Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Voyage and Return
For Joshua Chamberlain, The Killer Angels is definitely a "voyage and return" story. Though he's personally not done with the war—and actually would later be wounded in combat—he's made it through Gettysburg and temporarily returned to a state of peace. Still, as he himself notes, from the perspective of Confederate soldiers like Longstreet and Lee, this is not a "voyage and return" tale; it's a classical tragedy—the battle that officially makes "The Lost Cause" a lost cause.
But let's stick to Chamberlain's experience here. He's our main dude, after all.
Anticipation Stage
At the beginning of the novel, Chamberlain is dealing with a tough situation. He has to lead a regiment—the 20th Maine—that has experienced a lot of deaths and casualties, while also trying to placate a potentially mutinous group of men who had tried to refuse to fight while they in another regiment.
Thanks to his ability as a speaker, Chamberlain seems to get the new troops on his side—almost all of them agree to keep fighting. As he leads his men onwards—to Gettysburg, where a battle is brewing—he strangely feels "a moment of huge joy" (1.2.164), possibly because he managed to get the men on his side, convincing them that they are truly fighting for freedom. He seems to be anticipating something great as he leads his soldiers onwards, invigorated and primed for combat.
Initial Fascination or Dream Stage
As the battle gets underway, Chamberlain's troops are called upon to help defend Little Round Top, a crucial position overlooking the whole battlefield. On their way there, the men encounter a runaway slave (they help him) and discuss the causes of the war. Chamberlain is assailed by doubts and questions, debating slavery and the fate of African Americans with his friend, the soldier Buster Kilrain. Dealing with these thoughts and experiences leads Chamberlain into the "Dream Stage" of the story—he's forced to confront the meaning of the war and figure out why he's compelled to fight. The discovery of the runaway slave complicates these questions—it forces him to think.
Frustration Stage
Hurried into position, Chamberlain and his men defend a hill, Little Round Top, at the very end of the Union line. They're at the extreme flank—the place where Lee will attack. If they can't hold on to their position and lose, and if Little Round Top falls to the Confederates, then the North might easily lose the rest of the battle. As two Confederate regiments attack their position, the men of 20th Maine finds themselves in dire straits.
Nightmare Stage
Frustration morphs into nightmare as Chamberlain's soldiers run out of bullets while they're still being hit with heavy casualties. At one point, Chamberlain needs to use his own brother, Tom, to fill a hole in the line. In a moment of sheer courage, Chamberlain orders a bayonet charge. Amazingly, it works: the Confederate regiments are caught off guard and retreat, while the 20th Maine takes lots of Confederate prisoners. The nightmare isn't entirely over, though: Chamberlain's friend, Buster Kilrain, has been injured and gets taken off to the surgeon's tent, where he will eventually die.
Thrilling Escape and Return
Chamberlain's "thrilling escape" comes when he survives Pickett's Charge. At first, he seems to be out of the woods: he's finished his big confrontation with the Confederates at Little Round Top. Chamberlain's been through it all, and has way more than one war story to tell his grandkids.
Nevertheless, even though he's endured his own personal climax, and shown true death-defying courage, the climax of the battle is yet to come. Somewhat ironically, Chamberlain's troops are moved to the middle of the line. This is because they've already been through so much, and usually, the middle has been the quietest part of the battlefield. But that's exactly where Lee launches his assault.
Fortunately, Chamberlain doesn't need to do much more than hunker down and momentarily pass out while he listens to the Confederate artillery blasting the Union line. At this point, he's not so much a player in events as a witness to them: he marvels at the simultaneous bravery and foolish destruction of Lee's army. At the end of the day, Chamberlain's able to walk away—temporarily experiencing a little peace and some final clarity as to the meaning of the war (psst—it's about ending slavery) before preparing to fight another day.