[jlisenbe]

I read recently that all branches of the military are having difficulty in meeting recruiting goals, and that one of the reasons was due to so many young people are now hopelessly lacking in physical fitness. It reminded me of a post I saw recently concerning the Civil War.

3 days after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, the official surrender process of the Confederate troops occurred. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain of Gettysburg fame was given the assignment of accepting the surrender of the Confederate infantry. After much thought, he ordered a salute to them by the Union troops. He explained why he did this:

"My main reason, however, was one for which I sought no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;–was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured? At such a time and under such conditions I thought it eminently fitting to show some token of our feeling, and I therefore instructed my subordinate officers to come to the position of ‘salute’ in the manual of arms as each body of the Confederates passed before us."

He thus showed it possible to completely disagree with the cause while still showing respect for the courage, a lesson we could take to heart even now.

[tomder55]

Chamberlain was a prolific writer . I read one of his memoirs 'Bayonets forward ' I believe this account was written in his book 'The Passing of the Armies' .

Unfortunately his part of the defense of Little Round Top has been overstated based on popular culture. The real hero of the engagement was Colonel Strong Vincent who recognized the vulnerability of the position on the Union left ;and took steps to correct it .including the positioning of the 20th Maine.

[tomder55]

It has come to my attention that a new biography of Chamberlain; published in October , was written by historian Ronald C White entitled 'On Great Fields : The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chambers .'

I have added it to my reading list .

[jlisenbe]