Who was the real "Hero of Little Round Top"?

I am probably going to be tarred and feathered for this, but I am not a huge fan of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Its not that I don't like him, but I think he has been placed on a pedestal that he doesn't belong on and for that, I'm not a fan. So, let's think about the important people who fought on Little Round Top and I'll let you decide who the "Hero" was.

1) Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain - Chamberlain led a bayonet charge down the southern slopes of Little Round Top and it forced the Confederates to retreat...but is that the real story? By the time the 20th Maine realized that they were out of ammunition, they were forced to do something, anything to push the Confederates back...which led to the bayonet charge. But the Alabamians (under William C. Oates) were facing a similar situation. They, too, were running out of ammo and they didn't know how much more they could take. Also, the Confederates had been forced to climb UP Big Round Top and then come DOWN Big Round Top in order to face the men ON Little Round Top....but they did this without any water. Their canteens had been taken from them earlier to get refilled and by the time they made their march, the canteens hadn't returned. So these men were tired and thirsty. How much more they could have taken is up for question...but the bayonet charge finished it for them.

2) Gouverneur K. Warren - General Warren was up on the summit of Little Round Top (LRT)watching the Confederates march across the fields quickly approaching LRT. At that point, the only people on LRT were General Warren and a few men from the Signal Corps. They could not hold that hill by themselves. So, Warren sent his aide (Washington Roebling....the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge) to tell General Barnes that he needed help. Roebling wasn't able to locate General Barnes but he ran into Col. Strong Vincent (that story later). Gen. Warren was singly responsible for making sure that there were troops ON LRT before the Confederates arrived.

3) Strong Vincent - Col. Vincent was found by Roebling and told of the need for help on the hill. Vincent had been told to hold his men and a certain area near LRT and NOT to move. But seeing how frantic Roebling was, he grabbed his brigade and placed them on LRT. Less than 10 minutes later, the Confederates arrived and the battle ensued. Had Vincent listened to his superiors, he never would have placed his men on that hill. So, by going against orders, he was able to help save it. Unfortunately, his going against orders, led to his death when he was mortally wounded during the fight.

4) Patrick O'Rourke - Paddy O'Rourke was commander of the 140th NY. Just as the 16th Michigan was starting to fade from all the attacks they were receiving, O'Rourke arrived with his men. O'Rourke's men were fresh and when they got there, they charged the tiring Confederates and were able to push them all the way back to Devil's Den. O'Rourke's thanks for helping out in a dire situation was a bullet to the head and he died instantly.

There are quite a few other men that I could mention as "Hero's": Hazlett, Weed, the commanders of the 83rd PA, 16th MI, and 44th NY, as well as each and every man who stood on that hill and fought. Who was the actual "Hero of Little Round Top"? I'm not sure that one particular person can be chosen. Without each and every man up there on that fateful day, who knows what would have happened? But what I can say, is that making Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain the "Hero" is downplaying what each and every man did that day. I don't have a problem with Chamberlain as a leader or a man, I have a problem with the "hero worship" of ONE man when so many others played pivotal roles in the same fighting. Let's make them ALL hero's!