Standing Your Ground: The Life of Joshua L. Chamberlain

Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828 in Brewer, Maine to Joshua and Sarah Brastow. perhaps as a portent of things to come, Chamberlain was named aft(prenominal) a hero of War of 1812, passe-partout James Lawrence. Captain Lawrence was k at a ti hands for never giving up the fight, and whose last words to his manpower were Dont give up the mail Chamberlains family was a Puritan, and was raised in a household that puts high value on ample behavior, not bad(predicate) financial statework forcet manpowert, hard work, and benevolence.THE DUTIFUL SONLawrence was the foremostborn of louvre children and had a strong sense of duty at a genuinely early come on, perhaps because he was tasked to look afterwards his younger siblings. A large deal of his childhood was spent outdoors, and he grew up loving and heeding nature. He had a shy and nice nature, and was ever caring of others. More and more than, as Lawrence was emergence up, he took to academic s tudies with great en indeediasm. (Wallace 1995, p. 19) He took to intellectual pursuits even as he worked the farm flat coat to help his father. In the fields, Chamberlain was taught that how a great deal the land gives in harvest dep give ups on how much work peerless is giveing to put into it. The lessons of hard work and labor and relentless determination were values that the land taught him, and maven that would carry him through for the rest of his distinguished brio. (Cashin 2002, p. 76).When it was term for Chamberlain to set on a course for a lifelong c areer, his father, a former soldier, precious his eldest son to follow in his footsteps and serve the orbit during peacemagazine. However, while Chamberlain had already been preparing for West Point and a career in the army, Chamberlains catch protested because she wanted Lawrence to serve the church and become a minister. In spite her mothers objection, Lawrence wanted to go to West Point. However, his enthusiasm was dampened by the prospect of dimension a war machine position during a judgment of conviction of relative peace and stability. So in the end, his mothers desires won, and Chamberlain indomit fitted to become a minster in the hopes of getting a commission as a missionary in a nonher solid ground. (Wallace 1995, p. 45)When Chamberlain was nineteen old age old, he entered college. For Lawrence, who has been very close to his family, the thought of life away from his family must have been difficult. Thus, he was very shy and stammered during his eldest familys at college at Bowdoin College at Brunswick. Gradually, Chamberlain was able to overcome his shyness and stammering row and became a champion speechmaker and writer. (Wallace 1995, p. 97) It was too during college that Chamberlain adjudicated to use Joshua for his first name.At college, Chamberlains strength of typesetters incase began showing. He was known for standing firm on his principles, even when he was go ing against people who had more power and authority than him. He never false his patronise on the values that he believed in, and this acquire him the respect of the people who knew him. This strong sense of confine was a value that stayed with him all his life, even when his life was threatened in the scrapfield. Chamberlain also had a great love for music and he turned for it for his relaxation.When not busy with school work, he played the electric organ for his school chapel, a skill that he larn all on his own. His love for the organ also drew him to Frances Adams, who also played the organ for the Brunswick church choir. Frances was three years older than Chamberlain, unless that age difference did not matter to them. Their romance was near right from the start and they were engaged soon after 1852, just a year after they first met and soon after Chamberlain graduated from college. However the marriage ceremony did not happen soon after the engagement. Joshua first p ursued both a seminary course and his masters degree. after(prenominal) finishing both, Joshua and Frances became husband and wife, three years after their engagement.THE PROFESSOR BECOMES A SOLDIERHaving distinguished himself as an orator during his college, he became professor of oratory and rhetoric at Bowdoin College a year after earning his masters degree. Five years after, in 1861, he became the top of the department of modern languages. Chamberlains ascent to chairmanship was well- merited. He has learned several languages during his seminary course. The languages were taught as part of the homework for overseas missionary work which was his original intent. Chamberlain was silver in nine languages namely, Latin, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Syriac.In 1861, at the same year that Chamberlain was elected the position of chair of modern languages, gracious War broke out. The youthful dreams of serving the war machine and fighting in the scra pfield of war were in one case again rekindled. Or perhaps they never leave at all. It may be said that Chamberlain has always been a dread soldier. When Chamberlain was given a sabbatical, purportedly for study in Europe, he immediately went to regulator Washburn for forces service. Thus in 1862, Chamberlain left the halls of the academe to fight in the polite War. His decision was met with take issue at Bowdoin College, notwithstanding for Chamberlain the need to serve the country took precedence over anything else. By virtue of his education and mastery of languages, he was commissioned as deputy Colonel of the twentieth Regiment of Maine Volunteers.While never having genuine military training, Chamberlain soon learned the ropes through keen observation. The circumstance that he was in charge of an actual control was enough reason for Chamberlain to learn as he go. All his life, he has always been a self-starter and competent of learning things by himself. Under Command er Adelbert Ames, a recent West Point graduate, Chamberlain, along with nearly a thousand men transformed and became clever soldiers. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 116) Chamberlains youngest brother, Thomas, was also part of the same regiment, and the ii would soon distinguish themselves as soldiers of the Civil War.The twentieth regiments first order of battle was to proceed to the battle at Antietam. However, they did not precept any action in that battle. Their first actual engagement was as a reconnaissance unit of measurement at Shepherdstown Ford. In October, Chamberlain was tasked to lead another reconnaissance at the South Mountain pass. It was during this time that Chamberlain motto first hand the horrors of war. He maxim nonviable Confederate soldiers barely out of their youth, and such sights stayed with him during the constitutional course of the war. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 64)A few calendar months after, in December 1862, Chamberlain and his men were right in the middle of the Battle of Fredericksburg, a site of overwhelming defeat for the Union. All around, Chamberlain saw dead men, and when the orders to evacuate came down, Chamberlain was tasked to lead his men to guard. The undermentioned months were uneventful for the regiment. In whitethorn 1863, an outbreak of midget pox among the regiment kept Chamberlains men away from participating in the Battle of Chancellorsville. To keep his men in shape and their morale up, Chamberlain unceasingly asked for duties and engaged the regiment in positive activities. By the end of May, Chamberlain became Colonel of the 20th regiment, after having proven himself as an able soldier and a great leader.A belligerent RISESOn July 1863, the 20th regiment received marching orders to go to Gettysburg. The Union forces faced a formidable obstructer in the person of Confederate public tin Bell Hood. normal Hood was bent on cutting down the Union lines and under his command the Confederate Brigad es advanced and went up the hill. During this engagement, a good number of Union officers were killed, leaving Chamberlain in command. sooner he died, commanding officer Colonel Vincent instructed Chamberlain to stand ground. Joshua was now in a very difficult decision. He was given orders to stand ground but his mens ammunition were almost spent. (Martin 2006, p. 213). Chamberlain was left to decide the fate of his men and the fate of this battled. He thus gave quick and firm orders. Having the higher ground, Chamberlain told his men to counterattack. The downhill bayonet charge caught the Confederates by surprise, and the Union held their position. For this gallant stand, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.Soon after that diachronic stand, Chamberlain became commander of the 3rd Brigade. By this time, Chamberlain has become a seasoned solider who has survived many orbits. He was regarded with respect and commanded the loyalty of the men who served under his comma nd, particularly the men of the 20th Maine. While an officer, he never considered himself better than his men and he accorded all of them with equal courtesy and respect. He never asked for special quarters and endured the same sacrifices as his men. All these traits endeared him all the more to the military and the exoteric as well. He treated the dead with respect and never forgot to attend to the sick after the supergrass of battle has cleared.By now an acclaimed hero, Chamberlain never stopped throwing himself into the wide of the battle. He was a natural leader and tactician, able to execute strategic commands under exacting pressure. He never feared for his life and engaged in battle with very little regard for personal safety. For him, the safety of his men and winning the ground was most important. (Martin 2006, p. 27) At one point, he was severely bruiseed but refused preferential treatment, insisting that there are others whose wounds are more serious than his. For fea r of a baneful wound, General Ulysses Grant, in what is believed to be the only case of promotion on the battlefield, immediately conferred the position of full general to Chamberlain. Doctors thought that Joshua had very little chances of surviving his wound, but he did. A few months after, Chamberlain reported back to duty in spite some forcible limitations brought on by his war injury.Chamberlain became commander of a new 1st Brigade, 1st Division, a unit composed of two large regiments of soldiers from Pennsylvania and late York. Not fully recovered from his injury, he was prevented from visual perception any military action. However, after a month of sick leave, he returned to service, much to the dismay of his doctors. Chamberlain returned to military action during the last of General Grants campaign on March 1865. Chamberlain and his brigade were engaged in a bayonet fight while traveling the acquaintance Road and Joshua was again injured. He would have been interpreted p risoner if not for his fast thinking. He eluded take prisoner by donning a Confederate officer coherent and posing as one of the Confederates. His numerous injuries could not keep him from the call of duty. Under his leadership, Chamberlain claimed the strategic and much coveted lodge on the White oak tree Road. For this accomplishment in spite of injury, Joshua was promoted to Major General by President Lincoln. (Ritter & Wakelyn 1998, p. 128).General Chamberlain survived many injuries and lived to see the end of the Civil War and the Unions victory. When General Grant designated him to receive the first flag of concede at Appomattox Court House, in a paltry demonstration of his courtly spirit, Chamberlain received the surrender with benignity and honor. He asked that his original 20th Maine regiment be with him in this historic event, believing that all of them deserved the honor that was accorded to him. (Martin 2006, p. 87)For saving his men and the Unions position, Chamber lain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States. He was brave under fire, and full-grown in victory. After the war, Joshua went back to Bowdoin as chair of the college. (Ashby 2003, p. 10). During his tenure, he instituted reforms which shook the foundations of the conservative school. Nevertheless, his presidency, like his duty tour of military duty, was marked with strong leadership and honor. He lived to an old age of 84, seeing the fruits of peace work by many years of war. In a poetic death, he died of the old war wound that many thought he has recovered from. He still dies in the battle, as a noble soldier.General Joshua Chamberlain stands tall in an age of greatness. His name will go down in history as among the greatest soldiers. It might be said that times make the hero, but in Chamberlains case, the choices that he made and his nobility in and out of the battlefield made him a soldier of life. He was a product of his times, and left just in time to plant the seeds of hope for a better and kinder world. May his nobility inspire all that is good and noble in each and every one of us.ReferencesAshby, R. (2003). droll People. Black Rabbit Book.Cashin, J. (2002). The War was You and Me Civilians in the American Civil War. Princeton University Press.Martin, I. (2006). The Greatest U.S. Army Stories Ever Told haunting Stories of Courage. The Lyons Press.Ritter, C & Wakelyn, J (1998). Leaders of the American Civil War A Biographical and Historiographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group.Wallace, W. (1995). soulfulness of the Lion A Biography of General Joshua L. Chamberlain. Clark forces Books.