Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara

Military Leaders
North	South
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain ·         Tom – younger brother John Buford John Reynolds – turned down command George Meade – Commander of Union Army Winfield Scott Hancock	Robert E. Lee James “Pete” Longstreet   George Pickett Pickett’s Brigade Commanders: ·         Lewis Armistead – friend of Hancock ·         Richard Brooke Garnett – Jackson tried to court-martial  Garnett ·         Kemper ·         Pettigrew (July 3) ·         Trimble (July 3)   Richard Ewell Ambrose Powell Hill J. E. B. Stuart Jubal Early   Arthur Fremantle – English observer

For discussion:

1. The Southern soldiers had a difficult time fighting in Pennsylvania because they saw a big difference between defending and invading.  Why was this important to them?  Do you think it made a difference in their dedication to the war?

2. Discuss the different views between the Northern and Southern soldiers about why they were fighting.  The North thought it was about slavery but the South did not.

3. Discuss Garnett and his loss of honor because of Jackson’s attempt to court-martial him.  How did this affect Garnett’s behavior in battle?

 

4. Discuss Fremantle and his idea of the South and the war.  He thought the South had the same values as France – tradition, breeding, dignity, love of land.     He thought the South would win the war, even after Gettysburg.  How could he come to such an incorrect conclusion?

5. Chamberlain thought there were two things a leader had to do: 1.) care about your men’s welfare and 2.) show physical courage.  How did he display these two qualities?  Did the other leaders:  Lee, Longstreet, etc.?     Are the same qualities important in other situations such as business or politics?

6. Why was Robert E. Lee such a revered leader in the South?   Longstreet told Fremantle that, “The secret to General Lee is that men love him and follow him with faith in him.  That’s one secret.  The next secret is that General Lee makes a decision and he moves, with guts,…”

7. Consider Longstreet’s disagreement with Lee about charging the center of the Union Line on Friday, July 3 (Pickett’s Charge) at Cemetery Ridge.  This was a great loss to the South and many feel a defining battle of the Civil War.  Should Longstreet have refused or argued further with Lee?  Was there anything Longstreet could have done?

8. On the second day, following orders, Longstreet sent Hood into battle in Devil’s Den that both he and Hood knew would lead to death.   How could Longstreet give such an order and how could Hood follow it?

9. Chamberlain felt responsible for his younger brother, Tom, and couldn’t stop thinking about how he had told him to fill a hole in the line that put him at risk.  Do you think that having Tom so close was helpful or a distraction to Chamberlain?

      10. Did this book give you a different or more rounded view of the Civil War than you had before?   Were you able to visualize  Gettysburg?