Customer Reviews

May I Quote You, General Chamberlain?: Observations & Utterances of the North's Great Generals

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Published in 1998 by Cumberland House Publishing, Inc. and edited by Randall Bedwell, "May I Quote You, General Chamberlain?" Is a superb collection of quotations from and about Medal of Honor recipient Joshua L. Chamberlain. It is 83 pages long and contains an introduction by Bedwell and a foreword at the beginning of each of the seven chapters that follow. Like all the other books in the "May I Quote You" series, this book shows many things Chamberlain himself said, but also shows what was thought about him by his fellow Union commanders. Unlike the other books, however, I could find little if anything said about him by his enemies in gray.
Well-educated, highly intelligent and beyond a doubt brave, Major General Chamberlain was also incredibly respectful towards his enemies. He was a key man in having the surrendering Confederate troops saluted at Appomattox, which did plenty to start mending the rift between North and South. An interesting note about Chamberlain's postwar years is that in 1898, at the age of 70, he volunteered for duty in the Spanish-American War. He was turned down in what he called one of the greatest disappointments of his life. That is the kind of soldier America needs. One who will stand up and volunteer to fight at any age, even long after his prime years have passed and he has already served his country with honor for many years. If you want a book on Joshua L. Chamberlain, the things he said and what was said of him, this is the right one for you. But it is not a total history of the life of General Chamberlain, start to finish. If you want something like that more than a book of quotes, look elsewhere.