Leadership In Action - Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain - The Military Leader

I love reading about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, since I grew up in Maine. He was the Governor of Maine and a Bowdoin College Professor in Brunswick, Maine. Everything we do matters - the Butterfly Effect.

"Bayonets, Forward! With this command Union Army Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain ordered the 20th Maine Regiment to execute a daring counterattack against the 15th Alabama Regiment of the Confederate Army on July 2nd 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. At the extreme left flank of the Union Army, the 20th Maine fought off repeated assaults for the past several hours against the determined Confederate Soldiers.

Outnumbered and low on ammunition, Chamberlain’s bold decision and courageous leadership led his men of Maine down the slopes of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and stopped the Confederate assault against the Union Army’s left flank.

This iconic scene immortalized in Jeff Shaara’s Killer Angels, the movie Gettysburg, and Army Doctrine publications as the epitome of leadership in action, is just a snapshot in the portfolio of Chamberlain’s remarkable and unparalleled career.

Raised from a modest life in the small town of Brewer Maine, Joshua Chamberlain chose the professions of ministry and academia filling in the post of Professor of Rhetoric at Bowdoin College during the tumultuous 1850s. As the Civil War broke out, Chamberlain felt the impulse to serve based on his belief in preserving the union and his moral conviction against the institution of slavery. In early 1862, Chamberlain expressed his desire to serve to the Governor of Maine, who offered him the rank of Colonel in the Maine volunteers.

In a time where political commissions and high-ranking appointments were common practice, Chamberlain declined the prestige of command and deferred instead to accept a commission at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Believing he needed to gain experience and knowledge of the military profession, Chamberlain’s uncommon act of humility set a tone for the remainder of his service.

During the march from Maryland to Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863, Chamberlain’s 20th Maine Regiment received over 120 mutineers from the 2nd Maine. These men had grievances with their command over their enlistment contracts and refused to fight. Given the orders to shoot any man who did not follow his command, Chamberlain faced his first significant leadership challenge as a newly minted commander for the regiment. Understanding the weight of the situation, Chamberlain relied on his sense of dignity for others and exercised disciplined disobedience in refusing to shoot the mutineers.

In his speech to the men of the 2nd Maine, Chamberlain appealed to their needs and reminded them of their cause for which they enlisted. This moment served as a galvanizing force for the 20th Maine as Chamberlain’s sensitivity, and sense of responsibility strengthened the unit greatly. Influenced by Chamberlain’s speech, all but 6 of the 120 men from the 2nd Maine joined the 20th’s ranks and proved pivotal at the impending engagement on Little Round Top.

In April 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant personally asked Chamberlain to be present at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse and to preside over the surrender detail. As the 20,000 Confederate Soldiers paraded by to turn over their arms and battle flags, Chamberlain gave the Union Army detail the command of “carry arms” to salute Confederate’s service and gallantry in battle. Some historians credit this gesture as the launching point for the country’s healing process toward reconciliation. As a man of deep religious and moral conviction, Chamberlain placed high value on the dignity of human life and in serving the cause of preserving the Union. His unquestionable character forms the foundation for his more celebrated virtues."