Facts, information and articles about Joshua Chamberlain, a Civil War General during the American Civil War

Joshua Chamberlain Facts

Born

September 8, 1828 Brewer, Maine

Died

February 24, 1914 Portland, Maine

Years Of Service

1862–66

Rank

Brevet Major General
Brigadier General

Commands

20th Maine Infantry
3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps
1st Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps
1st Division, V Corps

Battles

Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Gettysburg
Second Battle of Petersburg
Battle of White Oak Road
Battle of Five Forks
Appomattox Campaign

Joshua Chamberlain Articles

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Joshua Chamberlain summary: Joshua Chamberlain was born in Brewer, Maine and was the oldest child of the family with four siblings. His parents were Joshua Chamberlain and Sarah Dupree. Chamberlain married his wife Fanny Adams and eventually they had 5 children. Unfortunately, one of them died as a premature child and two during infancy. His wife’s father did not approve of the marriage at first but eventually did and in fact respected Chamberlain. Eventually Chamberlain became a professor of modern languages with a total of 10 languages he was fluent in. While Chamberlain did not receive any military training, he did have a desire to serve the country.

Joshua Chamberlain In The Civil War

During the Civil War, Chamberlain was given a leave of absence which was supposed to be used to go to Europe and study languages for a length of two years. He instead enlisted without the knowledge of his family and was eventually offered the colonelcy of Maine’s 20th regiment. Though he was offered that position, he rejected it as he wanted to learn about the military first. His regiment fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg and did not take many casualties. His regiment missed Chancellorsville because of a smallpox outbreak in the ranks. By 1863, Chamberlain was made colonel of his regiment. It was the battle of Gettysburg that brought fame to Chamberlain. Many stories were published about his defense of Little Round Top including a novel by the name “The Killer Angels.” Chamberlain received a medal of honor for extraordinary heroism while serving on the 20th on July 2nd of 1863 because of Little Round Top.

Joshua Chamberlain After The War

After the Civil War ended, Chamberlain went back to Maine. He became the governor of the state for four terms because of his popularity. He was attacked because of his support of capital punishment and because he refused to enforce prohibition.


 

Articles Featuring Joshua Chamberlain From History Net Magazines

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