Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine: The 20th Maine and the Gettysburg CampaignFought amid rocks and trees, in thick blinding smoke, and under exceedingly stressful conditions, the battle for the southern slope of Little Round Top on July 2, 1863 stands among the most famous and crucial military actions in American history, one of the key engagements that led to the North's victory at Gettysburg. In this powerfully narrated history, Maine historian Tom Desjardin tells the story of the 20th Maine Regiment, the soldiers who fought and won the battle of Little Round Top. This engaging work is the culmination of years of detailed research on the experiences of the soldiers in that regiment, telling the complete story of the unit in the Gettysburg Campaign, from June 21 through July 10, 1863. Desjardin uses more than seventy first-hand accounts to tell the story of this campaign in critical detail. He brings the personal experiences of the soldiers to life, relating the story from both sides and revealing the actions and feelings of the men from Alabama who tried, in vain, to seize Little Round Top. Indeed, ranging from the lowest ranking private to the highest officers, this book explores the terrible experiences of war and their tragic effect. Following the regiment through the campaign enables readers to understand fully the soldiers' feelings towards the enemy, towards citizens of both North and South, and towards the commanders of the two armies. In addition, this book traces the development of the legend of Gettysburg, as veterans of the fight struggle to remember, grasp, and memorialize their part in the largest battle ever fought on the continent. With a new preface and updated maps and illustrations, Stand Firm Ye Boys of Maine offers a compelling account of one of the most crucial small engagements of the Civil War. |
Contents
North from the Rappahannock | 1 |
The DeathStrewn Slope | 33 |
The Bigger Hill | 79 |
Seared by the Horrors of War | 97 |
In Great Deeds Something Abides | 117 |
American Legend American Shrine | 153 |
Twentieth Maine Roster of Participants | 169 |
Number of Combatants | 181 |
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15th Alabama 18 s farmer 20th Maine 21 s farmer Adelbert Ames Adjutant Alabamians army Bachelder Bachelder Papers Bangor battle Battle of Gettysburg Big Round Top Blood and Fire boulder Bowdoin brother Bulger captured Chamberlain's journal PHS Charles command Company G Confederate diary AMS Elisha Coan Ellis Spear enemy farmer 68 farmer 70 Fifth Corps fight Fire at Gettysburg flank Fort Delaware G wounded George Gerrish Gettysburg Campaign hill hospital Ibid James John Chamberlain John Chamberlain's journal Joshua Chamberlain June killed later lieutenant Lincoln County Little Round Top Livermore diary UMO Maine at Gettysburg Maine Monuments UMO Mainers Morrill Oates officers prison private G pvt F pvt G pvt H rear Rebels rocks Sam Keene sergeant skirmishers soldiers Strong Vincent took Tozier Twentieth Maine Monuments Union veterans Vincent's Spur Waldoboro William Livermore wounded mortally wounded severely wounded slightly wrote