Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain · source
Name	Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Caption	Chamberlain in Union Army uniform, c. 1860s
Birth date	8 September 1828
Death date	24 February 1914
Birth place	Brewer, Maine
Death place	Portland, Maine
Placeofburial	Pine Grove Cemetery, Brunswick, Maine
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1862–1866
Rank	Brevet Major General
Unit	20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Commands	20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps, 1st Division, V Corps
Battles	American Civil War, • Battle of Fredericksburg, • Battle of Chancellorsville, • Battle of Gettysburg, • Siege of Petersburg, • Battle of Five Forks, • Appomattox Campaign
Laterwork	Governor of Maine, President of Bowdoin College

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a distinguished Union Army officer, educator, and politician whose actions at the Battle of Gettysburg became legendary. A professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College before the war, he rose to the rank of brevet major general and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic defense of Little Round Top. After the American Civil War, he served four terms as Governor of Maine and later as president of his alma mater, Bowdoin College, leaving a lasting legacy as a symbol of academic valor and civic leadership.

Early life and education

Born in Brewer, Maine, he was the eldest of five children and was named for the naval hero James Lawrence. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1852, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and studied under professors like Calvin Stowe. He then attended Bangor Theological Seminary for three years before returning to Bowdoin in 1855 as a professor of rhetoric. Fluent in several languages including Greek, Latin, and German, he was a dedicated scholar before the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Civil War service

In 1862, despite opposition from the administration at Bowdoin College, he was granted a leave of absence to join the Union Army, receiving a commission as lieutenant colonel of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He fought with the Army of the Potomac in major engagements like the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. His defining moment came on July 2, 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg, where his regiment’s desperate bayonet charge down Little Round Top saved the Union left flank from the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Severely wounded during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 at the Battle of Rives' Salient, he was promoted to brigadier general by command of Ulysses S. Grant. At the Appomattox Court House surrender, he was selected by Major General Charles Griffin to receive the formal surrender of the arms and colors of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Post-war career and politics

Mustered out of service in 1866 as a brevet major general, he returned to Brunswick, Maine and entered politics as a Republican. He served four consecutive one-year terms as Governor of Maine from 1867 to 1871, advocating for veterans' rights and supporting the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. After his governorship, he was appointed president of Bowdoin College in 1871, a position he held until 1883, during which he expanded the curriculum and established the first Greek fraternity at the college. He also remained active in veterans' affairs, serving as a founder of the Maine Grand Army of the Republic.

Later life and legacy

In his later years, he wrote and lectured extensively about his war experiences, publishing accounts like *The Passing of the Armies*. The lingering effects of his Petersburg wound plagued his health, and he died in Portland, Maine in 1914. He is interred at Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine. His legacy was cemented in popular culture by books like *The Killer Angels* by Michael Shaara and its film adaptation, *Gettysburg*, where his character was portrayed by Jeff Daniels. Numerous monuments, including one at Gettysburg Battlefield, and the naming of Chamberlain, Maine, honor his memory.

Awards and honors

His most prestigious award was the Medal of Honor, conferred in 1893 for his "daring heroism and great tenacity" at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was also a recipient of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. In 2004, the United States Army inducted him into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. The Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum in his former Brunswick, Maine home is operated by the Pejepscot Historical Society, and a statue of him stands at the campus of Bowdoin College.

Category:1828 births Category:1914 deaths Category:Union Army generals Category:Governors of Maine Category:American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor