Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain strong and courageous

Ten critical life lessons we can glean from his life and apply to our lives in 2025.

“I had deep within me the inability to do nothing. I knew I may die, but I also knew that I would not die with a bullet in my back.” These were some of the thoughts expressed by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in 1893 upon receiving the Medal of Honor from President Grover Cleveland.

At the ceremony, Chamberlain had been commenting on his actions at the historic Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863, for which he was being so honored. On July 2, 1863, Colonel Chamberlain was commanding the 300 men of the 20th Maine Regiment which had numbered about 1000 a year earlier. They were holding the high ground called Little Round Top, a very strategic position in the Battle of Gettysburg. In fact, historians agree that this position was all that stood between the Confederate forces and certain defeat for the Union forces.

At 2:30 pm, the 15th and 47th Alabama infantry regiments charged uphill to Little Round Top but were repulsed as Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held their ground. Then followed a second, third, fourth and fifth assault. As the sixth and last charge was repulsed only 80 blues were left standing. When Sergeant Tozier informed him that no reinforcements were coming, and his men were basically down to one bullet Chamberlain knew he must act decisively. Then their lookout, a young boy perched high in a tree, informed Chamberlain that the Confederates were forming ranks.

The rational thing to do at that point, with no reinforcements and basically out of ammunition, would have been to surrender. But Chamberlain wasn’t wired that way. Previously knocked backwards by a bullet hitting his belt buckle, he climbed onto their barricade of stones in full view of the enemy and gave a command. He pointed his sword and yelled “Charge!” His men fixed bayonets and started running down the hill following him at the Confederates. Colonel Chamberlain had briefed their attack plan which was to execute a “right wheel”, a well-known infantry maneuver, which caught the Confederates off guard. And what rates as one of the most improbable victories in military history, eighty Union soldiers captured four thousand Confederates. (for more info check “right wheel maneuver online)

What seemed like a suicide mission saved the Union. Historians believe that if Chamberlain had not charged, the Confederates would have gained the high ground. If that had happened, it is most likely they would have won the Battle of Gettysburg, and the historical consensus is that the Confederates would have won the war leaving America divided. It can be authoritatively stated that one man’s courage saved the day, saved the war, saved the Union, and turned the tide of history.

Thirty-two years before, seminary-trained Joshua Chamberlain, fluent in 10 languages, was a 33-year-old professor of rhetoric at Bowdoin College in Maine. He was troubled that some states were succeeding from the Union and viewed human slavery as abhorrent. Against the strong advice of his dear wife Fanny and Bowdoin colleagues, Chamberlain asked Governor Israel Washburn, Jr., for an appointment to the Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In the request he wrote, “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.”

Chamberlain was offered a colonelcy in the 20th Maine Regiment but declined saying, “I prefer to start a little lower and learn the business first.” This response gives us a clear insight into the character of Joshua Chamberlain. He was then appointed as a lieutenant colonel on August 8, 1862, under the very able tutelage of Colonel Adelbert Ames, a West Point graduate and career army officer.

Joshua Chamberlain went on “to learn the business” very well as the 20th Maine served with valor in several important battles including Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and finally Appomattox. He assumed command of the 20th Maine in June of 1863, just before Gettysburg, when Colonel Ames was promoted to general. We should note that Chamberlain was recovering from malaria and dysentery in the days leading up to Gettysburg, however, he was on a mission "to rescue our country from desolation."

Joshua Chamberlain was involved in some 20 battles, numerous skirmishes, was wounded six times and had six horses shot out from under him. At the siege of Petersburg, June 18, 1864, a bullet penetrated through his right hip and groin and exiting his left hip. Chamberlain's initial response was to stick his sword in the ground to hold himself upright for several minutes and dissuade the growing resolve to retreat. He finally collapsed from loss of blood. The wound was so serious the surgeon signed a death certificate. Chamberlain with trembling hand, penned these words, that he thought would be his last, to his dear wife Fanny just after midnight on June 19, 1864: “My darling wife I am lying mortally wounded the doctors think, but my mind & heart are at peace Jesus Christ is my all-sufficient savior. I go to Him. God bless & keep & comfort you, precious one, you have been a precious wife to me. To know & love you makes life & death beautiful.”

General Grant, learning of the incident, arranged for Chamberlain to be promoted to general posthumously. The wound would affect him physically for the rest of his life. Amazingly, Chamberlain recovered to lead the 20th Maine into other battles such as Quaker Road on March 29, 1865.

At Quaker Road he was wounded for the sixth time by one bullet that went through his horse's neck, then hit Chamberlain in the chest. The bullet, then deflected by the Bible and his wife's framed picture that he carried in his left uniform pocket, then traveled around his chest under the skin and exited out his back. He continued to lead the attack appearing to both Union and Confederate to have been shot "through" the chest earning him the moniker, "Bloody Chamberlain".

Just two weeks later, General Grant selected General Joshua Chamberlain to preside over the parade of the Confederate infantry as part of the formal surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865. 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. General John Gordon, leading the Confederate infantry, responded by wheeling his horse, dipping his sword to his stirrup and ordering the Confederate ensign to be dipped.

Chamberlain's action, though unpopular and criticized by many unionists, was in perfect sync with President Lincoln's second inaugural address just five weeks before: "With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds." Abraham Lincoln

After the war General Joshua Chamberlain continued his life of serving as the leader of the Maine Reserve Volunteers, four-one-year-terms as Governor of Maine, and then President of Bowdoin College. Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914 at the age of 85. Beside him as he died was Dr. Abner O. Shaw, one of two surgeons who had operated on him at Peterburg 50 years previously.

To encourage and inspire us today, here are ten life lessons I have noted from the life of this remarkable Christian patriot. (1) Discovering your purpose is far more important than having a career; (2) Actions speak louder than words perfectly describes the life of Joshua Chamberlain; (3) Humility is a true strength and a protective quality for any leader; (4) The willingness to live sacrificially and serve passionately are complimentary multipliers that magnify, to others, the image of Christ in our our lives; (5) Certainly, when the moment of truth has arrived, the time for preparation has passed; (6) The willingness to become a mentee/disciple, to learn and master new skills to fulfill our purpose is huge; (7) We all experience "wounds" from the battles of life, how we respond to them is critical; (8) His life reminds me of a favorite quote, "Soldiers do not fight because of hatred for the enemy, but for the love of each other." G. K. Chesterton. And a scripture, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends", John 15:13; (9) We must be aware that, in life, indecision is a decision, and that inaction is an action. It is sometimes OK to be a noun but often, as men, our people are depending on us to be a verb. (10) Be Strong and Courageous! Courage is certainly a quality, a thread that was woven into Chamberlain's life becoming a ready source of inspiration for all. "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all others." Winston Churchill

These are just ten life lessons I happened to glean from a brief review of Chamberlain's remarkable life of selfless service. You may discover many more life lessons as you ask God to reveal and clarify the dreams, He has placed in your heart to bring into a reality. Jeremiah 29:11-13; Ephesians 2:10. Always remember that indecision is a decision and inaction is an action.

Barney Barnes, 02-26-2025, Former, Promise Keepers National Ambassador for the Military and Prisons