Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a man of many hats, both in battle and in the classroom. Chamberlain is known today for being President of Bowdoin College in Maine and being one of the main heroes of Little Round Top while in command of the 20th Maine on Day 2 at Gettysburg.

Chamberlain’s name and the 20th Maine’s reputation were revived as a result of Michael Sharaa’s book Killer Angels, a very popular fictional account of the Battle of Gettysburg that hewed closely to what happened. When Sharaa’s book was turned into the movie Gettysburg, the popularity of the movie led to renewed interest in the 20th Maine’s actions on Day 2 at Gettysburg. There is still debate over whether Chamberlain ordered a charge down Little Round Top when the regiment ran out of gunpowder or whether it was uncoordinated. Either way, nobody argues that Chamberlain served with distinction.

In these memoirs of the final campaigns of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, Chamberlain gives a detailed account of the historic moments as they were all unfolding over the course of the last 10 days of the Army of Northern Virginia, as well as his role in the middle of all the events. Chamberlain also recounts his famous order that his men salute the defeated and surrendered Confederates as they parade past the lines, though whether it actually happened is still a matter of debate.

This work includes a Table of Contents.