| To begin the Union side of my Civil War collection, I have chosen Bvt. Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. At first glance, this may seem like an odd choice. He wasn’t the highest ranking officer in the Union army and is probably not the most familiar Civil War character. However, this series isn’t about fame or political glory; it is above all else a tribute to honorable men. It is my belief that of all Union figures in the war between the states, J. Lawrence Chamberlain ranks highest in principle, which is why he is the first in my series. From the outset of the war, the north was plagued with bad leadership. Promoting (or saving) one’s own military or political aspirations were often more important to northern generals then was victory on the battlefield. For this reason, many Union military leaders did not display the kind of audacity, risk-taking, and fighting spirit that was seen in the Confederate army. One miscalculated failure on the battlefield could ruin decades of otherwise distinguished service for many northern officers. This fear of failure lead to blunder after blunder in the northern army and replacement after replacement of commanding generals. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was not a career military man. At the start of the Civil War he was a professor at Bowdain College in Brunswick, Maine and had no military experience whatsoever. He wished to enlist, but his employers at Bowdain College refused to allow him, believing he was too valuable to lose. Undeterred, he convinced the administration to release him for a 2-year European sabbatical, then joined the army anyway. Clearly, politics was not Chamberlain’s motivation for fighting; it was his principles. This, I believe, was the foundation of his military success. He didn’t concern himself with what he, personally, might lose (as so many of his contemporaries did at the time). Instead, his first concern was the triumph of his ideals; ideals he was willing to defend “at all hazards”. Chamberlain is most noted for his brave defense of Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg. He and his command, the 20th Maine, were positioned as the last regiment on the extreme left of the entire Union army. Chamberlain realized the importance of holding his ground on Little Round Top at all costs, for if the Confederates could sweep the 20th Maine, they could flank the whole Union army. Repulsing attack after attack, with almost half of his command dead or wounded and the other half nearly out of ammunition, Chamberlain found that his only option for holding his ground was the seemingly outdated military tactic of a bayonet charge. To the astonishment of participants and onlookers alike, the charge was successful, and in 1893 Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership and tenacity in that crucial battle. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is my favorite Union soldier. He did not fight for politics or exploitation of circumstances. His first concern was not his personal fame or career or future. He put self aside and fought for what he believed was right, which always make the most admirable figures. The life and success of Chamberlain is yet another proof-positive that the hardest fought and most gloriously won battles are rooted in justice and selfless in motive. |
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| Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain |