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Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
An American Hero
The Civil War produced many heroes and leaders on both sides, however, the
story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is one of the most remarkable. A professor
of theology and philosphy by training and occupation, he proved to have a
coolness of judgement under fire that would not normally be expected of a
professor. He fought in a total of 24 battles during the war, including the
major battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, where he was wounded, and Chancellorsville.
He is most famous for his actions in the battle of Gettysburg where he was
wounded again and for which he received the Medal of Honor. On the second
day of the battle, his regiment, the 20th Maine, made a heroic defense of the
critical end of the Union line of battle. During this action, after expending
all of their ammunition defending against repeated attacks by a larger Confederate
force, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge by his regiment, at the time numbering
only about 200 men. This tactic not only forstalled further attacks but captured
400 prisoners.
In the assault on Petersburg he was wounded through the hip so badly that he
was not expected to live. Promoted on the spot to Brigadier General by General
Ulysses S. Grant, he not only survived the wound, but went on to serve in later
battles and receive yet another wound (he was wounded a total of four times).
He demonstrated incredible physical courage and determination on the battlefield
and he proved to be an excellent leader of men, showing a firm fairness and
good judgement. Present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox, he called his unit
to attention and ordered a salute to the defeated Confederates, showing a
former enemy respect and treating them with dignity and respect. After the
war, he returned to Bowdin College and served as instructor and President of
the college, and later went on to serve four terms as the Governor of Maine.
Chamberlain was the ideal of a citizen-soldier.
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How men held on, each one knows -- not I. But manhood commands admiration. There
was one fine young fellow, who had been cut down early in the fight with a
ghastly wound across his forehead, and who I had thought might possibly be
saved with prompt attention. So I had sent him back to our little field hospital,
at least to die in peace. Within a half-hour, in a desperate rally I saw that
noble youth amidst the rolling smoke as an apparition from the dead, with bloody
bandage for the only covering of his head, in the thick of the fight, high-borne
and pressing on as they that shall see death no more. I shall know him when
I see him again, on whatever shore.1
-- Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
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Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry
Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers
Brevet Major General, U.S. Volunteers
Congressional Medal of Honor
Governor of Maine, 1866-1870
President, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 1871-1883
American Commissioner, Universal Exposition at Paris, 1871
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The Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle ever fought in the Western
hemisphere, is often called the turning point of the Civil War. The battle
was a narrow victory for the Union and could have been a Confederate victory
if it were not for a series of critical events. One such episode involved
the 20th Maine. Organized in the Maine Volunteer Militia in August 1862,
the 20th Maine mustered into Federal service several weeks later. Assigned
to the Army of the Potomac, the regiment fought in the Antietam, Fredericksburg,
and Chancellorsville campaigns. At Gettysburg, the 20th was commanded by
Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, a former professor at Maine's Bowdoin College.
After marching all day and night to reach Gettysburg, the regiment was
ordered late in the afternoon of July 2 to occupy critical terrain between
two hills, Big and Little Round Top. Chamberlain was ordered to hold this
position on the extreme left flank of the Union line at all costs; if outflanked
by Confederates, the entire Union position would be in jeopardy. It was
not long before the 15th and 47th Alabama Regiments attacked. The 20th
Maine held off six attacks by the determined Alabama men, but Colonel Chamberlain
knew that his regiment, low on ammunition, could not withstand the seventh.
He therefore ordered a counterattack with fixed bayonets, and the 20th
charged down the slopes of Little Round Top into the startled Confederates
and broke their attack. The 20th Maine took 400 prisoners and stopped the
Confederate threat to the Union flank. The crucial role these Maine militiamen
played in the Union victory at Gettysburg exemplifies the military qualities
of leadership, initiative, unit cohesion, and gallantry. Joshua Chamberlain
was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions of July 2, 1863. At Appomattox
Courthouse almost two years later, it was Brevet Major General Chamberlain, chosen
to accept the Confederate surrender, who ordered Union troops to present
arms to their former enemy as a matter of respect. After the war Chamberlain
was elected Governor of Maine, and completed his military career as a major
general in the Maine National Guard. The heritage of the 20th Maine is
carried on today by the 133d Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard.2
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"Lions of the Round Top" by Don Troiani.3
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Mustered In: August 29, 1862
Mustered Out: July 16, 1865
Length of Service: Two Years, Ten ½ Months
Engagements:
Antietam, MD - September 17, 1862
Shepherdstown Ford, VA - September 19 - 20, 1862 (Antietam Campaign)
Fredericksburg, VA - December 13, 1862
Chancellorsville, VA - May 1 - 4, 1863
Middleburg, VA - June 17, 1863 (Gettysburg Campaign)
Gettysburg, PA - July 1 - 3, 1863 (Gettysburg Campaign)
Sharpsburg Pike, MD - (Gettysburg Campaign)
Rappahannock Station, VA - November 7, 1863 (Bristoe Campaign)
Mine Run, VA - November 26 - December 1, 1863
Wilderness, VA - May 5 - 7, 1864
Spotsylvania, VA - May 7 - 20, 1864
North Anna, VA - May 23 - 27, 1864
Totopotomy, VA - May 26, - 30, 1864
Bethesda Church, VA - May 30 - June 1, 1864
Cold Harbor, VA - May 31 - June 12, 1864
Petersburg, VA Seige - June 1864
Jerusalem Plank Road, VA - June 22 - 23, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Weldon Railroad, VA - August 18 - 21, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Peebles Farm, VA - September 30 - October 2, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Hatchers Run, VA - December 8 - 9, 1864 (Petersburg Campaign)
Quaker Road, VA - March 29, 1865 (Appomattox Campaign)
Gravelly Run, VA - March 29, 1865 (Appomattox Campaign)
Five Forks, VA - March 30 - April 1, 1865 (Appomattox Campaign)
Appomattox, VA - March 29 - April 9, 1865
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Chamberlain, Joshua L., 1994; Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg; Stan Clark Military Books, Gettysburg, PA.
Pullen, John J., 1999; Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy; Stackpole Books, New York, NY.
Pullen, John J., 1980; The Twentieth Maine, A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War (Revised edition); Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, OH.
Shaara, Michael, 1993; The Killer Angels; Ballantine Books, New York, NY.
The story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine was also excellently
portrayed in the movie Gettysburg. However, both the movie and the book
from which the screenplay was adapted, Killer Angels, are works of historical
fiction and as such, have used some degree of 'artistic license.' This is
notable in the timing of certain incidents such as the transfer of 200 men
from the 2nd Maine regiment which actually occurred some six weeks prior to
the battle of Gettysburg, whereas the film has it only days before the battle.
Both the book and the movie, however, do an excellent job of capturing the
essence of the battle and the actions of Chamberlain and his men.
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1. Excerpted from Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg, p. 17.
2. Gettysburg paragraph quoted is from the
U.S. Army Center for Military History, and may be found
here.
3. "Lions of the Round Top" is an image of an original painting by
Don Troiani and is used by kind
permission of the artist. This painting and more like it may be found at his
website.
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