I, Priv. Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. Joshua Chamberlain was promoted to Colonel and commander of the regiment. It was this group that Oates believed caused panic in his men. First Lieutenant, Arad H. Linscott, JeflFerson. The regiment is honored by a . Moses Davis, Priv. This monument marks the extreme left of the Union line during the battle of the 3d day. The problem with becoming a legend is that deeds may become distorted inadvertently due to commercial profits, hero worship and the sheer passage of time. Spear literally controlled half the regiment during the climactic counterattack. The regiment's sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on . Chamberlains vivid personality overshadows the regiment that made him famous even though it was the regiment that saved the day. Elements of Hoods division, the 15th and 47th Alabama, then began to smash into the Maine troops. return to Research and Current Projects . The last thing Vincent told Chamberlain was: This is the left of the Union line. Chamberlain replied, If we couldnt do anything else we would give the Rebels the smallpox! Instead, the regiment wasassigned to guard duty on the telegraph line from headquarters to United States Ford, although Lt. The lack of credit perhaps helped create the rift that later developed between him and Chamberlain. The winter was spent near Stevensburg. Serving as a rear guard, the 20th Mainewas one of the last regiments back across the Rapahnnock. [1] On May 20, 1863, Colonel Ames was promoted and was succeeded as colonel and commander of the regiment by Lt. Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain,[2] who had been offered and declined leadership of the unit at the time it was formed.[3]. Gen. John Buford, who had dismounted and deployed his cavalry on McPhersons Ridge, west of Gettysburg. Fortunately for the men of the 2nd Maine, Chamberlain was born and grew up in Brewer, the twin city to Bangor across the Penobscot River where the 2nd Maine regiment was recruited. For more information on Maine Civil War regiments visit the Maine State Archives. Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin, Beginning United States Civil War Research, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=20th_Regiment,_Maine_Infantry&oldid=5037428. Portland, ME: Lakeside, 1889. The Third Maine regiment of infantry was organized for active service May 28, 1861 and mustered into Union service at Augusta on June 4, 1861 with West Point graduate Oliver Howard of Leeds as its Colonel. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, to assess the situation. ; Henry Reaviel, Bangor, and William N. Witham, In all likelihood Lieutenant Melcher conceived the idea to advance the colors to retrieve the wounded, but Chamberlain expanded upon the idea, deciding to have the whole regiment conduct a bayonet attack. When the regiment came under heavy attack from the Confederate 15th and 47th Alabama regiments (part of the division led by Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood), the 20th Maine ran low on ammunition after one and a half hours of continuous fighting; it responded to the sight of rebel infantry forming again for yet another push up the slope at them by instead suddenly charging downhill with fixed bayonets, surprising and scattering the Confederates, thus ending the attack on the hill and the attempt to flank the hill position and move around the south end of the Federal "fishhook". Durham, regimental bugler; Erastus C. Anderson, Rockland, cattle guard; Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. James Pete Longstreet and Ambrose P. Hill, were marching on the Chambersburg Road in southern Pennsylvania, while Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell was leading his corps westward from York. Chamberlain replied, Yes, I am about to order a right wheel forward of the whole regiment. The 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 141 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 officers and 100 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. Hospital Steward, Granville M. Baker, Standish. 10th Tennessee Regiment, CO.E. During the battle, he brutally kills a Confederate soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Captain, Walter G. Morrill, Williamsburg. Charles F. Hall, Priv. Later, when Sickles infantry did arrive, the controversial general moved his men, without orders, westward toward the Emmitsburg Road. It had been Chamberlains idea to elevate Tozier to the post of color sergeant for the 20th Maine, a move designed to instill a new esprit de corps in the mutineers. No county claimed them. Second Lieutenant, Elisha Besse, Jr., Oakiield Plantation. Colonel Chamberlain joined the First Division for the fight and loses another horse shot from underneath him. wounded Spear, however, claimed he received no such orders. Williard W. Buxton. Chamberlain was a graduate of Bowdoin College and the Bangor Theological Seminary. Major Spear brevetted lieutenant colonel of volunteers for gallant and distinguished serves at Peebles Farm, Brevet Colonel Spear was promoted to full colonel, Regiment mustered out under Colonel Spear. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865). Its members came together from across the state, in response to President Abraham Lincoln's call in July 1862 for 300,000 volunteers. Arad H. Linscott;Co. G, 2nd Lieut. During the charge, a second enemy line of the 15th and 47th Alabama tried to make a stand near a stone wall. Mustered with over 1,600 troops on July 2, 1862, after Lincoln's second call for volunteers, the 20th Maine was reduced to under 300 by the . Although the 650-foot-high Little Round Top was overshadowed by its larger neighbor, its position was more important because much of the hill was cleared of trees and it could better accommodate troops. The 2012 music video for the pop song "Some Nights" performed by Fun includes American Civil War Union soldiers serving in the regiment. Captain Howard L. Prince, former 20th Maine quartermaster-sergeant, considered Captain Morrill the coolest man in the regiment a man who had no superior on the skirmish line. Were it not for Toziers heroic stand, the 20th Maine would likely have been beaten at that decisive point in the battle. Corporal John M. Libby, wounded, lost two fingers. Chamberlain seemed to have been blessed with both good timing and luck. Walter G. Morrill, detached as skirmishers, attacking the enemys right flank, afternoon of July 2, 1863. A. Davis, Warren, Eben F. Manchester, Windham, and Ambrose Whitcomb, In May 1863, Col. Ames was promoted to a Brigadier General in General Oliver Otis Howard's corps. First Lieutenant, William W. Morrell, Brunswick. Confederate General Ewells failure to carry out his orders and attack Cemetery Hill on the afternoon of July 1 wasted a golden opportunity for a quick, decisive victory. General's Report for 1863, to July 16th, 1865, when mustered out of the They received no words of farewell on leaving their state. Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin, Beginning United States Civil War Research, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=20th_Regiment,_Maine_Infantry&oldid=5037428. Breen, John H., Augusta, Church, Chandler K., Bumham. His contingent created the impression of two regiments rushing through the woods, though it consisted only of 44 Company B soldiers and 14 U.S. Sharpshooters. After Chamberlain returned to the regimental center, Melcher asked permission to retrieve his wounded from the front. Mustered out June 5, 1865. He sympathized with the mutineers and wrote to Maine Governor Abner Coburn, asking that he write to the men personally about the mix-up in three-year versus two-year contracts they had signed. Walton, Waldoboro. Elliott L. Fogg, Priv. But in July 1862, sensing perhaps that the war was going to last a good deal longer than he had first believed, Chamberlain offered his services to the Union cause. By June 30 Lees forces, including those of corps commanders Lt. Gens. Benjamin W. Grant, Priv. corps. The 20th Maine and the adjacent 83rd Pennsylvania together captured many men from both Alabama regiments (including Lt. Col. Michael Bulger, commander of the 47th),[4] as well as several other men of the 4th Alabama and 4th and 5th Texas regiments of the same division. Click the "thumbnails" below for the full size pictures. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. From the regiments monument near the summit of Big Round Top: The 20th Maine Reg. with Tozier beside him and Chamberlain not far behind. On Special Duty or Detached Service: Crosby N. Crocker, team- From the main monument on Little Round Top: Here the 20th Maine Regiment Col. J. L. Chamberlain commanding, forming the extreme left of the national line of battle on the 2nd day of July 1863, repulsed the attack of the extreme right of Longstreets Corps and charged in turn, capturing 308 prisoners. Many American junior officers still look up to Chamberlain. Both Vincent and ORorke gave their lives at Gettysburg, and if not for those two men and others, Chamberlain probably would be remembered today as only a minor figure in a major Union disaster. They were farmers, shop clerks, woodsman, and seaman. The heritage of the 20th Maine is carried on today by the 133rd Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard. First Lieutenant, James H. Nichols, Brunswick, commanding company. and Frank C. Williams, Bangor, battery D, 5th U. S.; Frank A. Johnson, Alabama. Alexander E. Lester; Co. K, 1st Serg. Sergeant George W. Buck, promoted from Private on field, killed. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Color sergeant was a dangerous but coveted position in Civil War regiments, generally manned by the bravest soldier in the unit. Miscellaneous Civil War Documents. In the confusion of shifting troops, however, Geary pulled his men out too soon, before Sickles men had moved to replace them. Meanwhile, Colonel Vincent tried to rally his 3rd Brigade as the 16th Michigan staggered under the heavy assault by the 4th and 5th Texas. First Sergeant Isaac W. Estes, mortally wounded; died July 14, 1863. Lees main objective was to move across the Potomac River and try to separate the Union forces from Washington. They mustered out August 25, 1863, with expiration of term. Fiscel farm). If your ancestor was a Union soldier, he may have been part of the U.S. Regulars, a unit of the United States Army though most Civil War soldiers served in a volunteer regiment raised by his home state, for example the 11th Virginia Volunteer Infantry or the 4th Maine Volunteer Infantry. The regiment is victorious in a fictional battle that portrays a young Union soldier who has left his love in Maine to serve in the regiment. The 1st Maine Cavalry has the unfortunate distinction of having the most men killed in action of any cavalry unit during the war. Morrill led his unit at the decisive point of the bayonet charge without orders. List of participants by company as well as casualties suffered. Gettysburg, and Descriptive rolls of the 2nd and 20th ME and personal They mustered out July 16, 1865 with the old members mustering out June 4, 1865. from the Muster-out Rolls and subsequent Returns from Commissary of First Lieutenant, Thomas D. Chamberlain, act'g Adjt. Abner R. Small summed up the war well when he wrote in a letter to a friend, "War and heroes sound well in history but the reality is known to but the few that survive the strife.". Joshua Chamberlain deserves much acclaim, but not to the exclusion of many others whom history has so far and so unfairly underrated. During that assault, Captain James H. Nichols, the commander of the 20th Maines Company K, ran to alert Chamberlain that the Confederates seemed to be extending their line toward the regiments left. Stevens. United States Regiments & Batteries > Maine. It was as if fate had brought them together. Robert E. Lee, with his eerie sense of a battlefield, was hastily assembling a force to attack the Union left, but it would take him the greater part of the day to get his men ready to strike. Aaaron Adams, Priv. From the Company B monument, located about 50 yards to the east of the main monument on Little Round Top: Position of Company B, 20th Me. George W. Card, Dexter, Joseph A. Pettigrew withdrew his troops and then reported back to Heth. Later actions in which the regiment participated included Second Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Siege of Petersburg, Peebles's Farm, Lewis's Farm/Quaker Road, White Oak Road, Five Forks, and Appomattox Court House. Theodore Gerrish (4 mb) Reunions of the 20th Maine Maine Regiment (.5 mb) 21st Maine - Historic Record and Complete Biographical Roster, 21st Maine Vols. U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center th Civil War Unit: 20 Maine Infantry Regiment 950 Soldiers Drive Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5021 17 Oct 2012 1 20th Maine Infantry Regiment Chamberlain, Joshua L. Address.at the Dedication of the Maine Monuments, Battlefield of Gettysburg, October 3, 1889. Chamberlain, for his part, wrote incorrectly to his wife that his regiment had been attacked by a whole brigade. Company B, with its 44 men, was subsequently cut off by a flanking attack by the enemy, leaving the 20th with only 314 armed men on the main regimental line. Colonel Chamberlain returned to Maine on an extended sick leave for malarial fever.. Frank B. Curtis, Priv. Chamberlain overshadows the 20th Maine in the way that George S. Patton overshadows the U.S. Third Army in World War II. 2d Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Charles W. Steele, Serg.George W. Buck, SergIsaac M. Lathrop, Priv. Come on boys! and Albert L. Spencer, Bangor, battery C, ist Mass. iston, and Samuel A. Littlefield, Winterport, medical dept. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. With all the confusion and noise on Little Round Top that day, if anything other than bayonet had been said it probably would not have mattered, anyway. Although spread thinly, the Union troopers held their ground with repeating carbines. Chamberlain later said he communicated his decision to counterattack to Captain Ellis Spear, the acting battalion commander of the units left flank. It brought 439 men to the field and suffered no casualties, being held in reserve with Howe's brigade in the . On Special Duty or Detached Service: Marcellus Blake, Carmel, ham, William H. Jones, Augusta, and Alfred Trask, Augusta, battery I, For more information on the history of this unit, see: The Civil War Archive section, 20th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 30 May 2012). Bangor, battery C, ist Mass. The stars have aligned as we have a remarkable opportunity at Gettysburg to save a piece of land that witnessed monumental points in history. Young, Bingham. Major General J.E.B. 2nd Brigade, Smith's Division, Army of the Potomac, to March 1862. James R. Merrill, Priv. Norton, Hiram, Solon, Rankins, William, Waterville. 94, Discharged John Wentworth; Co. F, Priv. Two other men were wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Chamberlain lost the first of many horses shot from under him during the Civil War. The regiment wasreduced to around 400 men. I have always been interested in military matters, he informed Maine Governor Israel Washburn, and what I do not know in that line, I know how to learn. The regiment returned to camp in the night in a driving rainstorm as the army retreated back across the Rappahannock. Colonel Ames, who attempted to turn the untrained volunteers into an effective regiment, was respected by the troops -- but not liked. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. Second Lieutenant, Thomas R. Hogue, Waldoboro. 19th Maine - History of the Nineteenth Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry 1862-65 (6.5 mb) 20th Maine - Army Life: A Private's Reminiscences of the Civil War by Pvt. The 2nd Maine Infantry Regiment (also known as the Second Maine Regiment, Second Maine Infantry, or The Bangor Regiment) was a Union Army unit during the American Civil War.It was mustered in Bangor, Maine, for two years' service on May 28, 1861, and mustered out in the same place on June 9, 1863.. Five of the ten companies of the regiment were raised in Bangor, including a Gymnasium Company . mortally, died in 5th Corps hospital, buried on Trostle farm (near The men took to Chamberlain, admiring him for his willingness to get into the midst of things alongside of them. living history of these brave men that we may never forget their contributions. To mark the return to Maine of the 20th Maine's restored Gettysburg battle flag the Maine State Museum opened an exhibit September 5th, 1998. The 6th Maine Infantry was organized in Portland, Maine and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on July 15, 1861. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865) Samuel L. Miller, 1893 - United States - 28 pages. The general did not want to fight at Gettysburg, but alert Union horsemen had reached the area a fact that would put a wrinkle in Lees plans. The status was found in a Privates: Thomas The regiment lost 38 killed or mortally wounded and 93 wounded out of 358 engaged. Colonel Patrick ORorke was also one of the heroes, as his 140th New York reinforced Vincents brigade and saved it from early defeat. Second Lieutenant, Warren L. Kendall, Belfast. (August 1861-June 1864), 20th Ind. Sumner A. Holway Diaries - 1st Maine Cavalry, Company H. Captain Nichols wrote in 1882 that Company K never hesitated. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Col. Chamberlain was soon put in command of a brigade and in 1865 was promoted to Brigadier General and later put in command by Ulysses S. Grant of all Union troops during the surrender of the Confederates. The 133rd Engineer Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard and the United States Army today carries on the lineage and traditions of the 20th Maine. In doing so, Chamberlain exercised effective battle command. Moved to Manchester, thence marched to Washington, D.C., May 1-12. Trae, Franklin, Clinton, Taylor, Alfred, Eustis. Army. [5][6], The participation of the 20th Maine in the Battle of Fredericksburg is depicted in the 2003 feature film "Gods And Generals" (prequel movie to 1993's Gettysburg based on Michael Shaara's son Jeff Shaara's historical novel of the same name). ton, Hanover, and Erskine C. Smith, Hanover, in quarterm'r dept. "It was without pride. Source: "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine" by Tom Desjardin. The regiment was also among those forced to remain overnight within sight of the Confederate lines at Fredericksburg in December 1862, forcing the regiment's Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain to shield himself with a dead man. On July 2, 1862, Confederate Gen. James Longstreet recommended that the rebel army move around the end of the Union line, get behind Gen. George Mead's army and attack from that position, but Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered a direct attack. Edwards, Abial H. United States' service near Washington, D.C., by Captain Charles F. Henry W. Getchell, Winslow, James H. Harrington, Bumham. For more information on the history of this unit, see: 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry timeline from organization to discharge. The Battle of Antietam, known as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, was the 20th's first taste of the war. hospital east of Fiscel house. Personal Correspondence and Diaries. Bartiett, Charles H., Sidney, Benson, Thomas S., Sidney. Captain Charles W. Billings, mortally wounded; died July 15, 1863. The many reenactor groups who portray them, and a wealth of information on the american civil war. The 20th Maine Infantry Regiment was a volunteer regiment of the United States Army (Union Army) during the American Civil War (18611865), most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1863. Musters, Erroneously reported muscian in '63; Disch. Both sides sent dispatches to inform their superiors of the confrontation. . The Confederates managed to exploit weaknesses in the Federals deployment, and their attacks caused heavy losses to the Union troops, who were forced to retreat. Laforrest P. True, Clinton, John Reed, Jr., Eustis. The Union defensive line on aptly named Cemetery Ridge resembled an inverted fishhook, extending from Culps Hill on the north, down Cemetery Ridge and southward toward Big and Little Round Tops. Colonel, Joshua L. Chamberlain, Branswick. They were all very helpful and informative in their role as "honor guard" for the exhibit. Goodwin S. Ireland, Priv. Being primarily farmers and lumbermen before they enlisted, most of the men had no military background, but many were used to hard work and surviving in an often unforgiving environment, were familiar with firearms and had the benefit of having volunteered for service. Recruits transferred to 20th Maine Infantry. ; Oeorge L. Witham, Southport, Later in life, Chamberlain wrote that his regiment was the first in line, but it actually took up its position last, curving its line back around to the east and forming the Union Armys extreme left flank. The 20th maine volunteers regiment at Gettysburg. Meade reinforced his Union position with the I Corps, which was now led by Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday since Maj. Gen. John Reynolds had been mortally wounded earlier that day. Meade faced a daunting task. The regiment was attached to W. F. Smith's Brigade, Division of the Potomac, to October 1861. Sawyer, A.C.M. Joshua L. Chamberlain was the regiment's lieutenant colonel. 5th Corps Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain captured and held this position on the evening of July 2d, 1863, pursuing the enemy from its front on the line marked by its monument below. Regiment lost during service 9 Officers and 172 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 257 Enlisted men by disease. When the Army of the Potomacs commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, belatedly became aware of the Confederates movement, he began to force-march his army north, trying to keep Lee to the west and screen Washington from the Rebel troops. Exact statistics are difficult to discern, but estimates put the number of Maine men who died in Civil War service at about 9,400. 0 Reviews. wounded Warren L. Kendall; Co. A, Corp. Joseph D.Simpson, Priv. Total 440. Little Round Top was left uncovered. Our FREE Virtual Teacher Institute is the can't miss online educator event of the summer. At . The Battle of Gettysburg began July 1, 1863, and at the end of the first day the Union Army had dug in on Cemetery Ridge and had command of the battlefield while the Confederate Army had taken position on Seminary Ridge. Altogether, 1,621 men served in the regiment, of whom 293 died (146 .