The Killer Angels

A distinct method for resolving conflicts has been suggested in the book Getting to Yes. The first part of the method is to separate the people from the problem, making an effort to view the problem from the other side's perspective and understanding why the other side may feel strongly about the problem (Fisher & Ury 17-39). The second part requires that both sides focus on the interests of each party rather than the positions, looking past the positions established before negotiations and determining the true interests of each party (Fisher & Ury 40-55). The third part of the method requires the parties to invent options for mutual gain, coming up with new and inventive solutions to problems and gaining the trust of the other side (Fisher & Ury 56-80). The last part involves insisting upon the use of objective criteria when making the final decision, especially when the previous three parts were not successful in arriving at a mutually acceptable solution (Fisher & Ury 81-94).

In the book The Killer Angels, the characters are the men and officers of the Confederate and Union Armies and the setting is the battle of Gettysburg. The individual conflicts which will be examined in the following paragraphs are those between Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the survivors of the 2d Maine Regiment, the disciplining of General J.E.B. Stuart by General Robert E. Lee, and the series of exchanges between General James Longstreet and Gene

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n the other hand, he needed their additional strength for the battle. His interest was in retaining them in the 20th Maine; their interest was in staying alive and going home. Since their interests were in opposition, he appealed to an outside criteria, so to speak. He pointed out the cause of the Union Army and appealed to their sense of democracy in asking for help in preserving the Union. On the night of the second day of the battle, General Lee finally met with General Stuart, who had been roaming around the Pennsylvania countryside creating havoc but leaving the Confederate Army blind and surprised by the presence of the Union Army. Lee needed to discipline Stuart for wandering off, but he also needed to keep Stuart in command of the the cavalry because Stuart was brilliant at both obtaining intelligence and screening the Confederate Army from the Union cavalry. To do this, Lee had to shame Stuart and make him realize that he had caused serious harm; this was no problem for Lee, given his psychological and emotional hold on his men. Stuart's reaction was predictable: he unbuckled his sword and offered it to Lee, relinquishing his command. Lee, however, then had to convince Stuart that he was still needed and that his resign
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Approximate Word count = 1415
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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