The Killer Angels

"The point is that we have a country here where the past cannot keep a good man in chains, and that's the nature of the war."

Re-reading the book The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara about the Battle of Gettysburg. My copy is old and battered after being read so many times over so many years and it may be time to finally get a new one. Still every year around this time I feel a need to re-read the book to remind myself about Gettysburg and how important that battle was to the North winning the Civil War. 

I must admit that the book details what was happening on a daily basis and while I'm just finishing July 2, 1863 and there's still two more days to go - I find myself sympathizing with many of the South's officers because I see the mistakes being made and the advice not being listened to. That said the clear hero of the battle is Joshua Chamberlain of Maine and he remains a personal hero of mine. 

The US military has been trained to fight for freedom but the beliefs being impressed upon them today are anything but thoughts of freedom. I can't get that thought out of my head either.