I'm John Babs with Ron White.

His new book is On Great Feels The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

This is a way of looking at the late 19th century, the

Gilded Age. It is now 1880s, 1890s. Grant's gone in 85. Warren goes in 82.

Chamberlain, despite his wound, will carry on for another two decades.

However, he does have surgery, and at some point the surgery is put in the newspaper.

I don't remember when Ron wrong but that's the first

time Fannie knows about it. Is that right? Yeah that seems very odd also it's the

first time most people know about it. Somehow the newspaper gets a record of what the surgery is. It's a pretty graphic record and people are shocked that they know this man, governor, president, has undergone so much misery in pain through all these years. It becomes

public. And there's no pension for the Union Army. There's no medical benefits.

There's no VA. You take care of yourself or you don't and many didn't. Many couldn't.

Chamberlain however persists and he persists at 101 West 75th Street. I tried to look it up Ron, but Sherman lived there in the

neighborhood somewhere in the West 70s as I recall and he became a first

nighter. He would attend every theater piece in the beginning. This is Sherman who in

1880, I'm going to say for the presidency, said, if nominated I will not accept it, if elected,

I will not serve at Sherman.

And Chamberlain's there at the same time.

So did the heroes of the Civil War, did they spend time together?

They stay apart.

Well they had remarkable reunions and in 1869 was the first reunion of what became the society of the Army of the Potomac.

And Chamberlain is selected to be what they call the quote-unquote orator, which tells you already

by then his renown was there.

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