Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Research Paper

United States History

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: A Knightly Colonel

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a man of immense fortitude and honor due to his morally-driven hunger for success and his regard for respect even in the most turbulent of times.

Shea McEnerney
15 March 2013

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Shea McEnerney
Dr. Jerry Goben
U.S. History
15 March 2013

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: A Knightly Colonel

Born September 8th, 1828, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was raised in a traditional family from Maine, rooted in Puritan beliefs. Chamberlain was taught at a very young age to offer others nothing but the utmost of respect. Sarah Chamberlain, Joshua’s mother, lead a strict household of mannerly children
who respected their elders and lead with moral character. Chamberlain grew to not only be an immensely revered academician, but an outstanding leader as well. Chamberlain learned from his strict father at a young age that sheer willpower followed by positive action could accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Lessons like these instilled in Joshua’s nature as a child would prove to build his adult career and earn him great success. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a man of immense fortitude and honor due to his morally-driven hunger for success and his regard for respect even in the most turbulent of times.

At a young age, Chamberlain enveloped himself in the outdoors, his faith and education.
It was easy to tell early on that Chamberlain was different; different in the sense that he strived for something more than himself. He was a driven young man with a keen interest in adventure. When it came time for Joshua to leave home, he was faced with the decision of entering the church or going to WestPoint then on to the military. Joshua was intrigued by the idea of entering the service; however, the idea of being in the military during peacetime did not particularly appeal to him. So Chamberlain decided to enter the missionary, under the condition that he could travel to foreign lands. After being set on entering the church for several years, in 1848, Joshua decided to attend college at Bowdoin College at Brunswick. While in school, Joshua grew to be an introvert. He was, at first, a quieter young man, but grew to be a
man

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with a strong voice and immense potential. In his third year at Bowdoin, Joshua won awards for best composition and oratory. Chamberlain finished school at Bowdoin, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with his bachelor 's degree. Throughout school, Joshua developed a large reputation for standing tall for what he believed in, even in times of adversity. After school, Joshua went on to Bangor Theological Seminary for three years of seminary training.

In 1855, Chamberlain graduated from the Seminary and decided to marry his love from Bowdoin, Frances Caroline Adams. The two were an inseparable pair, even though Frances was 4 years older than he was. Considering Chamberlain’s massively positive reputation at Bowdoin, In the spring of 1856, Joshua was nominated as professor of rhetoric and oratory at Bowdoin and by 1861, was elected as chair of modern languages. Chamberlain was more than qualified for chair of modern languages, considering his mastery of multiple languages in preparation for his potential career in the ministry in foreign lands. Joshua had become fluent in 9 different languages, those including: Greek, Latin, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Syriac. After several years of teaching at Bowdoin, Joshua and Frances Chamberlain were graced with the birth of their daughter Grace, and son Harold.

With the onset of the American Civil War in 1861, Joshua’s childhood desire to serve his country came rushing right back. When war broke out, many of Joshua’s fellow Bowdoin alumni had enlisted immediately.
Chamberlain felt a strong need to temporarily resign from his educational duties to serve his country. He asked for a leave of absence from Bowdoin College, which was not granted. In response, In August of 1862, Chamberlain resigned from his occupation at Bowdoin and enlisted as Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Regiment of Main Volunteers. This enlistment marked the beginning of a whole new chapter of Joshua’s life; a chapter in which much personal and national success would be obtained.

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(Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at age 34, 1862)

Chamberlain’s first battle fought with the 20th Regiment was the Battle of Antietam and then on to the battle of Fredricksburg.
The start to Joshua’s military career served to be a bitter one. The devastating loss at Fredrickburg along with the winter’s biting cold provided a miserable welcoming into the American Civil War for Chamberlain and the 20th. In an article published by Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1912, Chamberlain recalled his miserable, “bivouac with the dead,” one night in the hills of Mary’s Heights at Fredricksburg. After driving full-force through the bone-chilling winter months of 1862-1863, Chamberlain’s undying leadership became immensely prevalent leading to his promotion to Colonel in June of 1863. On July 2nd, 1863, Chamberlain and the 20th regiment were called into action at the Battle of Gettysburg. Joining Joshua was Colonel Strong Vincent and his 3rd Regiment. The two groups of Union soldiers were to hold the Union line at Little Round Top and not to retreat for any reason. In a desperate effort to take the Union position, Confederate General John Bell Hood ordered his brigade to advance up the rocky hill. In the advancement, many Union troops were killed, including Colonel Strong Vincent. Following Vincent’s direct orders to hold the Union line, Chamberlain had no choice but to maintain a strong defense at the peak of Little Round Top. Moreover, Union ammunition and sheer energy was almost nonexistent. Joshua made a quick and confident decision to
commence a bayonet charge down the hill. The charge proved to successfully maintain the Union line at Little Round Top, as well bring the Union army closer to a victory at Gettysburg.
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As the war led on, Chamberlains reputation among his soldiers grew in immense respect and honor. Joshua’s kindness towards his men as well as hisbold and strategic decisions during battle resulted in great admiration from the soldiers of the 20th Regiment. Chamberlain’s humble nature and empathetic ways of working with his men helped the soldiers grow in respect for Joshua, but proved to be unhealthy for the Colonel at times. For instance, in November of 1863, Chamberlain spent the night beside his men in the snow and woke in the morning to a severe case of pneumonia and malarial fever. The Colonel was immediately sent to Georgetown In Washington D.C. where he remained for several months receiving needed treatment for the repercussions of his undying empathy.

Chamberlain returned to his 20th Regiment in the spring of 1864 and jumped right back into heavy battle and rough conditions. On June 2nd and 3rd, Chamberlain and his Regiment engaged in a battle at Bethesda Church. Always alongside his men, Chamberlain leaped into battle fighting as if he were a low-rank soldier himself. The Colonel fought as if he had no regard for his own safety; however, his cool composure and confident strategy proved to inevitably carry his regiment to safety and victory. Chamberlain’s confident and concrete nature off the battlefield and his undying drive for victory on the battlefield was impossible to disregard by those around him. For his courageous and empathetic fighting methods during the battle at Bethesda Church, Chamberlain was appointed commander of the 1st Division 's new 1st Brigade of Pennsylvania regiments.

On March 29, 1865, Chamberlain and his 1st Brigade Marched down Quaker road eventually engaging in a bayonet-fuled fight. Wounded by being shot off of his horse, Chamberlain was inches away from being captured by Confederate soldiers; however, Joshua deceived the soldiers by posing as a Confederate soldier himself. Despite his injury and near capture, the Colonel maintained his command over the 1st Brigade and 20th Regiment. In an effort to open access to Union troops on the Boydton Plank and White Oak Roads, Joshua ordered his men to break enemy lines and push Confederate troops
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out of the area. The fight was immensely successful, pushing all Confederate troops away from the vicinity. By displaying incredible leadership and Strategic skills, Chamberlain opened the passing on the White Oak Roads allowing Union infantry to pass through. For this, he would be deemed Major General by President Lincoln.

(Union/Confederate infantry lines at the Battle of White Oak Road, 1863)

By now, the Confederate troops resources, food, ammunition, etc. had been reduced to nothing and it was obvious that the North was pulling away with an inevitable victory in sight. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee announced his surrender to end a 4-year bloodbath that had dwindled on 4 years too long. The two armies were to meet 3 days later on April 12, at the Appomattox Court House to declare an end to the Civil War. Representing the Confederate forces in the surrender was General John B. Gordon. Representing Union acceptance of this surrender was Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Humbled and deeply moved by this honor to accept the surrender of the Confederate army to the Union army, Joshua requested that his 20th Regiment and his 3rd Brigade be there with him. As the Confederate troops approached the Appomattox Court House on April 12th, 1865, they were astonished to be greeted by a silent solute from the Union regiment. Out of respect and reverence for the lost lives of not only the
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Confederate soldiers, but of anyone involved in the American Civil War, Chamberlain ordered his soldiers to lay down their arms and maintain a salute to the surrendering Confederate soldiers. Taken back and immensely appreciative of this compassionate gesture, Gordon ordered his troops to solute the Union regiment in return. In his speeches and memoirs, Gordon would always remember Chamberlain as “one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal Army.” This event at the Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865, proved to be much more than a surrender. This event proved to be the culminating overture to a horrific 4 years. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s regard for human dignity and strategic brilliance contributed much to not only the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, but also the Union’s venerable dominance in the American Civil War.

(Surrender at Appomattox, 1865)

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Works Cited

1. Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence., The Passing of the Armies: The Last
Campaign of the Armies, , 1915, reprinted by Stan Clark Military Books, Gettysburg, PA, 1994.

2. Wallace, M. Willard., Soul of the Lion: A Biography of General Joshua L.
Chamberlain, , 1960, reprinted by Stan Clark Military Books, Gettysburg, PA, 1991

3. Nesbitt, Mark,. Through Blood and Fire: Selected Civil War Papers of
Major General Joshua Chamberlain, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 1996.

4. DesJardin, Thomas. “Letters Reveal the Inner Man.” CivilWarTimes. 20
June2012: (8)

5. Pohanka, Brian C., Don Troiani 's Civil War, Stackpole Books,
Mechanicsburg, PA, 1995.

6. Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence., "Bayonet! Forward": My Civil War
Reminiscences, Stan Clark Military Books, Gettysburg, PA, 1994.

7. Catton, Bruce., The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil

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War, American Heritage, New York, NY, 1988

8. Gordon, General Jon B., Reminiscences of the Civil War, Morningside,
Dayton, OH, 1993