Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914

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Chamberlain was born in Brewer, Maine, the son of Sarah Dupee (née Brastow) and Joshua Chamberlain, on September 8, 1828. Chamberlain was of English ancestry and could trace his family line back to twelfth-century England, during the reign of King Stephen. Chamberlain's great-grandfather Ebenezer, was a New Hampshire soldier in the French and Indian War, and the American Revolutionary War. Chamberlain's grandfather Joshua, was a ship builder, and colonel during the War of 1812, before moving his family to a Brewer farm in 1817. Chamberlain's father Joshua served as a lieutenant-colonel in the Aroostook War.

Chamberlain was the first of five children. His father named him after James Lawrence, and favored a military career for his son, while Chamberlain's mother wanted him to become a minister. Chamberlain became a member of the Congregational Church in Brewer in the mid-1840's, and attended Major Whiting's military academy in Ellsworth. Chamberlain then taught himself Greek so he could be admitted to Bowdoin College in 1848. At college, Chamberlain was a member of the Peucinian Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He taught Sunday school in Brunswick during his freshman and sophomore years, and led the choir at the Congregational Church-First Parish Church during his Junior and Senior years. Chamberlain graduated in 1852, then entered the Bangor Theological Seminary for three years of study. Besides studying in Latin and German, Chamberlain eventually mastered French, Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac.

On 7 December 1855, Chamberlain married Fanny Adams, cousin and adopted daughter of a local clergyman. Their first child was a girl named Grace Dupee, born on 16 October 1856. Their son Harold Wylls was born on 10 October 1858. A second and fourth child died early. In the fall of 1855, Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin, and began a career in education, first as an instructor in logic and natural theology, then as professor of rhetoric and oratory. He eventually went on to teach every subject in the curriculum with the exception of science and mathematics. In 1861 he was appointed professor of modern languages, which he held until 1865.

At the beginning of the American Civil War, Chamberlain believed the Union needed to be supported against the Confederacy by all those willing. On several occasions, Chamberlain spoke freely of his beliefs during his class, urging students to follow their hearts in regards to the war while maintaining that the cause was just. Of his desire to serve in the War, he wrote to Maine's Governor Israel Washburn, Jr., "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." Many faculty at Bowdoin did not feel his enthusiasm for various reasons and Chamberlain was subsequently granted a leave of absence (supposedly to study languages for two years in Europe). He then promptly enlisted unbeknownst to those at Bowdoin and his family. Offered the colonelcy of the 20th Maine Regiment, he declined, according to his biographer, John J. Pullen, preferring to "start a little lower and learn the business first." He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the regiment on August 8, 1862, under the command of Col. Adelbert Ames. The 20th was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps in the Union Army of the Potomac. One of Chamberlain's younger brothers, Thomas Chamberlain, was also an officer of the 20th Maine, and another, John Chamberlain, visited the regiment at Gettysburg as a member of the U.S. Christian Commission until appointed as a chaplain in another Maine Volunteer regiment. The 20th Maine fought at the Battle of Fredericksburg, suffering relatively small numbers of casualties in the assaults on Marye's Heights, but were forced to spend a miserable night on the freezing battlefield among the many wounded from other regiments. Chamberlain chronicled this night well in his diary and went to great length discussing his having to use bodies of the fallen for shelter and a pillow while listening to the bullets zip into the corpses. The 20th missed the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 due to an outbreak of smallpox in their ranks (which was caused by an errant smallpox vaccine), keeping them on guard duty in the rear. Chamberlain was promoted to colonel of the regiment in June 1863 upon the promotion of Ames.

Chamberlain became most famous for his achievements during the Battle of Gettysburg. On July 2, the second day of the battle, Union forces were recovering from initial setbacks and hastily regrouping into defensive positions on a line of hills south of the town. Sensing the momentary vulnerability of the Union forces, the Confederates began an attack against the Union left flank. Chamberlain's brigade, commanded by Col. Strong Vincent, was sent to defend Little Round Top by the army's Chief of Engineers, Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren. Chamberlain found himself and the 20th Maine at the far left end of the entire Union line. He quickly understood the strategic significance of the small hill, and the need for the 20th Maine to hold the Union left at all costs. The men from Maine waited until troops from the 15th Regiment Alabama Infantry, commanded by Col. William C. Oates, charged up the hill, attempting to flank the Union position. Time and time again the Confederates struck, until the 20th Maine was almost doubled back upon itself. With many casualties and ammunition running low, Col. Chamberlain recognized the dire circumstances and ordered his left wing (which was now looking southeast, compared to the rest of the regiment, which was facing west) to initiate a bayonet charge. From his report of the day: "At that crisis, I ordered the bayonet. The word was enough." While battlefield conditions make it unlikely that many men heard Chamberlain's order, most historians believe he initiated the charge.

The 20th Maine charged down the hill, with the left wing wheeling continually to make the charging line swing like a hinge, thus creating a simultaneous frontal assault and flanking maneuver, capturing 101 of the Confederate soldiers and successfully saving the flank. This version of the battle was popularized by the book The Killer Angels and the movie Gettysburg. Chamberlain sustained one slight wound in the battle, one when a shot hit his sword scabbard and bruised his thigh. Chamberlain also personally took a Confederate prisoner with his saber during the charge. After initiating the maneuver, he came upon a Confederate officer wielding a revolver who quickly fired, narrowly missing his face. Chamberlain remained steadfast, and with his sword at the officer's throat accepted the man's arms and surrender. The pistol Chamberlain captured at Gettysburg can still be seen on display in the Civil War exhibit of the Maine State Museum. For his tenacity at defending Little Round Top, he was known by the sobriquet Lion of the Round Top. Prior to the battle, Chamberlain was quite ill, developing malaria and dysentery. Later, due to this illness, he was taken off active duty until he recovered.

For his "daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position on the Little Round Top against repeated assaults, and carrying the advance position on the Great Round Top", Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with 20th Maine Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position on the Little Round Top against repeated assaults, and carrying the advance position on the Great Round Top.

In April 1864, Chamberlain returned to the Army of the Potomac and was promoted to brigade commander shortly before the Siege of Petersburg and given command of the 1st Brigade, First Division, V Corps. In a major action on June 18, during the Second Battle of Petersburg, Chamberlain was shot through the right hip and groin, the bullet exiting his left hip. Despite the injury, Chamberlain withdrew his sword and stuck it into the ground in order to keep himself upright to dissuade the growing resolve for retreat. He stood upright for several minutes until he collapsed and lay unconscious from loss of blood. The wound was considered mortal by the division's surgeon, who predicted he would perish; Chamberlain's incorrectly recorded death in battle was reported in the Maine newspapers, and Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant gave Chamberlain a battlefield promotion to the rank of brigadier general after receiving an urgent recommendation on June 19 from corps commander Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren: "He has been recommended for promotion for gallant and efficient conduct on previous occasion and yesterday led his brigade against the enemy under most destructive fire. He expresses the wish that he may receive the recognition of his services by promotion before he dies for the gratification of his family and friends." Not expected to live, Chamberlain displayed surprising will and courage, and with the support of his brother Tom, was back in command by November. Although many, including his wife Fanny, urged Chamberlain to resign, he was determined to serve through the end of the war.

In early 1865, Chamberlain regained command of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division of V Corps, and he continued to act with courage and resolve. On March 29, 1865, his brigade participated in a major skirmish on the Quaker Road during Grant's final advance that would finish the war. Despite losses, another wound (in the left arm and chest that almost caused amputation), and nearly being captured, Chamberlain was successful and brevetted to the rank of major general by President Abraham Lincoln. Chamberlain gained the name "Bloody Chamberlain" at Quaker Road. Chamberlain kept a Bible and framed picture of his wife in his left front "chest" pocket. A Confederate shot at Chamberlain. The bullet went through his horse's neck, hit the picture frame, entered under Chamberlain's skin in the front of his chest, traveled around his body under the skin along the rib, and exited his back. To all observers Union and Confederate, it appeared that he was shot through his chest. He continued to encourage his men to attack.

On the morning of April 9, 1865, Chamberlain learned of the desire by General Robert E. Lee to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia when a Confederate staff officer approached him under a flag of truce. "Sir," he reported to Chamberlain, "I am from General Gordon. General Lee desires a cessation of hostilities until he can hear from General Grant as to the proposed surrender." The next day, Chamberlain was summoned to Union headquarters where Maj. Gen. Charles Griffin informed him that he had been selected to preside over the parade of the Confederate infantry as part of their formal surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 12.

Chamberlain was thus responsible for one of the most poignant scenes of the American Civil War. As the Confederate soldiers marched down the road to surrender their arms and colors, Chamberlain, on his own initiative, ordered his men to come to attention and "carry arms" as a show of respect. In memoirs written forty years after the event, Chamberlain described what happened next:

Gordon, at the head of the marching column, outdoes us in courtesy. He was riding with downcast eyes and more than pensive look; but at this clatter of arms he raises his eyes and instantly catching the significance, wheels his horse with that superb grace of which he is master, drops the point of his sword to his stirrup, gives a command, at which the great Confederate ensign following him is dipped and his decimated brigades, as they reach our right, respond to the 'carry.' All the while on our part not a sound of trumpet or drum, not a cheer, nor a word nor motion of man, but awful stillness as if it were the passing of the dead.

Chamberlain stated that his salute to the Confederate soldiers was unpopular with many Unionists, but he defended his action in his posthumously published 1915 memoir The Passing of the Armies. Many years later, Gordon, in his own memoirs, called Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal Army." Gordon never mentioned the anecdote until after he read Chamberlain's account, more than 40 years later.

In his book Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War, S. C. Gwynne states that this particular account is "one of the most cherished of the bogus Appomattox stories", claiming that "there is no convincing evidence that it ever happened" and that "none of the thirty thousand other people who saw the surrender noted any such event" (p. 298). "The source was Chamberlain, a true hero and, also, in subsequent years, one of the great embellishers of the war. His memoirs are an adjectival orgy, often reflecting the world as he wanted it to be instead of the way it was. For one thing, he did not command the troops at the ceremony, as he claimed, and thus couldn’t order the men to salute. His story, moreover, changed significantly over the years." Gwynne also states that "Its staying power was mostly rooted in the fact that Gordon never refuted it. The rebel general apparently liked it, and it reflected well on him, as the time went by Gordon added his own liberal embellishments, including the suggestion that Lee himself had led the Army through town. The two generals would clearly have preferred this distinctly Walter Scott-like sequence, described in countless books and memoirs, to the decidedly less romantic one that actually took place." Gywnne's cited reference for this disclosure is Lee's Last Retreat by William Marvel (pp. 194–95).

In all, Chamberlain served in 20 battles and numerous skirmishes, was cited for bravery four times, had six horses shot from under him, and was wounded six times.

Chamberlain left the U.S. Army soon after the war ended, going back to his home state of Maine. Due to his immense popularity, he served as Governor of Maine for four one-year terms after he won election as a Republican. His victory in 1866 set the record for the most votes and the highest percentage for any Maine governor by that time. He would break his own record in 1868. During his time in office, he was attacked by those angered by his support for capital punishment and by his refusal to create a special police force to enforce the prohibition of alcohol.

After leaving political office, he returned to Bowdoin College. In 1871, he was appointed president of Bowdoin and remained in that position until 1883, when he was forced to resign because of ill health from his war wounds. He also served as an ex-officio trustee of nearby Bates College from 1867 to 1871.

In January 1880, there was a dispute about who was the newly elected governor of Maine, and the Maine State House was occupied by a band of armed men. The outgoing governor, Alonzo Garcelon, summoned Chamberlain, the commander of the Maine Militia, to take charge. Chamberlain sent home the armed men, and arranged for the Augusta police to keep control. He stayed in the State House most of the twelve-day period until the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's decision on the election results was known. During this time, there were threats of assassination and kidnapping, and on one occasion, he went outside to face down a crowd of 25–30 men intending to kill him, and both sides offered bribes to appoint him a United States senator. Having gratified neither side in the dispute, he did not become a senator, and his career in state politics ended.

After resigning from Bowdoin in 1883, he went to New York City to practice law. Chamberlain served as Surveyor of the Port of Portland, Maine, a federal appointment, and engaged in business activities, including real estate dealings in Florida (1885) and a college of art in New York, as well as hotels. He traveled to the West Coast to work on railroad building and public improvements. From the time of his serious wound in 1864 until his death, he was forced to wear an early form of a catheter with a bag and underwent six operations to try to correct the original wound and stop the fevers and infections that plagued him, without success.

In 1893, 30 years after the battle that made the 20th Maine famous, Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg. The citation commends him for his "Daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position on the Little Round Top against repeated assaults, and carrying the advance position on the Great Round Top." As in many other Civil War actions, controversy arose when one of his subordinate officers stated that Chamberlain never actually ordered a charge at Gettysburg. The claim never seriously affected Chamberlain's fame or notability however. This original medal was lost, and later rediscovered in 2013, and donated to the Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick, Maine. A second, redesigned medal issued in 1904 is currently housed at Bowdoin College. [Note: In 1898, Chamberlain at the age of 70 and afflicted with his multiple Civil War wound disabilities, offered his services to the nation again volunteering to command US Army forces in the Spanish American War. Despite persistent efforts with Acting Secretary Alger in the War Department and the President he was denied the opportunity due to his health issues. Ironically, his principal opponent at Gettysburg, former Colonel William C. Oates CSA (15th Alabama Regiment), was appointed in his place as a Brigadier General of US Volunteers.]

In 1905, Chamberlain became a founding member of the Maine Institution for the Blind, in Portland, now called The Iris Network. Chamberlain's wife herself was visually impaired, which led him to serve on the organization's first board of directors.

Beginning with his first election as governor of Maine and continuing to the end of his life, Chamberlain was active in the Grand Army of the Republic. Despite continual pain and discomfort from his wounds of 1864, he made many return visits to Gettysburg and delivered speeches at soldiers' reunions. He made his last known visit on May 16 and 17, 1913, while involved in planning the 50th anniversary reunion. Because of deteriorating health, he was unable to attend the reunion less than two months later.

Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914 in Portland, Maine, at the age of eighty-five. He is interred at Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine. Beside him as he died was Dr. Abner O. Shaw of Portland, 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.

Chamberlain's home, located across Maine Street from the Bowdoin College campus, is now the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum and is owned by the Pejepscot Historical Society, which maintains an extensive research collection on Chamberlain. Memorabilia on display include the minié ball that almost ended his life at Petersburg, his original Medal of Honor, and Don Troiani's original painting of the charge at Little Round Top. Tours of the home are conducted by volunteer docents from late May until mid-October.

US Route 1A is carried across the Penobscot River between Bangor and Brewer, Maine by the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge, a two-lane steel plate girder bridge opened on November 11, 1954.

The village of Chamberlain, Maine, in the town of Bristol, is named for him.

In September 2013, the original Medal of Honor awarded to Chamberlain in 1893 was donated to the Pejepscot Historical Society, which owns the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, after being authenticated by the Maine State Museum, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Awards and Decorations Branch of the Department of the Army. The donor, who chose to remain anonymous, found it in the back of a book bought during a church sale at the First Parish Church in Duxbury, Massachusetts; Chamberlain's granddaughter Rosamond Allen, his last surviving descendant, had donated her estate to that church upon her death in 2000. Chamberlain's alma mater of Bowdoin College has a 1904 Medal of Honor belonging to Chamberlain in its possession. The original 1893 medal is on display at the Chamberlain Museum.

Chamberlain emerged as a key character in Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize–winning historical novel about Gettysburg, The Killer Angels (1974), and in a prequel novel by his son, Jeff Shaara, Gods and Generals (1996). Chamberlain is portrayed by actor Jeff Daniels in the films Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003), based on the books. His portrayal in these books and films significantly enhanced Chamberlain's reputation in the general public, making him into a more popular and well known figure.

Tom Eishen's historical novel Courage on Little Round Top is a detailed look at Chamberlain as well as Robert Wicker, the young Confederate officer who fired his pistol at Chamberlain's head during the 20th Maine's historic charge down Little Round Top.

Ken Burns's 1990 nine-part PBS film The Civil War featured Chamberlain prominently.

Steve Earle's song "Dixieland" from his album The Mountain refers to Chamberlain and the Battle of Gettysburg:

I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and I fight for Chamberlain

'Cause he stood right with us when the Johnnies came like a banshee on the wind

When the smoke cleared out of Gettysburg, many a mother wept

For many a good boy died there, sure, and the air smelled just like death

I am Kilrain of the 20th Maine and I'd march to hell and back again

For Colonel Joshua Chamberlain—we're all goin' down to Dixieland

The book The Lost Regiment and the subsequent series by author William R. Forstchen chronicle the adventures of the "35th Maine", a Union regiment from Maine having been transported to an alien planet. The regiment was based on the 20th Maine, with the main character and commander of the regiment, Andrew Lawrence Keane, also being a college professor.

In the alternate history 2003 novel Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, written by Forstchen and Newt Gingrich, Chamberlain is featured as a character. In the book, an alternate history of the Civil War, Chamberlain makes a heroic stand similar to the real life battle on Little Round Top. Unlike in real life, Chamberlain is overwhelmed, wounded, and forced to surrender, but he survives and returns in the third book of the series, Never Call Retreat (2005).

A musical, Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance, with book and lyrics by Sarah Knapp and music by Steven M. Alper was commissioned by Maine State Music Theatre in 1993 and received its premiere at that theatre in July, 1996. That production starred Mark Jacoby as Chamberlain and Sarah Knapp as Fannie Chamberlain. It was revived in a revised form by Maine State in 2014. According to its bookwriter, the musical is "an exploration of the perennial conflict between public duty and private devotion. This musical ... not only celebrates a great Civil War hero, but also examines a universal theme: How a person's sense of duty and destiny affect his personal life."

Another Forstchen work, "A Hard Day For Mother", is a short story from the first volume in the variety anthology series Alternate Generals edited by Harry Turtledove. That work is based on the premise of: "what if Chamberlain was on the Confederate side at Gettysburg?" The story assumes that a decade before the outbreak of the Civil War Chamberlain had taken a teaching job at a Virginia military academy and developed a love for the state of Virginia; that with the outbreak of war he joined the Confederate side under Robert E. Lee; that in Gettysburg he gained the Little Round Top for the Confederacy, fighting against his own brother Tom commanding the 20th Maine; that thereby Chamberlain won the battle and the entire war for the Confederacy; that he later remained in the independent Confederacy and was eventually elected its President; and that his reconciliatory attitude towards the North led to Confederacy and the United States eventually holding referendums and freely deciding to re-unite in 1914, following Chamberlain's death.

On the Showtime TV series Homeland, the character Nicholas Brody tells his family the story of Chamberlain, encouraging them to emulate him.

In the song "Ballad of the 20th Maine" by The Ghost of Paul Revere (Maine's official state ballad):

So we joined the lion of Bowdoin, Chamberlain his name

And we marched once more toward battle as the 20th of Maine

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Civil War letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1862-1863, 1902. Navarro College
referencedIn Burrage, Henry S. (Henry Sweetser), 1837-1926. Papers, 1861-1925. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. [Letter] 1902 July 29, Portland, Maine : [to] Adjutant General, Augusta, Maine. Raymond H. Fogler Library
creatorOf Tefft, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1813-1885. Papers, 1836-1882. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Smithsonian Institution. Office of the Secretary. Correspondence, 1863-1879 Smithsonian Institution Archives
contributorOf Approved Pension File for Joshua L. Chamberlain, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment (SC-969956) National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Boothby, Frederic E. (Frederic Eleazer), 1845-1923. Frederic E. Boothby autograph letters, 1898-1912. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Citizen's Committee (Portland, Me.). Citizen's Committee collection, 1846-1876 (bulk 1870-1871). Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Alexander Stewart Webb papers, 1818-1930 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company. Houghton Mifflin Company reader reports on manuscripts submitted for publication. 1882-1931. Houghton Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain correspondence, 1909-1912. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Boyd, Lendal. Lendal Boyd letters, 1872 and 1905. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Philip Case Lockwood memorial collection of Civil War portraits and autographs, 1862-ca. 1886. Houghton Library
creatorOf Maine. Governor (1867-1871 : Chamberlain). State of Maine to Charles H. Mann : you having borne an honorable part as a volunteer from the state of Maine ... in suppressing the rebellion ... Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Letters to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1761-1904 (inclusive), 1820-1888 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Papers, 1861-1994. Pejepscot Historical Society
referencedIn Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007 Series: Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Veterans Who Served in the Army and Navy Mainly in the Civil War and The War With Spain ("Civil War and Later Survivors' Certificates"): Nos. SC 9,487 - 999,999, 1861 - 1934 File Unit: Approved Pension File for Joshua L. Chamberlain, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment (SC-969956) Item: Invalid Army Pension Claim for Joshua L. Chamberlain National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Adams, Ashur. Ashur Adams family correspondence, 1800-1869; bulk: 1852-1855. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Melcher, Holman S. (Holman Staples), 1841-1905. Holman S. Melcher military record, 1903. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Letters, 1862-1863. Navarro College
referencedIn Adams, Jeannette F. (Lamb). Letter : Toronto, to Mrs. Horace G. Allen, Portland, Maine, 1914 March 7. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Smith, Catherine, 1890-1978,. Oral history interview, 1975. Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History, Maine Folklife Center
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Papers, 1867-1913 (bulk 1880-1913). Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center, Hayes Presidential Center
referencedIn Vickery, James B.,. Collection of manuscripts ca. 1711-ca. 1997 (bulk 19th century) Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Records, 1882-1889. Houghton Library
referencedIn Yale University. Library. Frost family collection : historical manuscripts and university archives collection, Yale University Library, New Haven, Connecticut. Raymond H. Fogler Library
creatorOf Poor, John A. (John Alfred), 1808-1871. John A. Poor railroads scrapbook, 1844-1871. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Scenes in Libby Prison / by J.W. Chamberlain. Library of Virginia
referencedIn Surgeon's Certificate in the Case of Joshua L. Chamberlain Concerning His Application for Increase National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Responses by Joshua L. Chamberlain to Bureau of Pensions Questions on Printed Form 3-402 National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Butler, Haven A., b. 1822. Haven A. Butler collection, 1862-1901. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Circular No. 7 Requesting Rolls of Joshua L. Chamberlain's Regiment Confirming His Service, Disability, and Discharge National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Brunswick (Me. : Town). Town records, 1802-1968 (bulk 1840-1910). Pejepscot Historical Society
referencedIn Whitaker, Edward Washburn, 1841-1922. [Letter] 1901 Apr. 29, Washington, D.C. [to] Joshua L. Chamberlain, Portland, Maine. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Record Group 60: General Records of the Department of Justice, 1790 - 2002 Series: Appointment Files for Judicial Districts, 1853 - 1905 File Unit: Maine -- Chamberlain, J. L. National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Spear, Abbott. Another look at Gettysburg, 1966. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Civil War letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1862-1865, 1902. Navarro College
referencedIn Immigration Restriction League (U.S.) records, 1893-1921 Houghton Library
referencedIn Clarke, James Freeman, 1810-1888. Additional correspondence, 1787-1886 Houghton Library
referencedIn Letter from Robert Holmes Greene of Maryland Regarding the Adverse Health Conditions of General Joshua L. Chamberlain National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Freeport Historical Society media collection, [ca. 1933]-[ongoing]. Freeport Historical Society
referencedIn Webb, Alexander S. (Alexander Stewart), 1835-1911. Alexander Stewart Webb papers, 1818-1930 (inclusive). Yale University Library
creatorOf Wheeler, William A. (William Adolphus), 1833-1874. Letters to William A. Wheeler, 1861-1871. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Maine. Governor (1867-1871 : Chamberlain). State of Maine to Charles Parkhurst : you having borne an honorable part as a volunteer from the state of Maine ... in suppressing the rebellion ... Raymond H. Fogler Library
creatorOf Caldwell, John Curtis, 1833-1912. Civil War testimonials, 1868. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Records of the U.S. Senate. 1789 - 2015. Executive Nominations. 1789 - 2002. Executive Nominations of the First Session of the 38th Congress. 12/7/1863 - 7/4/1864. Message of President Abraham Lincoln nominating Joshua L. Chamberlain, of the 20th Maine Volunteers, to be Brigadier General Center for Legislative Archives
referencedIn Putnam, George Haven, 1844-1930. [Letter] 1915 January 28, New York [to] Mrs. H.G. Allen, Boston / G. H. Putnam. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Joyce, Lawrence J., b. ca. 1826. Lawrence Joyce papers, 1856-1880. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Papers, 1775-1913, (bulk 1828-1913) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Newspaper Clipping Concerning Joshua L. Chamberlain's Death National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Barrows family. Barrows family papers, 1825-1912. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn 20th Maine Regiment officers photograph album, ca. 1861-1865. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Account book with clippings 1878- Raymond H. Fogler Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Questions in theology by Dr. Pond, copied by J.L. Chamberlain, 1854 June. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889. Correspondence, 1845-1880. Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center, Hayes Presidential Center
referencedIn West Brookfield Historical Commission. [West Brookfield historical papers : Governor Chamberlain ; Glen Olden Farm] / [compiled by Archie B. Jay]. Central Mass Regional Library System
referencedIn Chamberlain family. Papers of the Chamberlain-Adams family, 1827-1931 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Moellentin, Dan. Research on the Joshua Chamberlain house in Brewer, Maine, ca. 1818-2007. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Papers, 1827-1931 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Examining Surgeon's Certificate for Joshua L. Chamberlain National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part III: The Civil War: The Union, 1804-1915. Houghton Library
referencedIn Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002 Series: Applications and Recommendations for Public Office, 1797 - 1901 File Unit: Hayes-Garfield-Arthur (1877-1885): Chamberlain, Joshua L. National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Frost family. Frost family papers, 1710-1923 (inclusive). Yale University Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Papers [microform]. University of Texas Libraries
referencedIn Drummond, Josiah H. (Josiah Hayden), 1827-1902. Josiah H. Drummond genealogies and correspondence, 1885-1914. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Chamberlain, Joshua Chamberlain, 1828-1914. Materials related to the political involvement of the National Greenback Party in the Maine Legislature in January 1880. Maine State Library
referencedIn Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889. Correspondence, 1845-1880. University of Oslo Medical Library
referencedIn Fitz John Porter Statue Committee (Portsmouth, N.H.). Records, 1886-1906. Portsmouth Athenaeum Library & Museum
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Papers, 1867-1913 (bulk 1880-1913). Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center, Hayes Presidential Center
referencedIn Chamberlain family. Papers, 1821-1958. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn George S. Morris Papers, 1852-1889, 1910-1915, 1852-1889 Bentley Historical Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain autograph letter signed, 1865. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Autograph File, C Houghton Library
referencedIn Copy of Notification Receipt Returning Joshua L. Chamberlain's Pension Check Due to His Death National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Chamberlain, 1828-1914. Materials related to the political involvement of the National Greenback Party in the Maine Legislature in January 1880. Maine State Library
referencedIn Frost Family Papers, 1710-1923 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Commandery of the State of Massachusetts Civil War collection, 1724-1933 (inclusive); 1861-1912 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Berry, Stephen, 1833-1919. Stephen Berry certificate, 1875. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Barnard, Charles, 1815-1905. Papers, [between 1861 and 1869]. Maine Historical Society Library
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Letter, 1905. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
creatorOf Morris, George Sylvester, 1840-1889. George S. Morris papers, 1852-1889 and 1910-1915. Bentley Historical Library
creatorOf Whitaker, Edward Washburn, 1841-1922. Letters, 1861-1901 (bulk 1861-1865). Library of Virginia
referencedIn Cover Slip for the Pension File of Joshua L. Chamberlain National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Opening ceremonies of the European and North American Railway collection, 1864-1947. Raymond H. Fogler Library
referencedIn Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984 Series: Carded Records Relating to Civil War Staff Officers, 1890 - 1912 File Unit: Chamberlain, Joshua L. -- Brigadier General National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Form 3-145 for Joshua L. Chamberlain's Invalid Pension National Archives at Washington, D.C
creatorOf Chamberlain, Joshua Lawrence, 1828-1914. Correspondence, 1824-1914. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Letter from Joshua L. Chamberlain Requesting to Appear Before the Board of Examination in New York City National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Morrill, Lot M. (Lot Myrick), 1812-1883. Lot M. Morrill papers, 1852-1894. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Hotel guest register, 1860-1872. Maine Historical Society Library
referencedIn Declaration for the Increase of an Invalid Pension for Joshua L. Chamberlain National Archives at Washington, D.C
Role Title Holding Repository
contributorOf 1864 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1242 National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn [Maine] Chamberlain, Joshua L - 20th Infantry, Company F&S National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C149 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1864 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1667 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1864 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1523 National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Chamberlain, J L - Maine - 1863 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1864 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1222 National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Cross-Reference Envelope of Colonel J. Lawrence Chamberlain, Field and Staff, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C197 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf Consolidated Military Officer's File of J L Chamberlain, 1865 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1232 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1864 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1513 National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984 Series: Letters Received, 1863 - 1917 File Unit: Consolidated Military Officer's File of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C26 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C1072 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf Consolidated Military Officer's File of L Chamberlain, District of Columbia, 1865 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf Consolidated Military Officer's File of J L Chamberlain, Washington, 1865 National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984 Series: Letters Received, 1863 - 1917 File Unit: Congressional Medal of Honor File of Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, 20th Maine Infantry Regiment National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Chamberlain, Joseph L - State: Maine - Year: 1866 National Archives at Washington, D.C
contributorOf 1865 - Chamberlain, J L - File No. C709 National Archives at Washington, D.C
Relation Name
associatedWith Adams, Ashur. person
associatedWith Adams, Jeannette F. (Lamb) person
associatedWith Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933. person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Bangor Theological Seminary (Me.) corporateBody
associatedWith Barnard, Charles, 1815-1905. person
associatedWith Barrows family. family
correspondedWith Benedict, H. W. person
associatedWith Berry, Stephen, 1833-1919. person
correspondedWith Boothby, Frederic E. (Frederic Eleazer), 1845-1923. person
leaderOf Bowdoin College corporateBody
employeeOf Bowdoin College corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Bowdoin College corporateBody
correspondedWith Boyd, Lendal. person
correspondedWith Brown, John Marshall, 1838-1907 person
associatedWith Brunswick (Me. : Town) corporateBody
correspondedWith Burrage, Henry S. (Henry Sweetser), 1837-1926 person
associatedWith Butler, Haven A., b. 1822. person
associatedWith CHAMBERLAIN-ADAMS FAMILY family
associatedWith Chamberlain family. family
associatedWith Chamberlain family. family
correspondedWith Chamberlain, Frances Adams, 1825-1905 person
correspondedWith Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889. person
associatedWith Cilley, Jonathan Prince, 1835-1920. person
correspondedWith Citizen's Committee (Portland, Me.) corporateBody
associatedWith Clarke, James Freeman, 1810-1888 person
associatedWith Clay, C. C. (Clement Claiborne), 1816-1882. person
correspondedWith Cole, J. F. person
correspondedWith Cole, J. F. person
associatedWith Confederate States of America. Army. corporateBody
correspondedWith Connor, Selden, b. 1839 person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
correspondedWith Devereux, N. B. person
associatedWith Donovan, Daniel. person
correspondedWith Drummond, Josiah H. (Josiah Hayden), 1827-1902. person
correspondedWith Fitz John Porter Statue Committee (Portsmouth, N.H.) corporateBody
associatedWith Frost family. family
associatedWith Frost Family family
correspondedWith Hamlin, Charles, 1837-1911 person
associatedWith Hamlin, Hannibal, 1809-1891. person
associatedWith Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878 person
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
correspondedWith Howard, O. O. (Oliver Otis), 1830-1909 person
correspondedWith Immigration Restriction League (U.S.). corporateBody
correspondedWith Joyce, Lawrence J., b. ca. 1826. person
associatedWith Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870. person
associatedWith Libby Prison. corporateBody
associatedWith Library of Congress. Manuscript Division. corporateBody
correspondedWith Lockwood, Philip Case, 1844-1897 person
correspondedWith Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 person
correspondedWith Longfellow Memorial Association corporateBody
associatedWith Loyal Women of 1861-1865 (Organization) corporateBody
leaderOf Maine. Governor (1867-1871 : Chamberlain) corporateBody
leaderOf Maine. Militia corporateBody
correspondedWith McClellan, Carswell, 1835-1892 person
associatedWith Meade, George Gordon, 1815-1872. person
associatedWith Melcher, Holman S. (Holman Staples), 1841-1905. person
associatedWith Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Commandery of the State of Massachusetts, collector. corporateBody
associatedWith Moellentin, Dan. person
correspondedWith Morrill, Lot M. (Lot Myrick), 1812-1883. person
associatedWith Morris, George Sylvester, 1840-1889 person
associatedWith Pond, Enoch, 1791-1882. person
associatedWith Poor, John A. (John Alfred), 1808-1871. person
associatedWith Putnam, George Haven, 1844-1930. person
correspondedWith Sargent, Horace Binney, 1821-1908 person
associatedWith Sellers, John R. person
correspondedWith Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872 person
associatedWith Smith, Catherine, 1890-1978, person
associatedWith Spear, Abbott. person
associatedWith Tefft, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1813-1885. person
associatedWith United States. Army. Corps, 5th (1862-1865) corporateBody
leaderOf United States. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865) corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865). Company G. corporateBody
memberOf United States. Army of the Potomac. corporateBody
leaderOf United States. Army of the Potomac. Corps, 5th (1862-1865). Division, 1st. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Congress. Senate. corporateBody
associatedWith Vickery, James B., person
correspondedWith Warren, G. K. (Gouverneur Kemble), 1830-1882 person
associatedWith Webb, Alexander S. (Alexander Stewart), 1835-1911. person
associatedWith Wheeler, William A. (William Adolphus), 1833-1874. person
associatedWith Whitaker, Edward Washburn, 1841-1922. person
correspondedWith Woodman, Cyrus, 1814-1889 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Gettysburg PA US
Brewer ME US
Brunswick ME US
Antietam MD US
Portland ME US
Prince George County VA US
Ellsworth ME US
Bangor ME US
Appomattox VA US
Augusta ME US
Dinwiddie County VA US
Brunswick ME US
New York City NY US
Petersburg VA US
Fredericksburg VA US
Hanover County VA US
Subject
Antietam, Battle of, Md., 1862
Appomattox Campaign, 1865
Civil War, 1861-1865
Cold Harbor, Battle of, Va., 1864
Customs administration
Diplomatic and consular service, American
Dwellings
Education, Higher
Five Forks, Battle of, Va., 1865
Fredericksburg, Battle of, Fredericksburg, Va., 1862
Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
Governor
Medal of Honor
Patriotic societies
Petersburg Crater, Battle of, Va., 1864
Republican Party
Soldiers
Theology, Doctrinal
Women
Occupation
Army officers
College presidents
Educators
Generals
Governors
Lawyers
Politicians
Professors (teacher)
Soldiers
Soldiers
Surveyors
Activity

Person

Birth 1828-09-08

Death 1914-02-24

Male

Americans

English

Information

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