The 20th Maine and the adjacent 83rd Pennsylvania together captured many men from both Alabama regiments (including Lt. Col. Michael Bulger, commander of the 47th),[4] as well as several other men of the 4th Alabama and 4th and 5th Texas regiments of the same division. On June 28, as the bulk of the Federal troops enjoyed a brief respite near Frederick, Md., Meade replaced Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Attached to, Two men froze to death in their tent as four inches of snow fell. Toziers bravery sparked the 20th Maine and changed the course of the engagement. George W. Card, Dexter, Joseph A. Sign up to receive the latest information on the American Battlefield Trust's efforts to blaze The Liberty Trail in South Carolina. ster quartermaster's dept. It is believed the wound was eventually responsible for Chamberlains death, 50 years later in 1914. and deceased in 1863-Final record given in last report. He sympathized with the mutineers and wrote to Maine Governor Abner Coburn, asking that he write to the men personally about the mix-up in three-year versus two-year contracts they had signed. They mustered out July 16, 1865 with the old members mustering out June 4, 1865. The Mobile Campaign, Battle of Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort. They mustered out July 16, 1865 with the old members mustering out June 4, 1865. Serving as a rear guard, the 20th Mainewas one of the last regiments back across the Rapahnnock. On Special Duty or Detached Service: Marcellus Blake, Carmel, Corporal Coan said the men hesitated when Melcher ordered them forward because they were not sure if the colonel had sanctioned the attack. I swear the men will shoot him the first battle we are in.". It served between autumn 1862 and spring 1865, fighting at Shepherdstown Ford, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, Peebles Farm, Hatcher's Run, and Five Forks. The regiment lost four men killed and 32 wounded, charging deadly Maryes Heights late in the day on the 13th and spending the next day and two nights lying in the open in front of Confederate positions. Privates: Thomas Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865) Samuel L. Miller, 1893 - United States - 28 pages. As the 20th Maines center began to break and give ground in the face of the Alabama regiments onslaught, Tozier stood firm, remaining upright as Southern bullets buzzed and snapped in the air around him. See p. 1222 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service. The 20th Maine regiment was mustered out of service on June 16, 1865. Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. 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. . Altogether, 1,621 men served in the regiment, of whom 293 died (146 . Here during December, 1863, 173 of the original members of the regiment re-enlisted. return to Research and Current Projects . The regiment wasreduced to around 400 men. mortally, died in 5th Corps hospital, buried on Trostle farm (near Charles M. Beadle, Corp. Willard Pinkham, Corp.Andrew D. Maybury, Priv. Although spread thinly, the Union troopers held their ground with repeating carbines. Second Lieutenant, Thomas R. Hogue, Waldoboro. Throughout the winter and spring of 1863 the Union and Confederate Armies were making their way north with only a few minor engagements. Colonel Chamberlain was badly wounded in the right hip and groin. When Chamberlain went to the Governor of Maine to acquire a commission in the Army, the Governor offered him the rank of Colonel. It was assigned to the Army of the Potomac in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps, where it would remain until mustered out on July 16, 1865. Nor was there time. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Stephen A. Prescott, Corp. Paschal M. Tripp, Corp.John Foss, Corp. William S. Hodgdon, Priv. His contingent created the impression of two regiments rushing through the woods, though it consisted only of 44 Company B soldiers and 14 U.S. Sharpshooters. 20th Maine. First Lieutenant Arad H. Linscott, wounded; died July 27, 1863. 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. By June 30 Lees forces, including those of corps commanders Lt. Gens. The regiment wasmoved to Quarantine Hill, while Colonel Ames wastransferred to General Meades staff at Corps Headquarters. The next day, July 1, Heth headed toward Gettysburg with four brigades of infantry to drive off the reported Union troopers and secure the town. Stephen Littlefield, Winterport, hosp. to Research and Current Projects. First Sergeant Charles W. Steele, killed. Colonel Patrick ORorke was also one of the heroes, as his 140th New York reinforced Vincents brigade and saved it from early defeat. Winslow Nathaniel O, Wyman Charles B, Young Leroy. Included along with the flag were . With all the confusion and noise on Little Round Top that day, if anything other than bayonet had been said it probably would not have mattered, anyway. Chamberlain had orders to shoot the mutineers if they refused duty. Durham, regimental bugler; Erastus C. Anderson, Rockland, cattle guard; 94, Discharged Once again Little Round Top went wanting for protectors in blue. I, Priv. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Strategically, Little Round Top held the key to the developing battle. 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. During the battle, he brutally kills a Confederate soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, Colonel Vincent tried to rally his 3rd Brigade as the 16th Michigan staggered under the heavy assault by the 4th and 5th Texas. First Lieutenant, Arad H. Linscott, JeflFerson. Morrill led his unit at the decisive point of the bayonet charge without orders. In May 1863, Col. Ames was promoted to a Brigadier General in General Oliver Otis Howard's corps. Army. mortally, shot in throat and vertebrae, died July 5, buried east Later, when Sickles infantry did arrive, the controversial general moved his men, without orders, westward toward the Emmitsburg Road. But Chamberlain recovered and returned to the army by the end of the year, serving until the end of the war. A highly cultured, somewhat sedentary professor of modern languages at Maines exclusive Bowdoin College, he had sat out the first year of the war on Bowdoins stately campus. They were farmers, shop clerks, woodsman, and seaman. Theodore Gerrish (4 mb) Reunions of the 20th Maine Maine Regiment (.5 mb) 21st Maine - Historic Record and Complete Biographical Roster, 21st Maine Vols. 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. Charles H. Reed, Freedom, David J. Lewis, Waterville. Regiment lost during service 9 Officers and 172 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 257 Enlisted men by disease. Benjamin W. Grant, Priv. When their ammunition had almost run out, Chamberlain decided to fix bayonets and charge down into the two Alabama regiments. James A. Knight; Co. H, 1st Serg. No words of welcome on their return.". Second Lieutenant Warren L. Kendall, killed. First Lieutenant, James H. Nichols, Brunswick, commanding company. During the charge, a second enemy line of the 15th and 47th Alabama tried to make a stand near a stone wall. The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery suffered the largest losses of any regiment in a single . Willey, William E., Belgrade, Young, Ervin S.. Solon. [1]. 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. Both Vincent and ORorke gave their lives at Gettysburg, and if not for those two men and others, Chamberlain probably would be remembered today as only a minor figure in a major Union disaster. The 20th had the highest number of casualties of all Massachusetts regiments and it ranked fifth in casualties of all Union regiments. return to 20th Maine Homepage. Moved to Manchester, thence marched to Washington, D.C., May 1-12. Colonel Chamberlain waspromoted to colonel and took command of the Regiment. Historic Blakely State Park. The winter was spent near Stevensburg. Henry W. Getchell, Winslow, James H. Harrington, Bumham. First Lieutenant, Thomas D. Chamberlain, act'g Adjt. ham, William H. Jones, Augusta, and Alfred Trask, Augusta, battery I, James R. Merrill, Priv. Joshua Chamberlain deserves much acclaim, but not to the exclusion of many others whom history has so far and so unfairly underrated. Compiled Captain, Walter G. Morrill, Williamsburg. Both Vincent and ORorke paid with their lives for their heroism. July 8. ; Oeorge L. Witham, Southport, 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. Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. Late in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, on a boulder-strewn hillside in southern Pennsylvania, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain dashed headlong into history, leading his 20th Maine Regiment in perhaps the most famous counterattack of the Civil War. Arad Thompson, Livermore, Charles A. Knapp, Rumford. First Lieutenant, Weston H. Keene, Bremen. This Civil War regiment fought in dozens of engagements from 1862 to 1865, including the Battles of Shepherdstown, the Wilderness, and Appomattox Court House, and are known for the bayonet charge by which they defended Little Round Top at Gettysburg. With the new information from Nichols, Chamberlain ordered a right-angle formation, extending his line farther to the east. 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. Every purchase supports the mission. 1868. Come on boys! Additional Union reinforcements came from Maj. Gens. The 20th Maine Infantry Regiment was a volunteer regiment of the United States Army (Union Army) during the American Civil War (18611865), most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1863. They came from coastal Maine, from central and western Maine. 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. First Lieutenant, Henry F. Sidelinger, Union, commanding company. The 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 141 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 officers and 100 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. But Spear gets curiously little credit for marshaling and organizing the tactics of the left flank of the 20th. William S. Jordan, Corp. Melville C. Law, Priv. The 2012 music video for the pop song "Some Nights" performed by Fun includes American Civil War Union soldiers serving in the regiment. Sawyer, A.C.M. James Pete Longstreet and Ambrose P. Hill, were marching on the Chambersburg Road in southern Pennsylvania, while Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell was leading his corps westward from York. Breen, John H., Augusta, Church, Chandler K., Bumham. The 1st Maine Cavalry has the unfortunate distinction of having the most men killed in action of any cavalry unit during the war. United States. His He was a graduate of West Point and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the First Battle of Bull Run. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. Seth W. Clark, Priv. First Sergeant, Charles R. Shorey, Waterville. 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. 16th Tennessee Regiment CSA. Second Lieutenant, Joseph Fuller, 2d, Brunswick. General's Report for 1863, to July 16th, 1865, when mustered out of the Source: "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine" by Tom Desjardin. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May . Acting Field Officer, Captain Atherton W. Clark, Waldoboro, company E. Acting Field Officer, Captain Ellis Spear, Wiscasset, company G. Acting Adjutant, First Lieutenant Thomas D. Chamberlain, Bangor, co. G. Quartermaster, Alden Litchfield, Rockland. hosp. Chaplain, Luther P. French, East Corinth; at hospital. Gen. John W. Gearys division was aligned just north of the hill and was the largest Union force in the immediate area. Moses Davis, Priv. Oliver L. Stevens, Priv. Fred H. Mann, Sidney, Henry M. Tozer, Waterville. Stuart, directing Lees cavalry, had not returned to the main Southern column from his screening mission around the Union forces. Colonel Chamberlain returned from sick leave and court martial duty in Washington to resume command of the Regiment. Colonel Chamberlain returned to Maine on an extended sick leave for malarial fever.. From there, they marched to Antietam (Sharpsburg), Maryland, and were held in reserve with the rest of the 5th Corps during the battle of September 16-17, 1862. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. It runs just over 300 crow-flight miles from Fort Kent in the north to Kittery in the south. Chamberlain replied, Yes, I am about to order a right wheel forward of the whole regiment. Gen. John Buford, who had dismounted and deployed his cavalry on McPhersons Ridge, west of Gettysburg. No. Surgeon N. P. Monroe reported 84 cases of smallpox in the regiment. Answering that question adequately requires taking another look at the Battle of Gettysburg and the hell-raising fighting that occurred among the scattered stones of Little Round Top. Walter G. Morrill, detached as skirmishers, attacking the enemys right flank, afternoon of July 2, 1863. 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. Sergeant James R. Martin, wounded, face, severely. When the first regiments reached the rocky outcrops in that area, Vincent put them into line. The Battle of Gettysburg began July 1, 1863, and at the end of the first day the Union Army had dug in on Cemetery Ridge and had command of the battlefield while the Confederate Army had taken position on Seminary Ridge. Baldwin County. United States Regiments & Batteries > Maine. On Special Duty or Detached Service: Samuel L. Miller, Waldo- Some take his deeds out of context, however, and mythologize him. Col. Chamberlain was soon put in command of a brigade and in 1865 was promoted to Brigadier General and later put in command by Ulysses S. Grant of all Union troops during the surrender of the Confederates. Little Round Top was left uncovered. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. Union, comm*y dept; Cyrus G. Stewart, Union, quarterm*r dept; Reuben Hood ordered these regiments, led by Colonel William C. Oates, to find the Union left, turn it and capture Round Top. There is some disagreement about exactly what Chamberlain said to order the bayonet charge. Thomas A. Desjardin, Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine: The 20th Maine and the Gettysburg Campaign, Gettysburg, Pa.: Thomas Publications, 1995. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. return The regiment lost 38 killed or mortally wounded and 93 wounded out of 358 engaged. Samuel G. Crocker, Brownville, Royal B. Decker, Lagrange. return Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998. Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. Corporal Waterhouse became the regiments first casualty when he was wounded in the foot. 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. correspondence and papers of veterans. Maine Infantry Regiment, 20th (1862-1865). from December 1st, 1863, date of the return published in Adjutant He deployed Company B, recruited from Piscataquis County and commanded by level-headed Captain Walter G. Morrill of Williamsburg, forward to the regiments left front flank as skirmishers. The regiment returned to camp in the night in a driving rainstorm as the army retreated back across the Rappahannock. Field and Staff ; A . Although the 20th Maine Infantry gets a lot of attention for its actions at Gettysburg, due mostly to its prominence in the 1993 film Gettysburg, other regiments from the Pine Tree State played important but overlooked roles in the battle.One of those regiments was Colonel Moses Lakeman's 3rd Maine. Bartiett, Charles H., Sidney, Benson, Thomas S., Sidney. Chamberlain later said he communicated his decision to counterattack to Captain Ellis Spear, the acting battalion commander of the units left flank. First Sergeant Isaac W. Estes, mortally wounded; died July 14, 1863. Chamberlain seemed to have been blessed with both good timing and luck. John Wentworth; Co. F, Priv. He not only had made the right command decisions but also had managed to survive when by all rights he should have been dead. Click the "thumbnails" below for the full size pictures. [1] The Civil War Archive section, 21st Regiment Infantry, (accessed 30 May 2012) The Wikipedia article, 21st Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (accessed 6 July 2012) Source: Twenty-five-year-old Color Sgt. corps. 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. Sumner A. Holway Diaries - 1st Maine Cavalry, Company H. Captain Charles W. Billings, mortally wounded; died July 15, 1863. But did Chamberlain really deserve the credit he received? Hutchins, Alvah L., Freedom, Longley, Samuel, Sidney. Charles E. Avery, Sidney, Joseph D. Simpson, Waterville. Corporal Vincent W. Pinhom, wounded, hip. Andrew J. Tozier of the 2nd Maine quickly emerged as an unlikely hero, and he was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. The mutineers claimed they had only enlisted to fight under the 2nd Maine flag, and if their flag went home, so should they. But after weighing all the evidence, it seems fair to say that without the contributions of the 2nd Maine Infantry, Andrew J. Tozier, Company B and Holman Melcher, Chamberlain clearly and convincingly would have been defeated. 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 . 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. Lieutenants Joseph JA Hoffses and Edward Simonton, resigned; Corporals Recruits transferred to 20th Maine Infantry 2023 Steve A. Hawks . Without the private stand of Sergeant Tozier inspiring others to close up and bolster the sagging middle of the regiment, the Confederate attacks could have eliminated the 20th Maine as a fighting force. Twentieth Regiment Infantry, Maine Volunteers, showing the changes which have taken place from December 1st, 1863, date of the return published in Adjutant General's Report for 1863, to . Alabama. Grand Review May 23. Company G at Gettysburg . The regiment's sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on . Meanwhile, Meade also sensed something significant about the two adjacent hills to his left. "Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine" by Tom Desjardin. [8][9] The song "Dixieland" by Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band is also about the 20th Maine.[10]. Bangor, battery C, ist Mass. Thos. iston, and Samuel A. Littlefield, Winterport, medical dept. Tarbell, Erastus, Clinton, Sylvester, Ira R., Freedom. Duty at Bell's Cross Roads till June 5. Corporal John M. Libby, wounded, lost two fingers. It is honored by threemonuments at Gettysburg. I am about to order a charge.). cook. Recruits transferred to 20th Maine Infantry. He was given command of the newly formed 20th Maine, a unit comprised of extra men left over from other new regiments. A Roster (15 Volumes); Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. From the regiments monument near the summit of Big Round Top: The 20th Maine Reg. The regiment later participated in every major battle with the Army of the Potomac, but Gettysburg had been its moment in the sun. Walton, Waldoboro. The 20th Maine regiment was mustered out of service on June 16, 1865. John M. Safford, Corinna, Luther M. Rideout, Garland. Lacking adequate intelligence from his scouting forces, Lee directed his army to gather at Gettysburg. Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! Williard W. Buxton. 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. The most notable battle was the regiment's decisive role on July 2, 1863, in the Battle of Gettysburg at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where it was stationed on Little Round Top hill at the extreme left of the Union line. Mustered with over 1,600 troops on July 2, 1862, after Lincoln's second call for volunteers, the 20th Maine was reduced to under 300 by the . 2. At . [1] On May 20, 1863, Colonel Ames was promoted and was succeeded as colonel and commander of the regiment by Lt. Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain,[2] who had been offered and declined leadership of the unit at the time it was formed.[3]. As he arrived on Little Round Top, Colonel Vincent chose a line of defense that started on the west slope of the hill. Second Lieutenant, William K. Bickford, Thomaston. Andrew, Hodgkins Ephralm, Johnson James P, Knight James A, Lowell In late 1865 Joshua Chamberlain wrote of the 20th Maine, "It was made of the surplus recruits drifted together, the last of a call for 300,000 more. The last thing Vincent told Chamberlain was: This is the left of the Union line. Stephen C. Chase, Priv. return to Research and Current Projects. 0 Reviews. The many reenactor groups who portray them, and a wealth of information on the american civil war. List of participants by company as well as casualties suffered. to Research and Current Projects, Source: 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." The men took up a position in a ravine east of Little Round Top. On Special Duty or Detached Service: Lafayette M. Crosby, For more information on the history of this unit, see: The Civil War Archive section, 20th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 30 May 2012). Late in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, on a boulder-strewn hillside in southern Pennsylvania, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain dashed headlong into history, leading his 20th Maine Regiment in perhaps the most famous counterattack of the Civil War. Maine. George W. Buck, Linneus, promoted on the field, from Private. Vincents brigade included the 44th New York, 16th Michigan, 83rd Pennsylvania and the 358-man 20th Maine under Joshua L. Chamberlain. 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. Horace Wright Correspondence - 1st Maine Regiment, 1st Maine Cavalry. The 20th Regiment, Maine Infantry was organized at Portland, and mustered in August 29, 1862. Ref. That afternoon he sent his chief of engineers, Brig. Davis, Moses, mortally wounded; died Aug. 6, 1863. John J. Pullen, The Twentieth Maine: A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War, Dayton, Ohio: Morningside House, 1984.