In This Feature
Civil War Figures: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain dedicated his life to two institutions: Bowdoin College and the Union Army of the Civil War. Born and raised in a town called Brewer, Maine, he went on to attend college at Bowdoin, in a tiny town off the Maine coast.
A Professor Goes to War
Although he left to study at a theology seminary for a short time, Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin to become a college professor. He had a great desire to serve the Union Army and to follow in the footsteps of his military family, but his services were so appreciated by the school that Bowdoin hesitated to let him go. But, feigning a leave of absence to Europe, Chamberlain enlisted in 1862. After the war, Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin, and became president of the college. Read more about Chamberlain’s biography and career from the Pejepscot Historical Society Web site.
Source: Pejepscot Historical Society
In addition to background information on Chamberlain’s life, the Pejepscot Historical Society works to preserve and maintain Chamberlain’s house. You can visit the house, known as the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Maine from May through October.
Source: Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum
In Maine’s Memory
If you’re not able to make it to Brunswick this summer, you can still view photographs and letters from Chamberlain’s life. An online exhibition is made possible through the Maine Memory Network, and historical documents and prints can be viewed online.
Source: Maine Memory Network
Chamberlain is arguably most famous for his actions as a soldier in the Battle of Gettysburg. You can get an overview of this decisive fight from The Gettysburg National Military Park Virtual Tour, a Web site that outlines the events leading up to the three-day struggle.
Chamberlain’s performance at Gettysburg is outlined by the Web site, which describes the battle Chamberlain led at Little Round Top with both primary and secondary source materials.
Chamberlain’s performance at Gettysburg is outlined by the Web site, which describes the battle Chamberlain led at Little Round Top with both primary and secondary source materials.
Source: National Park Service
Chamberlain the Journalist
Read more of Chamberlain’s vivid war prose in a New York Times piece dated June 6, 1884. The address, entitled, "The Death of Lincoln: General Joshua L. Chamberlain Describes How the News Was Received By the Army of the Potomac," is Chamberlain’s account of returning from battle to learn that President Lincoln had been shot.
Source: The New York Times
Chamberlain Studied
Chamberlain has become an increasingly alluring figure to historians, authors and filmmakers in the last few decades. You can read more about his life and career in the book “Joshua Chamberlain: A Hero's Life and Legacy” by John J. Pullen and “The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War” by Michael Shaara.
Chamberlain is also a featured character, played by Jeff Daniels, in the film “Gettysburg,” made in 1993.
Ken Burns’s documentary series, “The Civil War,” is a well-wrought account of the famous American struggle. The “Civil War” Web site, hosted by PBS, offers historical information and profiles, such as this biography of Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain.
Source: PBS
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