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Joshua Chamberlain and the Defense of Little Round Top

Colonel Joshua Chamberlain was an officer for the Union army in the American Civil War. He is best known for leading his men in defending the hill known as Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage in the fight.

Chamberlain, along with the 385 men of his division, was assigned to hold the very edge of the fighting line for the Union army against the Confederates. If he and his men failed, or if they retreated and surrendered the hill, it would open the back door for the Confederates to wipe out the Union army by surrounding them. It was virtually guaranteed that the Confederate army would have won the battle –and quite possible the war.

They defended against wave after wave of attacks, suffering heavy casualties. After about 90 minutes of intense fighting, Chamberlain’s men had run out of ammunition. As they tried to figure out how to get more ammunition, the scouts started yelling, “They’re comin again, boys! They’re comin again!”

With no ammunition, he had achoice to make. He could retreat and expose the rest of the army to massive casualties, or be BOLD. Chamberlain looked to the officers he commanded and said, “Well, we can’t run away. And if we stay here, we can’t shoot. Affix bayonets.” Instead of retreat, he made the bold choice to charge directly at the enemy with bayonets.

The result? The Confederates were so surprised by the boldness of Chamberlain and his men that they either surrendered or ran away. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s courage, saved the Union army and helped secure victory in the American Civil War.