War In Literature Day 2 Quotes

Quotes

“Colonel, I watched that from above. Colonel, that was the damnedest thing I ever saw”

Rice

“"Not a one, Nor a hollow square…”

Fremantle

"We have so many things in common, your country and mine. I earnestly hope we shall become allies. Yet I feel you do not need us. But I must say, I am increasingly indebted to you for your hospitality."

Fremantle

“Ah, but. Colonel darlin’, I’ve been in the infantry since before you were born. It’s them first few thousand miles.”

Kilrain

“Well I’ve seen them run, glory be thanks to you colonel darlin’ lived long enough to see the rebs run”

Kilrain

"The truth is. Colonel, that there's no divine spark, bless you. There's many a man alive no more value than a dead dog. Believe me, when you've seen them hang each other... Equality? Christ in Heaven. What I'm fighting for is the right to prove I'm a better man than many.”

Kilrain

“For the love of God. He died of his wounds. In the bloody bleedin’ armpit. Ak.”

Kilrain

Man we fought four Reb regiments.

Tom

“Hey, Lawrence, want you to meet this fella from Alabama. Cap’n Hawkins, want you to meet my brother. This here is Colonel Chamberlain”

Tom

“We asked them why they were fighting this war, thinkin’ on slavery and all, and one fella said they was fightin’ for their ‘rats’.”

Tom

"You cannot withdraw. Under any conditions. If you go, the line is flanked. If you go, they'll go right up the hilltop and take us in the rear. You must defend this place to the last."

Vincent

"He didn't like the ground. So he just up and moved his whole Corps forward, hour or so ago. I saw them go. Amazing. Beautiful. Full marching line forward, as if they were going to pass in review. Moved right on out to the road down there. Leaving his hill uncovered. Isn't that amazing?"

Vincent

“But they’d give a thousand dollars for him, I bet. Nine hundred for sure.”

Chamberlain

“I kept trying to be courteous, but this minister was so damned wrong and moral and arrogant all at the same time that he began to get under my skin.”

Chamberlain

“How can they look in the eyes of a man and make a slave of him and then quote the Bible?”

Chamberlain

“I had one of those moments when you feel that if the rest of the world is right, then you yourself have gone mad. Because I was really thinking of killing him, wiping him off the earth, and it was then I realized for the first time that if it was necessary to kill them, then I would kill them.”

Chamberlain

“If they win there’ll be two countries, like France and Germany in Europe, and the border will be armed. Then there’ll be a third country in the West, and that one will be the balance of power.”

Chamberlain

“Listen, another one a bit closer and it will be a hard day for Mother. You get back to the rear and watch for stragglers. Keep your distance from me.”

Chamberlain

“Now here’s the move. Keeping up the fire, and keeping a tight hold on the Eighty third, we refuse the line.”

Chamberlain

“Let’s fix bayonets,”

Chamberlain

“A cavalier, a beautiful man, was lounging against a fence in a circle of light, a circle of admirers"

Stuart

“Sir, if you will tell me who these gentlemen...”

Stuart

 ‘So. You fixed bayonets.’”

Rice

“If I attack as ordered I will lose half my division, and they will still be looking down our throats from that hill. We must move to the right”

Hood

“They don’t even need rifles to defend that. All they need to do is roll rocks down on you.”

Hood

“General, I do this under protest”

Hood

"We'll see. But going in without Pickett is like going in with one boot off. I'll wait as long as I can."

Longstreet

“I want you to attack en echelon, to take Cemetery Hill in reverse.” (175)

Lee

"We must attack, We must attack. I would rather not have done it upon this ground, but every moment we delay the enemy uses to reinforce himself. We cannot support ourselves in this country. We cannot let him work around behind us and cut us off from home. We must hit him now. We pushed him yesterday; he will remember it. The men are ready. I see no alternative." (194)

Lee

"It troubles me sometimes, They're never quite the enemy, those boys in blue."

Longstreet

"The issue is in God's hands. We will live with his decision, whichever way it goes."

Lee

"Sam, the Commanding General will not approve a move to the right. I argued it yesterday. I argued it all morning. Hell, I've been arguing against any attack at all. How can I call this one off? We have our orders. Go on in. We're waiting on you."

Longstreet

"There was a higher duty to Virginia. That was the first duty. There was never any doubt about that." (202)

Lee

"Colonel, let me explain something. The secret of General Lee is that men love him and follow him with faith in him. That's one secret. The next secret is that General Lee makes a decision and he moves, with guts, and he's been up against a lot of sickly generals who don't know how to make decisions, although some of them have guts but whose men don't love them. That's why we win, mostly. Because we move with speed, and faith, and because we usually have the good ground. Tactics? God, man, we don't win because of tricks. What were the tactics at Malvern Hill? What were the tactics at Fredericksburg, where we 195 got down behind a bloody stone wall and shot the bloody hell out of them as they came up, wave after wave, bravest thing you ever saw, because, listen, there are some damn good boys across the way, make no mistake on that.”

Longstreet

“You can hold nothing back when you attack. You must commit yourself totally. And yet, if they all die, a man must ask himself, will it ever be worth it?” (183).

Lee