What is the author's style in The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara?

The point of view of this novel is third person, with the narrator shifting from chapter to chapter. Each chapter is entitled with the name of the person who will be the narrator within the text. For example, Chapter 2 of Part Two is headed Chamberlain, narrated by a Union colonel preparing to battle the Confederate soldiers on a hill called Little Round Top. Each chapter shows a unique point of view of different aspects of the battle at Gettysburg. These points of view include not only portions of the various battles, but the planning of the battles and the actions of the men before and after each battle, including the emotional remembrances of old friends and family left behind.

The point of view of this novel works not only because it is well organized, but because the shifting point of view allows the reader to see things that the reader might not have been allowed to see and acknowledge should the book have been told through only one point of view; for example, that of Lee. If Lee had been the sole narrator of the book the reader would not have been allowed to see the battle from the Union's point of view, nor would the reader have seen any part of the actual battles since Lee was stationed in a central headquarters and not on the battlefield for most of the battle. On the other hand, if Chamberlain had been the sole narrator, the reader will have seen part of the battle on the second day and the third day, as well as get a good grasp of the Union's side of the battle. However, the reader would not have been given the deep insight into the Southern side of the battle. The author's choice to switch points of view from the various soldiers on either side of the battle gives the reader a clear and unique view of all sides of the battle, from the actual fighting to the emotional effect of the fighting. This point of view is powerful and gives the novel an impact it might not have had otherwise.