This is John Batchelor, conversation with the biographer Ronald C. White, his new book On Great Fields,

The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain,

a professor of languages at Bowdoin College

coming out of the banger-main part of the world

as a young man wanted to be educated and taught himself many languages.

His heroism, however, is about a moment on the battlefield at Gettysburg in 1863.

On his road to Gettysburg, however, with the 20th Maine, he endured smallpox, he endured discipline, he trained himself to go from being a

professor of languages, to young men, to a leader in violence with young men.

And here is the transformation,

missing out on Chancellor'sville because of Smallpox

in his command, and then learning from a disciplinarian how to command men under fire.

Ronald C. Wight on Chamberlain in Camp Smallpox.

Yes, most of the soldiers had been inoculated before they entered the battlefield in their home state, but not the 20th of Maine.

And so the serum, as you suggest that they took, was defective.

And so suddenly, instead of being a part of the battle they're part of the

small what they call the smallpox camp that's his new that's his new command, Camp Smallpox.

Yes, there.

And then some die, many are sick.

It's a terrible moment for the 20th Maine.

They have casualties in the...

They have casualties, that's right.

Yes.

...