1 00:00:17,101 --> 00:00:28,141 Speaker 1: Pushkin. The men of the twentieth Main were out of ammunition. 2 00:00:29,141 --> 00:00:33,620 Speaker 1: It was a boiling hot afternoon in the Pennsylvania countryside. 3 00:00:33,701 --> 00:00:36,661 Speaker 1: The soldiers were standing on a rocky hill. It was 4 00:00:36,741 --> 00:00:40,101 Speaker 1: dotted with boulders and pine trees, and it marked the 5 00:00:40,181 --> 00:00:44,100 Speaker 1: far end of the Union army line. The date was 6 00:00:44,181 --> 00:00:47,420 Speaker 1: July second, eighteen sixty three, and they were at the 7 00:00:47,421 --> 00:00:51,541 Speaker 1: Battle of Gettysburg, facing a company of Confederate soldiers who 8 00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:55,981 Speaker 1: were about to run them down. The twentieth Main was 9 00:00:56,060 --> 00:01:00,101 Speaker 1: led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He was tall, with side 10 00:01:00,141 --> 00:01:06,860 Speaker 1: swept hair and a truly giant mustache, I mean huge. 11 00:01:07,141 --> 00:01:10,181 Speaker 1: Joshua Chamberlain had never planned to be a soldier. He 12 00:01:10,301 --> 00:01:13,381 Speaker 1: was going to be a man or a teacher. He 13 00:01:13,461 --> 00:01:16,981 Speaker 1: was quiet and mild mannered. He loved music and literature. 14 00:01:18,261 --> 00:01:20,940 Speaker 1: But the choice he made in that moment on a 15 00:01:21,021 --> 00:01:23,700 Speaker 1: hill called Little Roundtop would make him one of the 16 00:01:23,741 --> 00:01:28,740 Speaker 1: most famous fighters in the whole Civil War. In front 17 00:01:28,780 --> 00:01:32,340 Speaker 1: of him, Joshua could see dozens of wounded and dead 18 00:01:32,741 --> 00:01:36,661 Speaker 1: soldiers from both sides, and beside him he could see 19 00:01:36,700 --> 00:01:40,140 Speaker 1: his men, the fear in their eyes as they fired 20 00:01:40,181 --> 00:01:44,981 Speaker 1: the last shots in their rifles. Joshua looked down towards 21 00:01:44,981 --> 00:01:47,380 Speaker 1: the bottom of the hill where the enemy was waiting, 22 00:01:48,181 --> 00:01:50,660 Speaker 1: and he knew it was only minutes until the Confederate 23 00:01:50,741 --> 00:01:55,421 Speaker 1: soldiers came. He had no cards left to play, so 24 00:01:55,461 --> 00:02:04,741 Speaker 1: he screamed down the line, Mayonnets, I'm j R. Martinez 25 00:02:04,941 --> 00:02:09,181 Speaker 1: and this is Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage. The 26 00:02:09,181 --> 00:02:12,301 Speaker 1: Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the 27 00:02:12,421 --> 00:02:16,381 Speaker 1: United States. It's awarded for gallantry and bravery and combat 28 00:02:16,701 --> 00:02:19,501 Speaker 1: at the risk of life, above and beyond the call 29 00:02:19,541 --> 00:02:23,261 Speaker 1: of duty. Each candidate must be approved all the way 30 00:02:23,301 --> 00:02:26,221 Speaker 1: up the chain of command, from the supervisory officer in 31 00:02:26,261 --> 00:02:29,501 Speaker 1: the field to the White House. This show is about 32 00:02:29,501 --> 00:02:33,141 Speaker 1: those heroes, what they did, what it meant, and what 33 00:02:33,181 --> 00:02:36,701 Speaker 1: their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. 34 00:02:38,061 --> 00:02:40,461 Speaker 1: If you're a Civil War buff, and I'm guessing some 35 00:02:40,541 --> 00:02:45,341 Speaker 1: of you are, you've probably heard the name Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. 36 00:02:45,981 --> 00:02:48,621 Speaker 1: There has been a lot, and I mean a lot 37 00:02:48,821 --> 00:02:52,821 Speaker 1: written about Joshua. Have you seen the movie Gettysburg. Jeff 38 00:02:52,901 --> 00:03:00,821 Speaker 1: Daniels played him extra large mustache, and all every book 39 00:03:00,941 --> 00:03:04,941 Speaker 1: or movie about Joshua talks about those bayonets they made 40 00:03:05,061 --> 00:03:08,141 Speaker 1: him famous, and he received a Medal of Honor for 41 00:03:08,221 --> 00:03:12,021 Speaker 1: that action on Little Roundtime. And while the bayonet moment 42 00:03:12,181 --> 00:03:15,981 Speaker 1: is pretty epic, I think what makes Joshua really special 43 00:03:16,461 --> 00:03:22,581 Speaker 1: is something entirely different. His empathy, his compassion. Because he 44 00:03:22,661 --> 00:03:25,621 Speaker 1: wasn't just a brilliant leader. He thought a lot about 45 00:03:25,741 --> 00:03:29,421 Speaker 1: why and how he should lead, how he should treat 46 00:03:29,541 --> 00:03:33,821 Speaker 1: his men and the enemy. And he was fighting for 47 00:03:33,941 --> 00:03:37,021 Speaker 1: the idea of America. And he didn't want to just 48 00:03:37,021 --> 00:03:39,781 Speaker 1: stay at home with his good job and his wife 49 00:03:39,781 --> 00:03:43,061 Speaker 1: and his kids, even though he could have, even though 50 00:03:43,181 --> 00:03:47,421 Speaker 1: everyone expected him to. He wanted to set an example, 51 00:03:47,941 --> 00:03:51,821 Speaker 1: not just a bravery, but of kindness. And he was 52 00:03:51,941 --> 00:03:56,741 Speaker 1: driven by the hope that a broken country commended itself. 53 00:04:10,221 --> 00:04:14,021 Speaker 1: In eighteen sixty one, when the Civil War began, Joshua 54 00:04:14,101 --> 00:04:18,621 Speaker 1: Chamberlain was living a quiet, scholarly life way up north 55 00:04:18,741 --> 00:04:21,700 Speaker 1: in Brunswick, Maine. He was a professor at a small 56 00:04:21,741 --> 00:04:25,621 Speaker 1: college called Boden. He was a thin, shy guy with 57 00:04:25,701 --> 00:04:29,021 Speaker 1: the stutter. He had overcome it by learning different languages, 58 00:04:29,421 --> 00:04:33,461 Speaker 1: and pretty soon he spoke nine of them, and he 59 00:04:33,501 --> 00:04:37,101 Speaker 1: was super religious. In fact, his original plan was to 60 00:04:37,141 --> 00:04:40,341 Speaker 1: become a minister or a missionary. He had gone to 61 00:04:40,381 --> 00:04:43,701 Speaker 1: the seminary, but he was also in love with the 62 00:04:43,821 --> 00:04:48,741 Speaker 1: girl named Fanny. They were both obsessed with music. They 63 00:04:48,821 --> 00:04:52,421 Speaker 1: met when he led her church choir. Now we don't 64 00:04:52,421 --> 00:04:55,461 Speaker 1: have recordings of Joshua's voice, of course, but we have 65 00:04:55,621 --> 00:05:00,621 Speaker 1: lots and lots of his letters, articles and speeches. So 66 00:05:00,621 --> 00:05:03,301 Speaker 1: we're going to have our old friend Ben NADAFH Hoffrey 67 00:05:03,741 --> 00:05:06,940 Speaker 1: read his words for us. Here. Here's a line from 68 00:05:06,981 --> 00:05:09,541 Speaker 1: one of the love letters he wrote Fanny early on. 69 00:05:10,901 --> 00:05:12,820 Speaker 2: They seem foolish for me to tell you again that 70 00:05:12,901 --> 00:05:15,380 Speaker 2: I love you more and more every day, But it 71 00:05:15,461 --> 00:05:18,661 Speaker 2: is becoming so much more true every day that it 72 00:05:18,701 --> 00:05:19,461 Speaker 2: is really new. 73 00:05:20,901 --> 00:05:23,981 Speaker 1: Fanny didn't want to be a minister's wife, so Joshua 74 00:05:24,021 --> 00:05:27,141 Speaker 1: took a job at Boden. He and Fanny got married 75 00:05:27,181 --> 00:05:31,421 Speaker 1: and had two kids, Daisy, a girl, and Willis a boy. 76 00:05:32,261 --> 00:05:36,021 Speaker 1: Their life was quiet and calm, filled with music and 77 00:05:36,221 --> 00:05:40,781 Speaker 1: art and prayer. Then in April of eighteen sixty one, 78 00:05:41,181 --> 00:05:44,821 Speaker 1: shots were fired on Fort Sumter, and Joshua's students at 79 00:05:44,861 --> 00:05:49,141 Speaker 1: Boden started to join the fight. He noticed the empty chairs, 80 00:05:49,541 --> 00:05:53,941 Speaker 1: the familiar faces missing from his classroom, and he supported 81 00:05:53,941 --> 00:05:57,101 Speaker 1: the war. He believed deeply in what the founding fathers 82 00:05:57,141 --> 00:06:00,301 Speaker 1: had fought for a nation undivided. 83 00:06:01,381 --> 00:06:03,781 Speaker 2: I feel that we are fighting for our country, for 84 00:06:03,941 --> 00:06:07,581 Speaker 2: our flag, not as so many stars and stripes, but 85 00:06:07,661 --> 00:06:10,741 Speaker 2: as the emblem of a great and good and powerful nation, 86 00:06:11,381 --> 00:06:13,621 Speaker 2: fighting to settle the question of whether we are a 87 00:06:13,701 --> 00:06:16,861 Speaker 2: nation or only a basket of chips. 88 00:06:17,701 --> 00:06:20,421 Speaker 1: I'm not quite sure what a basket of chips means, 89 00:06:21,021 --> 00:06:25,101 Speaker 1: but I like it. By then, Joshua was thirty two, 90 00:06:25,181 --> 00:06:29,221 Speaker 1: almost ten years older than the average Union soldier. He 91 00:06:29,261 --> 00:06:32,541 Speaker 1: had a family. Nobody would have judged him for staying 92 00:06:32,581 --> 00:06:35,061 Speaker 1: at home, but he felt that he had a duty 93 00:06:35,141 --> 00:06:38,301 Speaker 1: to serve, so in the summer of eighteen sixty two 94 00:06:38,661 --> 00:06:41,181 Speaker 1: he wrote to the governor of Maine and asked to 95 00:06:41,261 --> 00:06:42,020 Speaker 1: join the army. 96 00:06:42,981 --> 00:06:46,741 Speaker 2: I fear this war, so costly of blood and treasure, 97 00:06:47,021 --> 00:06:49,301 Speaker 2: will not cease until the men of the North are 98 00:06:49,341 --> 00:06:54,700 Speaker 2: willing to leave good positions and sacrifice the dearest personal interests. 99 00:06:55,181 --> 00:06:59,581 Speaker 1: Well it worked. He became a lieutenant colonel with the 100 00:06:59,621 --> 00:07:03,581 Speaker 1: newly formed twentieth Main Regiment, and this nerdy guy who 101 00:07:03,621 --> 00:07:07,541 Speaker 1: wore little glasses and didn't drink and wouldn't hunt, learned 102 00:07:07,541 --> 00:07:10,461 Speaker 1: how to fight. He got really close to his men. 103 00:07:10,941 --> 00:07:17,261 Speaker 1: They were farmers, lumberjacks, sailors, and merchants. They'd all volunteered 104 00:07:17,341 --> 00:07:20,741 Speaker 1: to leave their homes across the state of Maine. The 105 00:07:20,821 --> 00:07:23,861 Speaker 1: regiment started with more than nine hundred and seventy men. 106 00:07:24,341 --> 00:07:29,821 Speaker 1: One year later they had fewer than four hundred. Joshua 107 00:07:29,901 --> 00:07:33,221 Speaker 1: led his men in the bloody Battle of Fredericksburg. He 108 00:07:33,301 --> 00:07:36,821 Speaker 1: watched as they were wounded and killed, and later as 109 00:07:36,861 --> 00:07:41,101 Speaker 1: they called smallpox or died from sunstroke. Then came the 110 00:07:41,221 --> 00:07:45,901 Speaker 1: night of July first, eighteen sixty three. The twentieth main 111 00:07:45,981 --> 00:07:49,261 Speaker 1: were marching through the darkened streets of a little Pennsylvania town. 112 00:07:50,021 --> 00:07:53,861 Speaker 1: They had been going since early morning, traveling nearly thirty 113 00:07:53,941 --> 00:07:57,581 Speaker 1: miles on foot in the sweltering heat, carrying packs that 114 00:07:57,621 --> 00:08:01,421 Speaker 1: weighed more than fifty pounds, drinking the last water from 115 00:08:01,461 --> 00:08:06,381 Speaker 1: their canteens. Some men had collapsed from exhaustion, and now 116 00:08:06,581 --> 00:08:10,501 Speaker 1: the unit was marching under a moonlit sky. People came 117 00:08:10,541 --> 00:08:13,181 Speaker 1: out of the houses to watch as they passed. Women 118 00:08:13,261 --> 00:08:17,141 Speaker 1: brought the soldiers food and water. Young girls gave them flowers. 119 00:08:17,781 --> 00:08:22,341 Speaker 1: They sang them patriotic songs. Years later, Joshua wrote about 120 00:08:22,341 --> 00:08:24,421 Speaker 1: how it felt to be heading into this battle. 121 00:08:25,861 --> 00:08:28,181 Speaker 2: We knew that a great battle was soon to be fought, 122 00:08:28,701 --> 00:08:32,780 Speaker 2: a desperate and momentous one. But what impressed my mind 123 00:08:32,901 --> 00:08:36,901 Speaker 2: was the great calm, the uncertainty, and seeming lack of 124 00:08:37,061 --> 00:08:41,021 Speaker 2: tactical plan. We were aware that other troops were coming 125 00:08:41,101 --> 00:08:43,940 Speaker 2: up on one side and the other, but we had 126 00:08:43,981 --> 00:08:46,700 Speaker 2: no means of knowing or judging which side would take 127 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:50,661 Speaker 2: the offensive, in which the defensive, or where the battle 128 00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:51,181 Speaker 2: would begin. 129 00:08:52,780 --> 00:08:55,701 Speaker 1: Finally, the men settled down for the night. It was 130 00:08:55,741 --> 00:08:58,901 Speaker 1: around one in the morning. Joshua could have asked for 131 00:08:58,940 --> 00:09:01,861 Speaker 1: a house to stay in, after all, he was an officer, 132 00:09:02,381 --> 00:09:05,100 Speaker 1: but that wasn't his style. He just slept on the 133 00:09:05,141 --> 00:09:07,941 Speaker 1: ground with his guys. As he put it in a 134 00:09:08,021 --> 00:09:10,141 Speaker 1: letter he wrote his wife, I. 135 00:09:10,180 --> 00:09:12,181 Speaker 2: Hate to see a man always on the spring to 136 00:09:12,180 --> 00:09:14,981 Speaker 2: get the best of everything for himself. I prefer to 137 00:09:15,021 --> 00:09:17,341 Speaker 2: take things as they come, and I am as well 138 00:09:17,381 --> 00:09:20,420 Speaker 2: and comfortable as anybody, and no one's the worst for it. 139 00:09:21,501 --> 00:09:25,221 Speaker 1: That kind of sum Joshua up. Maybe it's the main thing, 140 00:09:25,780 --> 00:09:28,060 Speaker 1: but I think it's more about who he was as 141 00:09:28,101 --> 00:09:32,660 Speaker 1: a person. As the men tried to fall asleep, they 142 00:09:32,741 --> 00:09:35,381 Speaker 1: must have been terrified about what was waiting for them. 143 00:09:35,820 --> 00:09:38,421 Speaker 1: The battle had already begun, and it was only a 144 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:42,700 Speaker 1: few miles away in a little town named Gettysburg. They 145 00:09:42,700 --> 00:09:45,981 Speaker 1: had passed broken carts and dead horses. They heard the 146 00:09:46,141 --> 00:09:50,461 Speaker 1: artillery booming. It was the sound of two armies converging. 147 00:09:51,621 --> 00:09:55,461 Speaker 1: The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had seventy five thousand men. 148 00:09:56,261 --> 00:10:00,621 Speaker 1: They were confident after two victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. 149 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:03,941 Speaker 1: They were led by Robert Eedley, who seemed unable to 150 00:10:03,981 --> 00:10:08,381 Speaker 1: lose a battle. On the Union side. Joshua's side was 151 00:10:08,420 --> 00:10:11,180 Speaker 1: the Army of the Potomac. It was a hunt than 152 00:10:11,221 --> 00:10:14,461 Speaker 1: twelve thousand men strong, and it was led by General 153 00:10:14,540 --> 00:10:18,261 Speaker 1: George Meade, and they would all face off at Gettysburg, 154 00:10:18,901 --> 00:10:22,540 Speaker 1: a town of twenty four hundred residents surrounded by gently 155 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:26,821 Speaker 1: rolling fields and rocky hills. Think of a postcard of 156 00:10:26,861 --> 00:10:30,701 Speaker 1: a perfect farming town. It would be the site of 157 00:10:30,780 --> 00:10:52,181 Speaker 1: the biggest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. On 158 00:10:52,300 --> 00:10:56,741 Speaker 1: July second, eighteen sixty three. The Union lines at Gettysburg 159 00:10:56,780 --> 00:10:59,340 Speaker 1: were set up in a configuration that kind of looked 160 00:10:59,381 --> 00:11:03,540 Speaker 1: like a large, upside down fish hook. The points started 161 00:11:03,621 --> 00:11:07,221 Speaker 1: in the southeast, and then it went north briefly before 162 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:11,500 Speaker 1: hooking down and going straight south. The very end of 163 00:11:11,540 --> 00:11:14,381 Speaker 1: the Union line was about two miles south of town, 164 00:11:14,901 --> 00:11:19,780 Speaker 1: a hill that locals called Little Roundtop. Union leaders felt 165 00:11:19,780 --> 00:11:22,701 Speaker 1: good about this setup, but when their chief engineer looked 166 00:11:22,741 --> 00:11:26,141 Speaker 1: at Little Roundtop through his binoculars, he realized there weren't 167 00:11:26,180 --> 00:11:31,660 Speaker 1: any Union soldiers actually on the hill. It's a huge problem. 168 00:11:32,180 --> 00:11:35,540 Speaker 1: If the Confederates took Little Roundtop first and put their 169 00:11:35,660 --> 00:11:38,580 Speaker 1: artillery on top of it, they could blast away at 170 00:11:38,580 --> 00:11:42,541 Speaker 1: the whole Union line. Then he spotted light glinting off 171 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:46,300 Speaker 1: the Confederate guns. The assault on the Union's left flank 172 00:11:46,420 --> 00:11:50,861 Speaker 1: was about to begin. Joshua, Chamberlain and the twentieth Maine 173 00:11:50,981 --> 00:11:54,141 Speaker 1: were ordered to go to Little Roundtop as fast as 174 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:55,261 Speaker 1: they possibly could. 175 00:11:56,300 --> 00:11:59,940 Speaker 2: The bugle sounded to the left at utmost speed down. 176 00:12:00,021 --> 00:12:03,100 Speaker 2: We pushed at the double quick straight for the strife, 177 00:12:03,141 --> 00:12:06,821 Speaker 2: not seeking roads or minding roughness of ground, thorn hedges, 178 00:12:06,820 --> 00:12:11,980 Speaker 2: stone fences, or myrie swamps. The earth was quaking, sky ablaze. 179 00:12:12,341 --> 00:12:14,820 Speaker 2: The fight was desperate already. 180 00:12:15,660 --> 00:12:19,180 Speaker 1: Joshua's two younger brothers were riding with him. Tom had 181 00:12:19,261 --> 00:12:22,580 Speaker 1: enlisted in the twentieth Maine at the age of twenty one. 182 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:25,700 Speaker 1: John was there too, but not as a fighter. He 183 00:12:25,741 --> 00:12:29,220 Speaker 1: was a member of the Christian Commission, which supported soldiers. 184 00:12:29,820 --> 00:12:31,981 Speaker 1: They got to the south side of Little Round Top 185 00:12:32,180 --> 00:12:33,301 Speaker 1: and headed up the hill. 186 00:12:34,021 --> 00:12:37,780 Speaker 2: It had a rough forbidding face, wrinkled with jagged ledges, 187 00:12:37,820 --> 00:12:41,741 Speaker 2: bearded with mighty boulders, strewn with fragments of rock like 188 00:12:41,780 --> 00:12:43,261 Speaker 2: the Battleground of Giants. 189 00:12:44,180 --> 00:12:46,741 Speaker 1: They were midway to the top when the Confederates fired. 190 00:12:47,580 --> 00:12:52,141 Speaker 2: Shells burst overhead and brought down treetops. As hissing fragments fell, 191 00:12:52,621 --> 00:12:54,581 Speaker 2: shots swept close above our heads. 192 00:12:55,621 --> 00:12:58,381 Speaker 1: Joshua immediately sent Tom to the back of the line 193 00:12:58,501 --> 00:13:01,221 Speaker 1: and john Ford to help him with the wounded. He 194 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:03,861 Speaker 1: knew that if they all died together, it would be 195 00:13:03,981 --> 00:13:07,461 Speaker 1: too hard for his mother to take. Then it got 196 00:13:07,501 --> 00:13:13,061 Speaker 1: weirdly silent. The thunder of Confederate artillery had stopped. Joshua 197 00:13:13,101 --> 00:13:16,501 Speaker 1: knew this could only mean one thing. The enemy was 198 00:13:16,540 --> 00:13:19,941 Speaker 1: about to attack Little Round Top, and their artillery men 199 00:13:20,060 --> 00:13:24,540 Speaker 1: didn't want to risk hitting their own troops. Soldiers in 200 00:13:24,621 --> 00:13:27,540 Speaker 1: gray uniforms suddenly began appearing below them. 201 00:13:27,940 --> 00:13:31,300 Speaker 3: Joshua tried to get a better look. I sprang forward, 202 00:13:31,420 --> 00:13:34,421 Speaker 3: mounted a great rock. Thick groups in gray were pushing 203 00:13:34,501 --> 00:13:37,180 Speaker 3: up to gain our left flank. There was no mistaking this. 204 00:13:37,981 --> 00:13:39,901 Speaker 3: How many were coming we could not know. 205 00:13:41,060 --> 00:13:43,981 Speaker 1: Joshua had been told to hold the hill at all costs, 206 00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:49,021 Speaker 1: because the men from Maine were protecting the entire Union line. 207 00:13:49,101 --> 00:13:51,901 Speaker 2: If a strong force should gain our rear, our brigade 208 00:13:51,940 --> 00:13:54,381 Speaker 2: would be caught, as if by a mighty shear's blade, 209 00:13:54,580 --> 00:13:57,980 Speaker 2: and be cut and crushed. That front had to be held, 210 00:13:58,341 --> 00:14:01,580 Speaker 2: and that rear covered. Something must be done quickly. 211 00:14:02,621 --> 00:14:04,780 Speaker 1: He couldn't have known it, but they were fighting, the 212 00:14:04,820 --> 00:14:09,901 Speaker 1: fifteenth Alabama Regiment, led by Colonel William Oates. They were 213 00:14:09,940 --> 00:14:14,340 Speaker 1: seasoned fighters, They were fierce, and to Joshua it looked 214 00:14:14,341 --> 00:14:16,861 Speaker 1: like they had twice as many men as he did. 215 00:14:17,901 --> 00:14:21,340 Speaker 2: The fierce assault lasted with increasing fury, for an intense hour. 216 00:14:21,861 --> 00:14:25,541 Speaker 2: The edge of conflict swayed to and fro. At times 217 00:14:25,580 --> 00:14:27,701 Speaker 2: I saw around me more of the enemy than of 218 00:14:27,741 --> 00:14:32,021 Speaker 2: my own men. All around was a strange mingled roar, 219 00:14:32,541 --> 00:14:38,141 Speaker 2: shouts of defiance, rally and desperation, And underneath stifled moans, 220 00:14:39,021 --> 00:14:44,101 Speaker 2: gasping prayers, and whispers of loved names. Everywhere men were 221 00:14:44,141 --> 00:14:46,101 Speaker 2: torn and broken, staggering. 222 00:14:47,421 --> 00:14:51,501 Speaker 1: The twentieth Maine hit back with concentrated firepower. For a moment, 223 00:14:51,901 --> 00:14:52,421 Speaker 1: it worked. 224 00:14:53,381 --> 00:14:56,861 Speaker 2: We had held the ground at all costs. But now 225 00:14:56,941 --> 00:14:59,781 Speaker 2: that the smoke dissolved, we saw our dead and wounded 226 00:14:59,901 --> 00:15:02,221 Speaker 2: all out in front of us, mingled with more of 227 00:15:02,261 --> 00:15:05,421 Speaker 2: the enemy. They were scattered all the way down to 228 00:15:05,501 --> 00:15:08,980 Speaker 2: the very feet of the hostile line, now rallying in 229 00:15:09,021 --> 00:15:12,421 Speaker 2: the low shrubbery for a nuance at They knew our 230 00:15:12,460 --> 00:15:14,901 Speaker 2: weakness now, and they were gathering force. 231 00:15:16,101 --> 00:15:18,221 Speaker 1: And then the Confederates came. 232 00:15:19,301 --> 00:15:21,941 Speaker 2: We were enveloped in fire and sure to be overwhelmed 233 00:15:21,941 --> 00:15:25,021 Speaker 2: when the great surge struck us. Already I could see 234 00:15:25,061 --> 00:15:27,580 Speaker 2: the bold flankers on their right darting out and creeping 235 00:15:27,621 --> 00:15:29,821 Speaker 2: and crawling under the smoke to gain our left. 236 00:15:31,021 --> 00:15:34,341 Speaker 1: In those days, someone always held the flag of the regiment, 237 00:15:34,781 --> 00:15:37,541 Speaker 1: and this was no different. The color sergeant for the 238 00:15:37,580 --> 00:15:40,181 Speaker 1: twentieth Man held their flag in one hand and his 239 00:15:40,341 --> 00:15:44,340 Speaker 1: rifle in the other. As bullets snapped the arrow around him. 240 00:15:44,981 --> 00:15:48,661 Speaker 1: The regiment's ammunition began to run low. Men grabbed bullets 241 00:15:48,661 --> 00:15:51,661 Speaker 1: from the boxes of fallen friends or even enemies. 242 00:15:52,460 --> 00:15:55,341 Speaker 2: Our fire was slackening, our last rounds of shot had 243 00:15:55,341 --> 00:15:57,901 Speaker 2: been fired, and what I had sent for could not 244 00:15:58,061 --> 00:16:01,261 Speaker 2: get to us. I saw the faces of my men, 245 00:16:01,381 --> 00:16:04,460 Speaker 2: one after another when they had fired their last cartridge, 246 00:16:04,861 --> 00:16:08,941 Speaker 2: turn anxiously toward mine for a moment, then square to 247 00:16:08,981 --> 00:16:12,941 Speaker 2: the front, again to the front of them laid deaf. 248 00:16:14,421 --> 00:16:17,221 Speaker 1: There are conflicting reports about the actual size of the 249 00:16:17,301 --> 00:16:20,941 Speaker 1: Alabama regiment. At the time, it was believed that they 250 00:16:20,941 --> 00:16:24,741 Speaker 1: had roughly six hundred and fifty men, twice the size 251 00:16:24,821 --> 00:16:28,901 Speaker 1: of the twentieth Main. Later William Mote said he had 252 00:16:28,981 --> 00:16:32,821 Speaker 1: fewer than four hundred. I don't think it really matters. 253 00:16:33,460 --> 00:16:36,021 Speaker 1: Joshua and his men were out of bullets, and the 254 00:16:36,061 --> 00:16:41,141 Speaker 1: Confederates just kept on coming. So Joshua, in an instant, 255 00:16:41,541 --> 00:16:42,981 Speaker 1: made a crazy decision. 256 00:16:43,901 --> 00:16:46,901 Speaker 2: Desperate as the chances were, there was nothing for it 257 00:16:46,941 --> 00:16:50,021 Speaker 2: but to take the offensive. The men turned towards me. 258 00:16:50,781 --> 00:16:55,501 Speaker 2: One word was enough bayonet. It caught like fire and 259 00:16:55,661 --> 00:16:56,981 Speaker 2: swept along the ranks. 260 00:16:58,221 --> 00:17:01,661 Speaker 1: Civil War bayonets were sharpened steel blades that fit over 261 00:17:01,701 --> 00:17:05,661 Speaker 1: the end of a rifle. Soldiers rarely used them unless 262 00:17:05,701 --> 00:17:10,221 Speaker 1: they were desperate. Well, they were desperate now. I remember 263 00:17:10,221 --> 00:17:12,901 Speaker 1: when I was an Ira we had bayonets on our guns, 264 00:17:13,341 --> 00:17:16,181 Speaker 1: and let me tell you the idea of having to 265 00:17:16,341 --> 00:17:20,661 Speaker 1: use them, or having to stab someone, is way different 266 00:17:20,741 --> 00:17:26,061 Speaker 1: than shooting at them. It's more personal, more daunting. But 267 00:17:26,141 --> 00:17:30,701 Speaker 1: that's exactly what Joshua ordered his men to do. Using 268 00:17:30,741 --> 00:17:34,021 Speaker 1: their bayonets, they pushed the Confederates back down that hill. 269 00:17:35,101 --> 00:17:38,941 Speaker 1: Some of the enemy fled, more surrendered. The Battle of 270 00:17:39,061 --> 00:17:44,741 Speaker 1: Little Round Top was over. Years later, Joshua was humble 271 00:17:44,781 --> 00:17:47,461 Speaker 1: about his victory and complimented his foes. 272 00:17:48,341 --> 00:17:51,221 Speaker 2: Had we not used up our ammunition, and had we 273 00:17:51,261 --> 00:17:54,621 Speaker 2: continued to meet the enemy musket to musket, this give 274 00:17:54,661 --> 00:17:57,141 Speaker 2: and take would soon have finished us by reason of 275 00:17:57,181 --> 00:18:02,061 Speaker 2: the enemy's superior numbers. It was a psychological success, a 276 00:18:02,181 --> 00:18:07,781 Speaker 2: miracle in the scheme of military science. Those brave Alabama fellows, 277 00:18:08,101 --> 00:18:12,061 Speaker 2: none braver or better in either army, were victims of 278 00:18:12,101 --> 00:18:12,661 Speaker 2: a surprise. 279 00:18:14,261 --> 00:18:19,461 Speaker 1: I think surprise is right because Chamberlain basically brought a 280 00:18:19,541 --> 00:18:25,421 Speaker 1: knife to a gunfight and it worked. Any celebration was brief. 281 00:18:26,101 --> 00:18:30,341 Speaker 1: The dead and the wounded were scattered everywhere. The twentieth 282 00:18:30,381 --> 00:18:33,941 Speaker 1: Main suffered one hundred and thirty casualties, about one third 283 00:18:34,061 --> 00:18:39,541 Speaker 1: of the regiment. Amazingly, Joshua's brothers Tom and John both survived. 284 00:18:40,541 --> 00:18:42,981 Speaker 1: Joshua wrote to Fanny, what. 285 00:18:43,181 --> 00:18:47,381 Speaker 2: Fighting that was? A thousand dead horses lay on fields 286 00:18:47,421 --> 00:18:51,341 Speaker 2: torn by shells, and half as many men. I left 287 00:18:51,421 --> 00:18:55,821 Speaker 2: thirty two noble fellows dead. Gathered them all and laid 288 00:18:55,861 --> 00:18:57,461 Speaker 2: them side by side in the grave. 289 00:18:59,381 --> 00:19:02,301 Speaker 1: Joshua would go down in history for a little roundtop, 290 00:19:03,061 --> 00:19:06,821 Speaker 1: but the bravery that came next was every bit as heroic, 291 00:19:07,581 --> 00:19:27,501 Speaker 1: and honestly, maybe even harder. After Gettysburg, Joshua Chamberlain was 292 00:19:27,541 --> 00:19:32,981 Speaker 1: broken down physically and mentally. He wrote to his army doctor. 293 00:19:33,541 --> 00:19:36,581 Speaker 2: I am convinced that I can no longer continue these 294 00:19:36,661 --> 00:19:39,661 Speaker 2: duties without the most serious consequences. 295 00:19:40,381 --> 00:19:43,380 Speaker 1: He went home to his family and recovered, and then 296 00:19:43,421 --> 00:19:46,261 Speaker 1: he raced back to the front. He just couldn't stay 297 00:19:46,261 --> 00:19:49,781 Speaker 1: away from the battlefield. But three months after he returned 298 00:19:49,781 --> 00:19:54,261 Speaker 1: to action, he was out again. This time he had malaria. 299 00:19:55,061 --> 00:19:58,860 Speaker 1: He was lucky to survive. During the war, malaria caused 300 00:19:58,901 --> 00:20:03,621 Speaker 1: ten thousand deaths. Once again, Joshua got back to combat 301 00:20:03,661 --> 00:20:08,221 Speaker 1: as quickly as he could. On June eighteenth, he was 302 00:20:08,341 --> 00:20:12,221 Speaker 1: leading his men at the Battle of Petersburg outside of Richmond, Virginia, 303 00:20:12,621 --> 00:20:16,261 Speaker 1: and he was shot at first, he wasn't quite sure 304 00:20:16,341 --> 00:20:17,261 Speaker 1: where he was hit. 305 00:20:18,301 --> 00:20:21,261 Speaker 2: In the hiss and roar and blinding flying earth, I 306 00:20:21,261 --> 00:20:24,821 Speaker 2: felt a sharp, hot flush that seemed to cut the 307 00:20:24,861 --> 00:20:28,221 Speaker 2: spinal narrow out of my backbone. My thought was that 308 00:20:28,301 --> 00:20:30,661 Speaker 2: I had been shot in the back, and the shame 309 00:20:30,741 --> 00:20:33,461 Speaker 2: of it was worse than death. To be shot in 310 00:20:33,501 --> 00:20:36,461 Speaker 2: the back in the face of the enemy, this was 311 00:20:36,541 --> 00:20:41,261 Speaker 2: worse than refusing to attack. I was lost, dead or alive, 312 00:20:41,341 --> 00:20:43,101 Speaker 2: and better dead. 313 00:20:44,661 --> 00:20:47,421 Speaker 1: To be clear, the way he viewed it, if he 314 00:20:47,541 --> 00:20:50,541 Speaker 1: was shot in the back, people might have thought he 315 00:20:50,581 --> 00:20:54,701 Speaker 1: was running away, so he tried to stay upright, bracing 316 00:20:54,821 --> 00:20:58,261 Speaker 1: himself on his sword. He watched as his men went 317 00:20:58,381 --> 00:21:00,701 Speaker 1: past him, looking at him with pity. 318 00:21:01,461 --> 00:21:04,501 Speaker 2: But then I looked down for the first time I 319 00:21:04,501 --> 00:21:06,821 Speaker 2: saw the blood spurting out of my right hip side, 320 00:21:07,581 --> 00:21:10,061 Speaker 2: not shot in the back. Then I do not think 321 00:21:10,101 --> 00:21:12,781 Speaker 2: I was ever so happy in my life. 322 00:21:12,861 --> 00:21:14,941 Speaker 1: He lay on the ground in a pool of blood. 323 00:21:15,701 --> 00:21:17,581 Speaker 1: When one of his men tried to pull him out 324 00:21:17,581 --> 00:21:20,781 Speaker 1: of danger, Joshua refused. He didn't want to take a 325 00:21:20,821 --> 00:21:22,781 Speaker 1: single soldier off the battlefield. 326 00:21:23,461 --> 00:21:25,541 Speaker 2: I would not let him try to get me away. 327 00:21:25,821 --> 00:21:28,421 Speaker 2: It would not be worth the cost. I told them 328 00:21:28,461 --> 00:21:32,541 Speaker 2: it was no good. I was not worth it. Begging pardon, 329 00:21:32,781 --> 00:21:35,301 Speaker 2: they said, but you are not in command now. 330 00:21:36,581 --> 00:21:39,141 Speaker 1: When they finally got him off the field, the surgeon 331 00:21:39,181 --> 00:21:42,501 Speaker 1: told Joshua that he would die. He rode to Fanny 332 00:21:42,541 --> 00:21:47,301 Speaker 1: and his kids to say, goodbye. 333 00:21:45,701 --> 00:21:49,981 Speaker 2: My darling wife. I am lying mortally wounded, the doctors think, 334 00:21:50,221 --> 00:21:54,741 Speaker 2: but my mind and heart are at peace. God bless 335 00:21:54,781 --> 00:21:58,140 Speaker 2: and keep and comfort you, precious one. You have been 336 00:21:58,181 --> 00:22:01,100 Speaker 2: a precious wife to me. To know and love you 337 00:22:01,261 --> 00:22:05,181 Speaker 2: makes life it in death beautiful. Cherish the darlings, and 338 00:22:05,861 --> 00:22:09,541 Speaker 2: do not grieve too much for me. Live for the children. 339 00:22:11,661 --> 00:22:15,781 Speaker 1: Doesn't that just make you melt? The bullet had done 340 00:22:15,821 --> 00:22:21,421 Speaker 1: major internal damage, and yet somehow Joshua lived. In those 341 00:22:21,501 --> 00:22:25,221 Speaker 1: days before antiseptics and antibiotics. It was pretty much a miracle. 342 00:22:25,981 --> 00:22:28,580 Speaker 1: And what did a miracle signify to a man of 343 00:22:28,621 --> 00:22:32,741 Speaker 1: God that he should go back to war? Of course, 344 00:22:34,061 --> 00:22:38,461 Speaker 1: by November, just five months after he was wounded, Joshua 345 00:22:38,581 --> 00:22:41,421 Speaker 1: was at the front. He couldn't even get on a 346 00:22:41,501 --> 00:22:45,861 Speaker 1: horse or walk one hundred yards. Nobody would have expected 347 00:22:45,941 --> 00:22:48,461 Speaker 1: him to be there, but he felt it was his duty. 348 00:22:49,181 --> 00:22:52,701 Speaker 1: He had to show bravery and honor. Given how brave 349 00:22:52,781 --> 00:22:56,181 Speaker 1: and honorable his men had been. He wrote to his 350 00:22:56,261 --> 00:22:57,701 Speaker 1: parents to try to explain it. 351 00:22:58,541 --> 00:23:01,781 Speaker 2: I owe the country three years service. It is a 352 00:23:01,781 --> 00:23:05,061 Speaker 2: time when every man should stand by his guns, and 353 00:23:05,101 --> 00:23:07,501 Speaker 2: I am not scared or hurt enough yet to be 354 00:23:07,581 --> 00:23:10,901 Speaker 2: willing to face the rear when other men are marked 355 00:23:11,141 --> 00:23:11,661 Speaker 2: to the front. 356 00:23:13,221 --> 00:23:15,620 Speaker 1: He fought in the battles of Five Forks and at 357 00:23:15,701 --> 00:23:19,661 Speaker 1: Quaker Road. The Union troops were victorious in both, and 358 00:23:19,781 --> 00:23:23,221 Speaker 1: the end of the war was coming. All the while, 359 00:23:23,541 --> 00:23:28,100 Speaker 1: reporters were there watching Joshua ride in about his heroism 360 00:23:28,661 --> 00:23:32,901 Speaker 1: in the North. He was becoming a household name. And finally, 361 00:23:33,221 --> 00:23:38,101 Speaker 1: on April ninth, eighteen sixty five, Robert ed Lee surrendered 362 00:23:38,141 --> 00:23:41,941 Speaker 1: at Appomattox. Joshua was there, and he was asked to 363 00:23:42,021 --> 00:23:45,741 Speaker 1: lead the surrender ceremonies. Even though he had fought the 364 00:23:45,741 --> 00:23:49,140 Speaker 1: Confederate forces for so long and lost so many of 365 00:23:49,181 --> 00:23:52,661 Speaker 1: his men and friends, he was determined to make the 366 00:23:52,701 --> 00:23:59,221 Speaker 1: ceremonies honorable, respectful, even kind. The two armies met on 367 00:23:59,301 --> 00:24:03,061 Speaker 1: the battlefield one last time. Joshua was at the front 368 00:24:03,061 --> 00:24:06,341 Speaker 1: of the Union troops. The men of the twentieth Main 369 00:24:06,461 --> 00:24:10,461 Speaker 1: were beside him, and then the Confederate units came one 370 00:24:10,501 --> 00:24:14,861 Speaker 1: by one and laid down their arms. Joshua looked at 371 00:24:14,901 --> 00:24:18,101 Speaker 1: the ragged Southern troops and his heart went out to them. 372 00:24:18,421 --> 00:24:22,941 Speaker 1: He saw their humanity, so he had his soldiers salute them. 373 00:24:23,781 --> 00:24:27,181 Speaker 1: The first Confederate general to approach realize what Joshua's men 374 00:24:27,221 --> 00:24:30,621 Speaker 1: were doing, and he dipped his sword in a bow of. 375 00:24:30,541 --> 00:24:34,421 Speaker 2: Things on our part, not a sound of trumpet more, 376 00:24:34,901 --> 00:24:38,541 Speaker 2: nor a roll of drum, not a cheer, but an 377 00:24:38,541 --> 00:24:42,181 Speaker 2: odd stillness and breath holding, as if it were the 378 00:24:42,221 --> 00:24:43,181 Speaker 2: passing of the dead. 379 00:24:45,461 --> 00:24:48,901 Speaker 1: Accepting their surrender with empathy was the only way he 380 00:24:49,021 --> 00:24:52,821 Speaker 1: knew how to act. Towards the end, Joshua heard a 381 00:24:52,821 --> 00:24:57,741 Speaker 1: Confederate general shouting at his troops. Joshua approached him, hoping 382 00:24:57,861 --> 00:25:01,981 Speaker 1: to say something supportive, but that general said, quote, you 383 00:25:02,101 --> 00:25:06,501 Speaker 1: may forgive us, but we won't be forgiven. We hate you, sir. 384 00:25:07,581 --> 00:25:10,901 Speaker 1: Joshua was stunned, because that's not how we thought about it. 385 00:25:11,701 --> 00:25:14,821 Speaker 1: He saw past the fighting to what they were fighting for, 386 00:25:15,741 --> 00:25:18,901 Speaker 1: and he hoped that all of the bloodshed could lead 387 00:25:18,981 --> 00:25:22,141 Speaker 1: to something better for everyone. 388 00:25:22,381 --> 00:25:25,661 Speaker 2: The whole country will be drawn together under the law 389 00:25:25,741 --> 00:25:32,421 Speaker 2: of its larger life, its deepest convictions, its highest aims. 390 00:25:33,461 --> 00:25:37,501 Speaker 1: After the war, Joshua Chamberlain returned to Maine. He was 391 00:25:37,541 --> 00:25:41,100 Speaker 1: thirty six, and he was famous. He thought about the 392 00:25:41,101 --> 00:25:44,620 Speaker 1: war all the time. He covered his house with Civil 393 00:25:44,621 --> 00:25:48,821 Speaker 1: War memorabilia. He went on speaking engagements across the country 394 00:25:48,861 --> 00:25:52,861 Speaker 1: talking about his experiences. He loved being with Fanny and 395 00:25:52,901 --> 00:25:56,701 Speaker 1: the kids, but he struggled with depression, in part because 396 00:25:56,701 --> 00:25:59,781 Speaker 1: he was in constant pain from his bullet wound. He 397 00:25:59,861 --> 00:26:02,141 Speaker 1: had more surgeries to try to fix it, but the 398 00:26:02,221 --> 00:26:06,941 Speaker 1: damage would never fully heal. As a Civil War hero, 399 00:26:07,261 --> 00:26:12,101 Speaker 1: he became a symbol of patriotism and leadership. Eighteen sixty six, 400 00:26:12,381 --> 00:26:15,541 Speaker 1: he was elected governor of Maine, even though he had 401 00:26:15,581 --> 00:26:19,661 Speaker 1: no political experience back then it was just a one 402 00:26:19,701 --> 00:26:24,421 Speaker 1: year gig. He supported civil rights in public education. He 403 00:26:24,501 --> 00:26:29,261 Speaker 1: welcomed immigrants to his state. He was elected three more times. 404 00:26:29,941 --> 00:26:32,981 Speaker 1: He then became president of Voting College, where he used 405 00:26:33,021 --> 00:26:36,541 Speaker 1: to teach. After that, he tried his hand at real 406 00:26:36,661 --> 00:26:40,021 Speaker 1: estate and other businesses in Florida and New York City. 407 00:26:40,581 --> 00:26:42,741 Speaker 1: His fame got him in the door, but none of 408 00:26:42,741 --> 00:26:46,741 Speaker 1: his business ventures really worked, and nothing felt as good 409 00:26:46,781 --> 00:26:53,541 Speaker 1: to him as talking about the war. In eighteen ninety three, 410 00:26:53,981 --> 00:26:57,380 Speaker 1: Joshua was finally awarded the Medal of Honor for his 411 00:26:57,461 --> 00:27:01,461 Speaker 1: actions at Gettysburg. Many Civil War heroes got their decorations 412 00:27:01,501 --> 00:27:05,301 Speaker 1: around this time. They were starting to die of illnesses 413 00:27:05,421 --> 00:27:08,221 Speaker 1: or of old age, and Congress wanted to make sure 414 00:27:08,301 --> 00:27:11,821 Speaker 1: they were honored while they were still alive. His citation 415 00:27:12,021 --> 00:27:17,021 Speaker 1: noted his quote daring heroism and great tenacity and holding 416 00:27:17,101 --> 00:27:22,501 Speaker 1: his position on little round Top against repeated assaults. His 417 00:27:22,541 --> 00:27:26,421 Speaker 1: beloved Fanny died in nineteen oh five, just six weeks 418 00:27:26,461 --> 00:27:30,580 Speaker 1: shy of their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and Joshua passed in 419 00:27:30,701 --> 00:27:34,701 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen at the age of eighty five. It was 420 00:27:34,741 --> 00:27:37,741 Speaker 1: almost fifty years since he had been wounded, but he 421 00:27:37,821 --> 00:27:40,301 Speaker 1: was still being treated by the same doctor who had 422 00:27:40,341 --> 00:27:43,981 Speaker 1: saved his life at Petersburg. Whether it was a medical 423 00:27:44,021 --> 00:27:48,661 Speaker 1: fact or just a symbolic gesture, the doctor listed Joshua's 424 00:27:48,661 --> 00:27:51,941 Speaker 1: war wound as the cause of his death, and so 425 00:27:51,981 --> 00:27:55,381 Speaker 1: he became one of the very last Civil War soldiers 426 00:27:55,821 --> 00:27:59,541 Speaker 1: to die of his wounds. Like so many of the 427 00:27:59,541 --> 00:28:02,661 Speaker 1: people we talk about here and so many people who served, 428 00:28:03,141 --> 00:28:06,621 Speaker 1: Joshua Chamberlain was completely transformed by his time at war. 429 00:28:07,621 --> 00:28:10,461 Speaker 1: He went into it as a shy, quiet man of God. 430 00:28:11,101 --> 00:28:14,541 Speaker 1: He came out as a famous hero, but what never 431 00:28:14,861 --> 00:28:18,701 Speaker 1: changed was his belief in the essential goodness of people. 432 00:28:19,661 --> 00:28:22,301 Speaker 1: He didn't see the sides of the war as winners 433 00:28:22,421 --> 00:28:27,301 Speaker 1: or losers. He saw them as Americans, all worthy of 434 00:28:27,381 --> 00:28:31,301 Speaker 1: empathy and care, and he deeply believed that we owed 435 00:28:31,421 --> 00:28:36,021 Speaker 1: kindness to each other, starting from the top down. He 436 00:28:36,101 --> 00:28:39,861 Speaker 1: felt the president or any leader should set an example 437 00:28:39,941 --> 00:28:41,261 Speaker 1: for the country. 438 00:28:42,061 --> 00:28:45,701 Speaker 2: The heroes of history are not self seekers. They are saviors. 439 00:28:46,461 --> 00:28:49,141 Speaker 2: They give their strength to the weak, the wrong of 440 00:28:49,221 --> 00:28:54,301 Speaker 2: the imperiled, suffering and sacrifice they take on themselves. Summoned 441 00:28:54,341 --> 00:28:57,981 Speaker 2: by troubles, they have brought more than peace, they have 442 00:28:58,061 --> 00:28:59,901 Speaker 2: brought understanding. 443 00:29:20,181 --> 00:29:23,701 Speaker 1: Thank you all for listening and supporting our show. Over 444 00:29:23,741 --> 00:29:26,421 Speaker 1: the past year, we've gotten emails from some of you 445 00:29:26,621 --> 00:29:29,901 Speaker 1: sharing some great stories of courage. You want to shout 446 00:29:29,901 --> 00:29:33,221 Speaker 1: out Megan Hahan for sharing the stories of Private First 447 00:29:33,221 --> 00:29:38,181 Speaker 1: Class Frank Gafney and Private Charles Sanscreen. She said, Private 448 00:29:38,221 --> 00:29:43,141 Speaker 1: Gaffney's heroism closely rivals Sergeant Alvin York's, which we've covered, 449 00:29:43,701 --> 00:29:46,781 Speaker 1: and Private Sanscreen received the Medal of Honor for his 450 00:29:46,981 --> 00:29:49,941 Speaker 1: actions during the battle of Atlanta as part of the 451 00:29:50,141 --> 00:29:54,621 Speaker 1: Union Army during the Civil War. Thank you Megan for sharing. 452 00:29:55,861 --> 00:29:58,381 Speaker 1: If you have stories or people you would like to highlight, 453 00:29:58,821 --> 00:30:04,661 Speaker 1: email us at Medal of Honor at Pushkin dot fm. 454 00:30:04,821 --> 00:30:07,701 Speaker 1: Please follow the show, share it with a friend, or 455 00:30:07,861 --> 00:30:11,461 Speaker 1: leave a review. These are all zero calls. Ways to 456 00:30:11,501 --> 00:30:16,301 Speaker 1: support us find us on social media at Pushkin pods 457 00:30:16,821 --> 00:30:23,221 Speaker 1: or find me at I Am Jr. Martinez Medal of Honor. 458 00:30:23,421 --> 00:30:26,821 Speaker 1: Stories of Courage is written by Meredith Rollins and produced 459 00:30:26,821 --> 00:30:31,181 Speaker 1: by Meredith Rollins and Ryan Schwikert. Voiceover in this episode 460 00:30:31,381 --> 00:30:35,221 Speaker 1: by benn adaf Hoffrey. Our editor is Lydia Jane Kott. 461 00:30:35,701 --> 00:30:40,341 Speaker 1: Sound designed by Jake Gorsky. Our executive producer is Constanza Gayadovo. 462 00:30:40,981 --> 00:30:44,901 Speaker 1: Fact checking by Arthur Gomperts. Original music by Eric Phillips. 463 00:30:45,621 --> 00:30:49,021 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. If 464 00:30:49,021 --> 00:30:51,181 Speaker 1: you want to learn more about this story, take a 465 00:30:51,181 --> 00:30:53,141 Speaker 1: look at our show notes, where we list some of 466 00:30:53,221 --> 00:30:56,741 Speaker 1: the resources we use to put this episode together. Thank 467 00:30:56,781 --> 00:31:16,261 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'm your host, JR. Martinez. We hear you. 468 00:31:16,261 --> 00:31:18,901 Speaker 1: You want to listen to the episode, not the ads. 469 00:31:19,381 --> 00:31:21,941 Speaker 1: If you're ready to lose the interruptions and hear the 470 00:31:21,981 --> 00:31:26,101 Speaker 1: full season of Medal of Honor right now. 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