The Killer Angels

by

Michael Shaara

Described as “formal and pious” in contrast to his dear friend Longstreet, Lee is the beloved Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia. He is a fatherly, even godlike figure to his men, a “symbol of war.” On first appearing in the story, Lee is described by Longstreet as “a beautiful white-haired, white-bearded old man,” though haggard and noticeably aging. He has been suffering from heart trouble and believes he does not have much time left, though he keeps his worries to himself until confiding in Longstreet midway through the battle. His men hold him in awe; he creates a hush when he passes. He is a figure of the “old school” of warfare, to whom honor is paramount. As such, Longstreet’s theories of defensive warfare hold little appeal for Lee. When Lee made an attempt at defensive trench warfare in a previous battle, the Richmond newspapers mocked him as “The King of Spades”—a humiliation Lee considers to be a stain on his honor. Now, his biggest fear about Gettysburg is having to pull out his troops in a devastating retreat. Believing that courage, faith, and morale are ultimately more important in war than tactics, he seems to interpret Longstreet’s favoring of the defensive as excessive caution. He carries an ongoing sense of guilt about invading the United States he once swore to defend. Devoutly Christian, he sees God’s intention and providence at work in the circumstances at Gettysburg and in the war more broadly, relying on this instinct in making decisions. After the disaster of Pickett’s Charge, however, a broken Lee humbly admits that Longstreet was right and asks his friend to “help [him] to see” in the days ahead.

Robert E. Lee Quotes in The Killer Angels

The The Killer Angels quotes below are all either spoken by Robert E. Lee or refer to Robert E. Lee. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Honor Theme Icon
).
Monday, June 29, 1863: Chapter 4 Quotes

“But the morale is simply amazing. Really is. Never saw anything like it in the old army. They’re off on a holy war. The Crusades must have been a little like this. Wish I’d a been there. Seen old Richard and the rest.”

Longstreet said, “They never took Jerusalem.”

Armistead squinted.

“It takes a bit more than morale,” Longstreet said.

“Oh sure.” But Longstreet was always gloomy. “Well, anyhow, I’ve never seen anything like this. The Old Man’s accomplishment. Incredible. His presence is everywhere. They hush when he passes, like an angel of the Lord. You ever see anything like it?”

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Lewis Armistead (speaker), Robert E. Lee
Related Symbols: Angels
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

It was Longstreet’s curse to see the thing clearly. He was a brilliant man who was slow in speech and slow to move and silent-faced as stone. He had not the power to convince.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

He had tears in his eyes. Turn away from that. He mastered it. What he had left was the army. The boys were here. He even had the father, in place of God: old Robert Lee. Rest with that, abide with that.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 3 Quotes

“They’re never quite the enemy, those boys in blue … Swore an oath too,” Longstreet said. He shook his head violently. Strange thought to have, at the moment. “I must say, there are times when I’m troubled. But … couldn’t fight against home. Not against your own family. And yet … we broke the vow.”

Lee said, “Let’s not think on this today.”

“Yes,” Longstreet said. There was a moment of dusty silence. He grumbled to himself: why did you start that? Why talk about that now? Damn fool.

Then Lee said, “There was a higher duty to Virginia. That was the first duty. There was never any doubt about that.”

“Guess not,” Longstreet said. But we broke the vow.

Lee said, “The issue is in God’s hands. We will live with His decision, whichever way it goes.”

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Robert E. Lee (speaker)
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

Longstreet said, “It wasn’t that close.” But Lee’s eyes were gazing by him at a vision of victory. Longstreet said nothing. He rubbed his mouth. Lee’s eyes strange: so dark and soft. Longstreet could say nothing. In the presence of the Commander the right words would not come.

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:

He remembered that day in church when he prayed from the soul and listened and knew in that moment that there was no one there, no one to listen.

Don’t think on these things. Keep an orderly mind. This stuff is like heresy.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 241
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 6 Quotes

When Virginia left the Union she bore his home away as surely as if she were a ship setting out to sea, and what was left behind on the shore was not his any more. So it was no cause and no country he fought for, no ideal and no justice. He fought for his people, for the children and the kin, and not even the land, because not even the land was worth the war, but the people were, wrong as they were, insane even as many of them were, they were his own, he belonged with his own. And so he took up arms willfully, knowingly, in perhaps the wrong cause against his own sacred oath and stood now upon alien ground he had once sworn to defend, sworn in honor…

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

He could not retreat now. It might be the clever thing to do, but cleverness did not win victories; the bright combinations rarely worked. You won because the men thought they would win, attacked with courage, attacked with faith, and it was the faith more than anything else you had to protect; that was one thing that was in your hands, and so you could not ask them to leave the field to the enemy.

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Friday, July 3, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

After a while Lee came. Longstreet did not want to see him. But the old man came in a cluster of men, outlined under that dark and ominous sky, the lightning blazing beyond his head. Men were again holding the bridle of the horse, talking to him, pleading; there was something oddly biblical about it, and yet even here in the dusk of defeat there was something else in the air around him; the man brought strength with his presence: doomed and defeated, he brought nonetheless a certain majesty. And Longstreet, knowing that he would never quite forgive him, stood to meet him.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 324
Explanation and Analysis:

“You were right. And I was wrong. And now you must help me see what must be done. Help us to see. I become … very tired.”

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee (speaker), James Longstreet
Page Number: 326
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Killer Angels PDF

Robert E. Lee Quotes in The Killer Angels

The The Killer Angels quotes below are all either spoken by Robert E. Lee or refer to Robert E. Lee. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Honor Theme Icon
).
Monday, June 29, 1863: Chapter 4 Quotes

“But the morale is simply amazing. Really is. Never saw anything like it in the old army. They’re off on a holy war. The Crusades must have been a little like this. Wish I’d a been there. Seen old Richard and the rest.”

Longstreet said, “They never took Jerusalem.”

Armistead squinted.

“It takes a bit more than morale,” Longstreet said.

“Oh sure.” But Longstreet was always gloomy. “Well, anyhow, I’ve never seen anything like this. The Old Man’s accomplishment. Incredible. His presence is everywhere. They hush when he passes, like an angel of the Lord. You ever see anything like it?”

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Lewis Armistead (speaker), Robert E. Lee
Related Symbols: Angels
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Wednesday, July 1, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

It was Longstreet’s curse to see the thing clearly. He was a brilliant man who was slow in speech and slow to move and silent-faced as stone. He had not the power to convince.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

He had tears in his eyes. Turn away from that. He mastered it. What he had left was the army. The boys were here. He even had the father, in place of God: old Robert Lee. Rest with that, abide with that.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 121
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 3 Quotes

“They’re never quite the enemy, those boys in blue … Swore an oath too,” Longstreet said. He shook his head violently. Strange thought to have, at the moment. “I must say, there are times when I’m troubled. But … couldn’t fight against home. Not against your own family. And yet … we broke the vow.”

Lee said, “Let’s not think on this today.”

“Yes,” Longstreet said. There was a moment of dusty silence. He grumbled to himself: why did you start that? Why talk about that now? Damn fool.

Then Lee said, “There was a higher duty to Virginia. That was the first duty. There was never any doubt about that.”

“Guess not,” Longstreet said. But we broke the vow.

Lee said, “The issue is in God’s hands. We will live with His decision, whichever way it goes.”

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Robert E. Lee (speaker)
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

Longstreet said, “It wasn’t that close.” But Lee’s eyes were gazing by him at a vision of victory. Longstreet said nothing. He rubbed his mouth. Lee’s eyes strange: so dark and soft. Longstreet could say nothing. In the presence of the Commander the right words would not come.

Related Characters: James Longstreet (speaker), Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:

He remembered that day in church when he prayed from the soul and listened and knew in that moment that there was no one there, no one to listen.

Don’t think on these things. Keep an orderly mind. This stuff is like heresy.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 241
Explanation and Analysis:
Thursday, July 2, 1863: Chapter 6 Quotes

When Virginia left the Union she bore his home away as surely as if she were a ship setting out to sea, and what was left behind on the shore was not his any more. So it was no cause and no country he fought for, no ideal and no justice. He fought for his people, for the children and the kin, and not even the land, because not even the land was worth the war, but the people were, wrong as they were, insane even as many of them were, they were his own, he belonged with his own. And so he took up arms willfully, knowingly, in perhaps the wrong cause against his own sacred oath and stood now upon alien ground he had once sworn to defend, sworn in honor…

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

He could not retreat now. It might be the clever thing to do, but cleverness did not win victories; the bright combinations rarely worked. You won because the men thought they would win, attacked with courage, attacked with faith, and it was the faith more than anything else you had to protect; that was one thing that was in your hands, and so you could not ask them to leave the field to the enemy.

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Friday, July 3, 1863: Chapter 5 Quotes

After a while Lee came. Longstreet did not want to see him. But the old man came in a cluster of men, outlined under that dark and ominous sky, the lightning blazing beyond his head. Men were again holding the bridle of the horse, talking to him, pleading; there was something oddly biblical about it, and yet even here in the dusk of defeat there was something else in the air around him; the man brought strength with his presence: doomed and defeated, he brought nonetheless a certain majesty. And Longstreet, knowing that he would never quite forgive him, stood to meet him.

Related Characters: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee
Page Number: 324
Explanation and Analysis:

“You were right. And I was wrong. And now you must help me see what must be done. Help us to see. I become … very tired.”

Related Characters: Robert E. Lee (speaker), James Longstreet
Page Number: 326
Explanation and Analysis: