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20Th Maine And The Battle Of Gettysburgh

The Importance of the 20th Maine
at the Battle of Gettysburg

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine played a crucial role in the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. The 20th Maine's actions on the second day of the battle saved the Union line from being flanked by the Confederates, thus securing a victory for the North at Gettysburg; a victory considered by many to be the turning point of the American Civil War.
The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863, resulted in a defeat for the Union forces. The Confederate army had pushed the small Union cavalry forces out of Gettysburg, driving them into the hilly country south of the town which was comprised of many steep hills and ridges. The surviving portion of the North took up defensive positions and waited for reinforcements from General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac.
After the Confederate victory on the first day of fighting in Gettysburg, the Union army had been heavily reinforced and took up defensive positions along the high grounds in the shape of a fish hook, extending from Culp's hill to the north to Little and Big Round Top in the south. Union General George Meade had believed that Culp's hill would be the primary target of Lee's offensive, yet this was only partially true: Lee planned to simultaneously attack both flanks of the Union line. Colonel Strong Vincent was the commander of the brigade that was to compose the extreme left flank of the Union line, and he situated his regiments, the 16th Michigan, 44th New York, 83rd Pennsylvania, and 20th Maine below the crest of Little Round Top.

It was on this hill called Little Round Top, on the second day of the battle, July 2nd, 1863, that Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine made a stand that ultimately determined whether or not the Union line would be flanked by General James Longstreet's Corp. The importance of the 20th Maine's stand at Little Round Top is not to be overlooked....