The Killer Angels

During the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg, commanders on both sides attempt to understand an enemy they can see only in fragments. Robert E. Lee believes an aggressive victory may force a political settlement, while James Longstreet doubts the wisdom of attacking strong Union positions. On the opposing ridges, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, John Buford and Winfield Scott Hancock prepare to hold ground on which the campaign may turn.

Michael Shaara reconstructs the battle through intimate viewpoints rather than a single heroic narrative. The novel moves from Buford’s decision to occupy the heights through Little Round Top, the second day’s assaults and Pickett’s Charge, examining duty, friendship, command and the Confederate cause. Its account of Gettysburg forms the central volume of the Civil War Trilogy.