Colonel Joushua Chamberlain

A detailed Summary of Colonel Joushua Chamberlain

The Civil War battle of Gettysburg has been called the "High Tide of the Confederacy." Mr. Shaara places the reader in the shoes of the major characters of the battle, those whose actions influenced the outcome the most. This report is about one such character, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. The incident he was a part of happened on the second day of the battle.

On that second day, General Lee sent a major part of his army to attack the troops on the steep sided hill, Little Round Top, on the Union right. For the first time in the war his men were attacking the enemy on "the high ground."

Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and his regiment, the 20th Maine, were placed on the side of Little Round Top that faced south towards the larger hill, Round Top. His men were not even facing the direction that the Confederate attack was expected from. They were facing the narrow gap between the hills.

Colonel Chamberlain was not a professional soldier. He was a "citizen soldier." He had been a professor at a small college in the state of Maine before volunteering to serve his country. He was in the war doing his duty as an American. He was not to know that on this day, he would make h

When the 15th Alabama attacked next, they were surprised when the 20th Maine came storming down the short distance to the bottom of the hill with their bayonets and yelling at the top of their lungs. The Confederates, exhausted themselves, and having been without water since the battle began, turned and ran away or threw down their rifles and surrendered.

Knowing that he couldn't stand and fight without ammunition, in a bold and courageous move, he ordered his men to fix bayonets. The men of the 20th Maine were expecting to flee, not to fight, but they did have confidence in their Colonel.

After the assault on the west face of Little Round Top began by the Confederate army, it didn't take long for the 20th Maine to come under attack by the 15th Alabama. They came pouring into that gap between the hills.

Chamberlain's men looked to him in desperation. Surely they would retreat. They could hold no longer. Chamberlain knew that he could not retreat. His men were the only thing keeping the enemy from breaking into the Union army's rear.

Chamberlain was surprised to find that the 20th Maine was in a position at the bottom of Little Round Top. His men were the only thing keeping the 15th Alabama from getting through the pass and attacking the main Union army in the rear. For an amateur soldier, Chamberlain knew the importance of his position and what would happen if he let the Confederate

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Approximate Word count = 955
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels