Introduction: Joshua Chamberlain—A Life in Letters
I. Formative Years (38 Letters)
This includes brief biography of his childhood followed by letters
through his college years. Few Chamberlain fans realize that he
suffered greatly as a child from a stammering problem that greatly
affected his personality. In an autobiography he wrote decades
afterward, he recalled that, “the sleepless anxiety on this score
was a serious wear upon the nervous system. It was not much short
of agonizing ... This positive disability added to a natural
timidity of self-assertion, apt to disclose itself on untimely
occasions in that stupidity called bashfulness, had a decided
effect on habits both of speech and action, which placed one at a
serious disadvantage.” This early affliction shaped the way in
which he related to his future wife, Frances “Fannie” Adams, who
had her own issues having been sent from Massachusetts by her
parents to be raised by a relative who was the minister at the
Congregational church in Brunswick, Maine.
II. Joshua and Fannie (70 Letters)
These letters shed much new light on the most mysterious and
defining years of Chamberlain’s life. During this time, he
graduated from Bowdoin College, attended and graduated from the
Bangor Theological Seminary, married, and had five children, only
two of which lived into a second year. His courtship of Fannie
Adams, played out in these often needy and emotionally immature
letters, reveal a great deal about him and how this period effected
his personality and actions in the years that followed. Much has
been written about the strained relationship between Joshua and
Fannie while speculating what impact this might have had on him and
his actions. This is by far the largest collection of letters
between them, and they will provide fertile ground for future
scholars, researchers, and historians to study.
III. Off to War (27 Letters)
Chamberlain's desire to serve during the Civil War was thwarted by
Bowdoin College's refusal to allow him a leave of absence.
Undaunted, Chamberlain applied for a two-year sabbatical to study
in Europe, which was awarded. Instead of journeying to Europe, he
made his way to the state capitol in Augusta and offered his
services to the governor. His appointment as lieutenant colonel of
Maine’s 20th regiment of infantry soon followed. A military novice,
Chamberlain used the "down time" in camp to study military history
and tactics. This chapter will detail Chamberlain's initial
involvement in the Union army. Using selected letters, we can see
Chamberlain's evolution from a military novice to a veteran
officer.
IV. Gettysburg to Appomattox (23 Letters)
Though most well-known for his service at Gettysburg, Chamberlain
was so impressive as a field commander during the last two years of
the war that Ulysses S. Grant chose him personally to command the
Union troops that accepted the surrender of the Confederate Army at
Appomattox. He was wounded several times, including a nearly fatal
wound at Petersburg, and personally led repeated charges against
the enemy in the closing weeks of the war. These letters also
include more love letters to his wife, revealing his increasing
difficulty in getting her to answer his correspondence. This
section includes a very important letter to his wife in which he
describes in great detail, directly from his notes, his experiences
in the Battle of Fredericksburg. He later referred to this letter
when writing his famous article, “My Story of Fredericksburg,” for
Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1912. His description in that article
formed a large part of an episode of the Ken Burns series The Civil
War and the feature film Gods and Generals.
V. The Elder Statesman (96 Letters)
Following the war, Chamberlain returned home a war hero and soon
found himself the preferred candidate of the Republican Party for
governor. He was elected to four consecutive one-year terms and
struggled with such ominous issues as prohibition (a legal premise
invented in Maine at this time) and capital punishment, among other
things. Letters from this period also refer to his political
prowess and bravery in the great “Count-Out Crisis” of 1880. As
head of the state militia, he was called on to keep the peace in
the state capitol after a disputed election for governor even while
armed mobs of political supporters of the two candidates threatened
to capture or kill him.
Conclusion: Lion of the Round Top
The largest collection of never-before published letters from and to Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain provides a foundation for a new look at the life of one of the War's most enduring legends.
Thomas Desjardin currently serves as an adjunct professor of
History, University of Maine at Augusta, and as historian,
Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands. Previously,
he was a Gilder Lehrman Fellow in American History,
archivist/historian at Gettysburg National Military Park, and
historian for Greystone Communications,an Emmy Award-winning
company that produces historical books, films, and videos.
Desjardin also served as historical advisor to actor Jeff Daniels
for his role as Joshua Chamberlain in the Turner Pictures feature
film Gettysburg.
The National Civil War Museum is the largest museum in the world
dedicated solely to the American Civil War. The Museum offers a
variety of educational offerings each year to the public including
living histories, presentations, dinner lectures, book signings,
displays, new exhibits, period music performance, an intern
program, and a children’s summer camp.
www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org.
"Numnerous bookshave been written about this American hero, but few have revealed his more human qualities than this collection of letters from his personal correspondence." --Bill Bushnell, New Maine Times (January 30, 2013) "Joshua Chamberlain (1828-1914) may be Maine's most recognized historical figure and for good reason -- he was a selfless man of honor, loyalty, courage and compassion. And his personal correspondence clearly reflects those laudable qualities in this revealing book sponsored by the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA." --Bill Bushnell, Kennebec Journal (January 17, 2013) "Tom Desjardin has accomplished something remarkable, excavating afresh treasures from the heavily mined Chamberlain archive. Scholars, fans, aficionados--indeed, anyone interested in the Civil War--will learn much about one of Maine's favorite sons and a hero to many Americans. The Chamberlain uncovered in these pages is no stereotype, but a complex man, whose virtues and failings vastly enrich our portrait of him. With sensitivity and wit, Desjardin offers us a new Chamberlain--perhaps less heroic than the one we know, but ultimately far more human. In the process, he adds much to our understanding not just of the Civil War, but of American life in the Victorian era." --Patrick Rael, Professor of History, Bowdoin College "The bayonet brought Joshua Chamberlain lasting fame, but his pen is why he should be remembered. His beautifully crafted letters convey a deep and resilient love for Union that sustained him in the ranks. While soldiers on both sides succumbed to the brutal indifference of military life, ideas shielded Chamberlain's soul, preventing him from becoming a cold and callous veteran. The exceptional correspondence contained in Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Life in Letters brings us down from the hero-worshiping altar of Little Round Top to the ground level of war where the Civil War's most famous Union colonel managed to find higher meaning in the daily struggles of trying to survive a bloody Civil War." --Peter S. Carmichael, Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director, Civil War Institute "Many know Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, the 'hero of Little Round Top' and icon of Gettysburg, well, but relatively little about the life of the real Joshua Chamberlain. This marvelous collection of letters reveals to us the person concealed behind the myth and legend. They do not diminish his stature; rather they enhance it. Chamberlain was a remarkable man and lived an eventful, fascinating life. Enjoy the letters and meet the man." --D. Scott Hartwig, Historian, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania "Given that the past twenty-five years have seen Joshua L. Chamberlain rise in popularity to almost mythic proportions, this wonderful collection of his previously unknown and unpublished personal letters will be essential reading for his fans. They reveal more of the inner man than anything to come to print to date, and his letters immediately after the battles at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg will be pored over by scholars. A first-rate contribution to the literature of the war." --William C. Davis, Professor of History, Virginia Tech University, and author of Battle of Bull Run and Lone Star Rising "This compilation of letters may just be the most important book published on Chamberlain in recent memory." --Robert Grandchamp, Blue & Gray Magazine "A valuable volume, primarily for those who wish to know more about Joshua Chamberlain than just his iconic performance at Gettysburg." --Judkin Browning, Civil War Book Review "...[a] timely addition to the literature of the Civil War, appearing as it does on the 150th anniversary of Joshua Chamberlain's entry into the Union Army." --Michael Burlingame, author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life, in a review for The Wall Street Journal (July 22, 2012)
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