The Killer Angels: Part 3

by Michael Shaara
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores the four turbulent days of the Battle of Gettysburg, a decisive moment in the American Civil War.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. aide
    an officer who acts as an assistant to a more senior officer
    He bid a cheery hello to Sorrel, Longstreet’s aide.
  2. revel
    take delight in
    He ate hot eggs, warm bread, reveled in steaming tea, although the water from which the tea was made left an aftertaste in the mouth, afterthoughts in the brain: from what nearby barn?
  3. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    Longstreet was sitting on a camp stool, whittling slowly on a stick, making a point, sharpening the point, sharpening, sharpening.
  4. cultivated
    prepared for raising crops by plowing or fertilizing
    There was an open valley below him, partly cultivated, then a long bare rise to the Union line.
  5. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    Lee looked weary, more pale than before.
  6. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Fremantle stared at him, transfixed, trying to sense a premonition.
  7. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    He had never had a premonition, but he had heard of them happening, particularly on the battlefield.
  8. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    He stared at Hood, but truthfully, except for the sadness in the eyes, which may have been only weariness, for Hood had marched all night, there was no extra sensation, nothing at all but a certain delicious air of impending combat which was with them all.
  9. blossom
    produce or yield flowers
    The cannons were blossoming, filling the air with thunder, far enough away to soften and roll, not angry yet, but growing.
    "Blossom" is used figuratively, since cannonballs are nothing like flowers. The author uses the verb for various descriptions, and it can almost be seen as a motif (a recurring image that's often connected to an important theme) that's similar to the title's contrast. In its use here, "blossoming" can be a kangaroo word because it carries inside a synonymous description of the cannons: booming.
  10. breeding
    the result of good upbringing
    The Northerner doesn’t give a damn for tradition, or breeding, or the Old Country.
    "Breeding" is an old term used to distinguish high class people from low class. It is a word that is important in the theme of the novel, but as shown in this example sentence and its connection to "tradition" and "Old Country" it is not seen positively.
  11. elegance
    a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste
    Strange hot land of courtly manners and sudden violence, elegance and anger.
  12. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
    Then the man blinked and Chamberlain realized that there was nothing inscrutable here; the man was exhausted.
  13. incomprehensible
    difficult to understand
    The black man drank more of the coffee, put out both hands and took the cup, drank, nodded, said something incomprehensible.
    Compare with "inscrutable" in this list--the adjectives are synonymous, although as the given definitions and example sentences suggest, "inscrutable" is more often used to describe a nature that's difficult to understand, while "incomprehensible" is more often used to describe an instance of speech or action that's difficult to understand.
  14. glisten
    be shiny, as if wet
    Chamberlain saw a glistening black chest, massive muscles.
  15. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    A soldier came in from foraging, held a white chicken aloft, grinning.
  16. abolitionist
    a reformer who favors putting an end to slavery
    "Let me put it this way. Suppose I kept a fine stallion in one of my fields, and suddenly one of your Northern abolitionists came up and insisted I should free it."
  17. chivalry
    the medieval principles governing knightly conduct
    All that lovely, plumed, stinking chivalry.
    "Chivalry" also means "courtesy towards women"--both definitions make it sound like a desirable thing, but Southern chivalry, along with cavaliers, courtly manners, and breeding, are referred to several times in the novel in negative ways (note the adjective "stinking" in this example sentence).
  18. echelon
    a body of troops arranged in a line
    “Yes. Well, we will step off in echelon, from right to left. Ewell will wait until he hears your artillery. The left of your advance will be on the Emmitsburg Road. Your right will sweep under those rocky heights.”
  19. reconnoiter
    explore, often with a goal of finding something or somebody
    He said pontifically, “Well, sir, I know of nothing to prevent my taking that line, but then, of course, I haven’t seen it myself. I wouldn’t mind taking out a line of skirmishers to reconnoiter the position.”
  20. absurd
    inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
    He felt an absurd impulse to josh old Lee, to pat him on the back and ruffle the white hair and tell immoral stories.
  21. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    We expect an occasional empty chair, a toast to dear departed comrades. Victory celebrations for most of us, a hallowed death for a few. But the war goes on. And the men die.
  22. composed
    serenely self-possessed and free from agitation
    But the face was calm, composed, watchful.
  23. toil
    work hard
    A courier came toiling down the dusty lane, pushing his horse through the crowded troops.
  24. unaccountable
    not to be explained
    The courier, whom Longstreet did not recognize, saluted, then for some unaccountable reason took off his hat, stood bareheaded in the sun, yellow hair plastered wetly all over his scalp.
  25. skirmish
    a minor short-term fight
    Longstreet sent Goree to find out what was happening and it turned out to be nothing much—skirmish of pickets in Anderson’s front.
  26. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
    Sorrel had a very bad habit of being a bit too presumptuous on occasion, and finally Longstreet turned in his saddle and roared, “Sorrel, God damn it! Everybody has his pace. This is mine.”
  27. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    The frail young man was a gaunt man with white hair.
  28. abreast
    alongside each other, facing in the same direction
    The Twentieth Maine came after them, four abreast.
  29. shrapnel
    shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight
    Chamberlain heard the wicked hum of shrapnel in leaves.
  30. sapling
    young tree
    Jim and Bill Merrill, two brothers, were standing next to a sapling.
  31. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    But the din from the right was unceasing, the noise from the other side of the hill was one long huge roar, like the ground opening.
  32. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    A Reb came over a rock, bayonet fixed, black thin point forward and poised, face seemed blinded, head twitched.
  33. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    He saw a line of white smoke erupt, the gray troops waver and move back this way, stop, rifles begin to fall, men begin to run to the right, trying to get away.
  34. elation
    an exhilarating psychological state of pride and optimism
    He was beginning to feel an elation in him, like a bubble blowing up in his chest.
  35. decisive
    characterized by resoluteness and firmness
    He was by nature a decisive man, and although this was one of the great decisions of his life and he knew it, he made it quickly and did not agonize over it.
Created on Sat Feb 15 14:42:38 EST 2014 (updated Thu Aug 16 14:32:36 EDT 2018)

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