Bayonets, Forward! With this command Union Army Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain ordered the 20th Maine Regiment to execute a daring counterattack against the 15th Alabama Regiment of the Confederate Army on July 2nd 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. At the extreme left flank of the Union Army, the 20th Maine fought off repeated assaults for the past several hours against the determined Confederate Soldiers.
Outnumbered and low on ammunition, Chamberlain’s bold decision and courageous leadership led his men of Maine down the slopes of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and stopped the Confederate assault against the Union Army’s left flank.
This iconic scene immortalized in Jeff Shaara’s Killer Angels, the movie Gettysburg, and Army Doctrine publications as the epitome of leadership in action, is just a snapshot in the portfolio of Chamberlain’s remarkable and unparalleled career.
A Leader of Character
Raised from a modest life in the small town of Brewer Maine, Joshua Chamberlain chose the professions of ministry and academia filling in the post of Professor of Rhetoric at Bowdoin College during the tumultuous 1850s. As the Civil War broke out, Chamberlain felt the impulse to serve based on his belief in preserving the union and his moral conviction against the institution of slavery. In early 1862, Chamberlain expressed his desire to serve to the Governor of Maine, who offered him the rank of Colonel in the Maine volunteers.
In a time where political commissions and high-ranking appointments were common practice, Chamberlain declined the prestige of command and deferred instead to accept a commission at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Believing he needed to gain experience and knowledge of the military profession, Chamberlain’s uncommon act of humility set a tone for the remainder of his service.
During the march from Maryland to Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863, Chamberlain’s 20th Maine Regiment received over 120 mutineers from the 2nd Maine. These men had grievances with their command over their enlistment contracts and refused to fight. Given the orders to shoot any man who did not follow his command, Chamberlain faced his first significant leadership challenge as a newly minted commander for the regiment. Understanding the weight of the situation, Chamberlain relied on his sense of dignity for others and exercised disciplined disobedience in refusing to shoot the mutineers.
In his speech to the men of the 2nd Maine, Chamberlain appealed to their needs and reminded them of their cause for which they enlisted. This moment served as a galvanizing force for the 20th Maine as Chamberlain’s sensitivity, and sense of responsibility strengthened the unit greatly. Influenced by Chamberlain’s speech, all but 6 of the 120 men from the 2nd Maine joined the 20th’s ranks and proved pivotal at the impending engagement on Little Round Top.
In April 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant personally asked Chamberlain to be present at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse and to preside over the surrender detail. As the 20,000 Confederate Soldiers paraded by to turn over their arms and battle flags, Chamberlain gave the Union Army detail the command of “carry arms” to salute Confederate’s service and gallantry in battle. Some historians credit this gesture as the launching point for the country’s healing process toward reconciliation. As a man of deep religious and moral conviction, Chamberlain placed high value on the dignity of human life and in serving the cause of preserving the Union. His unquestionable character forms the foundation for his more celebrated virtues.
Calming and Steadfast Presence
Chamberlain portrayed exceptional physical courage and presence of mind throughout his service in the Union Army. After his heroic act at Gettysburg, Chamberlain’s legend on the battlefield grew from his actions at the Petersburg and Quaker Road campaigns. In June 1864, during the Union siege of Petersburg, Virginia, Chamberlain’s brigade led a daring assault against a heavily fortified Confederate position. Positioned at the middle of his brigade’s formation, Chamberlain reassured his soldiers through his cool and calm presence during the heat of combat. During the charge, the brigade’s color bearer received a fatal wound.
Without hesitation, Chamberlain continued the advance by picking the unit’s colors and racing forward in the face of fire leading his troops. Rushing toward the Confederate battle lines, bullets struck Chamberlain in the hip and groin but were unable to keep the Colonel down. In a moment of pure adrenaline and superhuman grit, Chamberlain used his own sword to stand upright as he was bleeding from his wounds, so his soldiers could see him and resist the urge to halt the advance.
Recovering from his wounds in the field hospital, by all regards a miracle of medicine in 1860’s standards, Chamberlain received a field promotion to the Brigadier General. In reflection of the battle, his Division commander commented that Chamberlain demonstrated an “absolute indifference to danger…in the field his mind worked as deliberately and as quietly as it would in his own study.”
In his book Soul of the Lion, Chamberlain biographer Willard Wallace provides a colorful portrayal of Chamberlain’s courageous actions as the Battle of Quaker Road in March, 1865. As his Brigade led the attack on the Confederates left flank, Chamberlain’s horse dashed out in front of the main column of troops. In that moment, Chamberlain reared his horse as a bullet went through its neck and hit Chamberlain just below the heart. Covered in a mixture of the horse’s and his own blood while struggling to regain consciousness, Chamberlain desperately attempted to rally the retreating men. As Wallace writes “By the sheer force of his personality and the spectacle of unquenchable courage he presented, he [Chamberlain] got them to halt, face about, and reform again to confront the Confederates.”
Inspired by the blood soaked general, the retreating Union Soldiers rallied and provided the foundation of a follow on attack that pushed the Confederates from their positions of advantage. As you read Wallace’s and other accounts of Chamberlain’s bravery, you begin to realize what true personal courage really means. Repeatedly, Chamberlain led his Soldiers at the point of attack, placing himself at the critical position within the formation. On at these two remarkable occasions, Chamberlain’s will, presence, and steadfastness in the face of danger shaped the tide of combat and influenced the outcome of the battle.
Chamberlain’s Intellect
When he commissioned in 1862 Chamberlain was without previous military experience. With the expected competency that comes with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he had to learn the art of warfare and leadership quickly. His education took place during the 20th Maine’s training camps in 1862 and through the arduous experiences during the Union defeats at Fredericksburg.
As Wallace indicates, “Chamberlain was an avid student of tactics under the tutelage of his commander and had to master much in little time.” He read every military work he could get his hands on and spent countless hours touring the camp to engage with soldiers and outpost guards. He pushed the subordinate officers and units to master the discipline needed to maintain formations under fire. Promoted to command of the regiment just prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain garnered the trust of his men through his actions in combat, his commitment to studying his new profession, and through developing his subordinates.
As ammunition ran low and casualty numbers grew on the top of Little Round Top, Chamberlain knew he needed to act fast or the Union flank would collapse. In between Confederate assaults, Chamberlain gathered his commanders to explain his simple yet unconventional method for pushing the enemy off the hill entirely. By employing the 20th in an “L” formation, Chamberlain’s regiment protected their flank and covered twice as much terrain as the original front. He then used a hinge maneuver and bayonet charge to drive the Confederates off Little Round Top and secure the Union Army’s left flank. Chamberlain’s presence of mind to understand the importance of 20th Maine’s disposition and his intellectual capacity to master the tactics of the infantry proved critical to the Union Army’s victory at the battle that turned tide of the Civil War.
Enduring Service and Leadership
Upon leaving the military, Chamberlain continued to serve in a public capacity as a four term Governor of Maine and for several years as the president of Bowdoin College. Touted as the “Hero of Gettysburg” Congress later awarded Chamberlain the Medal of Honor in 1893 for his bravery at Little Round Top. Since his passing in 1915, Chamberlain’s legacy continues to grow, and previous Army Field Manuals on Leadership cite his actions at Gettysburg as case studies for the Army Leader Requirements Model. Combat leaders of today’s Army are fortunate to have such a role model as Joshua L. Chamberlain upon which to study and emulate.
Subscribe to The Military Leader!