The Union Army, Vol. 1: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65, Records of the Regiments in the Union Army, Cyclopedia of Battles, Memoirs of Commanders

Excerpt from The Union Army, Vol. 1: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65, Records of the Regiments in the Union Army, Cyclopedia of Battles, Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers; Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania Joshua L. Chamberlain, major-general, was born in Brewer, Me., Sept. 8, 1828. His father proposed an army career for him, and sent him at the age of fourteen to the military academy of Maj. Whiting at Ellsworth, Me., where one lasting benefit was the compulsory acquirement of some practical acquaintance with the French language. After some time spent in that insti tution of learning, and in teaching country school and other remunerative employment, he decided to become a minister of the gospel; and finally, having committed to memory Kuhner's unabridged Greek grammar from alphabet to appendix, he en tered Bowdoin college with advanced standing at the age Of nineteen. Graduating at the college in 18 52, he entered Bangor theological seminary, where, besides conforming to all regula tions, he read his theology in Latin and his church history in German, and took up the study of the Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic languages, to which he continued to devote not less than an hour a day for Six years. Before his graduation, having written the four sermons required, and occasionally preached them, he received calls from three important churches; but the remark able impression made by his Master's Oration at Bowdoin in 185 5 on Law and Liberty led to his immediate appointment as instructor in the department of natural and revealed religion. The next year he was elected professor of rhetoric and oratory and held this place for five years. In July, 1862, leave of ah sence for two years was granted him for the purpose of pursuing his studies in Europe, but the serious reverses Of the Union army and the critical condition of the country at that time seemed to him a call to service in another field. On Aug. 8 he was made lieutenant-colonel of the 20th regiment of Maine volunteers. In twenty days he had the organization complete with full ranks, turned the command over to C01. Ames Of the regular army, and set forth for the field. The regiment was assigned to Butterfield's division, Porter's corps, Army of the Potomac. Col. Chamberlain's qualities were tested in the sharp engagement at Shepherdstown ford immediately after the battle of Antietam, in September, and in the terrible experiences of his command in the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg in December he cer tainly won the master's degree in his military education. He had an arduous part in all the trying operations of that winter. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.