Yet such a modest and cultivated sort.
Striking such a note at the quarter-century reunion.
A sense of timelessness in time, something between, "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees" and Holmes' prewar farewell to Watson.
"There's an east wind coming, Watson."
"I think not, Holmes. It is very warm."
"Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There's an east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it's God's own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared."
Of course England's indifference to Jewish extermination still echoes in the unbelievable dreck parroted by the BBC.
While the NYT's Friedman equates Al-Sadr's militia with the Israeli settlers: "All Is Skewed To Fit Our Bent".
July 2, 1863Dear Diary,
I am extremely thankful to God Almighty for my life and the ability to write this evening. It has been a very hectic, bloody, and an extremely DEADLY day. Of the 200 men I began the day with, less than half remain. This was a horrible price to pay but the army and quite possibly the country itself were saved this evening. The fact that we still hold this position is, in itself, a gift from God.
As the day began, we were marching up the Taneytown road towards Gettysburg. As we approached, the sounds of the fight were becoming louder and clearer. At approximately 1300, we were instructed to take up a reserve position about 200 yards southeast of this huge ridge of hills. The men took this opportunity to rest up, perform some hygiene, and contemplate what was waiting for us on the other side of those hills. The rumors were almost correct. It was not the entire Reb army, only the lead and mid elements of it.
Private Killrain and I sat under a tree and began to talk. We began to discuss the situation of the Freedmen. I explained to him that I had never really considered them to be any different from any white man. As my mother put it, they had the "divine spark". This, to me, meant that they were the same in faculty and function as any man. That, after all, is the main reason that I am here. I believe that this nation cannot exist with two such differed ideologies.
"Buster", as I call him, responded by telling me that he didn't care one way or the other about the freedmen. He related his experiences from Ireland, his home country, where he had seen men killed for no logical reason. He said that he came to this country because here you are judged on your own actions, not those of your past family. He feels that the south has an aristocratic society much like the old country. To him this concept seemed completely wrong. He said, "Shoot! What I'm fighting for is the right to prove that I'm a better man than some of those. That is why we MUST win this war !!"
From this point forward I must relate what occured as best I can because everything seemed so time-compressed.
As Buster was talking to me at this point, Col. Vincent rushed up and ordered me to gather my men and prepare to double quick. We were going to a position on the small round hill in front of us. This took place at about 1700. The Rebs were storming across the field headed for this hill. We arrived at our position and Col. Vincent pointed out the fact that there were several units to our right but none to the left. He informed me that we were the end of the union line. He said, "You cannot withdraw. You cannot surrender. If this position is taken, the enemy will sweep over the top of this hill and take this entire army from the rear. You will have to be stubborn today. You must defend this position to the last." I surveyed the position and was thinking "defend to the last. The last what? The last man? The last round of ammunition?"
At this point I remembered an important lesson I had learned from the Rebs at Fredericksburg. I ordered the men to stack the rocks up in front as high as they could. Those who could not seek cover behind the rocks needed to find a good thick tree to get behind. They were digging trenches and constructing a breastworks as fast as they could because we could hear the fight moving towards us. I summoned the officers to explain the situation. I then dispatched Capt. Morrill and B Company out to the far left to take up sniper positions.
At around 1645 the 16th Michigan and 44th New York became engaged. The Rebs were trying to storm straight up the front of the hill. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the Rebs regrouped and tried to swing around the left. The downside of this situation is that WE were the left.
The fight erupted with the 83rd Pennsylvania, to our immediate right, at 1745. The air began to fill with a suffocating cloud of smoke. At 1800 Buster spotted what appeared to be an entire Reb division coming straight at us. I told the men to remain calm and to continue loading and firing as fast as possible. As they charged we continued to fire from behind the rocks and trees and we exacted a heavy toll upon the enemy. We were getting extremely shot up in the process. There were bodies everywhere. The blood gathered in huge puddles on the rocks and ground. I have never seen anything like it. We thought we had repelled them but after a break long enough to receive casualty reports they came at us again. Fortunately, at this point, they were coming straight at us. My left flank, which was fully exposed, remained intact. We repelled this charge with furious determination. At this time my scouts reported that the Rebs were beginning to move around to the left.
I formulated a plan, thank you Jesus, and summoned my officers to relay it to the units. I ordered the men to thin out to twice their length, and at the point I marked, to refuse the line. The line was pulled back to form right angles so the enemy approaching from the left would hit another front instead of the flank. My casualties were heavy and we had to execute this maneuver in the face of heavy enemy fire. We were also beginning to run dangerously low on ammunition.
The Rebs came again and we repelled them again. There were hundreds of men dead and dying on the slope. The fight raged on like this for what seemed like an eternity. As my men ran out of ammunition the fighting became hand to hand. We continued to hold as best as we could.
We could not get resupplied or reinforced because the Rebs were wreaking havoc upon the entire line. Upon trying to summon reinforcements, I learned that Col. Vincent had been shot dead about 30 minutes into the fight. We were beat up and out of ammunition yet the Rebs were coming at us again. I knew with our present situation that we could not withstand another attack, yet we could not withdraw. I summoned the officers and ordered them to have their men fix bayonettes.
As the Rebs came up the hill, we charged starting with the left flank that had been pulled back. We swung like a door and swept the Rebs down the hill. Most of them looked absolutely terrified. I came upon a Reb officer who leveled his pistol at my head and pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes as I heard the click of the hammer falling on an empty chamber. I then put my sword to his throat and demanded his weapon which he readily gave up. He then asked me for a drink of water which I saw that he received. As the Rebs continued to run down the hill, Capt. Morrill's men rose up from behind their stone wall and fired into their rear. This formed a slaughter pit at the foot of the hill.
After the fight was over a messenger came and told me that I needed to brief General Meade on the action. He asked to shake my hand saying "That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen." He then offered a drink from his flask which I gladly took. I proceeded to drain the flask.
I then briefed the general and went back to my men. I was deeply saddened to find out that during the fight Buster had been seriously wounded. According to the adjutant it appears to be mortal. A horrible price to pay. I am grateful that the army survived. This was without a doubt the most brutal confrontation I have ever seen. When I asked the name of the hill, I was told that it was called Little Round Top. I believe that "Little Round Top" will be a testament to right triumphing over wrong despite overwhelming odds.
Joshua L. Chamberlain
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I realize only one artillery shell with VX nerve gas is not a great deal, but I hope it will be received in the spirit it is sent when I cram one each down the throats of Dan Rather, Hillary Clinton, Carl Levin, and Ted Kennedy.
Ted Kennedy will have to take time out from his videoconferences with al-Sadr, Zarqawi, Osama and that Botox pimp-daddy from the Paris peace talks.
