson in his mind, a flare of cold blue eyes. He looked up, blinked. Could almost see him. Jackson was here. Jackson was looking on” (131). Later, when he leaves the meeting, he again sees “Jackson’s blue eyes, probing, reproachful. He thought: General, we miss you” (133). Jackson is still very much a part of Lee’s life and his drive to win the war.

However, Lee must remind himself not to compare his commanders to Jackson. Specifically, he must remember that Ewell “is not Jackson. Jackson is gone—not entirely gone; Jackson was there today watching, and Ewell sees his eyes—but you cannot blame him for not being Jackson” (136). Jackson’s influence is almost palpable, but Lee must remember that he cannot expect his commanders to do what someone else would do. In another example, when Trimble speaks to Lee about Ewell’s failure to take Cemetery Hill, he tells Lee that he tried to convince Ewell to attack the hill. Trimble said, “General Ewell, we have got to take that hill. General Jackson would not have stopped like this with the bluebellies on the run and plenty of light left and a hill like that empty” (134). So, Jackson’s memory is not only a powerful force for Lee but also an inspiration for other officers in the army.

Buford is 37 at the time of Gettysburg and is a major general in the Union cavalry. He loved his time and service on the Great Plains, especially because the Plains kept him far away from Washington, DC, and its political games and intrigue. He is tall, blonde, and sunburned. In battle, he values good ground and is slow, patient, and careful in his command. Although he was badly wounded the previous winter, he is a capable commander who plays a significant role in the Union’s win at Gettysburg by finding and defending the high ground south of the town. However, he also knows from experience not to count on help and support from other commanders, illustrated by his teaching his cavalry soldiers to fight while dismounted. He died of pneumonia six months after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Described by Lee as ludicrous, Fremantle is a lieutenant colonel from the Coldstream Guards of England. He is cheerful and humorous, has a handlebar mustache, and delights in wearing an ostentatious hat and a large overcoat. In his late twenties, he entered America through Mexico and connected with the Confederate Army, eventually attaching himself to the Army of Northern Virginia. He is simply a witness to the Battle of Gettysburg, returning to England after three months, where he writes a book about his experiences; the book was published in the South a few months before the end of the war and predicts a Confederate victory.

During his time with the Confederate Army, Fremantle feels welcome and part of the group. He is particularly fond of Longstreet and has complete faith in his abilities. He also greatly admires Lee and thinks that the world will look to him as the greatest authority on military tactics at the end of the war. Fremantle also sees Americans as “transplanted Englishmen” (150), and he thinks that perhaps when the South wins the war, they will rejoin England to be ruled by Queen Victoria.

Pickett is a 42-year-old major general in the Confederate Army. He is gaudy but loveable and has long hair and enjoys wearing perfume. He is friends with President Abraham Lincoln and defends him when others speak ill of him, and it was Lincoln who got him into West Point, where he finished last in his class. He is confident in his abilities and feels that he is intentionally being held out of important roles in battle, especially when he finds that he will be last in the Confederate march into Gettysburg.

By the end of the battle, Pickett’s division is destroyed. Seven of his 13 colonels are dead, and the remaining six are wounded. More than half his division is either wounded or killed. While his military career as a whole was outstanding, he blamed Lee for the destruction of his division at Gettysburg.

When Stonewall Jackson died following the Battle of Chancellorsville, Ewell, at the age of 46, was promoted to lieutenant general and took over Jackson’s 2nd Corps. Thus, he was new to his command approaching Gettysburg. Ewell is bald, has a large nose, and has the appearance of an eagle. He lost his right leg during the Battle of Second Manassas, forcing him to use a wooden leg and crutches to move when unmounted. Ewell had an eccentric yet brilliant military career prior to Gettysburg. With the loss of his leg, he became more cautious and less sure of himself, which is likely why he didn’t take Cemetery Hill as Lee commanded. Some argue that his caution on the first day cost the Confederacy the battle, and he blamed himself for most of the mistakes made at Gettysburg.

Like Ewell, A. P. Hill was promoted to lieutenant general after Stonewall Jackson’s death. He was assigned to command the 3rd Corps. He is 37, handsome, and wealthy, though he is not part of Richmond high society as he wishes to be. Often wearing a red shirt into battle, he proves to be a better division commander than corps commander. He’s also moody and bad-tempered, as when he challenged Longstreet to a duel earlier in the war, a challenge Longstreet simply ignored. Although competent, Hill dislikes following orders and often fights with his superiors. Heading into the Battle of Gettysburg, he became ill and fought through recurring illness until his death one week prior to the Confederacy’s surrender.

Early is a 46-year-old major general of the Confederacy. He commands one of Ewell’s divisions and is dark, cold, and bitter with a grim face and dirty black beard. He left West Point to become a prosecuting attorney, which many felt fit his personality well. Many of his fellow commanders dislike him for his aloofness and arrogance. Longstreet despises him. Near the end of the war, Lee relieved Early of command due to complaints citizens made against him. After the war, he worked to prove that Longstreet was responsible for the disaster at Gettysburg.

A 46-year-old brigadier general, Armistead commands a brigade under Pickett. He is shy and quiet, but during his time at West Point, he was suspended for hitting Jubal Early on the head with a plate. He is also close friends with Winfield Scott Hancock, a Union general, and he hopes to visit his friend at some point while they are together at Gettysburg. He dies during the final Confederate charge, thus fulfilling his oath that if he raises an arm against Hancock, “may God strike [him] dead” (246).

Garnett is a tall, dark, and tragic brigadier general in one of Pickett’s brigades. At age 44, he comes to Gettysburg a broken soldier who questions his honor due to his court martial by Stonewall Jackson. (Garnett, finding himself in an impossible position during the First Battle of Kernstown, ordered his brigade to retreat. This enraged Jackson, who said that Garnett didn’t have his permission to retreat and thereby disobeyed orders out of cowardice.) Jackson died before the end of the trial, dooming Garnett’s reputation. No other commander or soldier doubted his honor, but he came to Gettysburg unfit to fight, as he had a fever and a leg injury. He is killed on Cemetery Ridge on the final day of the battle.

Hancock is a 39-year-old major general who is a talented painter and excellent commander. He often rides into battle in spotless clothes. He is close friends with Armistead and positioned on Cemetery Hill at the end of the battle, directly in line with where Armistead is ordered to attack. In the end, Hancock’s 2nd Corps suffers the largest number of casualties for the Union yet captures the most flags and the most Confederate prisoners. After the war, he runs for president but loses and then retires from public life.

A vain 30-year-old lieutenant general of the Confederate cavalry, James Ewell Brown Stuart was very successful in his fights against the Union, though he creates great frustration when he seemingly disappears leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg. His absence leaves Lee blind as to the location and movement of the Union Army.

Reynolds, a major general aged 42, is one of the finest and most beloved commanders of the Union Army. Like Lee, he was a commander at West Point before the war and is a courteous gentleman and an excellent horseman. Because of his popularity, Lincoln offered Reynolds command of the Union Army, but he declined, knowing he would have interference from Washington. Thus, command passed to Meade. Reynolds rides onto Cemetery Hill on the first day of the battle only to die a short time after positioning his infantry to intercept the Rebel attack.

When Reynolds declines the command of the Union Army, Lincoln orders Meade, a 47-year-old major general, to take the position. A vain and bad-tempered man who thrives on self-pity, Meade takes command of the Union Army two days before the Battle of Gettysburg. His decisions throughout the battle are often indecisive. 

Taylor, a lieutenant colonel, is Lee’s chief aide and plays a significant role in the functioning of Lee’s headquarters and communication with his commanders. He is slim and cocky, yet he is highly capable and works tirelessly for Lee, of whom Taylor is very protective.