Ronald White, guest author, explains that the 20th Maine's early service was defined by the grim realities of warfare, from the massacre at Fredericksburg to a debilitating smallpox outbreak caused by defective vaccination serum within the camp. By June 1

Ronald White, guest author, explains that the 20th Maine's early service was defined by the grim realities of warfare, from the massacre at Fredericksburg to a debilitating smallpox outbreak caused by defective vaccination serum within the camp. By June 1863, the regiment was forced on grueling 30-mile marches toward Gettysburg under oppressive summer heat. On the second day of the battle, Chamberlain received desperate orders to hold the far left of the Unionline at Little Round Top "at all cost." Facing superior Confederate numbers and having exhausted his unit's ammunition, Chamberlain executed a legendary bayonet charge that broke the enemy assault. During the chaotic melee, he personally confronted a Confederate officer at gunpoint, taking his pistol as the position was secured. Though he suffered from malaria following the victory, his leadership at Gettysburg cemented his reputation as a tactical hero who saved the Union flank. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (3)
1863 LITTLE ROUNDTOP