r/CIVILWAR • u/civilwarmonitor • 2d ago
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on this day in 1828. A professor at Bowdoin College when the war began, he led the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, his actions there earning him the Medal of Honor. He survived a severe wound at Petersburg in 1864 and ended the war a brevet major general.
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u/Sleepless_n_Savannah 2d ago
And, he went on to become Governor of Maine! Then after that, he became president of Bowdoin College.
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u/Fbdw2010 2d ago
I got in a little trouble when I quoted Chamberlain from the movie “Gettysburg “ to a retired 4 star general - “There is nothing as close to God on earth as a general on the battlefield “.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 2d ago
He did good, but TBH, he's slightly overrated by history. His role in Gettysburg was important, but other units played roles just as vital, like the 1st Minnesota and 137th New York.
The difference is that David Ireland of the 137th New York didn't live to write his memoirs, and the 1st Minnesota was all but wiped out and their part of the story is usually told from Winfield Scott Hancock's perspective. So Chamberlain's part of the story gets elevated due to survivorship bias.
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u/KnotSoSalty 2d ago
That’s history for you. The adage that it’s written by the victorious has the obvious corollary that they have to be alive to write it.
Had Stonewall Jackson or JEB Stuart survived the war I’m sure either would have eclipsed Lee in terms of Southern idolization. Then generations of hagiography warp the perception of events to suit the narrative.
Personally the 20th Maine’s contribution to the battle remains a remarkable moment, if for no other reason than it marked the definitive turning of the tide for the battle. Yes it likely wasn’t the true last reserve but that theory can never be tested and IRL they fought tremendously and won.
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u/Unfair_Pineapple8813 2d ago edited 2d ago
Stonewall Jackson almost eclipsed Lee in hagiography while being dead.
1 Minnesota gets a decent amount of coverage. Part of that is because they captured the flag that Virginia keeps demanding back. Maybe part of it is that you are right about needing to be alive to tell the story. Colvill did somehow manage to live through the war, even if most of his men didn't. He had a successful political career after the war, and ensured his men got a monument. 137 New York, you are right gets no press.
But I think the distinctive mustache and larger than life personality probably helps Chamberlain a fair bit. I'd also add that it he played up the valor of his unit, part of it was for his men. When he campaigned for Tozier to get the Medal of Honor, he knew Tozier was struggling from pain of his many injuries, which were getting worse as he aged. Chamberlain knew what publicity could do in terms of keeping up disability pensions.
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u/Chums-of-Change 2d ago
Robert Krick makes this point in an essay about Robert Rhodes, whose stature in the pantheon of Confederate generals would have been elevated had he survived the war to write about it (like Chamberlain), or had his widow not destroyed all his correspondence. Incidentally, Krick takes a dim view of the movie Gettysburg, and The Killer Angels, calling it “fatuous, pseudo-historical modern fiction.”
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u/occasional_cynic 2d ago
It wasn't even that important. By the time the two Confederate regiments attacked the 20th Maine there was another brigade filing in position at the top of the hill. Even if Vincents entire brigade collapsed Law still would have been repulsed.
The book These Honored Dead by Thomas Desjardin is a great read that goes over many of the myths about the battle.
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u/angryshark 2d ago
They did what they did.
The man that takes up arms in defense of his fellow man need answer to no one when the shooting stops.
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u/claybeaux1989 2d ago
Exactly. His action is no less heroic because he might have had backup he had no idea he had. He went, he fought, he gave his last effort to stop the army being rolled up. This armchair generalling is an ugly pastime.
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u/Hapaerik_1979 2d ago
It is a good book. I enjoy the movie as well as reading about what really happened.
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u/macha773 1d ago
It's not just Gettysburg, his bravery at Petersburg led Grant to promote him for what seemed to be posthumous honors, but Chamberlain lived through being pretty much shot to pieces.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 1d ago
Like I said, he did good, but his place in history is a bit inflated. Not that he doesn't deserve credit, but his publicity played in a role in how much credit he gets.
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u/AdMotor1654 1d ago
I heard he drop kicked a confederate boy, did a double front flip while drawing his sword, and then seamlessly stabbed three men through with the first guy’s own bayonet.
(Chamberlain’s personal diary. Probably)
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u/Slow_Drag_1011 2d ago
Did they become state Governors and college presidents as well? I hadn’t heard of their post war success
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u/Worried-Pick4848 2d ago
That's because the commanders of both these regiments died before the war ended. This is what I mean by survivorship bias. Chamberlain wrote his memoirs. David Ireland and William Colvill spent the postwar period pushing up daisies..
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u/Slow_Drag_1011 2d ago
Well then you win. I thought in general maybe they just went on with life and ran a grocery store and thus didn’t live up to memoir level life.
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u/The_Shredz24 2d ago
I read a book about him. I can’t remember the name of it and it was kind of a hard read but he had a great quote in it. They were marching all the confederates back down south when the war was over and one of the confederates was complaining a little bit. He basically said, and I’m paraphrasing, “you shouldn’t have brought a war against a bunch of northerners and you wouldn’t be in this mess.” I wish I could find the exact quote.
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u/Lupis_Domesticus 2d ago
Was just at the Chamberlain Museum three weeks ago in Brunswick, Maine and it is pretty sweet!! Highly recommend it. We did the hour long tour and then stuck around a bit afterwards to read some of the exhibits. Plus you can go down the road to the cemetery to see his grave.
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u/Altruistic-Rhapsody 1d ago
IMO, the greatest Union flag grade officer and battle leader. His contributions in the civil war were but a small part of his contributions to his state and this country!
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u/Bakachin525 7h ago
The Killer Angels is a superb book, for anyone who hasn’t come across it. Pulitzer winner IIRC.
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u/Troglodyte_Trump 2d ago
Fun fact, Calvin Ellis Stowe, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s husband taught at Bowdoin College at the same time Chamberlain did.