Product Description

Fought 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #134875 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780195382310
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Review
"An excellent book--moving and powerful, with a strong narrative line and interesting analysis based on exhaustive research." --James McPherson

"An excellent book--moving and powerful, with a strong narrative line and interesting analysis based on exhaustive research."- James McPherson

About the Author

Thomas A. Desjardin was born and raised in Maine and did his doctoral work in American History at the University of Maine. He has worked as an interpreter, giving programs on the Gettysburg battlefield for the National Park Service. The author of These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory and Through A Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775, he is working on a TV documentary on Joshua Chamberlain.

Customer Reviews

A Teacher Reviews "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine"
We take our heroes very seriously in the State of Maine. Major General (and Governor) Joshua Chamberlain appears on everything from t-shirts to beer bottles; he has become nearly mythical in our eyes. "Stand Firm" provides an honest account of the 20th Maine regiment in the Battle of Gettysburg; it is grounded in thorough research and reflects careful analysis by its author. It is very readable, with maps and notes included to promote greater understanding of the information. I offer it to my high school students for both the content and as an example of the process of analyzing historical information for accuracy, bias, etc. Mr. Desjardin took on the myth, and allowed Joshua Chamberlain to be seen as he should be; a decent man in a difficult situation. (The hard cover edition of this book has earned the honor of being the only one never returned to me from the many books I have shared with students over the past 13 years!)

Combines good research with good writing for a great book.
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.

An excellent companion piece to The Killer Angels
I initially read this book after participating in a staff ride of the Gettysburg battlefield. My knowledge of the battle at that time came largely from Shaara's "The Killer Angels", and the subsequent film "Gettysburg". As both were meant to inspire and entertain rather than inform, I had an unrealistic understanding of the 20th Maine and its place in the struggle at Gettysburg. Thomas Desjardin's book changed that.

Well written and fast moving, "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine" provides excellent background information on the 20th Maine, identifies members of the Regiment beyond Chamberlain and his brother Tom, and reminds the reader that the 20th Maine's opponents at Little Round Top weren't a nameless mass of rebels, but members of a proud regiment with a strong leader all their own.

Desjardin explains the fight between the 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama in tremendous detail, with accompanying maps that enhance the narrative. More importantly, he describes the post-war growth of the Chamberlain legend, and explains the difference between Chamberlain the Man, and Chamberlain the myth. Desjardin's Chamberlain is not the battlefield intellectual who conceived an unorthodox maneuver in the face of the enemy to win the day, but an ordinary man who led from the front under extraordinary circumstances. I prefer the latter.

Students of Gettysburg will be interested in Desjardin's perspective on familiar events, and those unfamiliar with the battle will find it a great introduction to the subject. While not a history of the overall campaign, it is definitely a great starting place to learning what took place in PA over 140 years ago.