1) Did the Union and Confederate forces want to fight in or
near Gettysburg? Why or why not? What was the Confederate army
looking for when traveling to Gettysburg?
2) Compare the relationship between General Winfield Scott
Hancock and General Lewis Armistead. How did this complicate the
Battle of Gettysburg?
3) What area of Gettysburg is the target of capture by the
Confederate forces during days one and two during the battle? Were
they ever successful in capturing this area of land?
4) Why was the absence of General J.E.B. Stuart a major blow
to the Confederate effort at the Battle of Gettysburg?
5) Describe the thought process behind the charge on the last
day of the battle. Was “Pickett’s Charge” successful? Why or why
not?
6) What was the leadership difference between the two highest
ranking Confederate generals, Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet?
How did this affect their personal and working relationship?
7) The author, in his afterword, discusses Robert E. Lee. He
calls General Lee the most “beloved general in the history of
American war”. Are there any facts in the book given by the author
that support this statement? If so what are they?
8) What part in the narrative does the character “Harrison”
play? How was he instrumental in the Southern war effort? Who was
his main supporter?
9) The beginning of the battle on the first day was a disaster
for the Union army as the book said they “went on without a
commander”. What does the book mean by this? How did this change
the immediate war plans of the Union army from the beginning?
10) Which of the generals or other leaders that you read about
in The Killer Angels do you feel did the best job during the
battle? Why?