Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain was
born on September 8, 1828 to Joshua Chamberlain and Sarah Dupree in Brewer,
Maine. As a young man he attended Major Whiting’s military academy. When
considering career choices for their son, his mother wanted him to be a
minister and his father wanted him to join the military. Ultimately he decided
to enter the ministry if he could become a foreign missionary.
In 1848, Lawrence entered Bowdoin
College where he began to use the name Joshua. He taught himself ancient Greek
and was a part of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He was also the college
chapel organist. After graduating from Bowdoin he studied three more additional
years at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine. He married Fanny Adams
in 1855. Obviously his plans at becoming a minister didn’t work out because
after his graduation from Bangor he went on to become a professor.
In 1856, Chamberlain was elected
professor for Bowdoin College. He was a professor of rhetoric. Eventually he
began teaching every subject besides math and science. He was fluent in 9
languages, excluding English. These being: Greek, Latin, Spanish, German,
French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Syriac. In 1861, he became Professor of
Modern Languages at Bowdoin.
Unbeknownst to his family or
Bowdoin, Joshua enlisted in the United States Army in 1862. He was appointed
Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Maine. He was offered a higher
position of Colonelcy of the 20th but refused, reportedly wanting to
learn the ropes first.
The 20th Maine marched
to Antietam but did not participate in the fighting. There first action was not
until September at Shepherdstown Ford. Their first major battle was on Dec. 13th,
1862 at Fredericksburg. The Confederates had arrived first and gained control
of Marye’s Heights which had a long stonewall on the sides of the road. The
Confederates had an almost unbreakable line and plenty of fortification; the
charges of the Union troops were basically fool-hardy. During the night
Chamberlain crawled around to check on his troops. The Federals had attempted a
total of 14 charges, all of which failed. The battle was so gruesome and the
dead were so many that during the night Chamberlain and his men had to use dead bodies as shields. The rest of the
year until and the beginning of the next were uneventful for the 20th.
They missed Chancellorsville because of small pox in the ranks caused by bad
vaccines.
In June 1863, Chamberlain was
promoted to Colonel of the regiments. July 1-3 found the 20th Maine
at Gettysburg. Joshua received two small wounds at this battle: one when a
bullet hit his sword scabbard and bruised his thigh and the other when a piece
of shrapnel bit his right foot. He was suffering from malaria dysentery and was
eventually taken out of active duty until he recovered.
Chamberlain returned to the 20th
and received the promotion of brigade commander. During the Siege of
Fredericksburg he received a bullet through the thigh that was considered
mortal. Nonetheless, he continued fighting by pushing his sword into the ground
and holding himself up until he collapsed from loss of blood. It was so bad
that Maine falsely received word that he was dead. After this he was promoted
to Brigadier General.
He was given command of the 1st
Brigade of the 1st division of the V corps in 1865. During a
skirmish on Quaker road he received a wound in the left arm and chest and was
almost captured. He received the rank of Major General after this. After General Lee gave word of wanting to
surrender Chamberlain received word that he would be in charge of the parade of
men to the court house at Appomattox. During this parade Chamberlain, of his
own initiative, did something for which he gained my respect. His action is
detailed in this account from his book “The Passing of the Armies”: “Gordon, at the head of
the marching column, outdoes us in courtesy. He was riding with downcast eyes
and more than pensive look; but at this clatter of arms he raises his eyes and
instantly catching the significance, wheels his horse with that superb grace of
which he is master, drops the point of his sword to his stirrup, gives a
command, at which the great Confederate ensign following him is dipped and his
decimated brigades, as they reach our right, respond to the 'carry.' All the
while on our part not a sound of trumpet or drum, not a cheer, nor a word nor
motion of man, but awful stillness as if it were the passing of the dead” 1.
After this General Gordon referred to him as “one of the knightliest
soldiers of the federal army.” His “knightly” deed was not appreciated by many Northern
people and he defended his action, also in his book 3“The Passing of
the Armies”, this way: “The momentous meaning of this occasion impressed me
deeply. I resolved to mark it by some token of recognition, which could be no
other than a salute of arms. Well aware of the responsibility assumed, and of
the criticisms that would follow, as the sequel proved, nothing of that kind
could move me in the least….My main reason, however, was one for which I sought
no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood the
embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of
death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing
before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level
into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;–was not
such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured?” 2
After the war Chamberlain became
governor of Maine and won the office four years in a row. In 1866 he set a
record for the most votes and highest percentage of any governor. He would
break his own record in 1868. After he left his office as governor he went back
to Bowdoin where he was appointed president of the college until 1883 when he
had to leave because he was having health problems as a result of old war
wounds.
In 1893 he received the Medal of
Honor for his deeds as Gettysburg. He was in constant pain from the wound he
received during the Siege of Petersburg.
In 1898, when the Spanish-
American war was going on Chamberlain volunteered for duty as an officer but
was rejected. He called it one of the greatest disappointments of his life.
He died in 1914 at 85 years old
as a result of his war wounds. It is said that he was the last Civil War
veteran to die as a result of wounds received during the war. Lawrence Joshua
Chamberlain was a man of deep honor. He ultimately gave his life for what he
believed in, and was honorable enough to pay respect to others who did the
same, even though he had fought against them.
1=Taken directly
from Wikipedia. 2- A direct quote from his
book “The Passing of the Armies”
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