1. Were soldiers religious? What did they think about God? What sorts of religious viewpoints do we see in this book? 2. Why did soldiers fight? Did the motivations of men on the two sides differ? What enabled men to fight in the face of death? 3. What thesis does the author argue as to why the Confederacy was defeated at Gettysburg? What evidence does he present to make his point? Do you agree or disagree with him? Trevor Jenke Professor Lockwood History 1301: M-W 12:30 2 December, 2013 Killer Angels Book Review 1. During the Civil War, there were two sides, the Confederate Army and the Union Army.
While the Confederates fought for slavery, the Union fought for their freedom. While the Confederates fought for the continuance of state’s rights, the Union fought, the Union fought for what its name stood for, preserving the Union. While one side seemed to be more religious, the other seemed to remain rather independent . General Lee in particular is presented as a religious man with a streak of fatalism in his nature. He tends to attribute certain events to the will of God. This is first apparent when he realizes that there will be a battle at Gettysburg, even though this was not the location he had decided upon.
Everything seems to be unfolding without much input from him and he thinks, “it was all in God’s hands”. (Pg. 111 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara) Just before Pickett’s Charge begins, Lee repeats the notion that “It is all in the hands of God” (p. 317 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara), although Longstreet, the down-to-earth soldier, pointedly replies that “it isn’t God that is sending those men up that hill. ” Longstreet’s remark presents a different world view. Men do not march blindly to their preordained fates; their fate is decided by men who make certain decisions and have it in their power to make different ones.
The Essay on The Man after God’s Own Heart
David, King of Jews, possessed every weakness and sin that “a man of blood” is capable and yet God still showered and bestowed him with abundant blessings. He was the adulterer of Bathsheba whom he forced to go with him to bed and convinced to lie about her pregnancy to her husband Uriah. He was the murderer of his friend Uriah whom he sent in front of the battlefield if only to own Bathsheba. He ...
It is human will not divine will that determines outcomes. Shaara masterfully summarized the character of the Army of Northern Virginia and its inherent hypocrisy. “They are rebels and volunteers. They are mostly unpaid and usually self-equipped. This is an army of remarkable unity, fighting for disunion. It is Anglo-Saxon and Protestant . . . . They share common customs and a common faith and they have been consistently victorious against superior numbers. ”( Foreword: IX – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara) Armistead has a religious nature similar to that of Lee.
He prays before Pickett’s Charge begins, knowing that everything is out of his hands, and he believes there is a “foreordained” plan, the outline of which they will soon come to know. Like Lee he seems fatalistic, believing himself to be “in the grip of these great forces, powerless, sliding down the long afternoon toward the end, as if it was all arranged somewhere” (Pg. 334 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara ).
No one on the Union side seemed to express ideas like these, which seem to be associated with the traditional religious faith that flourished in the South and which is part of the reason Fremantle admires the Confederacy.
On the other side, Chamberlain, who in effect is the chief spokesman for the Union cause, thinks more in terms of the ability of men to shape their own future democratically rather than invoking the will of God as the power that dictates what happens in human affairs. Religion played a major role in the war, particularly on the south’s side. The lead General, Gen. Lee, often felt that the war was out of his hands and the hands of his men. He felt as if the entire war was “in the hands of God”. The Union Army and Col. Chamberlain felt that it was the ability of their men that would ultimately shape the outcome of the war.
The Essay on King Arthur Fighting A War
Arthur's Reasons Concerning War Since the beginning of time, the chaotic and barbaric fighting called war has been and will happen until the end of the world, that is, unless mankind smartens up. As T. H. White puts it on pages 631-632," They were always saying that the present one (war) was to be the last, and afterwards there was to be a heaven. They were always to rebuild such a new world as ...
Nevertheless, it was more than religion that set them apart. The most important reason as to why the armies were fighting, was that of slavery. 2. Both and the North found themselves fighting for different reasons and sometimes even the men of the same army found themselves fighting for a variety of causes. Early on the Union Army saw themselves as fighting for freedom. They believed that slavery could not co-exist in a country that was founded on the ideology of freedom. However, they eventually found themselves fighting to help free the slaves rather than fighting for each other.
The Confederate Army was fighting to maintain its grip on slavery as it was ever so important to their economy and way of life. They depended on it so greatly that they would be willing to risk their lives on order to hold on to it. Col. Chamberlain talks about his view on the war, and what it meant to him as he was trying to convince the imprisoned troops from the 2nd Maine Division to fight with him. He believed that this war was far different than any other war ever waged in the history of mankind. He believed that what we were fighting for was the value of man, that they were fighting for each other.
“This is free ground. All the way from here to the Pacific Ocean . . . . Here we judge you by what you do, not by what your father was . . . . . What we’re all fighting for, in the end, is each other. ” (Pg. 32 / 33 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara) However, there were still men in the Union who were fighting for themselves rather than the idea of a free nation. In personal discussion, Kilrain says that the reason he, personally, is fighting is “to prove I’m a better man than many” (Pg. 188).
He says, “It’s the aristocracy I’m after” (Pg. 189).
He wants to be treated fairly, as he deserves, no matter what his father deserved. Later on it seemed that there reasonings on the war seemed to have changed. They had gone from fighting for each other to fighting a war on slavery. To Chamberlain, the bottom line is that he sees everyone, black or white, as a man. There is no difference. And yet a Southern minister told him, “very patiently, that that was the thing I did not understand, that a Negro was not a man. ” (Pg. 187) And Chamberlain decides he was willing to kill, if he had to, because he believed that all people were men.
The Essay on War Union General Army
Gods and Generals-Brief Summary When the Civil War broke out in 1858, their were many mixed emotions on whether or not their should be a war in the first place. Economic, social and political differences between the Union and the Confederacy led to the war outbreak in the United States. On the side of the Confederate Army, we see a deeply spiritual, humane, gentlemanly General Robert E. Lee, ...
Even Kilrain seemed to have slightly seen the true reason as to why they were fighting. When Chamberlain’s men find an escaped slave, Kilrain says, “‘And this is what it’s all about. ‘” (Pg. 179) The slaves Although the South was ultimately fighting for slavery, Michael Shaara says of Lee’s reason for fighting the Civil War “, He found that he had no choice…Lee could not raise his hand against his own. And so what then? To stand by and do nothing? It had nothing to do with causes; it was no longer a matter of vows” (Pg. 263).
Chamberlain’s brother, Tom, thinks it is hilarious that the Confederate prisoners keep saying that the war isn’t about slavery, it is about their “‘rats. ‘” The pronunciation is so different, it takes them a while to figure out that means “rights. ” Tom asked what rights were being offended, and they couldn’t say. (Pg. 180) The south was fighting for their ‘rights’ to establish a society like that of their old homeland. In the Freemantle chapter, we get one British opinion. “But the point is they, the Southerners, do it all exactly as we do in Europe. And the North does not.
That’s what this war is really about…. The Northerner doesn’t give a damn for tradition, or breeding, or the Old Country. ” (Pg. 174 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara. ) These were the reasons they were able to carry on with the war. The reasons for a man to fight and kill. They fought and died to defend their freedom, rights, and for the destruction of slavery. I found it most interesting that Kilrain’s personal reasoning was the other side of Freemantle’s perspective. And that Kilrain’s personal reasons for fighting were different than what he thought the war was about 3.
There were several reason as to why the confederates lost the army. Many believe that Lee’s unwillingness to side with Longstreet’s view cost them the war. I myself agree with this statement. Although there were other important factors contributing to the Union’s victory. General John Buford, the Union cavalry commander, was quick to seize the high ground. “He turned in his stirrups, looked back at the high ground, the cemetery. The hills rose like watchtowers. All that morning he had seen nothing but flat ground. When the Rebs came in, in the morning, they would move onto those hills.
The Essay on Abraham Lincoln States Union War
Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. (Lincoln) Abraham Lincoln was a true American hero. He brought this country through a time of succession and rebellion, through his thoughtful planning, tyranny like leadership, and amiable individuality. He, with a half ...
”(Pg. 39 – Killer Angels, Michael Shaara. ) Specifically, he tried to protect Seminary Ridge and the hills behind it – Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Culp’s Hill, Little Round Top, and Big Round Top. The Union yields Seminary Ridge, but manages to hold on to the rest of the hills. These hills were excellent defensive positions as they allowed officers to see much of the surrounding area and they are covered with rocks and trees that can block bullets. Another major benefit to controlling the hills was that artillery had a greater range when fired from high positions.
Robert E. Lee was upset with General Ewell for not seizing Culp’s Hill or Cemetery Hill. Chamberlain’s regiment defended Little Round Top, having been ordered never to retreat. The high ground is one of the major elements of the Union victory. Furthermore, without Jeb. Stuart, Lee has no information about the movements of the Union army or the geography of the surrounding area. ” Yankees were on the high ground and with Stuart gone there was no way of knowing just how many corps lay in wait beyond the haze of that far ridge. ” (Pg. 170-Killer Angels, Michael Shaara.
) As a result, strategic planning is very difficult for Lee, particularly since he is in unfamiliar, Northern territory. First, Pickett’s Charge—Lee’s attempt to completely destroy the Union army—fails, since the Confederate artillery attack prior to the charge misses most of its targets, leaving the Union with almost all its batteries. Second, Lee vastly underestimates the power of the Union position. “Have you ever seen a worse position? Here we are in a long line, spread all around them, a line five miles long. How can we coordinate an attack? They’re massed all together, damn near in a circle.
Anywhere we hit them they can bring reinforcements in a matter of minutes . . . Lee repeated. “In any case, there is no alternative. ” (Pg. 304) The Union artillery decimated the confederate forces. I agree and feel that General Lee’s inability to make the appropriate decisions ultimately cost the confederates the war. He relied too much on that of the good will of the other forces that he became blinded. His inability to comprehend and knowing when he was outmatched severely hindered them and I feel that that is ultimately was lead to their defeat.
The Essay on Ridge Top Tent Stove One
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