Born September 8, 1828
Brewer, Maine
Died February 24, 1914
Brunswick, Maine

Union general
Hero at the Battle of Gettysburg

"Out of [the] silence [of night] rose new sounds [of wounded soldiers] . . . a smothered moan . . . some begging for a drop of water, some calling on God for pity; and some on friendly hands to finish what the enemy had so horribly begun; some with delirious, dreamy voices murmuring loved names, as if the dearest were bending over them. . . ."

Joshua L. Chamberlain. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Joshua L. Chamberlain was one of the Union Army's great heroes at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in July 1863. His brave defense of the Union's vulnerable left flank saved the North from certain defeat in the clash. Chamberlain received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor at Gettysburg, and he went on to serve the Union with distinction for...