In the novel, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain proves to be one of the greatest soldiers in the Union army. As commander of the 20th Maine regiment, Chamberlain shows dedication and courage while fighting, and treats all of his soldiers with great respect. Chamberlain is not an abolitionist, as many Union soldiers are. He is unsure how he feels towards black slaves and even free blacks.

Before Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain enters the war as a soldier, he is a professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin University. He has wanted to be a soldier all his life. In 1862, Chamberlain requests time off from teaching to travel and study in Europe. When he is granted this time off, he travels to Maine instead of Europe, so he can enlist in the war. In Maine, he is enlisted in the war and after the battle at...