Joshua (Lawrence) Chamberlain - Early life, Civil War service, Post-war career, Command history, In popular media

US soldier and educator, born in Brewer, Maine, USA. The defender of Little Round Top at Gettysburg (2 Jul 1863), he commanded the force that accepted the formal surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia (Apr 1865). He served as governor of Maine (1866–71) and was president of Bowdoin College (1871–83).

Joshua Chamberlain
September 8, 1828 – February 24, 1914
Bvt. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Place of birth	Brewer, Maine
Place of death	Portland, Maine
Allegiance	United States
Years of service	1861 – 1866
Rank	Brevet Major General
Commands	20th Maine Infantry 1st Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps
Battles/wars	American Civil War
Awards	Medal of Honor
Other work	Governor of Maine President of Bowdoin College

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (September 8, 1828 – February 24, 1914) was a college professor who joined the Union Army without the benefit of any formal military education, and became a highly respected and decorated Union officer during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of brigadier general (and brevet major general).

Early life

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born in Brewer, Maine, the eldest of five children. Chamberlain entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1848 and graduated in 1852. Chamberlain studied for three additional years at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine, returned to Bowdoin and began a career in education as a professor of rhetoric.

Civil War service

Chamberlain's great-grandfathers were soldiers in the American Revolutionary War and his grandfather had served during the War of 1812.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Chamberlain wished to enlist, but the Bowdoin College administration felt that he was too valuable to the college faculty.

Chamberlain fought with the regiment at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, where he was promoted to colonel of the regiment upon the promotion of its first colonel, Adelbert Ames. One of Chamberlain's younger brothers, Thomas Chamberlain, was also an officer of the 20th Maine, and another, John Chamberlain, traveled with the regiment as a member of the Christian Commission until appointed as a chaplain in another Maine Volunteer regiment.

Battle of Gettysburg

Chamberlain achieved fame at the Battle of Gettysburg, where his valiant defense of Little Round Top became the focus of many publications and stories. Strong Vincent, Chamberlain found himself and the 20th Maine at the far left end of the Union line, with the 83rd Pennsylvania, 44th New York, and 16th Michigan infantry regiments to their right.

The 20th Maine charged down the hill, using an unusual tactical maneuver of having the extreme left wing wheel continually to make the charging line swing like a hinge thus creating a simultaneous frontal assault and flanking maneuver, capturing many of the Confederate soldiers and successfully saving the flank.

Brigade command

In May 1864, Chamberlain returned to the Army of the Potomac and was promoted to brigade commander shortly before the Siege of Petersburg. Chamberlain's ostensible death in battle was reported in the Maine newspapers, and Lt. Gen.

Given command of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division of V Corps, Chamberlain continued to act with courage and resolve.

In all, Chamberlain served in twenty battles and numerous skirmishes, and was wounded six times.

Receiving the Confederate surrender at Appomattox

On the morning of April 9, 1865, Chamberlain learned of the desire by Lee to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia when a Confederate staff officer approached him under a flag of truce. That evening, Chamberlain was summoned to Union headquarters where Major General Charles Griffin informed him that of all the officers in the Federal Army, General Grant had selected Chamberlain to preside over the ceremony of the surrender and parole of the Confederate infantry at Appomattox Court House on April 12.

Thus Chamberlain was responsible for one of the most poignant scenes of the Civil War. Chamberlain described what happened next:

The gallant John B.

Chamberlain's salute to the Confederate soldiers was unpopular with many in the North, but he defended his action in his memoirs, The Passing of the Armies. Many years later, Gordon, in his own memoirs, called Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal Army."

Post-war career

Chamberlain left the army soon after the war ended, going back to his home state of Maine, and was elected and served as Governor of Maine for four one-year terms.

In January 1880, there was a dispute about who was the newly elected governor of Maine, and the Maine State House was occupied by a band of armed men. The outgoing governor, Garcelon, summoned Chamberlain, the commander of the Maine militia, to take charge. Chamberlain also wrote several books about Maine, education, and his Civil War memoir, The Passing of the Armies.

In 1893 Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg.

To the end of his life, Chamberlain was active in the Grand Army of the Republic and made many return visits to Gettysburg, giving speeches at soldiers' reunions.

Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914 at Portland, Maine, age 85, and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Brunswick, Maine.

His home, located across Maine Street from the Bowdoin College campus, is now a museum owned by the Pejepscot Historical Society, which also maintains an extensive research collection on Chamberlain.

Command history

Lt. Colonel (second in command), 20th Maine (August 8, 1862) Colonel, commanding 20th Maine (May 20, 1863) Commanding 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps (August 26 – November 19, 1863) Commanding 1st Brigade (June 6 – June 18, 1864) Brigadier General of Volunteers (June 18, 1864) Commanding 1st Brigade (November 19, 1864 – January 5, 1865) Commanding 1st Brigade (February 27 – April 11, 1865) Brevet Major General of Volunteers (March 29, 1865) Commanding 1st Division (April 20 – June 28, 1865) Commanding 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Wright's Provisional Corps, Middle Department (June 28, 1865 – July 1865) Mustered out of volunteer service (January 15, 1866)

In popular media

Chamberlain is a key character in Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel about Gettysburg, The Killer Angels, and the movie based on that novel, Gettysburg (in which Chamberlain was played by actor Jeff Daniels, who repeated that role in the Gods and Generals prequel).

Tom Eishen's historical novel Courage on Little Round Top is a detailed look at Chamberlain as well as Robert Wicker, the young officer who fired his pistol at Chamberlain's head during the 20th Maine's historic charge down Little Round Top.