Gettysburg
Peter Knupfer (PKNUPFER@KSUVM.BITNET)
Mon, 4 Oct 1993 12:11:58 ECT
Killer Angels is a very fine book, but the comments on the list about Shaara's
character portraits are spot on. His handling of Lee is esp. dubious and
tends excuse Lee's mistakes as advanced senility. Lee knew exactly what
he was doing at G-burg and implemented his plan over the clear and vociferous
objections of division commanders. I don't agree with one list member's
statement that Shaara's treatment of poor whites isn't up to par -- I
thought that portion of the book worthwhile, as was his look at the 20th
Maine. And it's very hard to believe that Longstreet's mind was continuously
preoccupied with the images of dead children. This portrait of rebels as
as sympathetic, sad, kind old men or dashing, courtly cavaliers (like
Pickett) is more a literary device. As for the film, I have my doubts about
using re-enactors in dramatic films; they're too worried about keeping their
uniforms neat and rarely can they act. Civil War battles were mob actions,
not parade-ground marches -- the trailers for the film show rebels marching
in close order toward Union lines, something no self-respecting unit would
be doing after two years' bloody experience charging rifled muskets. By
1863, formations had loosened up considerably. I'm very curious to see
this movie, though, for this and films like Glory are the way that the
current generation is rewriting the history of the war.
Peter Knupfer
pknupfer@ksuvm