I've seen this dozens of times (we used to show it to the Boy Scout Troop to which I belonged before visiting Gettysburg) and ahve stood upon that ridge where Chamberlin and his men stood. I am always awed by the way in which a few good men, ready and willing to make a stand, made a difference on that day. Tired, nearly out of ammunition and on the verge of being overrun, they turned the tide of battle and prevented the Union lines from being flanked--and act that wold have allowed the Confederate forces to roll up the line and defeat the Union army at Gettysburg.

Bill Whittle's essay on Pickett's Charge, and its deep significance, here.

I've read a quote from a Confederate soldier to the effect that "We could have beaten the Yanks with corn-stalks, but they wouldn't let us fight that way." The context was that the US wins its wars by sheer industrial might. There's no doubt a great deal of truth to that, and it's something we can be rightfully proud of.

But incidents like Pickett's Charge, Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge show that for all our frivolity, for all our supposed weakness in depending on our technology, we do indeed possess the true grit.

if you want some more "true grit" try "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors." Available at Amazon. OMG. nothing else to say really. OMG.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

I'm an old US Navy man and am familiar with the general outlines of the battle. An amazing story of courage. Jeep carriers and tin cans.