The Killer Angels is a novel about war. Though it is a fiction one, the events of the novel are depicted so realistically that for a long time the book was one of the essential literary pieces to read in many military institutions, like US Army Officer Candidate School, The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina and many others. It is also one of the two fictional novels recommended in the reading list for Officer Professional Development even nowadays.

The plot depicts the events of the Battle of Gettysburg, but not from the detached point of view that is common for the historical books. The author shows the experience of different participants of the battle, and every character has their unique view and understanding of the events happening around.

The deep understanding of the psychology and military theme lets the author create a plausible picture from each one’s point of view and unite them all into the bigger perspective. The events of the battle are well-described and studied by many historians, but the book is dedicated not to the events, but to the causes of the actions or inaction, the meaning of them for the participants of the battle and the ultimate question of the story: why this battle was fought at all.

The Battle of Gettysburg decided the fate of the thousands of slaves waiting (and fighting!) for abolition. But the book avoids the classical portrayal the pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces as ultimately bad and good respectively. We see the people, with their own ideals, flaws and virtues, who are defending their average way of life, order and safety for the society - or praising the noble and revolutionary idea that may disrupt the very bedrock of the world they are used to.

Even if you are not a military expert or an officer-to-be, this book is a very interesting piece to read. The history, presented through personal experience, stops being just history: dry dates and facts - and becomes life that happened once and was lived by the people, so similar to us.

Author: Timmothy Bishop