Medal of Honor recipient for conspicuous gallantry at Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg

Wounded several times during the Civil War

Governor of Maine

Autograph Letter Signed

(1828-1914) Born in Brewer, Maine, he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1852, then entered the Bangor Theological Seminary for three years of study. Besides studying in Latin and German, Chamberlain eventually mastered French, Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac. He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry, on August 8, 1862. 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 where he certainly won his master's degree in military education. In May, 1863, he was made colonel of his regiment, having already acted in that capacity for three months. At Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, he held the extreme left of the Union line, and his conduct on that occasion in the memorable defense of Little Round Top won for him the admiration of the army and public fame, and he was recognized by the government in the bestowal of the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous personal gallantry and distinguished service." He was immediately placed in command of a division, which he handled with marked skill in the action at Rappahannock Station, Va. At Spotsylvania Court House, in May, 1864, he was placed in command of nine picked regiments to make a night assault on an impregnable point of the enemy's works. By remarkable judgment and skill he gained the position, but in the morning it was found to be commanded on both flanks by the enemy in force, therefore utterly untenable, and the withdrawal ordered was more difficult than the advance had been. Shortly afterward came the sharp engagements on the Totopotomy and the North Anna, and the terrible battles of Bethesda Church and Cold Harbor, Va., where his coolness of judgment and quickness of action drew special commendation. He made the desperate charge on Rives' salient in the Petersburg lines, where General Ulysses S. Grant promoted him on the field to the rank of brigadier general "for gallant conduct in leading his brigade against a superior force of the enemy." In this assault he was seriously wounded and reported dead, but after two months of intense suffering he returned to his command. In the last campaign of the war, with two brigades, he led the advance of the infantry with General Sheridan, and made the brilliant opening fight on the Quaker Road, on March 29, 1865, where he was twice wounded (in the left arm and breast), and his horse was shot out from under him. His conduct again drew the attention of the government, and he was promoted to the brevet rank of major general "for conspicuous gallantry" in this action. He distinguished himself on the White Oak Road, on March 31st, although much disabled by his wounds; and in the battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865, his skillful handling of troops received special official mention. In the final action at Appomattox Court House, April 9th, he was called upon by General Phil Sheridan to replace his leading division of cavalry, and the first flag of truce from General James Longstreet came to him. His corps commander says in an official report: "In the final action General Chamberlain had the advance, and was driving the enemy rapidly before him when the announcement of the surrender was made." At the formal surrender of General Robert E. Lee's army he was designated to command the parade before which that army laid down the arms and colors of the Confederacy. Chamberlain was thus responsible for one of the most poignant scenes of the American Civil War. As the Confederate soldiers marched down the road to surrender their arms and colors, Chamberlain, on his own initiative, ordered his men to come to attention and "carry arms" as a show of respect. In his memoirs General Chamberlain described what happened next:

General John B. Gordon, at the head of the Confederate column, outdoes us in courtesy. He was riding with downcast eyes and more than a pensive look; but at this clatter of arms he raised his eyes and instantly catching the significance, wheels his horse with that superb grace of which he is a master, drops the point of his sword to his stirrup, gives a command, at which the great Confederate flag following him is dipped and his decimated brigades, as they reach our right, respond to the "carry arms." All the while on our part not a sound of trumpet or drum, not a cheer, nor a word nor the motion of a man, but an instead an awful stillness as if it were the passing of the dead.


At the final grand review in Washington, D.C., his division had the honor of being placed at the head of the column of the Army of the Potomac, and his troops, fresh from the surrender at Appomattox, were received by the thronging spectators as might be imagined, as conquering heroes. Returning to Maine he was offered the choice of several diplomatic offices abroad, but almost as soon as he was out of the army, he was elected governor of Maine by the largest majority ever given in that commonwealth. His administration was very satisfactory and he continued in that office for four terms. In 1871, Chamberlain was elected president of Bowdoin College, his Alma Mater, and held that position until 1883, when he resigned, although he continued to lecture.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain died of his lingering wartime wounds in 1914, in Portland, Maine. He is interred at Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine. Standing beside Chamberlain as he died was Dr. Abner O. Shaw of Portland, one of the two surgeons who had operated on him after his wounding at Petersburg, Virginia 50 years earlier. It is strongly suggested from medical professionals that it was complications from the serious wound he suffered at Petersburg that resulted in General Chamberlain's death.

Autograph Letter Signed: 5 x 8, on imprinted letter sheet, written in ink, entirely in Chamberlain's hand.

No. 18. Treasury Department
Portland, Jan. 27, 1903

Col. Fred. R. Fay
5 Exchange St.

Dear friend,

Where can I get the half tone you kindly spoke for?

It is called for now by several papers, and I feel pretty sure it is ready by this time.

Truly yours,
Joshua L. Chamberlain

Light age toning and wear. Boldly written. Very fine. Joshua L. Chamberlain's signature is extremely desirable, and he is one of the most popular officers to emerge from the Civil War on either side.