Class Year
2019
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
11-9-2016
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
On my first of many tours of the Gettysburg Battlefield,my tour guide was thrilled to learn that my family is from Maine. He made sure to show us the monument to the Twentieth Maine and talk about their valiant stand at Little Round Top. Joshua Chamberlain and his Twentieth Maine regiment have become known as the heroes of Little Round Top and are what most would readily identify when asked about Maine’s role in the Battle of Gettysburg. One might think that Maine’s only contribution to the battle was Chamberlain’s charge. However, Maine units played a larger role in the battleand were present from the very beginning of the battle until the very end. They were not only present, however; they were engaged at key points of the battle such as Devil’s Den, the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, the Copse of Trees, Cemetery Hill, and, of course, Little Round Top. There were 4,000 Maine soldiers at the battle, one in four of whom was killed.
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Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Labbe, Savannah A., "In the Shadow of the Twentieth: Maine Regiments at Gettysburg" (2016). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 180.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/180
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.