Chamberlain Chamberlain Quote Describing the Surrender of ANV

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That whole thing was nice- maybe in keeping with Chamberlain's intent anyway. You just know the Confederate soldiers that day had an awful day. Must have been beyond shattered, resentful, beyond angry, maybe a few relieved who knows. Read where a lot would have gone on fighting despite terrible hardships if Lee had said the word. No matter what one feels of what they fought for, you keep hearing and reading about moments when each side had times of enormous respect for the other. Quite a few in Sear's descriptions, in his ' Gettysburg ', one of the reasons I like it so much. Especially Pickett's charge- he deliberately choose personal statements, soldier statements, on what one thought of the other.

Maybe that's the reason I keep coming back to Chamberlain. He continually ( in his writing ) remained respectful to the men he fought.
 
"On they come with the old swinging route step and swaying battle flags. Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood. 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 the Union so tested and assured. On our part not a sound of trumpet more nor roll of drum, not a cheer, nor word, nor whisper of vain glorying, nor motion of man. But an awed stillness rather and breathholding, as if it were the passing of the dead." ~ Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, describing the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia
Chamberlain--a good man and quite a writer...Thanks! Love it!
 
At the surrender ceremony Chamberlain, in his writings, describes a confrontation with a southern general who tells Joshua that he hates him and will never forget, or words to that affect. Anyone know that unnamed southern general? I've never been able to find out who he was.
 
At the surrender ceremony Chamberlain, in his writings, describes a confrontation with a southern general who tells Joshua that he hates him and will never forget, or words to that affect. Anyone know that unnamed southern general? I've never been able to find out who he was.
As I recall, he doesn't even state that it was a general, but more broadly an officer with whom he was speaking after the signing of surrender papers on the ninth but prior to the ceremony on the twelfth. I also know of no other corroboration for the story, and certainly not the officers' identity.
 
@Aussie Billy Sherman cccording to Aaron Sheehan-Dean's The View From the Ground, pg 68, Chamberlain hinted that the officer might have been Brig Gen Henry Wise, who was the former governor of VA (1856-1860.)

John Primono, in his book The Appomattox Generals, pg 168, names the officer as Wise.

I'm not sure if a first person source exists where Chamberlain actually identifies the officer. It may have been just a presumptive conclusion based upon the contents of the conversation? Supposedly, when told to take his men home, the officer responded, "Home? We haven't any. You have destroyed them. You have invaded Virginia and ruined her. Her curse is upon you."
 
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I'm just going to add my agreement to the fine comments attesting to Chamberlain's decency, particularly in handling the "stacking of arms" at Appomattox Courthouse. In a separate matter, I have always been amazed at the way in which Chamberlain has achieved much publicity and fame in recent years. I seem to recall that around the time of the CW centennial in 1961-65, Chamberlain was not as well known to the public as he has come to be, particularly as a result of the Shaara books and Gettysburg movie, and Ken Burns series in 1991. When I visited Gettysburg a few year ago, the guide also remarked on his newfound celebrity, and noted that the single most popular spot for visitors was Little Round Top.
 
A beautiful quotation and a wonderful sentiment. Would that many here who argue the Unionist sentiment and denigrate anything associated with Confederates adopt a similar view.

The courage of Confederate soldiers has never been in doubt by any serious student of the Civil War.

Only their cause established by their political leaders.

Unionblue
 
I'm just going to add my agreement to the fine comments attesting to Chamberlain's decency, particularly in handling the "stacking of arms" at Appomattox Courthouse. In a separate matter, I have always been amazed at the way in which Chamberlain has achieved much publicity and fame in recent years. I seem to recall that around the time of the CW centennial in 1961-65, Chamberlain was not as well known to the public as he has come to be, particularly as a result of the Shaara books and Gettysburg movie, and Ken Burns series in 1991. When I visited Gettysburg a few year ago, the guide also remarked on his newfound celebrity, and noted that the single most popular spot for visitors was Little Round Top.
They really just go there to find Buster!
 
Chamberlains account ( edited ) of the Confederate Surrender at Appomattox:
"Having thus formed, the brigades standing at 'order arms,' the head of the Confederate column, General Gordon in command, and the old 'Stonewall' Jackson Brigade leading, started down into the valley which lay between us, and approached our lines. With my staff I was on the extreme right of the line, mounted on horseback, and in a position nearest the Rebel solders who were approaching our right.
"Ah, but it was a most impressive sight, a most striking picture, to see that whole army in motion to lay down the symbols of war and strife, that army which had fought for four terrible years after a fashion but infrequently known in war.
"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.
"It was not a 'present arms,' however, not a 'present,' which then as now was the highest possible honor to be paid even to a president. It was the 'carry arms,' as it was then known, with musket held by the right hand and perpendicular to the shoulder. I may best describe it as a marching salute in review. ( This would mean they would be at " shoulder arms " )
"By word of mouth General Gordon sent back orders to the rear that his own troops take the same position of the manual in the march past as did our line. That was done, and a truly imposing sight was the mutual salutation and farewell.

"At a distance of possibly twelve feet from our line, the Confederates halted and turned face towards us. Their lines were formed with the greatest care, with every officer in his appointed position, and thereupon began the formality of surrender.
"Bayonets were affixed to muskets, arms stacked, and cartridge boxes unslung and hung upon the stacks. Then, slowly and with a reluctance that was appealingly pathetic, the torn and tattered battleflags were either leaned against the stacks or laid upon the ground. The emotion of the conquered soldiery was really sad to witness. Some of the men who had carried and followed those ragged standards through the four long years of strife, rushed, regardless of all discipline, from the ranks, bent about their old flags, and pressed them to their lips with burning tears.
last-salute.jpg
 
Thank you! The anti-Chamberlain backlash is so severe it's taken the 20th Maine down with it. Spears inadvertently did his own regiment a dreadful disservice enlisting with the anti-Chamberlains because in doing so, he's allowed History to view all of them as ' irrelevant'. Bottom line is they did what they did, when the did it. Folks can argue until cows come home next century all about how ' OH, the position may not have been that important ' and ' Oh, others were involved, what about them?' and ' OH it's just Chamberlain blowing his own horn.' Cannot take away from what happened! Those men thought the position WAS that important, were told it was and fought like it was- and won like it was. Ask the poor 15 Alabama how heroic is wasn't. Chamberlain did it, not Spears or anyone else, and it WAS both unusual and incredibly effective- the bayonet charge and it IS thrilling, swinging those men down the hill. He did what he did, as did those men- HOW do you blow your own horn make it look BETTER? You can't and he did not, he made his men look incredible because they were, gee whiz! I'm always, always blown away by Oates and his men, cannot believe how far they got or how many times they came back for the attack but you never hear their deeds disallowed. They better not be! Incredible also- but for some reason the position and men in it, attacked by the 15th Alabama are open to some kind of dismissiveness and derision because Chamberlain has become a fall guy. Makes no sense.

And also gee whiz- makes me a little crazy. The man was a politician! Anyone, anywhere, given 5 minutes can dig up Chamberlain's ' self-promotion' and why? Because he ran for office, that's why- how in heck do you do that without a campaign inclusive of promoting who the voters are getting? Because 150 years later he'll be accused of egomania, he should have watched what he said and NOT run for gov? Little crazy, all these charges against him plus to me it says people read a little too much Longacre on the subject. ( worst bio ever- lacked objectivity - horribly so! Guy kept making leaps of reasoning, as to WHY Chamberlain did what he did- pretended to have the inside scoop on his intents, thought, feelings- not to mention his marriage and Fanny's thoughts and intents. Sounded to me more like an interview with Charlie Spears. )



Oh, I don't think it was all that rare, do you? Certainly not then- I've read others than Chamberlain who felt this, that no matter what the outcome it was something the soldiers shared together and no one would ever understand what it was they'd all just experienced together except them. And there seems to have been a lot of respect- just finished yet another read on Vicksburg's surrender, and the almost instant melding of troops, men on both sides felt they'd gone through this together. Couldn't find people who felt the other was the enemy at that point.

If you see members disrespecting Confederate soldiers themselves here on the forum, wouldn't that also be rare? Maybe the ' cause', that's different. At least, no reason for a difference in perspective which wasn't there 150 years ago.

With respect to the first half of this - well said! I have read a lot of anti-Chamberlain lately, so your comments were enlightening and refreshing!
 
Although he never fully recovered. He had to endure countless surgery for the rest of his life, countless infections and most probably was in pain every single day of his remaing lifespan.

Winfield Scott Hancock suffered similarly from his festering wound.
 
Winfield Scott Hancock suffered similarly from his festering wound.
I'm reluctant to give a "Like" here, it would seem as if I liked Hancock to suffer, but I do appreciate your input. Sometimes I think people were a lot tougher than we are. They could cope with pain and grief much better than we, it seems. Or, as I should better speak only for myself, they could cope with things that would simply break my back.
 
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I'm reluctant to give a "Like" here, it would seem as if I liked Hancock to suffer, but I do appreciate your input. Sometimes I think people were a lot tougher than we are. They could cope with pain and grief much better than we, it seems. Or, as I should better speak only for myself, they could cope with things that would simply break my back.

I've also wondered whether people were "tougher" in those days. I am constantly amazed at the hardships that soldiers (particularly southern) routinely endured throughout the war including marching shoeless over countless miles of unpaved roads, eating wormy and moldy food, and lacking basic sanitary and medical treatments. It's not only the rank and file, but officers of high command who suffered with varies maladies and injuries (Lee, Ewell, AP Hill, to name but a few) but nevertheless, hardly wavered in their commitment to duty.

Of course, without electricity, combustion engines, and countless other labor saving technologies, the men and women of the mid 19th century lived much more physically robust lives than we do today. The upside to that is that those folks never needed to take out gym memberships or go to a cycling class.
 
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