Were it not for Toziers heroic stand, the 20th Maine would likely have been beaten at that decisive point in the battle. According to Confederate Colonel Oates, it was the surprise fire of Company B that caused the disastrous panic in his soldiers. The Battle of Antietam also gave President Lincoln the victory he needed to implement a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862 that freed slaves in rebel states. Henry W. Slocums XII Corps and Daniel Sickles III Corps. 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. Then a pistol aimed and fired by a Southern officer misfired only a few feet from Chamberlains face. Leach, George W., wounded and prisoner; died Dec. i, 1863, in prison. There is a Chamberlain museum in Brunswick, Maine; Chamberlain Pale Ale produced in Portland, Maine; and a Chamberlain Bridge exists in Bangor, Maine yet no commercial product commemorates the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. Second Lieutenant, Elisha Besse, Jr., Oakiield Plantation. The 6th Maine Infantry was organized in Portland, Maine and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on July 15, 1861. Portland, ME: Lakeside, 1889. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Much of the primary information about Little Round Top does come directly from Chamberlain, who published 25 separate writings on the battle. Many were named officers because of their success at recruiting volunteers for the Maine regiments. Corporal Waterhouse became the regiments first casualty when he was wounded in the foot. Historic Blakely State Park. Spear, who would later become a brevet brigadier general, believed that all the officers at Little Round Top shared in the battle fully and honorably, but that the bayonet charge was a success largely due to the spirit of the enlisted men. Others who merited more credit than they received were Gouverneur Warren, who conducted one of the best reconnoitering jobs of the war, and Strong Vincent, who unhesitatingly put his brigade on Little Round Top and rallied that brigade under intense fire until he fell mortally wounded. The men took to Chamberlain, admiring him for his willingness to get into the midst of things alongside of them. Musters, Erroneously reported muscian in '63; Disch. Vol. His Recruits transferred to 20th Maine Infantry. Source: 1866 Maine Adjutant General's Report, appendix D . Duty at Ball's Cross Roads until June 5. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Grand Review May 23. The 1st Maine Cavalry has the unfortunate distinction of having the most men killed in action of any cavalry unit during the war. Record of Capt. 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. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May . Stuart, directing Lees cavalry, had not returned to the main Southern column from his screening mission around the Union forces. Second Lieutenant, William K. Bickford, Thomaston. Color sergeant was a dangerous but coveted position in Civil War regiments, generally manned by the bravest soldier in the unit. This page was last edited on 5 December 2022, at 20:47. A Roster (15 Volumes); Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Harmony, battery I, 5th U. S.; John Harmon, Buxton, Samuel F. Mallett, The regiment wasnot engaged in the battle, staying in reserve with much of the Fifth Corps. Attached to, Two men froze to death in their tent as four inches of snow fell. Regiment lost during service 9 Officers and 172 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 257 Enlisted men by disease. After Chamberlain ordered Bayonet,the Union line hesitated until Melcher sprang out in front of the line with his sword flashing. Charles H. Reed, Freedom, David J. Lewis, Waterville. Lieutenants Joseph JA Hoffses and Edward Simonton, resigned; Corporals Today, we're pleased to welcome guest author Anthony Trusso. Sources: Gen. Charles Griffins 1st Division of the V Corps, received word from a harried courier about the threat to Little Round Top and led his men to the hill at the double-quick. [First Lieutenant Ruhis B. Plummer of co. C, commanding.]. dept; Thomas Arnold, Warren; Oeorge H. Dow, Warren. variety of Sources, consult Desjardin's book for further details. Colonel Chamberlain returned to Maine on an extended sick leave for malarial fever.. It is honored by threemonuments at Gettysburg. [citation needed]. 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. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first. The 2nd Maine men were in a state of mutiny and refused to fight, angry because the bulk of the regiment men with only two-year enlistments had been discharged and sent home, and the regiment had been disbanded. Samuel G. Crocker, Brownville, Royal B. Decker, Lagrange. Organized at Readville under Colonel William R. Lee, mexican War veteran and distant relative of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Muster Roll of 20th Maine . For the 1979 board wargame simulating this regiment's most famous battle, see, Maine U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861-1865, "133d Engineer Battalion | Lineage and Honors", "Twentieth Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry", "New Maine State Ballad Commemorates Civil War Unit", "New state ballad honors 20th Maine, despite pro-Confederate objections", 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Maine State Archives), http://learn.bowdoin.edu/joshua-lawrence-chamberlain/, Army life: a private's reminiscences of the Civil War (1882), Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=20th_Maine_Infantry_Regiment&oldid=1146546381, Units and formations of the Union Army from Maine, Military units and formations established in 1862, Military units and formations disestablished in 1865, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 1,621 enrollment (soldiers assigned to the regiment), This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 15:09. On Little Round Top the 120 experienced combat veterans from the 2nd Maine brought the 20ths ranks up to 386 infantrymen and helped hold Chamberlains wobbling line together. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, to assess the situation. I, Priv. Chaplain, Luther P. French, East Corinth; at hospital. The stars have aligned as we have a remarkable opportunity at Gettysburg to save a piece of land that witnessed monumental points in history. The 16th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 9 officers and 172 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 257 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. 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. Frank B. Curtis, Priv. Oliver L., mortally w*d; died July 11. The 7th Maine does not have the cachet of its more famous sister regiment, the 20th Maine, but it probably represents a better cross-section of the state as a whole than the 20th. I, 1 Lieut. 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. When Confederate Brig. 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 20th Maine were also featured in the film Gettysburg and in the novel The Killer Angels. Chamberlain ordered a right-wheel maneuver and took up a place behind Tozier. Total 440. Isaac B Dickinson, John P West, Melville C Day; Privates Ames John T, United States Regiments & Batteries > Maine. ton, Hanover, and Erskine C. Smith, Hanover, in quarterm'r dept. Source: Hood ordered these regiments, led by Colonel William C. Oates, to find the Union left, turn it and capture Round Top. On Special Duty or Detached Service: Charles W. Jackins, Bangor, John J. Pullen, The Twentieth Maine: A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War, Dayton, Ohio: Morningside House, 1984. Richard C. Shannon Diary, 5th Maine Regiment. During the charge, a second enemy line of the 15th and 47th Alabama tried to make a stand near a stone wall. Names of the officers and men of the Twentieth Maine Volunteers who were killed or died of wounds received in this action: Co. C, Capt. Privates: Thomas [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). Second Lieutenant, Joseph Fuller, 2d, Brunswick. James R. Merrill, Priv. Second Lieutenant, Warren L. Kendall, Belfast. 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. His source was the Maine Adjutant General's Annual Reports, Maine at Gettysburg, and Descriptive rolls of the 2nd and 20th ME and personal correspondence and . The Regt. Thomas Chamberlain, a young non-commissioned officer summed Ames up best when he wrote, "I tell you, he is about as savage a man you ever saw . Click the "thumbnails" below for the full size pictures. First Lieutenant, Weston H. Keene, Bremen. Goodwin S. Ireland, Priv. lost in the battle 130 killed and wounded out of 358 engaged. For many years, historians and writers have given the lions share of the credit for the 20ths dramatic action on Little Round Top to Chamberlain. John Wentworth; Co. F, Priv. Colonel Adelbert Ames of Rockland, commander of the regiment, knew the soldiers were an independent lot and would not always obey orders with questioning or commenting on them. The regiment wasmoved to Quarantine Hill, while Colonel Ames wastransferred to General Meades staff at Corps Headquarters. Sergeant George W. Buck, promoted from Private on field, killed. The status was found in a On May 23, 1863, 120 three-year enlistees from the 2nd Maine Infantry were marched under guard into the regimental area of the 20th Maine. George W. Buck, Linneus, promoted on the field, from Private. That afternoon he sent his chief of engineers, Brig. Nor was there time. Right wheel or Bayonet! The regiment later participated in every major battle with the Army of the Potomac, but Gettysburg had been its moment in the sun. Coan said other officers joined Melcher in urging a forward movement. The winter was spent near Stevensburg. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. Chamberlain whose right foot had been pieced by a shell fragment or a stone chip then limped along the regimental line giving instructions to align the left side of the regiment with the right. . Tarbell, Erastus, Clinton, Sylvester, Ira R., Freedom. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. First Sergeant, James C. Rundlett, East Pittston. George H. Wood, Hartford, Andrew J. Roberts, Sunmer. See p. 1222 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service. Chamberlain later said he communicated his decision to counterattack to Captain Ellis Spear, the acting battalion commander of the units left flank. First Sergeant, Joseph Walker, Jr., Atkinson. -Major; William H. Chamberlain, Sewall M. Cowan, Ban- Colonel, Joshua L. Chamberlain, Branswick. 0 Reviews. Alexander E. Lester; Co. K, 1st Serg. 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. Another crisis soon faced the Maine soldiers when the left side of the regiment drew even with the right, short of its planned position. One story is that he screamed: Bayonet! (August 1861-June 1864), 20th Ind. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Hiram Burnham. It would never again have as many men in its ranks as it did at Little Round Top. He was given command of the newly formed 20th Maine, a unit comprised of extra men left over from other new regiments. He was convinced that only the tenacity of the 358 Maine men had enabled Chamberlain to defeat Oates two Alabama regiments. Arad Thompson, Livermore, Charles A. Knapp, Rumford. Horace Wright Correspondence - 1st Maine Regiment, 1st Maine Cavalry. The 20th Maine marched from Appomattox, Virginia, on May 2, reaching the national capital at Washington, D.C., on May 12, where the remaining original members were mustered out of service on June 4, 1865, with the remainder of the regiment leaving the federal service on July 16. Dexter True, 2nd Maine Cavalry. return It was not until Gettysburg that the armies met in a full-scale fight. Additional Union reinforcements came from Maj. Gens. 16th Tennessee Regiment CSA. The valorous defense of Little Round Top will always belong to the 20th Maine Infantry and to Joshua L. Chamberlain as the regimental commander. The regiment was attached to W. F. Smith's Brigade, Division of the Potomac, to October 1861. Roster of the 20th Maine Regiment Association[. 1st Regiment Cavalry: 2nd Regiment Cavalry: 1st Regiment Heavy Artillery: 1st Battery Light Artillery "A" 2nd Battery Light Artillery "B" . The last thing Vincent told Chamberlain was: This is the left of the Union line. Out of a total enlistment of 1,621 men, nine officers and 138 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded and one officer and 145 enlisted men died of disease, for a total of 293 lost. Stephen Littlefield, Winterport, hosp. Twenty-five-year-old Color Sgt. Stephen A. Prescott, Corp. Paschal M. Tripp, Corp.John Foss, Corp. William S. Hodgdon, Priv. First Lieutenant, William W. Morrell, Brunswick. Its members came together from across the state, in response to President Abraham Lincoln's call in July 1862 for 300,000 volunteers. I swear the men will shoot him the first battle we are in.". 20th Maine. Sumner A. Holway Diaries - 1st Maine Cavalry, Company H. Includes battles in which the regiment participated, the names of those killed in action and the deaths of other . Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, Forging a Path to Preservation at Lees Headquarters, Gettysburg - Devils Den and Little Round Top, July 3, 1863. United States' service near Washington, D.C., by Captain Charles F. The 2012 music video for the pop song "Some Nights" performed by Fun includes American Civil War Union soldiers serving in the regiment. 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. United States. Theodore Gerrish (4 mb) Reunions of the 20th Maine Maine Regiment (.5 mb) 21st Maine - Historic Record and Complete Biographical Roster, 21st Maine Vols. He not only had made the right command decisions but also had managed to survive when by all rights he should have been dead. James A. Knight; Co. H, 1st Serg. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Corporal Coan said the men hesitated when Melcher ordered them forward because they were not sure if the colonel had sanctioned the attack. Colonel Patrick ORorke was also one of the heroes, as his 140th New York reinforced Vincents brigade and saved it from early defeat. Company K probably did not delay since the right side of the regiment was not experiencing heavy fire at the time. Sign up to receive the latest information on the American Battlefield Trust's efforts to blaze The Liberty Trail in South Carolina. General's Report for 1863, to July 16th, 1865, when mustered out of the On Special Duty or Detached Service: Marcellus Blake, Carmel, Stephen C. Chase, Priv. Arad H. Linscott;Co. G, 2nd Lieut. But Colonel Strong Vincent, who commanded the 3rd Brigade of Brig. From the regiments monument near the summit of Big Round Top: The 20th Maine Reg. Included along with the flag were . Gettysburg, and Descriptive rolls of the 2nd and 20th ME and personal Captain, Walter G. Morrill, Williamsburg. Colonel Chamberlain took command of the brigade. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry was a three-year regiment that fought with the Army of the Potomac. By June 30 Lees forces, including those of corps commanders Lt. Gens. Army. "It was without pride. It was this group that Oates believed caused panic in his men. 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment Battles Casualties Battle of Antietam Blackford's Ford Virgina Cold Harbor Five Forks Fredericksburg Gettysburg Petersburg Spotsylvania Court House Wilderness. William F. Merrill, Priv. Soon, the 20th traveled by rail and steamer to Washington, D.C., to join the Army of the Potomac as part of Butterfield's "Light Brigade" of the Fifth Corps. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 9 officers and 138 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 145 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. Maine at Gettysburg was published in 1898 in the words of its authors, "to commemorate and perpetuate the conspicuous valor and heroism of Maine soldiers on that decisive battlefield of the war of the rebellion." This page has been viewed 5,022 times (0 via redirect). 6, R. 4; Joseph Macomber, 2d, amb. The regiment's sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on . Melcher was an inspiration to the tiring regiment as he sprang a full 10 paces to the front with his sword glittering in the sunlight. First Sergeant, Charles R. Shorey, Waterville. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865). Oliver L. Stevens, Priv. John M. Safford, Corinna, Luther M. Rideout, Garland. 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. Had the 20th Maine retreated from the hill, the entire Union line would have been flanked, endangering and hurting other Union regiments in the vicinity. Many American junior officers still look up to Chamberlain. Hospital Steward, Granville M. Baker, Standish. Div. Elliott L. Fogg, Priv. If not for their heroism might we not be heirs to a different history, a very different America? The 20th Maine regiment was mustered out of service on June 16, 1865. The 20th maine volunteers regiment at Gettysburg. First Sergeant, Hezekiah Long, Thomaston. Fiscel farm). and that Chamberlain himself was abreast of the colors. . Colonel Chamberlain took over brigade command and Major Ellis Spear took command of the Regiment. wounded D. Chamberlain's Company G, Twentieth Regiment Chamberlain and 20th Maine, Gettysburg reunion, 1889. Forward to the right! 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 regiments sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on Little Round Top and has been credited with saving Major General George Gordon Meades Army of the Potomac, winning the Battle of Gettysburg and setting the South on a long, irreversible path to defeat. 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. First Lieutenant Arad H. Linscott, wounded; died July 27, 1863. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. First Lieutenant, Henry F. Sidelinger, Union, commanding company. The 20th Maine had been organized under President Abraham Lincolns second call for troops on July 2, 1862. The two armies spent a restless night. Surry, Joseph L., Castine, Stinson, Merritt, Clinton. It runs just over 300 crow-flight miles from Fort Kent in the north to Kittery in the south. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first. and Albert L. Spencer, Bangor, battery C, ist Mass. Chamberlain called his company commanders together and told them his battle plans. Throughout the winter and spring of 1863 the Union and Confederate Armies were making their way north with only a few minor engagements. In doing so, Chamberlain exercised effective battle command. But, using the classic element of surprise, Captain Morrills Company B rose up from behind a stone wall and fired a volley into the Confederates rear, breaking the will of the enemy troops. hospital east of Fiscel house. Sawyer, A.C.M. First Lieutenant, Rufus B. Plununer, Linneus, assigned to G. Second Lieutenant, James H. Stan wood, Waldoboro. Vincents brigade included the 44th New York, 16th Michigan, 83rd Pennsylvania and the 358-man 20th Maine under Joshua L. Chamberlain. Chamberlain managed to move his troops into a position that surprised the Confederates and then, when the 20th Maine was close to losing its hold on the hill, Chamberlain ordered an unlikely attack with bayonets -- as the regiment was out of ammunition -- on the resting Confederate soldiers. The Union had lost 4,000 men by that time and the town of Gettysburg itself but Meade quickly moved reinforcing divisions onto the high ground south of Gettysburg. At . [8][9] The song "Dixieland" by Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band is also about the 20th Maine.[10]. George W. Reynolds, Sidney, Albert M, Clark, Waterville. Fort Blakeley, AL -The Last Battle of the Civil War. Maine. In the confusion of shifting troops, however, Geary pulled his men out too soon, before Sickles men had moved to replace them. Laforrest P. True, Clinton, John Reed, Jr., Eustis. Because Sickle's Third Corps failed to take its assigned position at the left end of the Union line, after the Confederate attack began, four regiments of Vicent's Brigade, including the 20th Maine moved into position at Little Round Top. United States. Charles F. Hall, Priv. Note stating that Mr. Adam Horning, Company H, 20th Regiment New York State Volunteers died on May 23, 1864, in Cleveland, Ohio. cook. The 20th Maine suffered heavy casualties, but held Little Round Top and allowed a Union victory at Gettysburg. The Wikipedia article, 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (accessed 6 July 2012). . Fuller, Emulus S., Eustis, Grindle, Joseph, Bangor. 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". The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. July 8. Without Morrills up-front leadership, Chamberlains attack probably would have been spoiled and pushed back.
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