I'm John Bachelor with the author Ronald White. His new book is on great fields,

life and unlike with heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain,

Professor Bowden College,

man who has nine languages and a wife and two children,

and he's now semi-commanding the 20th Maine,

a volunteer regiment infantry and they're following the Army

of the Potomac the Battle of Antietam in Pennsylvania. This is 62, late 62

and what we have here is a man who wants to get involved.

But because they're not called upon that day, they're part of the wing that is not thrown

into the battle, I believe the fifth core he watches

it from a hill what does he make of it Ron he's held in reserve but he sees the terror

of war the incredible battle casualties simply within one day.

He doesn't even want to quite tell Fannie how awful war is, but he begins to understand

that there may be a romantic vision of what they could do is now confronting reality.

General Hooker rides by and he exchanges words with him. What does he tell the general?

Well, he tells the general that the strategy was not really very effective, that they should have done it differently.

And you should have put us in, so okay.

Should have put us in. So, okay.

We go to Fredericksburg and now his regiment which is not blooded yet as he understood it.

This is December of 62 and the frontal assault on the least forces is a

massacre. Where is 20th Maine in that assault?

Well, the 20th Maine is sort of caught in the middle of this, not really at the front, but casualties are all around them,

...