Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is remembered as one of the most compelling “citizen soldiers” of the American Civil War: a college professor from Maine who left academic life, entered the Union Army, and became forever tied to the defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Born in Brewer, Maine, in 1828, Chamberlain graduated from Bowdoin College in 1852, later studied at Bangor Theological Seminary, and returned to Bowdoin as a professor of languages and rhetoric.
Before the war, Chamberlain’s world was one of books, classrooms, faith, and public service. He was not a professional soldier by training, yet when the Civil War tested the country, he offered his services to Maine and became lieutenant colonel of the newly formed 20th Maine Infantry. Under Colonel Adelbert Ames, Chamberlain studied military theory and learned quickly, stepping into command of the regiment before Gettysburg.
That unlikely path — from professor to battlefield commander — is part of what makes Chamberlain’s story so enduring. His Civil War service stretched beyond one famous hillside, but on July 2, 1863, at Little Round Top, his leadership became part of American memory.
From professor to soldier
Chamberlain was a Bowdoin professor before joining the 20th Maine, making his rise as a battlefield commander especially remarkable
From Maine to Gettysburg
The 20th Maine’s first major test came at Fredericksburg, where the regiment took part in the costly assaults against Marye’s Heights. The regiment missed the Battle of Chancellorsville because of a smallpox outbreak, but by the summer of 1863, Chamberlain was in command as the Army of the Potomac moved north to meet Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg.
On July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain and the 20th Maine were ordered to the far left of the Union line on Little Round Top. The position was vital. If Confederate forces turned that flank, the Union line could be rolled up from the side. The National Park Service notes that the 20th Maine fought the 15th and 47th Alabama Infantry regiments while defending that critical ground.
This is the moment captured in “Hold at All Costs”, Dale Gallon’s Commanders Series print showing Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine holding the left flank of the Army of the Potomac on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg. The product page lists the print as a 1991 release.
The 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama
The fighting on Little Round Top was not a single dramatic instant, but a brutal contest of position, endurance, and nerve. Chamberlain’s line stretched along rocky, uneven ground. Opposite him, Colonel William C. Oates and the 15th Alabama pressed their attack after a hard march and repeated fighting. Dale Gallon’s “20th Maine & 15th Alabama” places these two regiments at the center of the scene, showing Chamberlain’s men defending the left of the Union line against Oates and the 15th Alabama. The print is part of Gallon’s Panoramic Series and was released in 2001.
As the fight continued, the 20th Maine was pushed hard. The regiment’s ammunition ran low, and the danger to the Union flank grew. According to the National Park Service, the Mainers, nearly out of ammunition, fixed bayonets and charged downhill, surprising the Confederates and helping preserve the Union position.
That decisive moment is the heart of “Bayonet! Forward”, one of Dale Gallon’s best-known Chamberlain scenes. This print illustrates Chamberlain ordering a bayonet charge against a superior attacking Confederate force after the 20th Maine was nearly out of ammunition. The original painting was commissioned by the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1987.
A charge born of necessity
The bayonet charge came after the regiment was running low on ammunition.
The Near Miss on Little Round Top
In the chaos of the charge, Chamberlain’s own life came close to ending on the hillside. Dale Gallon’s “Near Miss” – Chamberlain on Little Round Top focuses on a tense moment involving Lt. Robert Wicker of the 15th Alabama. The product copy states that Wicker fired at Chamberlain at close range and missed, and notes that Chamberlain later described the shot as a miss in his memoirs.
According to Chamberlain’s later account, and as interpreted in Dale Gallon’s “Near Miss,” a Confederate officer from the 15th Alabama fired at Chamberlain at close range during the charge and missed. Whether described as a missed shot, a near-fatal encounter, or one of the many chaotic moments of close combat, the scene captures how thin the line was between survival and death on Little Round Top.
Gettysburg’s Legacy
For his actions at Gettysburg, Chamberlain received the Medal of Honor. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society lists his action date as July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, and cites his “daring heroism and great tenacity” in holding Little Round Top against repeated assaults.
But Chamberlain’s war did not end at Gettysburg. He later commanded a brigade, was wounded multiple times, and suffered a severe wound at Petersburg in June 1864. He survived and returned to service in time for the final campaign of the war.
Appomattox and the Final Surrender
In April 1865, Chamberlain played a prominent role at Appomattox. The formal surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia took place over several days. The National Park Service notes that April 12 witnessed the stacking of arms by Confederate infantry along the Stage Road, with Chamberlain presiding over the ceremony while approximately 22,000 Confederate infantry marched forward to lay down their weapons.
That moment is represented in Dale Gallon’s “Warriors’ Tribute at Appomattox.” Gallon’s artwork identifies Chamberlain as brevet major general and places him at Appomattox Court House receiving the surrender at the close of the war. The print was released in 2004.
One of the most powerful parts of the Appomattox story is not simply that Chamberlain stood on the winning side. It is that he chose dignity. The National Park Service records Chamberlain’s recollection that his men received the surrendering Confederates “with the honors due to troops,” a gesture remembered as the Chamberlain-Gordon Salute.
Respect at surrender
At Appomattox, Chamberlain ordered a salute to the surrendering Confederate infantry, turning the end of war into a moment of solemn respect.
After the War
After the Civil War, Chamberlain returned to Maine and continued serving in public life. He served four terms as governor of Maine from 1867 to 1871 and later became president of Bowdoin College from 1871 to 1883.
Chamberlain died in Portland, Maine, on February 24, 1914. His death has often been attributed to complications from the wound he suffered at Petersburg, and the Department of War describes him as the last Civil War veteran to die of war-related wounds.
Joshua Chamberlain’s life continues to resonate because it joined scholarship, courage, discipline, and mercy. He was a professor who became a soldier, a battlefield commander who became a governor, and a victor who understood that honor did not end when the enemy laid down his arms. Through scenes from Gettysburg to Appomattox, Dale Gallon’s Chamberlain artwork helps preserve that story — not just as military history, but as a reminder of leadership under pressure and respect in the aftermath of war.
