Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet (and the Army of the Confederacy)

Lee and Longstreet are the antagonists of the novel, but they're not one-dimensional bad guys, at all. Actually, in many ways, Shaara makes them appear pretty good: Lee is a noble commander who takes responsibility for his soldiers after the failure of Pickett's charge, and Longstreet is a sympathetic character who foresees the failure of Pickett's charge. Still, they're still fighting for the cause that, from Chamberlain's perspective, needs to lose.