The Killer Angels is a tale of one of the bloodiest battles, in the bloodiest war that America ever waged-the Civil War. The book is a work of fiction in that it unabashedly reconstructs personal narratives of different historical protagonists, and attempts to give a moment-by-moment historical account of the various participants involved in the war that goes beyond what historians know from documents and records of the period. The book's ultimate aim is similar to that of nonfiction-it wishes to give a balanced rather than a biased perspective of the Battle of Gettysburg.
             To weave a compelling tale, Shaara has the benefit of drawing from historical diaries and memoirs, even though he strives to fill in what he does not know in fact, with the workings of his imagination. For example, he does not deviate from historical details when describing the feelings of General Lee when he argues with General Longstreet about the correct tactics to take against the Union, although he does flesh out what is known of their argument with passion and emotion in back-and-forth dialogue.
             Most Americans are aware of President Lincoln's famous speech at the battlefield of Gettysburg, in memory of the lives that were lost. However, despite the fact that Lincoln's eulogy was commemorative many people today likely have forgotten the circumstances surrounding the battle. To memorize the battle to the fullest extent, as well as the dead, Shaara's book tells the story from the perspective of the Union and Confederate generals, the Union's General John Buford and Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Generals Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet and Lewis Armistead of the Rebel army.
             The decision to shift perspectives might be jarring to a modern viewer, as the author is essentially looking through the eyes, in the case of Armistead, Lee, and Longstreet, of the men who were fighting to sever from the Union and to uphold a way of...