Lt.Col.Chamberlain's speech.

[larry_cockerham]

Hollywood should have spent more time on William Oates of Alabama. He was in the same woods with a far more fascinating story.

[gary]

But did Oates receive all that much recognition in Shaara's book? Publicity, then and now, counts.

[larry_cockerham]

Brother Oates couldn't afford a good press agent. There probably really wasn't one in South Alabama. On the other hand press was scarce as well, though the Ozark and Troy papers might argue that one. You are quite correct, to the winner go the spoils.

[maryingettysburg]

Originally Posted by johan_steele

Sam Elliot... best casting of the movie.

Naw, I've gotta go with Tom Berenger..best casting.

[FSPowers]

I believe that the speech was Hollywood, but it might have something that Chamberlain would have said.

As for casting, Robert Duvall (Gods and Generals) made a better General Lee than Mattin Sheen.

[samgrant]

But Worst beard!

[ole]

OOOOH.
A fun thread!

I couldn't get through Gods and Generals. I know I watched it but I remember nothing about it. I think it was the idea that Duvall's name was on the marquee, but he wasn't really in the movie.

Worst beard, Sam? Worst beard had to be on Jeb Stuart in Gettysburg. Second worst on Tom Longstreet Berenger.

Sheen did a creditable job as Lee, but I wish he were taller

[maryingettysburg]

well, being the resident Chamberlain fan, and having read all of his books/speeches/memoirs that I can get my grubby little paws on, I can say that I have not come across any reference by him personally of a speech given to the 2nd Mainers. HOWEVER, having done extensive reading on him, Chamberlain was the consummate speech writer/orater. It is almost a given fact that he DID give a speech to the 2nd Mainers, and also a given fact that it was both eloquent and moving, as per his style. Whatever he said, it swayed a good many of them, I only wish he had written it down for posterity. I can tell you this, whatever he said, it was a good deal more sublime and moving than anything Hollywood or Shaara could dream up.


BTW Chuck, it's ADELBERT Ames....

An interesting tidbit about Ames in particular, and Civil war soldiers in general: with all the highly lauded medical advances in today's medicine, some Civil war soldiers, living in the dark ages medicine-wise, still managed to attain many birthdays. Chamberlain was a respectable 83, remarkable given the nature and severity of his wound. "Pap" Greene lived to be 98. And Adelbert Ames lived to be an astounding 101..

[FSPowers]

Its amazing that many CW vets actually lived well into the 20th Century. Chamberlain lived to see Americans, both Northern and Southern, go to war against Spain.

I think he would have been sad if he had lived to see US troops go to fight in WWI.

[matthew mckeon]

Chamberlain did request the 2nd Maine men to be sent to his outfit, with the understanding that he, Chamberlain would have a free hand, with them. 114 of 120 rejoined the 20th mostly because Chamberlain treated and fed them decently and appealed to their better natures. Its in "In the Hands of Providence" a recent bio. Chamberlain was born in Brewer, a few miles from my parents home, and as a school kid I learned, like all Maine kids, that Chamberlain and the 20th won the Civil War.

There was a joint biography of Chamberlain and Oates published a few years ago, the title of which I can't remember. I vaguely recall Oates being quite partisan after the war. During some sort of Blue Gray reconciliation dinner many years after the war he sneered at the Union vets, saying he saw many of them run during the war. No 20th vets there to return the compliment I guess.

Another Chamberlain anecdote: After the war he was called to manage a bitterly contested election in Maine, where feelings ran high. Informed that a mob of men were marching on his state house office to murder him, Chamberlain went out to confront them, threw open his coat and said: "Some of you have said you wanted to kill me. You are not the first to try"(or words to that effect). The shamed rioters dispensed.