Shaara's descriptions convey moods effectively. He describes Lee arriving in the rainy mists: " . . . there was a ghostly quality in the look of him, of all his staff, ghost riders out of the past, sabers clanking . . ." In another interchange, there is no mistaking Lee's mood and emotional power: "He looked back at Longstreet for one long moment, straight into his eyes, fixing Longstreet with the black stare, the eyes of the General . . . Longstreet drew his head in, like a turtle." Without actually stating it, Shaara shows us there is no arguing with Lee.
On the other hand, Shaara uses some very jarring shifts in point of view. At the end of this chapter, Longstreet is in agony. The last paragraph starts with Longstreet closing his eyes and then suddenly shifts to Fremantle and what he is thinking. While these shifts are infrequent in the book, they are disorienting when they appear.
Shaara also portrays Lee and Longstreet's father-son relationship: When Lee stares him down, Longstreet reacts like a child admonished by a stern father. Longstreet both needs to receive Lee's paternal nurturing and needs to take care of Lee. He is afraid of displeasing the man, and at the same time, has a deep concern for Lee's health and well-being. Longstreet will not abandon Lee even though he wants to quit.
