In 1852, Joshua Chamberlain (1828-1914) graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Three years later he married Fanny Adams and accepted a position as a professor of languages and rhetoric at Bowdoin, his alma mater.
With the start of the Civil War nine years later, Chamberlain left his teaching position and joined the 20th Maine regiment as a Union volunteer, was appointed Lt. Colonel, and became second in command.
He took his leadership position seriously and had the discipline and intelligence to learn military strategies and tactics by reading and serving under his commander, Colonel Adelbert Ames.
He was wounded 6 times in battle and almost didn’t recover from his last wound, which earned him a promotion to Brigadier General. He led many battles and proved heroic threw out his service. To honor his bravery in those battles and specifically Gettysburg at Little Round Top, he was asked to receive the Confederate surrender of arms at Appomattox Court House when General Lee surrendered to General Grant in 1865.
He was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his military record, became Governor of Maine serving four terms, and became the president of Bowdoin College 1871-1883, from which he graduated.
Chamberlain passed away in 1914 from medical complications from his war wounds. He was 85 and is considered the last Civil War veteran to die as a result of wounds from the war. #JoshuaChamberlain #civilwar
Photos from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Chamberlain
