270px joshua chamberlain brady handy

Joshua Chamberlain

By tthompson57

  • Born

    Born
    He was born Sept 8, 1828 to Sarah Dupee and Joshua Chamberlain in Brewer, Maine. He was the oldest of 5 children.
  • Period: to

    College

    Despite a speech impediment he enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine with the help of a tutor. He studied under Calvin Stowe and his wife Harriet Beecher Stowe. He would graduate in 1852.

  • Marriage

    Marriage
    In 1855, he would marry Fanny Adams. They would have 5 children, 3 of whom would die in infancy.

  • The Professor

    The Professor
    In 1858 he would begin his career as a teacher by becoming a professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College. By 1861, he was appointed Professor of Modern Languages. He was fluent in nine languages other than English: Greek, Latin, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Syriac.

  • Battle of Gettysburg

    Battle of Gettysburg
    By the time of the Battle of Gettysburg he would be in charge of the regiment. He would defend the Little Round Top at the end of the line from numerous Confederate assaults despite running out of ammunition. He did this while suffering from dysentery and malaria. He would take a leave of service to recuperate from this and several wounds he received during the battle.

  • 20th Maine

    20th Maine
    He became Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Maine and was joined by his brother, Thomas. They would see there first action at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
  • Period: to

    The Civil War Years

    As a professor, he pushed for many of his students to join the Union to fight for the North. He would write a letter to the governor saying, "I fear, this war, so costly of blood and treasure, will not cease until men of the North are willing to leave good positions, and sacrifice the dearest personal interests, to rescue our country from desolation, and defend the national existence against treachery." He was granted a leave of absence to study languages in Europe, instead he enlisted.

  • [Battle of Fredericksburg] (http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/videos/battle-of-frederickson)

    [Battle of Fredericksburg] (http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/videos/battle-of-frederickson)
    During the doomed assaults on Marye's Heights, he would spend the night in the field using fallen soldiers as shields and a pillow.

  • Siege of Petersburg

    Siege of Petersburg
    He would return to command during the Siege of Petersburg, where again he would be shot in the hip. The would was deemed mortal by a surgeon and he was given a battlefield promotion to brigadier general. While suffering from the wound he propped himself up with his sword to dissuade his men from retreating.

  • Final Push

    Final Push
    Despite the severity of his wound, Chamberlain pushed on and retook command of a brigade. During one of the last engagements he was shot in the chest but the bullet was partially deflected by a picture frame containing a picture of his wife and his rib. He would not leave the field and was given the nickname "Bloody Chamberlain" by his men.

  • Appomattox

    Appomattox
    Because of his valuant service he was selected to preside over the surrender at Appomattox. While the Confederates paraded by he ordered his men to salute as a sign of respect which is remembered as one of the most poignant scenes of the war.
  • Period: to

    Govenor of Maine

    After the war, Chamberlain retired from military service and would be elected governor of Maine for 4 consecutive one year terms. He was extremely popular.
  • Period: to

    Later Life

    In 1871, he would return to Bowdoin College as President. After retiring in 1883 he went on to practice law in New York. He would remain in the public eye selling real estate in florida and building railroads in the west. He created the Maine Institute fro the Blind as well. In 1898 he requested to serve as an officer at the age of 70 during the Spanish-American War but was denied.

  • Grand Army of the Republic

    Grand Army of the Republic
    in 1893, he was awarded the medal of honor 30 years after his role at the Battle of Gettysburg. He frequently visited the battlefield to meet with veterans from both sides.

  • Death

    Death
    Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914 at the age of eighty-five. Beside him as he died was Dr. Abner O. Shaw, one of the two surgeons who had operated on him in Petersburg 50 years previously. A full study of his medical history strongly suggests that it was complications from the wound suffered at Petersburg that resulted in his death. He was the last Civil War veteran to die as a result of wounds from the war and considered by some the last casualty of the war