Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Introductory Notes Follow-up-- Commanders Info. Not in Profiles and Perspectives Power Point
The Army of Northern Virginia: A very happy army, impressed with its record for good reason,
confident in its leaders for good reason. It is a remarkably unified group, sharing a Protestant
religion for the most part, as well as the values of the South, and they all spoke English. As
much as they are unified, they fight to dissolve the Union. (Lovely irony Shaara points out.)
Don’t forget, just because it’s called the Army of Northern Virginia, IT’S CONFEDERATE,
SOUTHERN, REBEL—whatever you want to call it.
Robert E. Lee: He was the only West Point cadet in the history of the Academy (up until that
point) who had NEVER earned a demerit! Also, he had no obvious vices—didn’t smoke, swear,
chew tobacco, gamble, drink. In short, he was used to being and to being seen as a very good,
upright, and moral man. He had sworn allegiance to the United States of America—sworn to
protect her with his life, and then his home state secedes from the very Union he has vowed to
protect, and he is forced to choose between 2 really, really bad things. He has never publicly
done anything bad, but now there’s the little matter of treason when he takes up arms to
defend a different country (Confederate States of America) against the U.S. It’s a problem that
lingers, but he pushes it out of his mind in the book. Lee, along with most of the other
commanders in the novel, is fighting because it’s his job. He’s an army man, war is declared,
and this is what they do. He avoids the “Cause” of the South—states’ rights. He wants honor in
all things, of course, because ultimately he needs to answer to God.
Longstreet: Three of his four children have died in a scarlet fever epidemic that swept certain
areas of the country the previous winter. He could not prevent it, and because he is often
inarticulate (which is another really important thing to know), he could not find the words to
comfort his wife any more than he could find the faith to trust God. Neither of the Longstreets
was strong enough to handle the funeral details, so George Pickett and his intended, Sallie
Corbelle, made all of the arrangements. Longstreet is a dad who was unable to protect three of
his small children. He is also a general, a corps commander, responsible for many, many men.
Think about it. He is having a crisis of faith sparked by the deaths of his children. He doesn’t
believe in honor in the abstract, although he is an honorable man. Victory in battle is the only
thing worth all of the deaths occurring under his command. He’s always been a great poker
player because he is so stoic, showing little emotion; nevertheless, he is one of the deepest,
most nuanced characters in the novel. Note how often he’s compared to a rock. There’s a
steadiness and a certainty about him. When he was a kid, his dad gave him the nickname
“Peter” as a reference to the apostle Peter, considered by many to have been the “rock” of the
early Christian church. His dad wanted him to be strong and faithful to his principles. Stubborn
to the last, Longstreet is as honest as he can be with Lee.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Pickett: In addition to being loveable and childlike in character, he has become engaged to a
woman of 19 and has vowed to abstain from alcohol to please her. He graduated last in his
class at West Point. Watch him through the novel.
Richard Ewell: Take note of his wound from Bull Run. There was a long recovery, and this is his
first battle since losing his leg (he has a wooden leg). He has never commanded a corps—kind
of like someone who is really good in the classroom trying to run a school. It’s much harder
than it looks for Ewell; perspective changes as he is now in charge of 3 times as many men.
He’s in over his head but no one knows that for sure until it’s too late. He takes advice from the
wrong man—the one man who can be relied upon to put his own self-interest above absolutely
everything else—Jubal Early, a division commander. At least Ewell is honest and doesn’t try to
justify himself.
A. P. Hill: He’s belligerent and often does not work and play well with others. He had honestto-Pete challenged Longstreet to a duel right in the middle of the war when Longstreet was his
commanding officer. (Lee settled it.) He’s not fond of following orders, which can be awkward
for anyone who isn’t Stonewall Jackson. He’s very much a career military guy and is unwilling to
accept the word of recent recruits. This causes a significant problem in the battle. Some might
call it hubris, some misguided experience, but at any rate, he is mistaken in a big way. His
illnesses on battle days are real—he isn’t faking. Since he is so high-strung, it could be
attributed to nerves.
Lewis Armistead: The important thing here is what a good guy he is and how he interacts with
the other officers. Watch his conversations with Longstreet about the army, Lee, Garnett, and
watch how carefully he broaches the subject of Hancock on the other side of the battlefield. He
is haunted by a personal vow he made. An honorable man, Armistead has been put into an
impossible position of competing loyalties: loyalty to his home or to his best friend. He
struggles with a sense of guilt that many Confederate officers feel; his just seems more
personal. He is the oldest of the major characters in the novel after Lee.
Richard Garnett: It’s hard to imagine what honor costs some men. Garnett’s perspective that
it’s better to die with honor than to live without it is very common among the Virginia, old
money, landed gentry set. We can scarcely conceive of it, but there’s no other recourse in
Garnett’s mind. Living with his personal character in doubt due to Jackson’s charge of
cowardice is not an option. (I wonder if Jackson was extra vindictive because Garnett
commanded the same brigade that Jackson used to command.) Garnett must also be thinking
of his family because whatever he does during the war will reflect on his family’s name down
through the generations. He had no chance to vindicate himself in court since Jackson died, so
his only option is to blot out the stain from Jackson’s unjust accusation by dying nobly in battle.
Lee has never been a fan of court-martials, ignoring the paperwork for as long as possible
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
because he knows he can’t spare the officers from the field. In many cases, Lee himself is able
to settle problems that arise, but in this instance, it might have been better to give Garnett his
day in court if he would be able to hold out long enough with his grave wounds. Notice that he
is no longer in the corps that was Jackson’s and is now half Ewell’s and half Hill’s. Too many of
the commanders would have believed Jackson’s charge. Longstreet takes him as a brigade
commander in his corps (Garnett is in Pickett’s division), so that is a measure of trust that
Garnett is incredibly grateful for.
J. E. B. Stuart: The best cavalry general in American history, it’s hard to believe that he doesn’t
come through at the precise time when it’s most crucial for him to do so. Despite his
longstanding record, some Confederate generals are so mad at his failure at Gettysburg that
many want to court-martial him. While Lee won’t agree to the court-martial, he must find a
way to communicate with this most valuable soldier the degree to which he let his army down.
Stuart is theatrical and tries to resign very dramatically, which actually angers Lee. He’s the
only person Lee speaks sharply to in the novel, and even then he softens up at the end. History
vindicates Stuart to a degree, but Shaara doesn’t let him off easily. It’s difficult to overstate just
how good this man was, literally riding rings around the Union. One change: the Army of the
Potomac has picked up the pace now that it has to defend its land from the attacking enemy, a
unique situation, the significance and logical consequences of which many, including Stuart and
Lee, underestimate. Because they are no longer on “home turf,” it is more crucial than ever
that Stuart get intelligence (scouting information about roads, terrain, enemy location,
strength, and movement) back to Lee as fast as possible so he can make an informed decision
about how to proceed in this, the only battle on northern soil.
Jubal Early: Not very popular, the big deal with this guy is his influence over Ewell. It makes a
huge difference to the Confederates’ chances. Ewell must take the blame for what were
ultimately his decisions for inaction, but there’s no question that Early has his own interests at
heart when he persuades Ewell. Early seems to play on Ewell’s uncertainty. He’s really good at
blaming others, too—watch for it.
The Army of the Potomac—SLOW is the main characteristic of this army. It is vastly dissimilar in
make-up, with soldiers of different religions, ethnicities, cultures, and even languages joining
together to keep the Union intact. There’s been a horrific revolving door of generals after
General McClellan got the boot, each one seemingly worse than the last. There is good reason
that an army of their superior numbers routinely gets beaten by an army of superior generals.
This time, though, the army is pretty brisk in stepping back onto its own soil to throw out the
invader.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: He’s a professor, so he lives in his head. He thinks things
through, uses a textbook maneuver that a seasoned officer would likely never have used, and
saves the 2nd day for the Union. He has just been promoted to Colonel and given charge of the
20th Maine regiment, never having been trained in the military. As a college professor he
requested a leave in order to enlist, and when denied that leave, he duplicitously asked for a
sabbatical to study abroad, which was granted and left him free to go to the governor of Maine
and request a commission, which means he would not start as an enlisted man but as an
officer. Pretty bold, but it shows how badly he wanted in on the war.
Even though he is only in charge of a regiment, it’s the placement of that regiment at the flank
of the Union line that makes his stand heroic. He has a Cause in the beginning, a theory of
freedom for which he is willing to die. Watch him once the fighting starts. It’s astonishing to
see how quickly he will lose sight of that Cause. He’s haunted by his instinctive decision to put
his own brother in a vulnerable position in the fighting, knowing that as a commander it was
the only decision to make, but having a hard time coming to terms with the fact of it. He finds a
number of qualities within himself that he hadn’t known were there. Be careful—his chapters
have a stream-of-consciousness style that can be hard to follow. Just go with it—try to get a
feel for where his thoughts are wandering. He is one of the few featured officers who is not a
professional soldier—those who fight primarily because it is their jobs. War is not
Chamberlain’s job. He signed up for this.
John Buford: Some of the best characterization of Buford is in the very first Buford chapter
before the fighting even begins—he is a professional and therefore does not hate. He is one of
the many career officers who fight because the military is his profession. He is pragmatic,
teaching his men tactics the Native Americans have used successfully against the U. S. in the
many battles. He is cynical because the leadership in the Union army has been so poor. He
tends to talk to himself because he’s used to being by himself out West. He does what he
thinks is right and gives the Union their most practical reason for hope by doing so (having the
high ground). He has a vision of what will happen if he doesn’t do what he eventually decides
to do, and he is right. It’s dramatic irony—it does happen, but because of Buford’s decision, it
happens to the South instead of the North. (A character on the Confederate side has a parallel
vision that does come true.) Buford has had trust issues in the past involving committing his
cavalry to a fight and anticipating needed backup, only to be denied backup and left to be
butchered by far greater enemy infantry forces. He doesn’t trust many of the generals who
have attempted to lead this Army.
John Reynolds: The best choice for the Union to take command of the Army of the Potomac, he
declines because of the ineffective way Washington has decided to prosecute the war. It’s his
First Corps that needs to arrive in time for Buford’s decision to bear fruit. John Reynolds is one
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
of the few generals who is reliable enough that Buford trusts him, which is saying something.
Also, Reynolds compliments Buford on July 1—it’s just a little thing, but it means a lot to
Buford. At the end of the day, it is Reynolds who springs to the forefront of Buford’s mind in a
poignant moment of pride and grief under a star-filled sky.
George Meade: Characterized as ineffective and self-protective (or perhaps ineffective
BECAUSE he’s self-protective), Meade has little impact on the storyline except here and there.
He inanely complains about the darkness at night, but wisely promotes Hancock on the field of
battle, and then takes a survey of his officers’ opinions at the end of July 2. Note that survey. It
is quite telling. It is also his call not to pursue the Confederates on July 3 after Pickett’s Charge.
Lots of speculation about that in history—but it was a tougher call than it looks like in hindsight.
History is kinder to Meade than Shaara is.
Winfield Hancock: Armistead’s best friend, Hancock is a charismatic man whom others
naturally turn to. He salvages the shreds of the 11th Corps at the end of Day 1, which earns him
a promotion. He’s the best they’ve got to defend against Pickett’s Charge on Day 3. What kind
of guy wears a white shirt into battle?? And how does he keep it so white?? I’m just saying.
We don’t hear much from Hancock, but we trust Armistead’s assessment of his best friend. Yes,
he is from Montgomery County and Hancock Street was named after him. Pretty cool, right?
There is an awful lot of parallelism in this novel—showing similar conditions, leadership
characteristics, and moral dilemmas in characters on both sides, which reinforces the ‘fratricidal
conflict’ notion. This is truly a war of brothers. The one-legged General Ewell, for example, is
ineffective for the South, while the one-armed General Howard of the 11th Corps is ineffective
for the North—that corps folds every time. Lee has a theory about the nature of the “big
wounds” that he explores a bit after the first day of battle. Look for parallels throughout!
June 29, 1863 SECTION
June 29, 1863, Chap 1, The Spy
Some vocabulary:
guidon: small flag indicating and representing a military body; by counting the guidons, the spy
can estimate how many troops are coming
picket line: posted, armed sentries surrounding a camp, ready to shoot intruders or report
movement of the enemy
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Harrison is his the spy’s real name, and he’s very good at what he does. It’s dangerous to cross
a picket line at night. Looking like a Pennsylvania farmer is not the safest thing in that situation.
His information is accurate. The most important role he plays is when Shaara says that, on June
29, 1873, he is perhaps the only person alive who knows exactly where both the Army of the
Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia are. His worshipful approach to Lee is not feigned
or exaggerated. Lee views him with distaste—an honorable man would actually join the army,
not earn a living spying for one, but Harrison never knows Lee thinks ill of him because Lee is
too much of a gentleman to be let his distaste show. Lee wants to dismiss the information of
the spy and tries to—“Stuart would not have left us blind.” Longstreet won’t let him, regardless
of how good Stuart’s reputation is. The spy has actual information in real time, and they have to
move on it or lose the advantage of such information. Once Lee is convinced that it would be
too risky to trust wholly to Stuart, he decides to seize the opportunity and move the army
toward battle. It will be very, very difficult to budge Lee when the honor of his favorite cavalry
officer is in question. Lee does not want to insult Stuart—the best cavalry officer of all time—by
sending out some of the other cavalry that’s available to find him, which is why he delays
making the decision. Lee is ultimately responsible for the delay. Keep track of how many
references to Stuart’s missing cavalry crop up from here until he actually does show up.
Longstreet is more practical and far more cynical than Lee. He knows Stuart likes to read about
himself (in fairness, Stuart was WAY, WAY better than anyone the Union army had ever seen;
what he did was noteworthy, which is why so many journalists noted it.) But Longstreet
assumes the worst about Stuart—as a realist might—and concentrates on the problem at hand.
He had paid the spy out of his own pocket before they left Virginia to begin this, in his opinion,
ill-advised invasion of the north; it would be foolish to be in enemy territory without as much
knowledge as possible of the enemy’s whereabouts. I don’t know whether hiring spies was a
common practice or not, but Lee would never have done it. At any rate, Longstreet was right,
and everyone else who took for granted a slow-moving Army of the Potomac was wrong
enough about both Stuart and the Army of the Potomac that they could lose the battle through
that particular ignorance.
Please note how protective Longstreet is of Lee, how he doesn’t want to wake him up, how he
wants to be able to take care of it all when he sees Lee in pain (hands). Keep in mind, the Army
of Northern Virginia is in Lee’s “hands”, and Lee’s physical hands are weak and causing him
great pain. Think of the symbolism. Lee is the “heart” of the Army of Northern Virginia, and
Lee is suffering from heart disease that will eventually kill him. The camaraderie that comes
through war is what Lee is talking about when he says he will miss it very much—not the
fighting. Longstreet gets it—he understands—and he doesn’t have to say anything. We have no
peacetime equivalent that I know of. Remember how much Lee values people for who they
are; he tries to take his men’s strengths and make them stronger.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Note the Shakespearean line Harrison the spy quotes to himself when he is randomly thinking
of Stonewall Jackson: “Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
Keep an eye out for other Shakespearean lines/allusions.
Oddly, Harrison has some pretty profound and ironic lines and thoughts for a character that
merely introduces the action and then gets out of the way:
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He worries about confronting the pickets because there are ”… few men out at night on
good and honest business” (6). All the while he is a spy and “…everyone hated spies” (4).
He thinks, “Why do there have to be men…who enjoy another man’s dying” (6) while
he’s literally in the middle of a war.
“There are many people, General, that don’t give a damn for a human soul, do you know
that? The strange thing is, after playing this poor fool farmer for a while I can’t help but
feel sorry for him. Because nobody cares.”
“The war’s almost over. You can feel it, General. The end is in the air.” (OH, THE IRONY!)
Whenever Shaara refers to an angel, in whatever context, pay attention.
June 29, 1863, Chap 2, ‘Chamberlain’
There is a LOT of parallelism in this novel. If you read something that seems familiar from a
previous chapter, it may very well be from a chapter representing the opposite side of the
conflict. In other words, look for parallels between commanders’ characterization and the
relationships on the Union and Confederate sides. Every time you find a parallel, associate it
with one of the themes. Shaara characterizes people deliberately—he’d already admitted that
his characterization is his own idea based on what he thought they were like. Harrison quotes
Shakespeare in Chap. 1; the novel takes its name from Chamberlain’s interpretation of part of a
famous Shakespearean soliloquy.
Always refer to characters as the author does: Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is
‘Chamberlain’ and Tom Chamberlain is ‘Tom.’ Chamberlain is laid out in his tent, weak with the
heatstroke he suffered on the long march, having refused to ride the horse provided for the
colonel of the regiment. He also instructs his brother not to call him Lawrence and not to
exhibit anything that might be interpreted as favoritism. He is very much the egalitarian leader,
wanting to be with the men, not just in charge of them. It is impractical in the first instance. He
doesn’t have the stamina from long years of fighting, so he really does need to ride the horse.
He is no use to the regiment if he makes himself sick. He sees the ideal where Kilrain sees the
reality. Note father-son/realist-idealist here.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Kilrain is the one wholly fictitious character in the novel, an amalgam of lower-ranking men who
were older than Chamberlain and who helped guide him through his various commands since
he was so new to battle.
Note how Chamberlain approaches the mutineers: As soon as he introduces himself he asks
them how long it had been since they’d eaten, then he listens to the grievances presented to
him by Bucklin, the man chosen to speak for the 120 mutineers from the 2nd Maine (they’ve
been fighting since pretty much the beginning of the war while the 20 th Maine has only been
together since the previous fall). Chamberlain is humane, recognizing first their physical need
for food, and then recognizing their very human need to be heard. He does both of those
things before attempting to persuade anyone of anything. But he’s not stupid—he knows what
it would do to a regiment of 250 to add 100-plus men. He knows they will benefit him more as
soldiers than as prisoners, and here’s the deal: He promises to drop the whole matter for
whoever picks up his weapon and joins in the fight, and he promises to represent the men who
still refuse to fight as fairly as he can.
Here’s something a little interesting, though: Note that when he thinks about how he can’t
shoot these Maine men, it isn’t because it would be wrong—it’s because he wouldn’t be able to
face people in his home state who knew he’d shot Maine men on purpose. That’s not so noble.
What would he have done had they been from Connecticut?
Of course, he does a great job persuading them—he is a professor of rhetoric, which is the art
of argument. In all fairness, he truly believes what he is saying. Isn’t it interesting, thought,
that something within him just can’t be happy unless he’s allowed to experience war as a
soldier. What’s up with that? He even lied to his boss at Bowdoin College in order to be able to
give it a go. Now, certainly, he believes firmly that he has the moral high ground, but still—he
wants to leave the classroom and go to war. Keep it in mind.
Tom is characterized as the little brother, proud of Chamberlain, maybe a little worshipful, and
Chamberlain is seen as having always looked after Tom. This will bring up some pretty heavy
internal conflict for Chamberlain, because as a Colonel, it’s his job to order his men into harm’s
way (parallel w/ Lee’s “great trap” of soldiering later in the novel). The favoritism that
Chamberlain guards against doesn’t, according to him, apply to generals, though. Tom is
grumpy when Chamberlain admonishes him not to use his name in public because Meade has
his son as adjutant. Chamberlain then compares generals on a battlefield to God, and
references Meade’s “angelic staff.” He doesn’t want even to seem to be unfair—so he wants
Tom to treat him like any other Colonel.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
June 29, 1863, Chap. 3, ‘Buford’
First of all, this chapter and the next one actually take place on June 30. Buford is a good
soldier, a PROFESSIONAL (parallel to Longstreet) who is cynical about the inept commanders
who have passed through. Important moments are his assessment of Cemetery Hill and
Seminary Hill (Culp’s Hill is there, too, along w/ Cemetery and Seminary Ridge) as beautiful
HIGH GROUND. In the cemetery, they can dig in just behind the stone fence that surrounds it.
He sees an angel statue, which he actually tries to use as a reference point later. It’s a white
angel but stony and sad. What does it represent? Is it a guardian angel? Shaara has a purpose.
Buford’s cynicism stems from his memory of Thoroughfare Gap almost a year ago in Virginia
when his cavalry of 3000 held off Longstreet’s corps of 25,000 for 6 hours. The messages he
sent for reinforcements were ignored or refused. They experienced a terrible defeat and lost
the ground, so he has trust issues with superior officers. Fortunately, Reynolds is one of the
few Union officers Buford respects, and he is fairly confident Reynolds will respond as long as
he understands the situation. Buford is justly cynical about the command strategy from
Washington—look at p. 37—how many people have to handle and transmit the message there
and back again before Buford can do anything!
Buford’s literal vision, what will happen if he doesn’t dig in or hold the ground, is almost exactly
what will happen for the Confederates. Whoever doesn’t get the high ground will be forced to
fight uphill, unprotected, and the charge may be ‘valiant’ but it will surely fail. Longstreet has
virtually the same vision when he finds out that Lee intends a massive charge on the third day
of the battle, and he echoes the sense of futility Buford feels about being roped in to lead a
foolish attack and not even being able to just quit, actually being required to stay and help it
fail! The parallel is very clear—watch for it!
The measure of the man in this novel often involves his assessment of his opponent. Buford,
Chamberlain, Armistead, and Longstreet admire the abilities of the enemy (Longstreet
especially cautions against complacency). These are the men for whom the battle is particularly
difficult internally; they are the ones whose characters Shaara develops the most. Buford
waves to the Reb infantry because you never knew if one of your friends might be over there,
which really brings home the reality that this is a war of brothers. (Watch Pickett in the next
chapter when he meets the Englishman—same gesture.)
Interesting note: His aides cannot eat until Buford does. For some reason, Buford is seldom
hungry anymore. Perhaps it has to do with his wounds. Buford’s weak heart may parallel Lee’s
uncertain health.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Tactically, Buford has 3 men dig in and every 4th man fall back beyond range with the horses,
which reduces his fighting men by 25% to about 2,225. The horses need to be protected,
obviously.
Field of fire is the battlefield, the area over which weapon fire can range.
I don’t know if Buford really had this vision or if Shaara includes it to honor a man whom history
seems to have forgotten.
Terms to know or look up: infantry, skirmish, flank, dig in, battery
June 29, 1863 section, Chap. 4 ‘Longstreet’
Note the characterization of Fremantle (absurd) and Pickett (loveable, laughable, not too bright
but reliable). Note the kindness of Longstreet toward Garnett—makes a joke, shakes his hand
like a valued friend, and speaks slowly and carefully so Garnett will know he’s being sincere
(Garnett became “available for this command” in the worst possible way—Lee couldn’t keep
him in Jackson’s old Corps after Jackson tried to court-martial him for cowardice, but
Longstreet’s point is that it’s their loss and Longstreet’s gain-- he’s glad to have him); note how
Armistead watches the encounter and how both try to lighten things up because Garnett is
obviously uncomfortable both physically and emotionally. Note how clueless Fremantle is, and
ask yourself, how obtuse is Pickett? Longstreet asks him if Pickett wants him to move the whole
army out of the way to let his Division in first, which seems like a great idea to Pickett.
Longstreet then tells him if they have to turn around and shoot their way out, Pickett will then
be in the lead! Pickett keeps his eye on Longstreet as he goes back to the game because he
thinks he might have just insulted him w/out meaning to and he wants to make sure Longstreet
isn’t taking offense—the remark about Pickett’s Virginia boys’ being somehow more ready or
deserving to get into the fight implies the inferiority of men from other states. Oops.
Longstreet’s from South Carolina. Luckily, he’s not the type to take offense at something of that
sort.
Armistead mentions to Longstreet privately how much he would like to see Hancock one more
time. It’s an awkward thing to say to a commanding officer, but Longstreet takes it in the spirit
in which it is intended—these 2 men were closer than brothers. He dismisses Armistead’s
concerns and tells him to take the flag of truce and head over if there’s an opportunity. You
need to watch to see if he does. Theme connection???
Note Longstreet’s reaction to the Cause (on the Confederate side, states’ rights accorded to
them by the Constitution). Every time someone brings up slavery, please note Longstreet’s
response or lack of response.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Things Longstreet worries about in this chapter: His dead children and, briefly, his wife; NO
WORD FROM STUART and the vulnerability of the army because of it; Lee’s idealism about
Stuart, not willing to send other cavalry to find him because it would be a tacit admission that
Stuart had let them all down; Garnett’s physical condition; Armistead’s friendship w/ Hancock is
about to be strained to the utmost; Pickett may forget something. All that being said, what lies
heaviest on him is the blindness. If he knew for sure the physical details of the enemy’s position
and the terrain, he could plan for all kinds of contingencies. He knows nothing, can’t plan, and
feels helpless. Armistead and the others are in a much better frame of mind because they will
follow orders rather than issue them. Longstreet is charged with issuing the orders that
comport with Lee’s overall plan, and his overall plan isn’t looking too defensive right about
now.
You don’t really need to know Kemper, but it seemed interesting that he’s the only nonprofessional soldier who is a brigade commander for Pickett—he’s a politician—and he’s the
only one of the generals introduced who insists on shaking hands with the Englishman who is
obviously uncomfortable with that American gesture. The other officers bow to Fremantle as is
the custom in England—the British consider it rather coarse and unrefined to touch someone
else in greeting him. Pickett does that sweeping bow—the same sort that Buford had seen a
Confederate officer do across the field in Gettysburg.
Plenty of parallels here—Longstreet lapses in thought just like Buford had; they had all been
out west early in their careers; Longstreet mentions how brave the Union had been at
Fredericksburg, which is where Chamberlain had been, piling up bodies to shield him from
bullets.
JULY 1, 1863 SECTION
July 1, 1863, Chap. 1, ‘Lee’
There’s evidence of Lee as a father figure to all of his men—note his reaction to Major Taylor
about the soldiers’ behavior. I wonder why he lets Taylor get away with calling him “The Great
Tycoon” behind his back…
Note the extraordinary characterization of Lee’s and Longstreet’s relationship—as soon as Lee
sees Longstreet, he’s happy: “Lee rose with unconscious joy.” (80) Lee feels “a sudden
strength. It came out of Longstreet like sunlight.” (81) It is interesting that Lee isn’t even truly
conscious of this joy—but there it is. Longstreet is such a rock that he’s not accustomed to
anyone even asking how he is. Rocks don’t get tired! IN fact, the only thing that gets any kind of
rise out of Longstreet is when Lee implies that his own health may be at risk. When Lee
cautions Longstreet to stay back from the front line, Longstreet replies with the PERFECT line,
“You cannot lead from behind.” (82) They talk about Stuart—how Longstreet (and he’s not the
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
only one!) wants him disciplined (kind of like one sibling wanting another one grounded) but
Lee, like the father figure he is, asks if that will make him a better soldier, offering reproach as
an alternative—the old, “I’m disappointed in you, son” speech. It’s the reality of the court
martial for dereliction of duty vs. the idealism of extending that parental type of response,
reproach, that can make Stuart the best soldier he can be.
Note: Lee reminds Longstreet, “Docile men make very poor soldiers.” (82) Remember this in
Chap. 3 when a division commander does something he shouldn’t.
Did you notice the blind horse? Whom might that symbolize??? Hmmmm…someone who is
with horses and who is currently doing the Confederate army no good at all, leaving the entire
Army of Northern Virginia blind.
Note the crisis of faith in some of the generals—look for this in the future. In this case, because
the Confederates are the aggressors, Dorsey Pender’s wife can no longer pray for him—it’s a
big deal. The image of defending the homeland is very different from attacking another’s—to a
civilian. (Also note that it is Venable who brings Pender’s problem to Lee—look for Venable
later in the novel.) Offering an interesting contrast, the image in a soldier’s mind of an attacking
army in control presents a much more honorable picture than one that simply hunkers down in
a ditch trying to repel an attack. ‘King of Spades’ is a derogatory term referring to the
propensity of Lee’s army to dig ditches for defense – a spade is another word for a shovel.
Longstreet, of course, couldn’t care two cents about the perception. He wants to win. Lee had
quoted Napoleon to his aide Taylor—“The logical end to defensive warfare is surrender.” (79)
He can’t do the defensive thing again because he doesn’t see it as having honor. (Interesting
Napoleon reference—while he was one of the greatest generals who ever lived, he did meet his
Waterloo eventrually—look it up. I wonder where Lee will meet his—hmmmm…) There’s no
glory in defense, but according to Longstreet, there is a chance for victory when the army is so
much smaller, now farther away from home, and not as well equipped. There’s definitely a
conflict brewing here between the idealist Lee and the realist Longstreet, the father and son,
the Virginian bound by honor and faith and the South Carolina general, embroiled in his own
crisis of faith, bound by the sacred duty to save his men in order to ensure victory, his only
Cause. Nevertheless, Lee can “[T]rust Longstreet to tell the truth” (84) and he recognizes it as
sound advice. Lee is characterized as one who recognizes and tries to optimize what is valuable
in the men under his command.
Watch the vision motifs—wherever there is fog, clouds, smoke, darkness, sunlight-- anything
that impedes or enhances vision. The episode with the blind horse in the beginning of the
chapter is a HUGE piece of characterization for Lee. What kind of man would say and do these
things? Theme?
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
At the end of the chapter, it sounds like the artillery that Lee hears bodes ill for the Army of
Northern Virginia.
July 1, 1863, Chap. 2, ‘Buford’
Buford’s characterization: He has committed his men to battling numbers several times their
strength, and they can only hold out for so long. If Reynolds doesn’t get there in time, the
brigades will be destroyed, the Union will lose the high ground, and it would have been
Buford’s fault. Note references to vision- when Buford sees Reynolds, he blinks—maybe to be
sure he’s not seeing a figment of his imagination-- rubs his face and thanks God. It’s portrayed a
little differently in the movie—he tears up, he’s so relieved. Reynolds compliments Buford, tells
him he’s done well, that one day if he survives, he may make a soldier. It means a lot to Buford
since Reynolds is one of the few superior officers Buford respects. When Reynolds dies, Buford
can’t believe it. The scene with the majestic, picture-book general on horseback directing his
men, leading directly to the bare-backed horse, is very evocative. It’s sudden and unreal, both
for Buford and the reader. There is a parallel on July 3 on the Confederate side.
The wild-haired child, breaking away from its mother to be gathered up by a soldier and
brought back where he belongs—it must represent something. Here’s an idea related to the
larger picture: The South breaks free from the “mother country” of the Union, and the army is
charged with going forth and bringing back the errant child. (Look for another wild-haired child
type of person later in the novel, on the Confederate side.) The more difficult question, I think,
is why Shaara includes it there, when the rest of the paragraph concerns Buford’s reaction to
Reynolds’ death. It starts w/ Buford, “He backed off.” Then there’s the scene w/ the child, and
then Buford goes and stands under a tree. WHY does Shaara do this rather than giving the
interlude its own paragraph?
Crucial battle information: The Union’s best soldier is killed within minutes of the battle’s
beginning; the Union line holds the high ground on Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge because
Reynolds’ First Corps has arrived in time and Reynolds issues his orders to deploy the infantry
and place Buford’s brigades on the flanks of the line prior to his death. Everyone simply carries
out the last orders received.
Crucial info. for the literature of this novel—Characterization of Buford as a realist who knows
that if his brigades are destroyed before Reynolds arrives, it will be his own fault, but even so,
he can’t see any other way to go about it; Buford is relieved to see Reynolds, which is not
typical; the wild-haired child as a symbol of the whole engagement of civil war—and it happens
amid personal and military tragedy. It reminds the reader that there’s still a larger issue, and
there’s a job to be done.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
July 1, 1863, Chapter 3, ‘Lee’
Shaara focuses on setting up Lee as a war-weary man who is ailing; everything else happens
with that as a backdrop. (You know how he keeps rubbing his left arm? That’s his heart disease
talking, made infinitely worse by stress.) Lee may not have long to live. He’d better do
everything he can on earth to comport himself with honor. Shaara shows us the thoughts of a
commanding general whose subordinates have made decisions against his orders. They don’t
do it to be insubordinate—they do it because they do not have information or because they
misjudge the enemy, and often, Lee’s trust in their judgment pays off; he’s not one to micromanage like the Union Army does w/ its general in Washington. Remember, ultimately, while
Lee is “on top” in terms of command, he is “the bottom line” in terms of responsibility, and he
feels it. Although Lee has done nothing to bring on the attack Heth starts, he still bears the
responsibility for it—and this weighs on him. He needs to try to fix problems caused by a
situation he never intended to happen, one that he gave specific orders to avoid. It isn’t easy.
Hill messes up and now is ill; Lee appointed Hill as corps commander. Ewell does not follow
orders at the end of the chapter; Lee appointed Ewell as corps commander. Lee realizes that he
made have made a mistake, but we learn a life lesson here: You just never know until you try,
and you HAVE to try!
Remember Pender’s wife in Lee’s first chap. on July 1? The perception among the civilians is
that defending their home ground is fine, but invading and attacking are wrong, so Pender’s
wife can’t pray for him. Among the good ol’ Virginia boys who are all about honor, there’s no
honor in hunkering down in a ditch for defense; however, one can gain honor in attacking.
Longstreet, remember, couldn’t care less about honor. He wants to win and he wants to do so
with minimal casualties. Lee is tired of taking the defensive position regardless, although he
most definitely believes they will win any attack. Remember that the crucial thing for Lee is to
win honor—even more so than winning the battle or the war—because it’s all in God’s hands
anyway. He recognizes this throughout the chapter and prays briefly when he gets a chance. He
is a true man of faith. Nothing can shake it.
Note Lee’s characterization in his reaction to Heth (pronounced to rhyme with “teeth”)—he
suspends his judgment of the man, which is smart because leaping to erroneous conclusions is
what got them into this mess— and note his instinctive acknowledgment that “It’s all in God’s
hands”—this philosophy is what enables him to be calm in the face of pressure. It is what
enables him to see “Intention”—meaning God’s intention—in the attack that got underway
through mistaken judgment and poor decisions. His job is to acquit himself with honor
regardless of the outcome. That’s why he wants to attack.
Here comes a huge conflict for him: a defensive campaign lacks the association of honorable
battle, and yet Lee’s also feeling guilty to be the invader this time. It’s sort of lose-lose, but if
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
it’s all in God’s hands, he has no ultimate responsibility other than to do his job to the best of
his ability. He is also not one to blame a subordinate, at least not immediately. He focuses on
the problem rather than blowing up at Heth, and he is careful to maintain good relationships
with his men. That’s one of the things that makes his generals love him, and it’s also the
reasobn reproach from Lee, when it’s all over, really would be a constructive type of
punishment (remember how court-martialing Stuart wouldn’t make him a better soldier in
Lee’s eyes.)
Heth definitely bears blame for allowing his division to become embroiled in an attack against
orders, but remember whose faulty information leads him to believe there will only be militia
on the high ground (Hill!) and remember who never gave anyone information about anything
even though that was his primary job to do so (STUART!!!) Perhaps Lee never even sent Hill the
intelligence he received that there was Union cavalry in Gettysburg because he thought that his
order NOT TO FORCE A MAJOR ENGAGEMENT BEFORE THE ARMY IS CONCENTRATED was clear
enough. But just think, as Heth must have thought, what if it HAD only been militia, or what if
Reynolds HAD arrived 30 minutes later? It would have been a bold and brilliant move, to gain
the high ground for the Confederacy. “Docile men make very poor soldiers,” remember? Heth
shows initiative at the wrong time, acting upon faulty information, and then he can’t restrain
his boys once they get started. The thing is, once he realizes he’s dealing with Buford’s cavalry
(unusually good fighting men, Buford’s cavalry), he should realize that infantry will be nearby.
He can’t know exactly what is near because he’s at the BOTTOM of the hill. Kind of hard to see
through a hill or around it from the bottom…
Also note Lee reacts when told of Reynolds’ death. Rather than reacting as a general whose
army has just taken out the enemy’s best soldier, Lee reacts as a man who has lost a friend. He
doesn’t commend the sharpshooter or remark on the increased chances for the Confederacy
now that the enemy’s First Corps general is gone. The first thing he does is confirm—“John
Reynolds?” and then again, “Are you sure?” After it’s been established, Lee simply says, “I’m
sorry.” When he thinks of Reynolds, he thinks of him in a positive light—he is a gentleman and
a friend. My conclusion: This is a weird war, truly a war of brothers, with good men on both
sides. Lee is also extraordinary to be such a strong general and yet such a compassionate man.
Look in the upcoming Longstreet chapter for how Stonewall Jackson would likely have reacted!
Note Lee’s directive to Gen. Hill to put fire on Cemetery Hill and to Ewell to take the hill “if at all
practicable”—and notice how similar “practical” sounds to “practicable”—and then notice what
they MEAN! Lee waits for the battle sounds that these orders are being complied with, but he’s
left Ewell with enough room to worm out if he wants. Guess what? He wants to worm his way
out. Watch Ewell and Early when they talk things over with Lee in a later chapter.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
You should get the sense that the Confederates really feel good about the day’s battle—they
were strong and they pushed the 11th Corps (Howard’s corps—it comes up in Buford’s last
chap.) back through town. The thing is, the Confederates still don’t have the high ground
(thanks to Buford). Lee sees the positive—having pushed the enemy back, he cannot withdraw;
Longstreet sees the negative—the Confederates still don’t have the high ground so he is NOT
happy.
Note the ever-present conflict between Lee’s and Longstreet’s philosophies: offense v.
defense. Look at the perspectives—Lee asks the rhetorical question-- How they can move off
in the face of the enemy (honor at stake) and Longstreet takes him very literally, saying in
effect—“It’s easy. Just go over there.” He wants to save as many lives as possible in order to
gain ultimate victory. Lee wants to get it over with honorably. Only one of them can be right. It
reminds me of the lines,
“We should have had something from Stuart.”
“We should have.”
Those were from June 29. That’s how it is when an idealist and a realist talk things over…
There’s rock/boulder motif all over the place as well as vision. I wonder what Shaara is using
that for?? Be alert in the Chamberlain chapter to what the boulder he remembers from his
childhood might represent.
July 1, 1863, Chapter 4, ‘Chamberlain’
Chamberlain may be changing OR we may just be noticing things that were not evident before
now. Notice the visceral imagery of Chamberlain’s memory of Fredericksburg. Even that scene,
when he replays it in his head, is not enough to move him away from his love of this whole
enterprise. He doesn’t love it, not quite—which to me seems pretty telling. Does that mean
that the sound of bullets thwacking the dead bodies you’ve piled up in a wall to shield you is
something he likes but doesn’t love? But right there, while he’s hiding behind the bodies of
people who have already met death, he has never felt so alive. Holy cow. I guess he benefits by
comparison, but it seems kind of ghoulish. And by the way—where did the Cause go? Here he
loves being a soldier because it’s cool, not because it’s for a noble Cause (remember his speech
to the 2nd Maine men? “We are an army going out to set other men free.”)
Notice Chamberlain’ memory of his dad and the title of the speech he gave, inspired by his
dad’s comment on the Hamlet soliloquy “What a piece of work is man?” The response from
his dad is significant—if man is an angel, he must be a murdering angel. Chamberlain takes that
comment as the title of a speech he later gave—Man: The Killer Angel. Therefore, this book’s
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
title indicates EXACTLY what it’s about—Men!! Men are both killers and angels, on each side
of the line: they kill because they’re in a war, and they are motivated by a cause that’s larger
than themselves, either Union and freedom or freedom from Union and states’ rights (to own
slaves, but they don’t say that). Ironically, many of the professional officers are the ones
without a clear connection to a Cause.
Notice his memory of the time Tom got lost in the woods and no one could find him for hours,
everyone’s panicking, and then home he wandered by himself, cold but cheerful and unafraid.
See if war changes him later. Chamberlain has already been in a position of not being able to
help his little brother when he’s been in danger. Now his little brother is under his direct
command. Watch for how this plays itself out.
Note the boulder thing tied in with the vision thing in Chamberlain’s dad. He is characterized a
lot like Longstreet, actually, Now, how does his dad instinctively know the boulders it would be
possible to move, even though like an iceberg, most of the boulder is underground? MAYBE
they can move the boulder BECAUSE his dad says, “Move it!” Maybe if you don’t know it’s
impossible, it can be moved. Isn’t that kind of the way the Confederate Army has been for most
of the war? Lee doesn’t bother paying attention to numbers because his army’s inferior
numbers have so rarely affected them adversely. When the command comes to hold the
ground or take the ground or whatever, generally, they do it. Remember when Lee thinks that
he can rely on the men, but what about the officers? It’s a strange thing to say when the South
so clearly has superior generals. But maybe the men, the regular soldiers, are dependable
because of the faith they have in Lee AND the faith Lee has in them.
Also--consider Longstreet as that boulder: stubborn, seemingly immovable, with far more
beneath the surface than what appears on the surface. And yet, he can be moved in certain
ways. What moves him? The memory of his dead children, the thought that Lee might be
falling ill.
Look at the snow in Maine—and consider perspective. If you live there long enough, you
experience the perspective of a different landscape. Experience helps. So both the boulder and
the trees appear much smaller and more insignificant than they are. Consider now the only
commander in the novel who is a just a little colonel, not a great big general. Chamberlain
doesn’t seem like much—just wait until you see what he does on July 2, 1863. He is one of the
ones, along with Buford and Stuart, whose choices become critical to the outcome of the battle.
There’s a parallel in the “never, forever” sound Chamberlain heard at Fredericksburg with
something really important in the only Armistead chapter in the book, in the July 3 section.
There is also a parallel w/ Chamberlain praying for his boys—just like Lee did in the previous
chapter after he thinks about his son.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Think about Lee—his vision is compromised because he can only see part of the Union Army.
How much is beyond his vision? Can he move the boulder of the Union Army despite most of
its being beyond his vision? You need both vision and instinct—one without the other will
prove inadequate.
Coming up—you’ll be taken to that dark place in Longstreet’s memory when his first child died.
The horror of it has obviously been multiplied—and this is the weight he carries with him
always, always just under the surface.
July 1, 1863, Chapter 5, ‘Longstreet’
Note the number of references to ‘vision’ in the first 2 pages alone—connected directly to
Longstreet. The foundation for Longstreet’s crisis of faith had been laid the previous winter
when 3 of his children died within a week of a fever—and he tries to understand, he begs God
to let him know why; God was silent = crisis of faith. When Longstreet closes his eyes, this is
what he sees; when his eyes are open, ‘It was Longstreet’s curse to see the thing clearly.’ He
sees the misery of the past and the hopelessness of the upcoming battle should the
Commanding General not heed his warnings. These are both realistic visions. His eyes are
described as ‘dull’—meaning it’s hard to get a sense of the depth of the man or the acuteness
of his intelligence by looking at him. (Connect to Chamberlain’s dad who had the unique ability
to see the surface of certain boulders and sense the ones that could be moved. We get to see
beyond the surface of the “rock” and we discover how deeply he is moved.) Never forget how
heavy of a burden his memories are for Longstreet. It wasn’t limited to, “’The boy is dead’”
from his wife—but his own continued helplessness in the face of that first death. He could not
reach beyond his own grief to touch hers—an indictment of himself he cannot shake. Neither
could he prevent the other two deaths that shortly followed. The burden of helplessness is
especially unwelcome as Longstreet tries to reach Lee, to turn him aside from what Longstreet
sees as a doomed offensive strategy. Note that Lee may be a visionary, but he has the type of
vision that comes from positive visualization of the best possible outcome (idealism).
Longstreet sees realistic consequences of real actions. The Confederates win July 1, 1863, but
they don’t have the ONE THING they need for complete victory in the battle: the high ground!
(Longstreet always wants to fight on ground of his own choosing. He would of course choose
high ground, but Buford already did!) Did you notice how Longstreet deliberately places his
father figure, Lee, where God used to be—the God who allowed his 3 little children to die
senselessly? How do you think that is going to turn out?
Notice how Longstreet recognizes his own gloomy tendencies and their effect on the men. His
default mode is the worst that could happen, and that moroseness is something that he carries
with him always and recognizes as contagious. He knows himself and he knows his men. It
seems a curiously long way from Lee’s assessment, of Lee’s feeling “a sudden strength. It came
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
out of Longstreet like sunlight.” (81) There is still strength in Longstreet’s character, but there’s
nothing close to sunlight here.
Note the references to Lee as a gentleman, to Jackson as a superior soldier who knew how to
hate—in the same breath as he is described as a Christian. What does that tell us of
Longstreet’s crisis of faith? The best indirect characterization of Jackson: “I don’t want them
brave, I want them dead.” Note that the line was spoken to his men who had shown mercy to a
brave Union color sergeant. Remember that it is both a tremendous honor and a tremendous
risk to carry the colors, and honor was largely seen as more important than personal risk.
Jackson’s men had honored that courage in their enemy; Jackson had no time for anything that
wasn’t part of his agenda—win at any cost. (One reason Jackson was so crazy-good at moving
troops and winning battles was that he didn’t care how many lives were lost. And as good as he
was, he had the Second Corps while Longstreet had the First.)
I find the references to Lee as the one who holds the army together interesting. While Lee, like
the father figure he is, holds the army together (and we usually hold things with our hands,
remember), his STRATEGY of attacking a fortified enemy on the high ground is going to tear the
army apart. Longstreet undoubtedly feels this conflict.
Note the references to honor as something that Longstreet has no patience with. Men
challenge each other to duels as a matter of—but , “Honor without intelligence is a disaster.
Honor could lose the war.” (133) and “…but the point of the war is not to show how brave you
are and how you can die in a manly fashion, face to the enemy. God knows it’s easy to die.
Anybody can die.” (133) Both of these lines are HUGELY important in characterizing
Longstreet’s priorities and philosophy. Neither means that Longstreet is not honorable; it’s just
that saving lives and making the lives already lost not to have been lost in vain defeat, is his
priority.
Fremantle’s reference to “The Charge of the Light Brigade” has a parallel in Chamberlain when
he thinks “Half a league, half a league,/ Half a league” in a previous chapter. To consider: Which
side’s allusion to the Tennyson poem will prove more prophetic? For those not familiar with it,
look it up! A doomed charge based on a fatal mistaken command caused hundreds of British
cavalry armed only with swords to lose their lives following the order to attack Russian soldiers
armed with cannon is often used in parallel to another doomed charge—Pickett’s Charge on
July 3 (spoiler alert: Confederates lose the Battle of Gettysburg after Pickett’s Charge.)
Longstreet’s mental assessment of Fremantle is worthy noting: “Like all Englishmen, and most
Southerners, Fremantle would rather lose the war than his dignity.” (134)
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
July 1, 1863, Chap. 6, ‘Lee’
Notice the references to vision on 1st page of chap. as you reflect on the Perspective in a Box
activity emphasizing how crucial vision is to the Commanding General. Also—PLEASE notice
Jackson’s eyes—the presence of the ghost of Stonewall Jackson condemning Ewell’s hesitance
and prevarication. If the Commanding General wants Cemetery Hill taken, Jackson would have
been the man to take it. Period. Now his eyes haunt Ewell and his absence troubles Lee. Later
Trimble speaks the truth very plainly to Lee—read that whole thing again. Directly following
that encounter, Lee sends out a few remaining cavalry guys to locate and return Stuart “with all
possible speed.” Lee knows Trimble’s account is true. Notice the very important distinction
between Lee’s orders to take the hill if at all practicable and Ewell’s initial excuse that he didn’t
think taking the hill was practical. It isn’t Ewell’s job to decide what is practical. He needs to
follow his commander’s orders. As for Lee—he’s used to trusting his corps commanders, but
Ewell and Hill are both brand new to commanding a Corps, so their trustworthiness has yet to
be proven. Lee’s in a tough spot, but his style of command is based on trust in his generals, so
he goes with it. Ultimately, his trust is in God. Look for this reference in future chapters.
Note examples of Ewell’s body language. What is he saying without speaking? Note how
confident and contemptuous Early is and how ready he is to deflect the responsibility to
Longstreet. Then notice Ewell’s ultimate admission of undue caution and Lee’s instant reaction,
thinking, “My good old soldier.” (143) Lee forgives and moves on. When Lee singles Ewell out
for a final conference individually, none of Ewell’s nervousness is evident. He is calm and
truthful and much steadier. I love that at the very end, Lee lets him know that he knows that
commanding a Corps is not as easy as it looks. Lee remembers that this was Ewell’s first day as
Corps commander. Kind of like a dad, wouldn’t you say?
Lee prays for the enemy’s best soldier—John Reynolds’ soul—in the same breath as he prays
for his son who has been wounded. Lee drifts “into the bright dark” thinking about God’s
sovereignty, quoting part of the Lord’s Prayer from the book of Matthew in the New
Testament.
On p. 144: Lee thinks about men who suffer the big wounds subsequently acting as if they’d
lost a significant part of themselves, which Lee has never understood. He believes that the
spirit is the defining part of a man and can thrive regardless of what happens to the body… yet
even though this undue caution in Ewell, this self-protectiveness presumably brought on by the
loss of his leg, makes the battle that much more tenuous for the Confederates, Lee won’t
condemn him. Lee reminds himself that he must not judge since he doesn’t know what it’s like
himself. The man is a man of faith, but his faith does not lead him to assume the moral high
ground in comparing himself to others. In fact, he avoids those types of comparisons and is
reluctant to assign blame. He remains as clear-headed as any commander regardless of
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
circumstances, although what is clear to him is different than what is clear to Longstreet.
Altogether, despite his flaws, Lee is a remarkable man.
Interestingly, the Union General Howard of the 11th Corps—the one that actually has given the
Confederates their first day’s victory by folding under pressure and retreating through
Gettysburg—this general is a one-armed general, and it’s not the first time since the wound
that he’s folded under pressure. (They are referred to as “them Dutchmen” on the Union side.
Remember the Dutchman on the Confederate side? It’s Longstreet. Hmmm.) Could it be that
these men, Howard and Ewell, have tasted their own mortality and may want to conserve life
instinctively, may be reluctant to expose the men under their command to greater risk than is
precisely needed? The problem, of course, is that their job is still to follow the orders of the
Commanding General who has the bigger picture. Anyway, watch for Howard’s reaction to his
own defeat in the ‘Buford’ chapter.
July 1, 1863, Chap. 7, ‘Buford’
This is the last we hear from Buford.  The big things here are Howard’s 11th Corps falling
apart and Howard blaming Buford. Looking at the map, Buford was down by the peach orchard
where he had been placed by Reynolds prior to Reynolds’ death. It doesn’t quite make sense
that Buford would support Howard, on the other side of Doubleday. But the point is, the 11th
Corps has fallen apart, many had been taken prisoner, and this happens just as Hancock is
coming in w/ his 2nd Corps. He sees what’s happening and takes control of what’s left of the
11th, placing them on the high ground, extending beyond where Doubleday’s 1st Corps is. (I
believe Doubleday is another general who takes command of the leaderless corps first and gets
promoted later). Hancock gets promoted to Lieutenant General on the field of battle and is
given verbal command of the field by Meade. The argument of the 2 minions over who is in
charge is ludicrous but typical of the Union. Howard is senior officer after Reynolds is shot but
before he loses control of his corps, whose retreat gives up a lot of ground (not the high
ground) to the Confederates. Howard is the Union corps commander who hands the
Confederates their first day’s victory at Gettysburg. Note that Howard is furious, but he doesn’t
blame Hancock, recently promoted by Meade himself. He’s not stupid, but he has to blame
someone because his career may be at stake—his men had done the same thing at
Chancellorsville. This reflects poorly on Howard’s leadership. When Buford goes into the
farmhouse used as headquarters, notice that Howard is making a speech while Hancock is
giving orders! Remember that Howard is a one-armed general like Ewell is a one-legged general
(history is parallel here), and both are ineffective after losing a limb. (At least Ewell takes
responsibility instead of assigning blame.)
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
There is another AWESOME parallel that brilliant students found and pointed out: Back in the
first ‘Longstreet’ chapter, when Garnett gets off his horse, we realize that he’s been wounded
in the leg. He’s also had charges brought against him (unjustly, if we can believe Longstreet) by
Jackson in the form of a court-martial that never takes place. In this last ‘Buford’ chapter in the
novel, Buford has been wounded in the arm, and he has had an unjust complaint filed against
him by Howard. This is another historic parallel. Yay!!
Prior to Buford’s receiving orders from Hancock, there is a moment of incredible tiredness, the
coming of a dreamless sleep. What do you think this foreshadows? Remember the first Buford
chapter—he believes he has one more fight left in him? Just saying.
The chapter is significant in its characterization of Hancock as utterly trustworthy and in
control and in its depiction of Buford’s sense of accomplishment—in the end, he looks to the
stars and tells John Reynolds that they’d held the high ground. It’s a poignant moment for an
otherwise very unsentimental individual. It’s obvious why he wipes his eyes, but after that, it’s
all business—he needs to get some new lieutenants because all of his are dead.
This chapter also characterizes Meade as painfully inadequate to handle the challenges of
commanding an entire Army. There’s more of that to come in a Chamberlain chapter. History is
actually kinder to Meade than Shaara is. Perhaps history knows, like Lee, that being brand new
to a huge job is not as easy as it looks.
One thing about Reynolds’ death: Hancock asks Buford to write a note to Reynolds’ parents,
presumably to tell them that he’d saved the day on July 1 and that Reynolds’ death had been
instantaneous. Remember that Reynolds had become engaged, but his family didn’t know
about it yet. Neither Hancock nor Buford makes mention of Reynolds’ fiancé, so there probably
wasn’t a letter to her. She may have had to read about it in the papers—we don’t know.
Anyone interested in doing some research on that, I’d be happy to hear about it.
JULY 2, 1863 SECTION
July 2, 1863, Chap. 1, ‘Fremantle’
This chapter characterizes Fremantle as both ridiculous and disturbing, although he makes a
very valid comparison of the social classes in England as finding their equivalent in the South.
He is enormously proud to be a witness to what he is sure will be an incredibly honorable
victory for the South. The last things Fremantle thinks about are the connection between
England and the Confederacy and the hope that the South could rejoin the Motherland
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
someday, barring the unsavory issue of slavery (he refers to it as ‘embarrassing’, as if it were a
social faux pas. Shaara is being ironic).
While Fremantle provides some comic relief, he has a point about the aristocracy in the South
mimicking England’s. It’s also notable that his first instinct that Longstreet’s name might be
English, but when told that he’s actually Dutch, he consoles himself with the comforting fact
that Longstreet is not a Virginian. Virginia is the pinnacle of Southern courtly manners, and its
social strata makes sense to Fremantle. Note the exclusive “breeding” in the South—both in
horses and women! He is dismissive of the “rabble” or lower classes and believes the best
people are those who, for the most part, share a religion, culture, language, and values. His
dismissive, “They even allowed the occasional Jew…” (165) should have hit us as squarely in the
face as the breeding of the women. So the ludicrous external—his silly appearance and speech
patterns— conceals a darker philosophy reflective in some ways of many Southern landed
gentry. No wonder he feels so at home! He also believes it’s good to be with the winners—right
now, it isn’t silly for him to think that, but the situation will change far before he does. Later in
England, he does in fact, does write a manuscript predicting the inevitable Southern victory. I’m
not sure it was picked up for publication, though.
There is a reason Fremantle is here, both as a character and as a chapter focus. In the man lies
the juxtaposition of the ridiculous and the disturbing. The upcoming Chamberlain chapter takes
the least ridiculous of characters and finds something deeply disturbing within. At first, I’d
assumed that these things would be changes in Chamberlain, but there’s a question about what
has been there all along, latent, yet needed something like the horror of this particular war,
concerning these particular issues, which bring out what has lain dormant in the man. One
perhaps could make a case that war has simply peeled away some appealing layers to get at the
mix of human nature in Chamberlain, as in all men. I think it’s interesting that the 2 parallels to
Chamberlain in this chapter concern the two less-than-ideal aspects in Chamberlain’s character
(the other connection is when Fremantle thinks that war is marvelous). Just saying.
July 2, 1863, Chap. 2, ‘Chamberlain’
We find in this chapter some of the most significant quotes so far—the juxtaposition of
Southern society in the beginning of the chapter, the conflict Chamberlain encounters within
himself when confronted with an escaped slave that he finds physically repulsive, and the
nagging of the professor’s words to him from a pre-war conversation—“’My young friend, what
if it is you who are wrong?’” Chamberlain has gone from the clouds of the Cause, idealism at its
most inspirational, right down to the depths of a wounded black man, an escaped slave whose
presence awakens something detestable within Chamberlain. The redeeming thing about
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Chamberlain is that he doesn’t stay there. He finds a connection, he is capable of empathy, he
treats the man respectfully, and he seems to do so without any of the other men knowing how
unpleasant his gut reaction is. It is interesting that he literally makes no decision about what to
do with the man, though. Find where Kilrain asks him what to do—it’s the one time
Chamberlain abdicates his responsibility as regimental colonel. Maybe he can’t face the painful
irony that in order to free the man, he must first abandon him.
Also note: When Kilrain indicates to Chamberlain that the escaped slave has been following
them, Chamberlain looks over to where Kilrain has gestured but doesn’t see. Is it easier not to
see something that brings you to a personal crisis of conscience? Obviously, connect it to the
vision motif, but also think about Longstreet. It’s a parallel crisis—Longstreet sees what he
absolutely does not want to see in the doomed nature of this battle, Lee’s determination to
attack when he barely has enough men to defend a position, and Longstreet’s clear
understanding of his own personal limitations in being able to communicate what he sees. The
antithesis comes in Chamberlain’s and Longstreet’s reaction to the crisis: At no time does
Longstreet refuse to see. It is his “curse,” remember. Chamberlain, however, lives in his head,
where we would expect a professor of rhetoric to live, sees primarily the abstract in the
purpose for the war, and is thus shocked and horrified when confronted with his own
limitations, his own latent prejudice that rises despite the lofty rhetoric that echoes in his mind,
even despite his being an educated man. At the end of the scene, Chamberlain doesn’t see his
need to do anything about this poor man, or since he doesn’t see how to do it, he simply shrugs
his shoulders and does nothing, displaying exactly NO leadership in the matter. He’ll be going
into battle very soon with this particular lapse on his conscience (if it even registers for him—
we aren’t sure.)
Note the conversation Chamberlain has with Kilrain about the ‘divine spark’ in all of man. Think
about it and look it up if you have to. It’s what Chamberlain can’t reconcile in his own aversion
to the escaped slave—he had always believed that men had a ‘divine spark’ regardless of race,
creed, whatever, while Kilrain denies the presence of any such thing, saying men have to be
taken on the basis of their own merits and their own actions. He says there are many men
around who have no more intrinsic value than a dead dog, and his own personal cause is that
he will be judged based on his own merits. There is one aristocracy, that of the intellect. He
identifies Chamberlain as being part of it (of course—he’s a college professor who knows seven
languages), but he also recognizes Chamberlain as an idealist, and he seems glad about it. (It’s
funny to praise idealism when the very ideal from which it springs Kilrain sees as fatally flawed,
but there it is. The father figure in Kilrain can’t help it.) Also note that Chamberlain
intellectualizes everything, so when he feels this sort of punch in the gut over an inner
repugnance toward a man who is completely helpless, doesn’t know the language, and had a
northern civilian actually shoot him right near a battlefield (oh the painful irony!), Chamberlain
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
is shocked. There is very little that moves him in a visceral way; this did and it was unexpected,
so Chamberlain has to put the whole experience back through his intellectual processor to
come up with the right thing to do. Evaluate Kilrain’s remark, “Any man who judges by the
group is a peawit.” (176) Also—what do you think about the idea that equality is a myth in
Kilrain’s mind, but “What matters is justice.” (178) I wonder where we get the concept of
justice w/out some sort of equalizer.
Theme connections:


In the escaped slave scenario, war can dehumanize humanity when Chamberlain has to
abandon the man to go fight for his freedom, but war has a very human face when we
see the man as a stranger, alone, wounded, terrified, not speaking the language. This is
what the war is about in the eyes of Chamberlain and Kilrain, and it puts a very human
face on the Cause spoken of so well in Chamberlain’s initial speech.
War is a builder of men—building Chamberlain individually as it gives him the
responsibility to lead, and building the bond between Chamberlain and Kilrain—that
camaraderie of war that has no peacetime equivalent. War is also a divider of men, as it
divides Chamberlain from his peer, the professor, whose honest explanation and
earnest endeavor to help Chamberlain see how his view is right and Chamberlain’s is
wrong actually ignites in Chamberlain a desire to kill not only him, but all of them.
There’s a parallel w/ the men trying to figure out what the escaped slave was saying, and Tom
Chamberlain trying to figure out what the “rats” were that the Reb prisoners were talking
about. Interesting that there’s a gap in communication between 2 parts of the country even as
there’s a gap in communication between the continents—North America and Africa. I wonder
how stereotypical it was for the Reb prisoners not to know what rights it was that the North
was offending. The fact is, most people in the South, and therefore most Southern soldiers,
didn’t have slaves, but they also didn’t want people in the North telling them they couldn’t.
Think about ‘divine spark’ in reference to killer angels. Hmmm.
July 2, 1863, Chapter 3, ‘Longstreet’
Note Longstreet’s alarm when he sees Lee looking strange, almost feverish, early on in the
chapter and again when Lee mentions that he has been ill and doesn’t want any indisposition to
affect his judgment. Lee wants his generals to agree, but he would wait in vain for that from
Longstreet. All Longstreet can manage is a “Yes sir,” which may be a sign of deference but in
this case, not of agreement.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
There is marvelous, beautiful characterization of how Lee’s relationship stands with his generals
when he addresses Heth, who had been wounded the day before but who wants to prove that
he can still do whatever the Commanding General wants. “There was that tone in his [Lee’s]
voice, that marvelous warmth, that made them all look not at Heth but at Lee, the graybeard,
the dark-eyed, the old man, the fighter.” (187) Do not underestimate the impact of Lee’s
inspiration on individuals, be they generals or common soldiers, as well as on the army as a
whole.
Motif: Count all of the references to vision: eyes, gaze, look, see, blink, everything. There are
TONS of references to vision which Shaara uses to develop motif. Remember Longstreet’s
curse. He sees what’s happening as his men report what they’re encountering—they want him
to countermand Lee’s orders—issue other orders based on the unfolding situation. This is not
without precedent—Longstreet apparently has done this before because he thinks that he can’t
go against Lee again. The problem develops because Lee has directly told Longstreet NOT to
send troops around to the right, but instead to concentrate the attack and give it all they’ve got
en echelon.
A parallel problem is that of Longstreet not disappointing his father figure. The relationship
seems to be changing—when Longstreet shook Lee’s hand, he noticed that the grip wasn’t as
firm nor the hand as large, which conjures images of a young child holding his hand up to his
dad’s hand. As kids grow up and their influences expand, their parents claim a smaller and
smaller percentage of that influence; indeed, as kids get older they come to realize that their
parents don’t know everything, can’t fix everything, and seem ‘smaller’ to them (remember Will
thinking both things about Mr. Halloway at different points in Something Wicked?) Lee gets
some things wrong here, and they’re big things, and Longstreet sees it coming and can’t stop it.
He doesn’t want to jeopardize either the relationship w/ the Old Man or his boys’ lives, so the
internal conflict is intense.
Hood is characterized as a soft-spoken man, an expert strategist, and someone worth listening
to, but Lee doesn’t listen to him. Hood sees what Longstreet sees, maybe like siblings who
don’t know what to do with a parent who is in some way out of sync w/ the world. In this case,
though, it’s their job to obey orders—that’s what a good soldier does. The necessity of being a
good soldier also figures into Longstreet’s decision to order the attack the way Lee planned it.
Even though Longstreet knows that Hood is right, there’s a chain of command that needs to be
followed.
Remember how Longstreet mentally assesses Hood’s importance as he shakes Hood’s hand
(there’s a hand again) and tells him to take care of himself, thinking, “Best soldier in the army.
If it can be done, he will do it. He and Pickett. My two. Oh God, there’s not enough of them.
We have to spend them like gold, in single pieces. Once they’re gone, there will be no more.”
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
(188) Longstreet values this man and recognizes that once he spends him, and all the rare
golden generals, there will be no more.
There’s a HUGE message in Lee’s and Longstreet’s discussion concerning the internal conflict
that likely troubles all thinking career generals in the Confederacy: “They’re never quite the
enemy, those boys in blue” as well as “…we broke the vow.” (191) Lee had thought and
spoken about this internal conflict in a previous chapter, but today he dismisses it with the
notion that there was a higher duty to Virginia, which is the seat of the Confederacy, but also
Lee’s home state, not Longstreet’s! Lee resorts to his bedrock faith and puts the issue squarely
in God’s hands; notice how Longstreet never ever contradicts him despite the deep crisis of
faith he’s been having since his children died.
Lee follows it up with the cautionary lecture to Longstreet about the “great trap” of being a
soldier and an officer. This is HUGELY important, not just because it’s true, but because Lee
may have misread Longstreet’s caution and Longstreet can’t explain, can’t help him see the
strategy of his viewpoint. Longstreet believes that Lee has misread him, at any rate. Either Lee
is wrong and is misreading the character of his right-hand man, closer to him than any other
officer in the army, OR Longstreet, the realist, is in denial of the reality within himself.
Nevertheless, even if there is some truth there for Longstreet (since his kids have died, he’s
made the army a substitute family), the thing that’s going to happen has less to do w/ how
Longstreet feels and much more to do w/ what he sees. (What does it say about Lee’s
character that he attends to what his generals feel as well as seeking judgment calls from them
concerning what they see?) DO NOT FORGET LONGSTREET’S ACKNOWLEDGED FEAR: “The only
fear was not of death, was not of the war, was of blind stupid human frailty, of blind proud
foolishness that could lose it all.” (198) This year I was thinking about what human frailty is—is
it the unwillingness to look at what’s in front of you?? That would fit with blindness. Is it
arrogance? That’s hubris, the type of pride that leads to a fall.
Also: “Hood stared at him with the black round eyes. Longstreet felt an overwhelming wave
of sadness. They’re all going in to die. But he could say nothing.” (201)
Genius point of the day: Longstreet (the rock) will be attacking what the Confederates refer to
as the “Rocky Hill” which Longstreet really does not want to do. How’s that for INTERNAL
CONFLICT with Longstreet’s own special symbol?! Rock vs. Rocky—whatever happens, this isn’t
going to be pretty, and it’s going to be hard for Longstreet in a different way than it’s hard for
everybody else.
A few students found the reference to “wild-haired Pickett” (190) and were reminded of the
“wild-haired child” of Chap. 4, June 29, 2863 section. Hmm. Keep it in mind. There is also a
reference to “a shadow cross [Lee’s] eyes like a passing wing” (191--angels, anyone?) The
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
possibility was raised that there could be a light angel and a dark angel. The generals of the
South are the ones breaking their vow, so they would be dark angels. The white angel was up in
the cemetery, with Buford on that same day—remember?? HMMMM!
Remember that whatever the Confederates don’t know about the strength and movement of
the Union Army is because of Stuart, but ultimately, the fault lies with Lee because Lee chose to
wait for his ‘perfect’ boy to return and justify Lee’s faith in him rather than sending others
out—other available cavalry -- to do the urgent job at hand. This confidence in Stuart is
misguided, but who knew? Lee, the idealist, couldn’t conceive of his perfect cavalry
commander letting him down, so now it’s the second day of the battle, they have limited
intelligence about what they’re facing in the Union army (and none at all about the roads that
lead to the Union’s position), and Stuart still hasn’t been corralled and brought back. He’s
coming though—oh yes, he’ll get there. Lee’s hesitance to sort of hedge his bets, cover all
bases, and protect his army exacts a steep price from everyone. There’s plenty of anger for
Stuart, and rightly so, but we can’t forget that Lee waited until the end of the first day’s battle
to go looking for him. He has discussed the price of war getting ever higher—he also sees the
value of the men.
Longstreet’s internal dialogue about what he would do w/ Stuart parallels Chamberlain’s—he
also argues with himself, professor of rhetoric that he is. But I didn’t quite expect it in
Longstreet.
Note the difference in opinion of the Virginia boys of the Army, the ‘gentlemen,’ versus the
Deep South—those Mississippi boys! Led by Barksdale with his long white hair and his savage
cry, the fierceness of the Mississippi boys does Longstreet’s heart good. He has to hold them
back—the en echelon is a staggered attack explained toward the end of the chapter—and the
longer he holds them back, the more ready they are to fight. There was a question about the
line, “He could feel the fire burning in McLaws, in Barksdale, as water builds behind a damn.”
The last word there is the wrong homophone! Now, either that’s a typo or there’s a sense of
doom—damnation, as it were—before an attack that can’t work. I don’t know which.
As much of the vision motif as there is, there is quite a lot of heat motif building. Think July,
yes, but also note references to heat in people’s eyes is more related to the heat of battle.
After all, one fires a gun. Lee’s eyes reflect heat, as do Hood’s (all references to ‘coal’ reflect
the heat motif, too). There is a fever reference re. Lee—Longstreet actually finds the look on
Lee’s face disturbing. (183) There’s one great line, “Hot food for a hot day. Will be much hotter
later on.” (189) Three references to heat—one for food, one for weather, and one for battle,
nice and compact in a single line.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Does everyone know who is going to be up on the Rocky Hill (Little Round Top to the Union)
when Longstreet’s corps attacks? I’ll give you a hint—his is the next chapter, so when reading
Chap. 4 ‘Chamberlain,’ remember whose boys are coming up that hill to attack.
July 2, 1863, Chap. 4, ‘Chamberlain’
Note how Chamberlain thinks, how his stream-of-consciousness thought plays out. He has a
vacancy to his left since he is the extreme left flank of the entire Army of the Potomac. When
there’s a vacancy in the line where 2 boys get hit at the same time, he plugs the hole with his
brother whom he describes as terribly vulnerable. He will carry the internal conflict (the
Colonel ordering his brother to step into harm’s way) for the duration of the battle. (Could there
be a Longstreet parallel here, now that Longstreet thinks of the Army when he turns away from
the thoughts of his dead children? It’s unclear—Longstreet doesn’t think so—but it might be
possible.) There’s no one to plug the giant vacancy to his left, which is why he sent Morrell’s B
Company off a way into the woods in case the far right of the Confederate army tries to sneak
around behind them (he is very vague in his directions, which is why that company can’t come
to his aid during any of the five Reb attacks. A veteran commander may have been more
specific.) If the Confederates breach the line or are able to flank the Union, it’ll be all over for
this battle, and for all practical purposes, the war. Certainly Longstreet knows this, and his
divisions will bring great pressure to bear on this end of the line (the right flank from
Longstreet’s perspective, the left flank from Chamberlain’s). Notice how the attack doesn’t
come all at once, which Chamberlain would have preferred. It comes in waves, which could be
a partial effect of the en echelon strategy. The last resort, his famous bayonet charge, is
something that wouldn’t have occurred to most career officers, but to Chamberlain, it seems
the only alternative to withdrawing, which is not an option. For whatever reason, it works, and
we have arguably seen the third Union hero of the engagement here (Buford and Reynolds
would be the first 2).
Vision motif mostly consists of smoke and darkness here. Note the father figure image when
Kilrain tells Chamberlain that it has been an honor and that he’d never served under a better
man—quite profound, although when Chamberlain goes in search of a little whiskey to help
Kilrain deal with his injury, he only thinks briefly about the injured man after Spear offers
Chamberlain a toast to the victory. He thinks that he mustn’t insult Spear, but is that really why
he drinks it himself? Could reality have intruded into Chamberlain’s world view, or it could be
that Chamberlain underestimates the degree of Kilrain’s danger? Note his first reaction to
Kilrain’s injury—“…surely not a bad wound” (128)—and later he thinks of Buster as
‘unhurtable’—sounds kind of like an idealist, yes? Both Chamberlain and Longstreet struggle
w/ their respective father figures as mortal (Kilrain) and as flawed (Lee).
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Lots of blood and guts that Chamberlain experiences only vaguely. He is not disgusted by it, nor
deterred. It’s an unpleasant reality, and idealists tend not to dwell on unpleasant realities. Did
you also notice how many references to Chamberlain being cold in battle—quite a difference
between him and the professionals on the other side. Attribute it to what you will.
Consider—have you seen any references to the Cause in this chapter or is Chamberlain entirely
occupied with killing so he isn’t killed? Where have his ideals gone?? Read the last paragraph in
the chapter. He has put his brother deliberately in harm’s way, his father figure, Kilrain, is
gravely injured, and Chamberlain feels “as good as a man can feel” (236).
July 2, Chap. 5, ‘Longstreet’
Longstreet's dual nature (Shaara uses juxtaposition within a character!) is one of intense
emotion versus one of cold calculation, causing internal conflict {“he was learning war.”
(239)} He knows the attack will fail the way Lee has ordered it (cold calculation), but there's
nothing he can do about it and when it does fail, he feels the intense emotion of rage toward
Lee—although he can’t allow that because Lee, the father figure, is all he has in place of
God. When he sees Lee, his love for the Old Man sweeps aside everything else. He
understands why Hood's men seek to blame him instead of Lee for the failure. There’s a lovely
example of loyalty toward Longstreet in Goree’s account of the fistfight he had—he explains
that he had to hit one of the men in Hood’s division because he was blaming Longstreet.
Interestingly, Goree is protective of Longstreet, but Longstreet is not defensive when it comes
to his reputation or blame, even when he clearly isn’t at fault. Longstreet’s response to T. J.—
“Is he dead?” is typical of the practical general who doesn’t have time to get swept up into
emotionally charged defensiveness. So in battle, he is protective of his boys, but in the
dynamics of the larger army, he chooses to operate personally without defense. He even thinks
that it isn’t Lee’s fault when he mulls over how untouchable Lee has become. No one can bring
himself to question the Old Man—it’s unclear exactly what he means when Longstreet thinks
that it isn’t Lee’s fault. I think he means that Lee can’t help it if his men idolize him and
therefore refuse to blame him for things that go wrong. It’s a nicely subtle example of internal
conflict for Longstreet.
Vision is everywhere in this chapter, in ways that it hasn’t appeared in other chapters—Hood
staring with sightless eyes, Lee’s eyes fixed on a point beyond Longstreet, at some vision of
what ideally he believed would happen and now believes almost happened. Longstreet feels
like a traitor for telling Lee the truth (loyalty) but recognizes that he needs the truth now more
than ever. Interestingly, when Longstreet lies to Hood at the beginning of the chapter about
the success of the attack and the number of casualties, he’s exhibiting loyalty, also—to a friend
whom he wants to recover. (What will Hood fight like, I wonder, without the use of his arm?
Hmmm. Look it up.) Lee’s vision is in his head—it’s a dream. Longstreet’s is a living nightmare
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
based on flesh and blood and cold hard facts, which are difficult to come by because of the
loyalty other men feel toward their commanders (Heth’s men understate the damage so Heth
won’t get in trouble). Loyalty sometimes looks like dishonesty. Is it? Which is more important
in war? Why? Longstreet always associates blindness with stupidity. Did you notice a parallel
in Longstreet’s reaction to Lee’s assertion that “They (the Union line) almost broke” and that
Lee “could see…an open road to Washington.” Longstreet is crazily confused by an account so
starkly different from his experience of reality. It reminds us a little of Chamberlain’s feelings
about the minister and the professor from the South before the war—how if they were right,
the whole world was wrong. It’s a feeling of an enormous “disconnect” between 2 people’s
realities.
Speaking of realities, here’s Jeb Stuart, in the flesh, surrounded by a circle of admiring civilians
who had come up to see how things are going (assuming, of course, that they’ll witness
victory.) Longstreet really doesn’t want to interact with him at all. Lee’s response is a carefully
measured reprimand about how worried everyone was about him—something a father would
say. Stuart takes it warily, as if he senses he’s displeased his superior but isn’t quite sure
because he’s honestly never felt this sensation before in his career. He’s wary. Longstreet flat
out tells the reporter who asks him that he, Longstreet, believes that court martial papers
should be signed against Stuart. Wait and see how Lee handles it face to face with Stuart, in
the last chapter.
Armistead, good guy that he is, is worried about Garnett and suggests that maybe Longstreet
could order Garnett not to fight. Note the crucial discussion between Longstreet and Armistead
setting up the most painfully human chapter in the novel, Armistead's chapter: "'Win, so help
me, if I ever lift a hand against you, may God strike me dead.'" This, along with the haunting
lyrics of Kathleen Mavourneen, sets up Armistead's awful internal conflict: he meant it as a vow
to someone he loved like a brother, and now he must break his vow to his brother. Loyalty
again, of a most painful kind. Either way he decides, he’ll be a traitor—just like Longstreet, just
like Lee, only his seems more personal.
Finally, look at how Longstreet is characterized when Armistead is trying to get him to join the
circle around the fireside—he’s struggling with his mantle of leadership, not wanting to dampen
the men’s spirits by having their corps commander right there, but longing to be a part of
something. He lays down his burden and yields to Armistead’s persuasion, deciding to forget all
of the weight he’s been bearing and simply be a guy around a fire. Do we blame him for this?
He knows his limits—he gives himself a break when he needs one, and ironically, just when he
is most human and perhaps even at his weakest, Armistead refers to him as ‘the Old Man’—the
son figure reminding his men of the father figure somehow.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
July 3, 1863, Chapter 1, ‘Chamberlain’
“It will be hard to go home again after this.” (276)
After so much suffering, so much fear, so much blood and dying, this is Chamberlain’s primary
thought. Remember June 29, 1863, when Chamberlain is confronted w/ what to do with the
mutineers? His problem-solving involves this idea about going home—in short, if he shoots the
mutineers, he won’t be able to go home, so how his decision affects him is among his primary
concerns. NOW he’s saying that it will be hard to go home, and the subtext here is because it’s
so AWESOME!
He characterizes the previous day as a “dream”, notice, not a nightmare. The difference can’t
be victory, because it was after a horrible defeat at Fredericksburg that he realized how much
he loves the army. And it isn’t just the army—it’s the army’s purpose—WAR. The connection
he’s made to the men, that camaraderie which Lee refers to early on, is understandably
precious to someone who has been such a solitary man all his life, isolated in the ivory tower of
academia. But here he seems to mean that he will miss the actual fighting. Maybe it’s just the
adrenaline talking, but it seems he’s lost all sight of his Cause—can’t even bring himself to the
point where he can think about the ideals of the war when Tom brings up his opinion that the
Union is going to win. Chamberlain isn’t too tired to fight again if necessary (realism), but he’s
too tired to think about the reason for fighting (idealism). I guess, then, he’d have no problem
fighting without a reason.
Just a note: the professional soldiers on the other side are really ready for the bloodshed to
stop. They don’t get the same rush from battle that Chamberlain gets, even though there was
presumably something about battle that drew them to their profession in the first place. They
just want the fighting to be over. It’s the rookie, Chamberlain, who is going to have a hard time
going back to ordinary, peaceful living. Draw your own conclusions, but you absolutely have to
consider if and how war changes people!
The most significant conversation Chamberlain has is with Tom re. bayonets. The younger man
initiates it, almost like a confession, telling him he just couldn’t bring himself to stab anyone in
the charge, bizarre in the view of the professional commanders, that he had ordered the day
before. There’s something different about that kind of fighting. Remember Longstreet’s idea—
the new war of machines? Machines take people AWAY from each other in a fight, but
bayonets bring them up close and personal. Isn’t it interesting that the one who doesn’t like
bayonets and couldn’t use his confesses his weakness to the one who absolutely glories in the
fighting and who ordered the charge in the first place? Is it just because Tom is his little brother
that he tells him he doesn’t have to be ashamed of not wanting to use such a brutal weapon, or
does he really believe it? And mind you, there’s no evidence that he used his sword, even when
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
he could have w/ the Confederate who pulled the trigger of an empty pistol the day before.
Consider—the military knows this. How would those mutineers have died if Chamberlain had
decided to shoot them? How do men die for abdicating their responsibility? The military has
the men come before a firing squad—it’s not just one guy in charge of meting out that
punishment. The military knows this tendency; Chamberlain doesn’t seem to.
Chamberlain is having a lot of problems at this point—pain in a wounded foot, hunger, the
inability to feed his men whom he believes saved the whole Union line the day before, sick
people who are afraid to report to the field hospital, the absence of Kilrain although not
precisely anxiety about his condition, the knowledge of how few of the men there are
remaining in the 20th Maine. Even so, he is glorying in what he had been able to do during the
previous day’s battle. He LOVED it and, as his little brother notices, he hadn’t been afraid at all.
He was too busy digging the whole battle thing. The way he rises to each challenge indicates a
path to generalship, which he will achieve before the end of the war.
July 3, 1863, Chapter 2, ‘Longstreet’:
Lee v. Longstreet here. Guess who’s right…and guess who wins. So much vision: Lee’s eyes,
staring at something that isn’t there, staring beyond Longstreet, who perhaps represents
reality. Lee is staring at something he sees in his mind, and he’s building his final hope for a
decisive win on that idealistic vision—as this battle goes, so shall go the war is pretty much
what Longstreet thinks. One result of the Lee versus Longstreet conflict is a HUGE Longstreet
vs. Longstreet conflict. At one point he thinks, “I do not want to hurt this man”—incredible—
but he is responsible for all of the men under his command, his boys. It would be different if it
could be won.
One of the clearest examples of hubris comes at the bottom of 286 and the top of 288.
Longstreet goes slowly through every reason imaginable that this attack cannot work. He lists 7
incontrovertible facts and probable scenarios, to which Lee responds, “They will break.” Lee
says this twice before saying that there isn’t another alternative. Longstreet says the
Confederates have fewer men, have a mile of open ground to cover while under cannon fire
and then enfilade fire, that the enemy have dug in all night and have been heavily reinforced,
that if the Confederate forces need reinforcements, they’ll have to come from miles off
because the front is five miles long—it will be difficult even to coordinate such an attack; but
this is the General’s will, so the General’s will shall be done. When Lee says there are no
alternatives, remember that Longstreet’s idea of redeploying is simply out of the question for
Lee. There are no alternatives, then, short of leaving the field in the command of the enemy
and thus forfeiting their honor. All Longstreet can see is how many men will die in a LOSING
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
CAUSE. It’s the last part that kills him, so to speak. He fully expects his men to die, but his
cause is victory. With this “old Napoleon” style assault (remember when Longstreet was talking
to Fremantle and said that their army’s strategy could be summed up in “old Napoleon and a
hell of a lot of chivalry”?), Lee will have the honor he seeks for the men who will die, and that is
Lee’s bottom line.
Notice the times in the chapter when Lee is silent. The men rally around him, and the soldiers’
morale is seemingly impervious to the facts of the day. They want to cheer for Lee as soon as
they see him and aides have to go ahead to keep them quiet so as not to draw enemy fire. Lee
is such a rock star, and that quality has been such a key to their success, that the men forget
basic battlefield protocol when they see him. Come to think of it, no wonder Lee thinks they
can be inspired to do anything.
When Longstreet brings up the fact that it’s Hancock who will be waiting on the hill for Pickett’s
division to attack, Lee’s response is a simple acknowledgment of the presence of the Second
Corps. Then, when Longstreet spells it out—how hard this will be on Armistead, Lee talks right
over it as if it had no importance whatsoever. Longstreet even tries to pass the attack off on
Hill since 2 of the 3 divisions will be from Hill’s corps. Lee’s, “General, I need you” puts a stop to
that. Longstreet pushes Lee to the point of being silenced by him, unprecedented in their
relationship, but Longstreet’s conscience is not at peace and won’t let Lee alone until he’s said
what he needs to say regardless of its effect on their relationship. Lee says, “General, we all do
our duty. We do what he have to do.” Longstreet realizes that Lee believes his army can do
anything (hubris much?). When Longstreet half apologizes for his slowness, Lee responds that
there’s no one whom he trusts more than Longstreet. Even that doesn’t bring Longstreet on
board, but he gives Lee, the father figure, the best he can summon with any truth—“If it can be
done, those boys will do it.” It’s weak, but it’s all he has.
One humorous note: Pettigrew’s offering Longstreet a copy of the book he wrote, ready to send
an aide off to get it, to which Longstreet replies that he probably won’t be able to find the time
that day. Pettigrew (the intellectual parallel to Chamberlain) tells him it’s an honor to serve
under him, and Trimble is so moved by his promotion to division commander that he’s actually
crying. No pressure or anything, but Longstreet puts the fate of their country (remember, it’s
the Confederate States of America) in their hands.
I hope you saw the HUGE crisis of faith at the bottom of p. 299 when Lee says his trademark, “It
is all in the hands of God” and Longstreet very pointedly thinks, “It isn’t God that is sending
those men up that hill.” Pickett’s question—how much time do they have—is a really bad
question which Longstreet sort of internally shakes his head at—can you think of multiple ways
to take that question? At the very end of the chapter is the most conflicted we have seen
Longstreet since he remembers the crisis of faith in the church after his children died. The
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
bottom line is that he cannot leave the old man to face the consequences of his decision all
alone, he cannot even quit. This scene is a very clear parallel to something Buford thinks in the
second Buford chapter, just as Longstreet’s vision of what will happen to his men later that day
parallels Buford’s terribly clear vision of the situation the Union would be in should they lose the
high ground.
There’s a weird change of perspective at the end, another notable example of cluelessness in
Fremantle, thinking about how amazing it is that Longstreet is going to sleep when what he’s
really doing is closing his eyes to the inevitable destruction of his army in a losing cause. This
change, just like the switch to Buford’s pickets in the June 29 section, indicates that the point of
view can’t be a third person limited. Each chapter feels like third person limited, but there are
small things thrown in that are clues. When Longstreet talks to Lee in the beginning of this
chapter, it says “Lee’s head shifted slightly, imperceptibly.” (286) If it was imperceptible,
Longstreet certainly could not perceive it; therefore, the narrator must be omniscient.
July 3, 1863, Chapter 3, ‘Chamberlain:
Please notice Meade’s only specific example of leadership in the novel: he draws up orders to
WITHDRAW the entire army, and then holds a meeting with corps commanders to have them
vote on it (!) It seems he either is completely unaware of the strong position his army holds OR
he’s so protective of reputation and so scared of Robert E. Lee’s generalship that he wants to
get out while the getting’s good. The fact that he makes everyone officially sign re. their desire
to stay and finish the battle is indicative of how protective he is of his reputation. The thing that
I find funny is that word of this private meeting of corps commanders gets out pretty quickly,
and one commander promptly falls asleep at the meeting, which seems to the messenger
informing Chamberlain of the situation the only sensible thing to do. Either way, it’s an
extraordinary caution that ALMOST proves Lee’s wishful thinking (from a July 2, 1863
Longstreet chapter) right! While no commander in his right mind would trade high ground for
low ground in a battle (Sickles), likewise no veteran commander would order his army OFF the
high ground in the face of a battered enemy in home territory, which is what Meade wants to
do.
Sykes is Chamberlain’s corps commander, and this chapter contains the longest indictment of
the Union command’s disconnect from the troops. All around the “brass” there are tons of
wagons—food and supplies—and the generals are eating heartily, but the troops who have
done the actual fighting can’t seem to get rations.
Notice that Chamberlain is too proud to ask a general for food, but he’ll ask his aide, a
lieutenant. Give Chamberlain credit—after eating one piece of chicken he forces himself to save
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
the rest for his men. Notice, too, that the sight of Chamberlain’s own corps commander doesn’t
impress him too much, but whenever he sees HANCOCK, he straightens up and takes notice.
Hancock is also the Union general who believes that, not only will the Rebs mount an assault,
but they’re bound to hit the center of the line, right in front of the place Chamberlain’s
regiment has been placed. Notice several references to the clump of trees—Chamberlain
notices them—the last time they were mentioned was when Lee pointed them out as the
absolute focus of that day’s assault.
The last we see of Hancock is during the mass artillery assault, the greatest concentration of
artillery ever fired, according to the Longstreet chapter (300) and like nothing else Chamberlain
has ever experienced. Hancock is chatting away on horseback, for crying out loud, right there
on the ridge. What do you make of that? Think he’ll come through okay?? Is it presumptuous
arrogance on Hancock’s part, he of the clean white shirt and commanding presence, or is he
doing his job the best way he knows how, being clearly visible to his men and finding out as
much as possible about their situation?
There is so much imagery in the last several pages of Chapter 3 that it’s impossible to go
through it all. Just note that early in the chapter, Chamberlain doesn’t want to go to sleep—
reminds me of a kid who is afraid he’ll miss something—and after the barrage has begun, he
wishes Kilrain were there to experience it. His “wouldn’t miss it for the world”—unclear if he
means himself or Kilrain. Of course, Kilrain has died and Chamberlain experiences this mini
crisis of faith parallel to Longstreet’s—a moment of intense, not just disbelief but unbelief—a
moment of an awareness of a “nothing” so consuming that he can’t counter it. Is it the
influence of the atheistic Kilrain’s philosophy, or is it something that happens when men suffer
unbearable loss?
At any rate, Chamberlain goes to sleep at the end (at the end of the previous Longstreet
chapter, Fremantle thinks Longstreet is asleep…but he’s far, far from it). Longstreet’s troubles
are about to reach their ultimate culmination on the other side of the line, but Chamberlain is
an ordinary human after all, and sleeps.
As you are reading Chapter 4 ‘Armistead,’ find a tactic that Shaara uses to emphasize a sense of
imminence/immediacy for the attack, and look for a repeated phrase.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
July 3, 1863, Chapter 4, ‘Armistead’:
Perhaps the heaviest chapter of any war book I’ve ever read, it begins with a parallel—using the
chapter’s title as the first word of the first sentence: “ARMISTEAD . . . saw it all begin…” and
Chap. 4 ‘Chamberlain’ from July 2nd : “CHAMBERLAIN . . . heard the cannon begin.” Shaara
continues with a countdown—literally a piecing together of time prior to the charge that will
destroy so much. These pages allow us into the head of one of the most conflicted generals in
the battle. There is a war within at every step: he’s proud of his boys, his army, and at the same
time, he’s proud of the enemy, his best friend. He says goodbye to Garnett, wanting him to get
down from his horse, knowing that he would die. There’s too much emotion and gruesomeness
to summarize. I need to let the novel reveal its own greatness. Look for the fence symbol, look
for killer angels, look for the human face of war, look for war building and dividing men,
juxtaposition of characters (Longstreet and Pickett, adult and child), tears from a rock, a closing
in of the end, the wall dividing men, the betrayal of a solemn vow and its cost, the cost of
honor, a connection to one of the epigraphs, a friend dying on the same side of the wall as the
friend the wall had divided him from, an unexpected word of mercy from the “enemy” and
honor among officers, a reference to the great trap that Lee does NOT fall into, and its cost, the
terrible regret bound to come from a terrible choice.
Notable quotes:
1. “Armistead looked at his watch: 1:97.” (312)
“He looked at his watch: 1:35.” (313)
“He looked at his watch: 1:47.” (314)
“2:10.” (315)
2. “Longstreet sat on a rail fence, motionless, crouched forward.” (312)
3. “He was closer to the guns now and the sound of the cannonade was enormous, like the
beating of great wings.” (313)
4. “it may be for years, it may be forever.” (313, 314)
5. “…he plucked the small ring from his little finger. Pickett looked up; his eyes glazed with
concentration, focused, blinked.
‘Here, George, send her this. My compliments.” (313)
6. Pickett’s characterization: “He was one of those, like Stuart, who looked on war as God’s
greatest game.” (314)
7. “He saw Longstreet sitting alone in the same place, on the same rail, drew comfort from the
solid presence.” (314)
8. “He closed his eyes for a moment and he could see her again, Mary, it may be for years, it
may be forever,” and Hancock’s face in tears, may God strike me dead. He opened his eyes,
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
looked a question at Heaven…And he had said it and meant it: ‘If I lift a hand against you,
friend, may God strike me dead.’ Well, it is all in His hands.”
9. “He sat patiently, his back to a tree. The attack would begin soon enough. When he thought
of that his mind closed down like a blank gray wall, not letting him see.” (315)
10. “Point of pride: My old friend is the best soldier they have. My old friend is up on the ridge.”
(315)
11. “Garnett had the eyes of a man who had just awakened.” (316)
12.
“Armistead said, ‘How’s the leg?’
‘Oh, all right, thank you. Bit hard to walk. Guess I’ll have to ride.’
‘Pickett’s orders, nobody rides.’
Garnett smiled.
‘Dick,’ Armistead said, ‘you’re not going to ride.’
Garnett turned, looked away.
‘You can’t do that,’ Armistead insisted, the cold alarm growing. ‘You’ll stand out like…
you’ll be the perfect target.’
‘Well,’ Garnett said, grinning faintly, ‘well, I tell you, Lo. I can’t walk.’
And cannot stay behind. Honor at stake. He could not let the attack go without him; he
had to prove once and for all his honor, because there was Jackson’s charge, never
answered, still in the air wherever Garnett moved…for Jackson was gone and Jackson
was a great soldier . . .” (316)
13. “Their eyes never quite met, like two lights moving, never quite touching.” (317)
14. “’A man on a horse, in front of that line, George, he’ll be the only rider in a line a mile wide.
They’ll have every gun on that hill on him.’” (318)
15. “He saw Longstreet sitting on a rail fence, gazing out into the glittering fields toward the
enemy line. Pickett rode toward him and Longstreet did not seem to hear. His face was dark
and still; he looked wordlessly at Pickett, then at Armistead, then turned back to the light.”
(319)
16.
“’…What do you say, sir? Do we go in now?’
And Longstreet said nothing, staring at him, staring, and Armistead felt an eerie turning,
like a sickness, watching Longstreet’s face, and then he saw that Longstreet was crying. He
moved closer. The General was crying. Something he never saw or ever expected to see, and
the tears came to Armistead’s eyes as he watched, saw Pickett beginning to lift his hands,
holding out a note, asking again, and then Longstreet took a deep breath, his shoulders lifted,
and then he nodded, dropping his head, taking his eyes away from Pickett’s face, and in the
same motion turned away, and Pickett let out a whoop and clenched a fist and shook it.” (319)
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17. “Win, I’m sorry. Remember the old vow: May God strike me dead. And so the words came. I
wish I could call them back. But Win understands. I have to come now. All in God’s hands.
Father, into your hands . . . ” (320)
18.
“Armistead said, ‘Dick, for God’s sake and mine, get down off the horse.’
Garnett said, ‘I’ll see you at the top, Lo.’”
Armistead said, ‘My old friend.’” (321)
19. “Armistead heard once more that sweet female voice, unbearable beauty of the
unbearable past: it may be for years, it may be forever. Then why art thou silent . . .’ (321)
20. “’All right now, boys, for your wives, your sweethearts, for Virginia! At route step, forward,
ho!’ He drew his sword, pointed it toward the ridge.”
21. “’Close it up, close it up’” (323)
22. “Armistead turned, called his aides, took off the old black felt and put it on the tip of his
sword and raised it high in the air. He called for double-time, double-time” (325)
23. “Up there the wall was a terrible thing … ” (326)
24. “One of Pettigrew’s brigades had broken on the far left. Armistead raised his sword, saw
that the sword had gone through the hat and the hat was now down near his hand. He put the
hat up again, the sword point on a new place, started screaming, follow me, follow me, and
began the long last walk toward the ridge. No need for hurry now, too tired to run, expecting to
be hit at any moment.” (326)
25. “Armistead came up to the stone wall, and the blue boys were falling back. He felt a
moment of incredible joy.” (328)
26. “… and Armistead leaped to the top of the wall, balanced high on the stones, seeing the
blue troops running up the slope into the guns, and then he came down on the other side, had
done it, had gotten inside the wall, and men moved in around him, screaming. And then he
was hit, finally, in the side, doubling him.” (328)
27. “He had made it all this way; this way was enough. He put an arm on the cannon to steady
himself. But now there was a rush from the right. Blue troops were closing in. Armistead’s
vision blurred; the world turned soft and still…An officer was riding toward him; there was a
violent blow. He saw the sky, swirling round and round, thank God no pain. A sense of vast
release, of great peace. I came all the way up, I came over the wall . . .” (328)
28. “…but now he could feel the end coming, now for the first time he sensed the sliding
toward the dark, a weakening, a closing, all things ending now slowly and steadily and
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peacefully. He closed his eyes, opened them. a voice said, ‘I was riding toward you, sir, trying to
knock you down. You didn’t have a chance.’
He looked up: a Union officer. I am not captured, I am dying. He tried to see: help me,
help me. He was lifted slightly.” (328)
29. “The officer was speaking. Armistead said, ‘Is General Hancock . . . would like to see General
Hancock.’
A man said, ‘I’m sorry, sir. General Hancock has been hit.’
‘No,’ Armistead said. He closed his eyes. Not both of us. Not all of us. Sent to Mira
Hancock, to be opened in the event of my death. But not both of us, please, dear God . . . “
(329)
30. “’Will you tell General Hancock, please, that General Armistead sends his regrets. Will you
tell him . . . how very sorry I am . . .’
The energy failed. He felt himself flicker. But it was a long slow falling, very quiet, very
peaceful, rather still, but always the motion, the darkness closing in, and so he fell out of the
light and away, far away, and was gone.”
The Union officer was trying to knock Armistead out of the way—he put himself in harm’s way
to knock Armistead down so he wouldn’t get shot. There is often a code among enemy officers,
a strange bond that leads them to spare each other. In this case, the Union officer was too late,
but wanted Armistead to know that he had tried to reach him in time. Notice how respectful he
is to Armistead. We can be fairly sure the message got through to Hancock.
And so the last thing Armistead thinks about is Hancock and Mira, whom he presumes will be
the only one of the four of them, the two couples who were best friends. Armistead’s dying
gesture is one where he sends, not his compliments, but his regrets. He has achieved one of his
goals as an officer—he has breached the enemy’s wall and come down on the other side. The
moment of joy gives way to his sorrow.
July 3, 1863, Chapter 5, ‘Longstreet’:
Encounters, images, symbols, and quotes worthy of note:
Encounters:
1. Lee's admission, "It is all my fault, it is all my fault." (332) Watch how the men respond,
refusing to blame Lee. One even begs to be permitted to reform and try again.
2. Pickett's destruction, both militarily and personally and the parallels to the "wild-haired
child" in the Buford chapter
3. Pickett's encounter with Lee provides the incentive for Longstreet to put himself in harm’s
way, throw away his life along with the others’ lives Lee has thrown away, but he picks up
the rifle so he can take a few of the enemy with him.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
4. Longstreet's attempt to ride out and meet the remnants of the Union army alone on
horseback—Goree’s response, “General, I tell you plain. There are times when you worry
me.” (335) and “It’s no use trying to get yourself killed, General. The Lord will come for you
in His own time.” Goree is an important sideline character because, while Longstreet spends
his career taking care of his boys and Lee, someone, Goree, is looking out for him. From
what I’ve read, this is represented accurately. Goree stays with Longstreet for a time even
after the war.
5. The final encounter between Lee and Longstreet (337-340). Lee seems genuinely shaken in
his ideals, looking to Longstreet for that vision of reality that he had previously dismissed.
Longstreet's anger and resentment toward Lee does NOT eliminate his genuine concern for
Lee's welfare. His certain knowledge that the war is all but lost lingers on one side of his
brain—the side with the calculator, while the side that feels things deeply has all manner of
mingled emotions: rage, disgust, despair, and pity. He is still ready to help Lee at the
slightest indication of Lee’s weakness or need. Indeed, Longstreet and his wife name one of
their sons Robert Lee Longstreet. Historically, Longstreet does request to be removed from
Lee’s army and sent to serve with his First Corps in the Army of Tennessee, which is granted
after Gettysburg. He returns to Lee’s army before the war’s end and accompanies Lee to
Appomattox. Both things are true simultaneously. The complexity of the relationship is
authentic, as is the complexity of each major character in the novel.
6. Notice Longstreet at the end of the chapter. He goes out onto the field to say goodbye.
Now, who is going to be out on the field? He is likely thinking about Armistead and Garnett
in particular. It reminds me of Buford—the last we see of him, he looks to the sky and says
to John Reynolds, “Well, John, we held the ground.” (150) Notice that Longstreet’s last
order of business in the novel is to give the order to retreat.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Images and Symbols
“The sun died gold and red.” If the sun is the Army of Northern Virginia (the dying army),
gold may correspond with honor and red with blood.
“…far off beyond the cemetery there was a golden light…” If you stop the line there, isn’t
heaven beyond the cemetery?
“The old man had his hand over his eyes.” Remember in whose hands the Army of Northern
Virginia is, and look how those hands, weak and painful, are shielding his vision. It’s after he
takes them away from his eyes that he tells Longstreet, “And now you must help me see
what must be done. Help us to see.” (339) Lee has been obeying his vision of idealism,
which came up against Longstreet’s realism and was worsted in the face-off. Lee finally
turns to the one whose “curse” it is “to see the thing clearly” (127) and asks for help.
“The facts rose up like shattered fenceposts in the mist.” (337) If the fenceposts are
shattered, there is no longer room for decision, one way or the other.
Quotations
1. “He watched the battle dissolve to nightmare.” (330)—parallel to Chamberlain’s “dream”.
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
2. “He tried once formally to pray, but there was no one there and no words came, and over
and over he said to himself, ‘Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father.’” This is the crisis of faith
come full circle. He tried substituting Lee as a father figure for God and that didn’t work.
He’s back to God in this chapter, but it doesn’t seem to be going any better.
3. “,,,suddenly he saw George Pickett, bloodstained. His hat was gone; his hair streamed like a
blasted flower.”
4. “Pickett’s eyes lighted as if a sudden pain had shot through him, He started to cry. Lee said
again with absolute calm, ‘General, you must look to your Division.’
Pickett said tearfully, voice of a bewildered angry boy, ‘General Lee, I have no Division.’” (333)
5. “’Sir? What about my men?’ as if even now there was still something Lee could do to fix it.
‘What about my men? Armistead is gone. Garnett is gone. Kemper is gone. All my colonels
are gone. General, every one. Most of my men are gone. Good God, sir, what about my
men?’” (333)
6. “He thought of Lee as he had looked riding that hill, his hat off so that the retreating men
could see him and recognize him. When they saw him they actually stopped running. From
Death itself.” (335) Death is capitalized sometimes just like Cause is sometimes. I wonder
why.
7. “All that was left now was more dying. It was a final defeat. They had all died and it had
accomplished nothing, the wall was unbroken, the blue line was sound.” (337)
8. “’Peter, I’m going to need your help.’” (338)
9. “’I don’t think we can win it now.’” (339)
10. “’I don’t know if I can go on leading them. To die. For nothing.’” (339)
11. “’They do not die for us. Not for us. That at least is a blessing… Each man has his own reason
to die. But if they go on, I will go on.’”
12. “’If the war goes on—and it will, it will—what else can we do but go on? It is the same
question forever, what else can we do? If they fight, we will fight with them. And does it
really matter after all who wins? Was that ever really the question? Will God ask that
question in the end?’” (339)
13. “’But if a soldier fights only for soldiers, he cannot ever win. It is only the soldiers who die.’”
(339) Lee is comparing Longstreet’s focus on his men to the larger purposes in the war,
those of the idealist, honor in particular. Lee’s last great truth is a challenge to
Chamberlain’s stirring speech at the beginning of the novel, “What we’re all fighting for, in
the end, is each other.” (30) In essence, Lee is saying that battles can be lost without killing
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
a Cause, but battles can’t even be fought without killing soldiers. It may be the most
realistic thing Lee says in the novel. He still has traces of idealism in this chapter (remember
when Stuart returned, “The old man stepped out into the light…” so we get ready for his
idealistic approach), but reality has intruded, and Lee is honest about it. When we last see
Lee, in fact, “…he rode off into the dark.”
July 3, 1863, Chapter 6, ‘Chamberlain’:
1. It’s official: Chamberlain forgot all about the Cause and finds it weird to think about anything
abstract, any larger purpose, any motivation other than actual battle (343). And here is a
question to consider: Is it different to fight because of something than to fight for something?
What hinges on the precise diction there? All of the professional soldiers, Lee, Longstreet, and
Buford in particular, are fighting because they are professional soldiers and war happens to
break out during their chosen career. What they are fighting for might vary, but most of them
don’t dwell on it—they get on with their job.
2. There are theme connections to the brotherhood of man, the war of brothers, there are
good men on both sides. Chamberlain takes it so far as to identify with the enemy completely—
as if “they were his own men who had come up that hill and he had been with them as they
came, and he had made it across the stone wall to victory, but they had died.” (344) That
admiration and identification allows him to instinctively and graciously order the final symbol of
respect, fellow man to fellow man, at Appomattox.
3. When Chamberlain thinks of Kilrain, he transposes ‘Animals’ for ‘Angels’—at least, that’s
how it reads in mass paperback edition. “He was thinking of Kilrain: no divine spark. Animal
meat: the Killer Animals.” The trade paperback says ‘Angels’ for some reason. I haven’t been
able to determine which was in the original manuscript, but ‘Animals’ fits the context.
Other notable quotes:
1. He knew he had been present at one of the great moments in history.” (341)
2. “Chamberlain closed his eyes and saw it again. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever
seen…He did not understand it: a mile of men flowing slowly, steadily, inevitably up the long
green ground, dying all the while, coming to kill you…and yet even above your own fear came
the sensation of unspeakable beauty.” (342)
3. “He had forgotten the Cause. When the guns began firing he had forgotten it completely. It
seemed very strange now to think of morality, or that minister long ago, or the poor runaway
black.” (343)
4. “It was my privilege to be here today. He thanked God for the honor. Then he went back to
his men.” (344)
5. “…the sky opened along the ridge, and the vast water thundered down, drowning the fires,
flooding the red creeks, washing the rocks and the grass and the white bones of the dead,
cleansing the earth and soaking it thick and rich with water and wet again with clean cold
rainwater, and driving the blood deep into the earth, to grow it again with the roots toward
Heaven.” (344, 345)
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
There are a number of things here that seem inside-out—among them Chamberlain’s thinking
that a mass of men moving up a hill to kill him is the most beautiful sight imaginable. To his
credit, Chamberlain both acknowledges it and admits that it puzzles and disturbs him. As far as
the reference to the rains driving the blood into the earth to grow it again, roots-side up—I’m
not sure. War is unnatural. The blood enriches the soil which grows the wheat men eat, thereby
providing blood for the next unnatural war. Is this an image where the roots are upside down or
where Heaven is in the opposite direction of where we think it is? It’s as cryptic as war itself.
Afterword
Lee is one of 3 men whose pardons are not granted by President Johnson due to the strength of
their influence in the Confederate army. (Confederate President Jefferson Davis is another)
When Lee lays down his arms, the army does likewise. It’s hard to imagine considering the
horrific condition of soldiers and civilians, but there were many who were ready to fight to the
last man standing rather than be ruled by Yankees in Washington. The blurb about Lee
mentions his ‘prestige’—I guess that’s one thing to call it. After his death he becomes the
symbol of the Noble South; prior to his death, he is beloved by his men and respected by
EVERYONE. If he says the matter is over, the matter must be over. Lee openly admits his
responsibility for the loss at Gettysburg, although, even as Gorree has predicted, few can accept
it. It doesn’t sound like Lee has any idea what he could have done differently. It sounds rather
like Harry Heth on July 1, 1863! That he never again orders a Napoleonic assault may mean that
he has learned, but he doesn’t go that extra step to admit they should have disengaged or
maneuvered in the face of the enemy. It was a loss, but in Lee’s view, an honorable one.
Longstreet is the third man whom Johnson refuses to pardon. After the war, Longstreet teams
up with his old roommate Ulysses S. Grant to work on compromise so the conditions of
surrender won’t be as harsh for the South—it doesn’t go over well in either the South or the
North. Early is the one who makes sure Longstreet is left off the list for the Army of Northern
VA reunion, and he spends a good bit of time and energy broadcasting Longstreet’s role in the
defeat at Gettysburg when Longstreet echoes what Lee had said—Lee’s the one who lost the
battle. Early’s scandal seems to speak to his overall sliminess as a human being, whether he’s
busy maligning Longstreet or not. The South has no real reason to cheer Longstreet anyway,
though, since he is seen a traitor to their cause by seeking compromise. (It sounds eerily like
some of our political landscape today.)
Does anyone else find it funny that Stuart is named as absent in every chapter until he returns,
and yet a blurb explaining what happens to him is absent at the end. Poetic justice?
Armistead’s personal Bible is a treasured gift for Mira Hancock—it would have notes of his
personal journey of faith to the person he believes will be the last remaining member of the
four best friends. It may also be a way of sending his “regrets”—of showing that, although God
has indeed struck him down after breaking his vow, he has been a man of integrity along the
way?
Ongoing Ross Notes for The Killer Angels, 2015-2016
Chamberlain virtually begins the novel—his is the first “character” chapter, he ends the novel,
and he names the novel. When we read the Afterword, we see why. His selection by Grant to
accept Lee’s surrender is amazing to me considering that he wasn’t a professional soldier. This
man was the quintessential “gentleman soldier,” rising to distinction after distinction, both
during and after the war. The most lasting and redeeming image for me is the moment that
General Chamberlain calls his men to attention at the surrender—at Appomatox—to salute the
South. It is the ultimate act of respect and comradeship—a gesture unexpected by just about
everyone—he “startles the world” (355) with that act of respect. This brotherhood, this kinship,
this equality-of-all-men philosophy that Chamberlain espouses is real. The gesture is not of the
conqueror to the conquered, but rather a suitable and respectful end to the American Civil
War, truly a war of brothers.