Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

The Civil War fascinates me.

I have been a student of history for a number of years, and find The Civil War to be one of the most interesting in American History. From 1861 to 1865, our country was torn around, brother turned against brother, in the only Civil War to occur on American soil. One of the greatest battles was the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. One of the greatest leaders to emerge from that battle was Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain from the 20th Maine regiment.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at a Glance

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (September 8, 1828 - February 24, 1914) was an American college professor from the State of Maine, who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army. Although having no earlier education in military strategies, he became a highly respected and decorated Union officer, reaching the rank of brigadier general (and brevet major general). For his gallantry at Gettysburg, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He was given the honor of commanding the Union troops at the surrender ceremony for the infantry of Robert E. Lee's Army at Appomattox, Virginia. After the war, he entered politics as a Republican and served four terms of office as Governor of Maine. He served on the faculty of, and as president of, his alma mater, Bowdoin College.

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Three reasons to respect Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

1) He entered the war because he believed it was a righteous cause. When he attemped to enlist, the college he taught at wouldn't let him. So he applied for a sabbatical to Europe, they granted it, and he enlisted instead.

2) The battle at Little Round Top forever defined him as a General - the tactic of charging the enemy when your ammunition was running out, risking the far left flank of the entire union army, took a kind of courage that few couple demonstrate.

3) He was nearly killed by a wound taken later in the war to the pelvis. He was promoted on the field by General Grant, and his obituary ran in the newspaper. However, his will to live was so strong he not only survived, but returned to serve in the army. He was present at Appomattox to witness the surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to Grant, and saluted him and his army as they departed.

They were no longer enemies, but respected citizens of the United States again.