Introduction
THE 20TH MAINE REGIMENT
BATTLE OF LITTLE ROUND TOP
GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
JULY 2, 1863
The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 with the Union attacking on Fort Sumter in North Carolina. This assault began a long four year battle between the Union and the Confederate states.
The 20th Maine Regiment was formed on August 20, 1862 in the state of Maine. In command of this infantry unit was Colonel Adelbert Ames. At the beginning of the Civil War the 20th Maine Regiment was a part of the First Division of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac.[2] Throughout the Civil War the 20th Maine Regiment was involved with many major battles like the battle of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Five Forks, and Appomattox, but the most memorable battle for the 20th Maine regiment was the Battle of Gettysburg at Little Round Top. The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the major and bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. As a Maine soldier on the Gettysburg battlefield had stated,
“I have Seen…men rolling in their own blood, Some Shot in one place,
Some another…our dead lay in the road and the Rebels in their hast
to leave dragged both their baggage wagons and artillery over them
and they lay mangled and torn to pieces so that Even friends could
not tell them. You can form no idea of a battle field.”[3]
For the Battle of Little Round Top, Colonel Adelbert Ames was not the commanding officer, but rather Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain. On July 2, 1863, Colonel Chamberlain was ordered to take the position on Little Round Top. During the afternoon of July 2, Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Regiment held off six attacks by the Confederate soldiers. The regiment was low on ammunition and could not defend themselves anymore. Colonel Chamberlain then ordered a counterattack using only their bayonets.[4] The 20th Maine regiment ended up capturing over 400 Confederate soldiers and helped the Union capture the victory of Gettysburg.
[1] Picture- http://users.lmi.net/mcm20me/20th_Maine/CompG/20thMECOG.htm
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/20th_Maine
[3] Nation of Nations, Davidson, p.447
[4] http://www.americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/civwar/maine.html
