Why this book:This is the second biography I’ve read of Joshua Chamberlain.  I was so impressed with what I’d read about him in Killer Angels, and how he was portrayed in the movie Gettysburg. Also West Point chose him as their iconic “leader of character” to inspire cadets – even though he didn’t go to West Point.  A man to be inspired by and to learn from.

Summary in 3 Sentences: This biography covers Chamberlain’s life from his childhood in a small town in Maine through young adulthood, his impressive academic achievements at Bowdoin College and promotion at a very young age to professor. The middle pert of the book is about his famous service in the Civil War, which included his defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor, and the last third of the book is about his rich and varied life after the war, which included 4 terms as Maine’s governor, president of Bowdoin college, a decade as an entrepreneur and more.  

My Impressions: I listened to rather than read this book, as I knew I would not get around to reading it, but I have admired what I’ve known of Chamberlain for a long time.  It was narrated by the author – which in some ways enhanced the book, in other ways detracted, as his voice is low and bass, and was sometimes hard to hear when there was background noice.  But the content was great – especially if you are predisposed as  was I to greatly admire Chamberlain and want to get to know him as a human being, complete with his joys, and disappointments, failures as well as successes, human flaws, as well as his remarkable strengths.  To most who know of him, he is simply a mythical hero. After reading the book and learning more about him as a human being, I admire him even more.  Not a superhero, but a man and human being of great character, courage and integrity. 

The author, Ronald White, has focused much of his work on Civil War heroes, having also written Lincoln – a biography, and Lincoln in Private – what his most personal reflections tell us about our greatest President, and American Ulysses – A life of Ulysses S Grant.  He is clearly an admirer of Chamberlain – otherwise he wouldn’t have taken on the book – but he tries to be fair and judicious in his account of his decisions and life, and includes aspects which may not always be considered admirable. 

Chamberlain was born in 1828 and grew up on a small farm in rural Maine in the first half of the 19th century, but had unusual curiosity and dedication to learning. As a child and young man he stuttered, which he overcame to eventually teach oratory and  become one of America’s most sought after public speakers – especially after the Civil War on topics related to the Civil War.  Because of his hard work and gift for inspiring students he was given a professorship at Bowdoin College at a very young age – in his late 20s –  when Bowdoin was one of the top institutions of higher learning in America. 

When the South seceded from the union, he volunteered to serve in the Union army, though he didn’t have to, and Bowdoin College discouraged him from doing so.  But he felt it was his duty, and would have been hypocritical for him to encourage other young men to fight for the union cause, while not doing so himself.  At that time he was newly married and his wife was pregnant.  He was given command of the 20th Maine volunteer Company and distinguished himself as a leader, protecting the Union flank at Little Round Top at Gettysburg, which potentially saved the Union army from Confederate envelopment in this pivotal battle of the Civil War.  For his courage and leadership at Gettysburg, he was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor. He was subsequently promoted to Col and eventually to Brigadier and finally brevet Major General.  He was badly wounded several times and one of his wounds at the battle of Petersburg was considered mortal.  Though he did survive, the wound never healed and was a source of pain, discomfort and infection for the rest of his life.  He was selected by Grant to represent him and the Union army in accepting the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia after Grant and Lee had signed the surrender documents at Appomattox.   With all the attention and accolades he’d received, he was remarkably humble and always stayed focused on what he considered to be his duty. 

The rest of the book might seem an anti-climax, but his time as president of Bowdoin College and his four terms as governor of Maine, and beyond that, as one of Maine’s most prominent citizens brought their own drama.  He did not go quietly into retirement as a hero of the Civil War.  At one point, after Chamberlain had been governor and while he was president of Bowdoin, a gubernatorial election dispute was about to lead to armed insurrection.  The then-governor called on Chamberlain as one of the most respected men in Maine to step in and help quell the emotions and bring order back to Augusta, Maine.  This was a very dicey affair, but he succeeded by standing between the armed parties and insisting that they’d have to kill him to get him to relent on his commitment to have the State Supreme Court adjudicate the dispute.  Eventually both sides accepted Chamberlains solution, which ended the insurrection, but won Chamberlain the enmity of powerful forces on both sides of the dispute.

He really didn’t care for being president of Bowdoin College and tried to resign 3 times, but his resignation request was denied each time, until the fourth time when health issues from his Civil War injuries as well as the continuing stress of the job forced him to step down.  Two aspects of being president of Bowdoin didn’t appeal to him:  He didn’t care for the resistance to change among the faculty and board of trustees – Chamberlain had many ideas and initiatives that were ahead of his time, which to us today seem self-evident and reasonable, but were resisted then by the faculty, and then not approved.  Also he hated fund-raising which was one of his main duties. But he was still “General Chamberlain” a hero of the Civil War and one of the most pre-eminent citizens of Maine.  All the while we are learning through his letters about his family, his joys, his disappointments and self doubts, and his relationship with Fanny his wife of nearly 50 years.  

What made Chamberlain remarkable? What made him Chamberlain?  First, an unwavering sense of duty to a larger calling – to God, to humanity, to his country, to what was right.  As his son said of him, he was not very adept at taking care of himself, because he was always so focused on taking care of others.   He had a great faith in God and providence and submitted himself (and his wellbeing) to whatever God and providence had in store for him – he never bewailed his fate, and though he was occasionally tired and discouraged, he remained optimistic and publicly maintained an always upbeat demeanor.  He was also intellectually curious and gifted.  He taught himself Hebrew, Spanish, French, German, classical Arabic – in fact in his 70s, he chose to travel to Europe (alone – his wife was in poor health) visited the many countries whose languages he’d learned and then went to Egypt, where he read the Koran in classical Arabic to help him better understand the Muslim religion.

For those interested in “virtue,” what it looks like under duress and in times of peace, this is a must-read book.  When we hear that virtue is its own reward, we can look at the life of Chamberlain – while in fact he did live a rich and rewarding life, he was often in need of money, and often struggled against those (and often lost) who did not share his sense of duty and right and wrong.  But he was trusted by all and I found inspiration in reading about his life.  Also for those interested in American history, his life is a fascinating lens through which to look at life on America’s East Coast during the second half of the 19th century. 

Toward the last years of his life, Chamberlain’s injuries, health, and age slowed him down considerably and he had to turn down many opportunities he would have very much enjoyed, because he physically wasn’t up to them. After his wife Fanny passed away, one of his sons and a caregiver helped him in his final years in his home in Portland. Chamberlain finally passed away, just before the beginning of WWI in 1914 at age 86, having suffered constantly from his wounds from the Civil War for nearly 50 years.