BJ Hunnicutt has never done anything wrong! To me!

So like important figures like Gouverneur Warren, Strong Vincent, Winfield Scott Hancock, Dan Sickles, and hell even George Meade, recently appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac, barely get the screen time they deserve. The 20th Maine takes a lot of precedence over many of the other United States units seen in the movie, and the movie seems to imply it was their actions specifically that saved the day at Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, when it's much much bigger than them. But at the same time I won't downplay their participation because they pulled off a truly impressive maneuver while being outnumbered and I do believe they were a crucial part of the success there, but it's not just their story that made that success, if that makes sense? But there were so many other units that were immortalized after Gettysburg that don't receive the credit they deserve in the movie. The movie also doesn't spend a lot of time addressing slavery, and I feel like it water's the cause of the war down to the "States rights" myth in more than one place. Joshua L. Chamberlain does have some pretty good lines addressing slavery, though, but I wish the movie as a whole had taken a stronger stance. (Or at least not have had confederate general James Longstreet say that "[the south] should have freed the slaves before firing on Fort Sumter." What a stupid line.)

Basically I'm saying take Gettysburg (93) with a grain of salt- it's far from perfect, but it has greatly influenced the way a lot of modern audiences look at and understand the battle of Gettysburg (another reason why a number of historians are annoyed with the movie), so you can definitely watch it through that historiographical lens and gain some important info that way! I do genuinely enjoy the movie though, and I have my critiques because I do enjoy it and it was one of my jumping boards into studying the US Civil War, so it does have a place in my heart. I've also seen it enough times and have discussed it with friends who are far smarter than me about their takes on it, and so my opinion has been shaped through them as well.

And if you're not especially big on the civil war, I apologize if I've turned you off about watching it. I do think it's a movie worth viewing at least once. And if you're interested at all in the Chamberlain's, I will say Jeff Daniels makes a wonderful performance as Joshua Lawrence and he will do you proud. C. Thomas Howell as Tom is also very entertaining and endearing.

Just promise me one thing anon. No matter what you do or what you hear from anyone- do not, do not watch the prequel "Gods and Generals". The book is pretty good imo, but the movie is almost entirely filled with lost cause ideology, neoconfederate propaganda, and is incredibly boring on top of it all. If there's 4 hours of your life you don't want to waste on something, it's that. Please heed that warning.

The Shaara's portray Lawrence as a quietly intelligent professor turned soldier/commander, who's thoughtful, humble, poetic, and idealistic at times; he's got clear reasons for why he's fighting and while he's out of his element at the start, he proves to be a fast learner and an adept leader. Tom is his roguish little brother that is still naive in some ways and often is up to/saying something funny, while Lawrence looks out for him and keeps him in check. They have some interesting contrasts and make a fun dynamic that I feel appeals to people when they either watch the movie or read the series. (Also not to mention the fact that the 20th Maine's actions at Little Round Top are genuinely very cool and impressive to learn about, especially to new students of the civil war- I mean, who doesn't love a "beating the odd's" type of story?? I feel like that makes people attached to the regiment and individuals like the Chamberlains too.)

As far as the Chamberlain's beyond Ron Maxwell's and Michael and Jeff Shaara's interpretation's? That's trickier, because I feel like most posting with the Chamberlain's that I've seen has ultimately been related to the movie and books and their portrayals, as I've said. I've not seen as much posting or discussion from biographies as of late. (I could be wrong! Like I said I've not been on that side of tumblr in a while, and I invite anyone to correct or discuss that with me.) I could definitely go into more depth about why they're so beloved to me, if you'd want. Otherwise, I hope this is a good answer and I apologize for how much I rambled.