Bill,

Here's a question for you. How real was the portrayal of Longstreet and Chamberlain, as presented by Shaara? It seems to me, without really knowing, that Shaara took a great deal of liberty in painting his pictures. I of course don't know this for a fact, I'm certainly no expert, but the characters don't exactly seem real. Perhaps a bit too big or super human.

What is your opinion?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it Jim. I hope the discussion here will continue. I expected some conjecture, theorizing and "what ifs?" at this point in the discussion. I also thought I would leave room for others to start the discussion of Lee's decision to hit the middle of the Union line on day three. Just some of my observations on that.

1. He decides on this plan of action in the middle of the night while he is exhausted.

2. He bases it on conjecture (The union will have reinforced the flanks, weakening the middle.)

3. He still does not consider further maneuvers to the right or rear.

4. He has not even consulted with Longstreet who now knows the ground to the right.

5. What on earth makes him think they can do it???

Ok, I ask that last question because I have been to the field and I have seen the positions. You'll all know what I am talking about when we go there.

 

^^ # 4.
Watching Chamberlain's regiment expend their ammunition and stretch their already thin blue line on Little Round Top on Day 2 causes serious wonder what would have happened at the end of Day 2 and on Day 3 if Lee had taken Longstreet's (and Hood's) advice to move further to the right on the extreme right flank. It will be interesting to see that area of the battlefield. It is hard to visualize how much more maneuvering room was left on the right for flanking the Blue boys. I vaguely remember Shelby Foote in Ken Burns' Documentary talking about what might have happened here on Day 2.

Despite the success of the day and ultimate victory for the Union it is obvious throughout the novel that the southern soldier was a fearsome and competent warrior -- not to be taken lightly. I can only understand that level of resolution and commitment as reflecting a strong and unquestioned motivation of the ordinary soldier (not the eloquent polititians) to fight. Dedication to General Lee?. Right to sucede? Invasion by outsiders? Slavery? Fighting for each other? Yankee atrocities? ...the war had been fought largely on Southern soil up until now. Sherman's march was later. Prisoners on both sides were terribly mistreated.

We haven't really touched very much on the individual, ordinary northern soldier's motivation for fighting in this war. Have we taken it for granted? Preserve the Union? An end to slavery? Arrogance? Carpetbagging?

 

I beleive in circumstances such as the battle of Gettysburg there can be no other result but the discovery of the outstanding. Here is Chamberlain's own battle report. I'll assume that he bears the typical modesty of an officer of the period. In other words, he has downplayed not only his own actions, but his own injuries in favor of his men and subordinate officers.

http://www.civil-war.net/searchofficialrec...in%20Gettysburg

 

In case anyone's interested, pics from my recent visit to Appomattox can be found here:
Appomattox

 

Great pictures Val

 

The other book [Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine] that I've cited pretty much backs up what happened with Chamberlain. It's a much drier style but was compiled from personal diaries of Chamberlain, Oates on the Alabama side, and many other Maine enlisted men. Chamberlain also wrote comprehensive recollections in later years. In addition, he had to file (for the first time as a new company commander) Engagement Reports (or whatever they're called) to describe in detail 'what happened'. Yes, he was amazingly lucky in receiving only superficial wounds

Another interesting sidebar that was omitted from KA: In addition to Joshua Lawrence and Thomas, there was a third Chamberlain brother on the field at Gettysburg. Brother John showed up soon after the 20th Maine arrived in G-burg. He appeared as as civilian and helped run the 'first aid station' that was set up back in the woods and behind the regiment's position on the south end of Little Roundtop. He stayed to help until the 5th of July +/-- and the brothers had some times to spend together.

 

Thanks, Val.
It's good to see the pictures of Appomattox. And you give us such a real feeling for the connection that you have to it. Nice pictures!

 

About Shaara's title for the novel: Not the angel of death, but the killer - angel. It's almost an oxymoron.

"What a piece of work is man...in action how like and angel... ... well, boy if he is an angel he's sure a murdering angel."

"Man, The Killer Angel" becomes Chamberlain's title for a school oration -- out of this discussion with his father about a memorized speech from Shakespeare. Day 1 ch 4 Chamberlain.

About the North's perceived motivation for fighting this battle, Abraham Lincoln is the most eloquent:

The Gettysburg Address

Nov. 19, 1863

Fourscore 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.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.

It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

 

Causes of the Civil War -- reasons for fighting on both sides. This is only a few paragraphs and makes for easy/good reading:

Causes for Civil War/James Emerson