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Title: Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine: The 20th Maine of the Gettysburg Campaign by Thomas A. Desjardin ISBN: 0-19-514082-6 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.83 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Combines good research with good writing for a great book.
Comment: The book isn't one that would catch your eye in a bookstore. It's barely 200 pages long and at first looks like any number of books one will find related to Gettysburg and the Civil War. The difference is while there are a lot of good historians out there who are good researchers, few of them are as talented at writing as Tom Desjardin.
The 20th Maine is perhaps the most famous regiment that fought at Gettysburg and it's commander Lawrence Chamberlain is perhaps the most famous Union officer after Grant thanks in part to the book 'Killer Angels' and the film 'Gettysburg'. Unfortunately however there are a lot of myths surrounding both Chamberlain and the 20th Maine. This book cuts through the myths that the book and film have helped perpetuate without trying to tear down Chamberlain like some in recent years have tried to do. In the end the truth is just as facinating as the myths, if not more so.
Rating: 4
Summary: Well written and researched
Comment: The success of the Novel "The Killer Angels," and its motion picture version "Gettysburg," has made Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin one of the most recognized figures in Civil War history. This books seeks to deflate some of the myth, but nonetheless represents an outstanding gem of small-unit scholarship. Desjardin maintains a ruthlessly narrow focus, recounting exclusivly the actions of the Maine regiment on July 2nd, 1863. He counters the notion presented by Michael Shaara that the 20th Maine's charge was some kind of executed manuver, presenting it rather as a spontaneous rush down the hill. He also de-emphasises the importance of the 20th Maine's actions, suggesting that had the 20th withdrawn, the 83rd Pennsylvania could have held against the exhausted Alabama regiments. He presents Chamberlin as somewhat of a tragic character after the war, suffering from political reverses and a failing marriage-this is in contrast to most accounts that celebrate his actions as a soldier, governor and college president. Desjardin's book certainly makes the battle less glamorous than it appears on the silver screen. Nonetheless, he reaffirms the basic story of a green regiment, and a green commander, putting up a hell of a fight. 20th Maine aficionados will want to read this book to get a new angle on the famous story, while Civil War buffs will appreciate it for its in depth detail about the dynamics of a regimental action.
Rating: 5
Summary: ...and the Ordinary Soldiers, Too.
Comment: Chamberlain and Gettysburg scholars have written millions of words about the pivotal campaign of the Civil War. Nevertheless, they have tended to introduce us only to the titans on the field: Alexander, Buford, Chamberlain, Doubleday, Early, Ewell, Hancock, Hood, Lee, Longstreet, Oates, Pettrigrew, Pickett, Spear, Trimble, et al. A few have enlarged the cast of characters to include the courageous Sergeant Tozier and the faithful Sergeant Buck.
Desjardin's contribution is that he expands the cast of characters to include the ordinary soldiers, who in the horrors of war, dedicated themselves to a cause greater than individual survival or gain. By painting for us a more honest portrait of battle and its aftermath, Desjardin has done us all a great service.
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Title: Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain ISBN: 1879664178 Publisher: Stan Clark Military Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1994 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory by Thomas A. Desjardin ISBN: 0306812673 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 11 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The Passing of the Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac, Based upon Personal Reminiscences of the Fifth Army Corps by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain ISBN: 0553299921 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1993 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy by John J. Pullen ISBN: 0811708861 Publisher: Stackpole Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: "Bayonet! Forward": My Civil War Reminiscences by Joshua L. Chamberlain ISBN: 1879664216 Publisher: Stan Clark Military Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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