20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment
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| 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Maine |
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| Active | August 20, 1862 to July 16, 1865 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Antietam Fredericksburg Battle of Gettysburg Spotsylvania Petersburg Five Forks Appomattox |
The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a combat unit of the United States Army during the American Civil War, most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
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[edit] Organization
The 20th Maine was organized in the state of Maine on August 20, 1862, with Colonel Adelbert Ames as its commander. It became part of Col. Strong Vincent's Brigade of the 1st Division of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The brigade consisted of the 16th Michigan Infantry (with Brady's independent company of sharpshooters attached), 44th New York Infantry, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry, and the 20th Maine Infantry. At the time of Gettysburg, the regiment was commanded by Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain. Major Ellis Spear took command after Chamberlain was appointed brigade commander in August 1863.
[edit] Combat history
The regiment served at Antietam (held in reserve), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville (quarantined in the rear area due to illness[1]), Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomy and Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Five Forks, and Appomattox.
[edit] Gettysburg and Little Round Top
The most notable battle was the regiment's decisive role on July 2, 1863, in the Battle of Gettysburg, where it was stationed on Little Round Top at the extreme left of the Union line. When the regiment came under heavy attack from the Confederate 15th Alabama regiment, part of the division led by Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood, and after about 3-4 hours of fighting the 20th Maine completely ran out of ammunition and responded to the rebels by charging downhill with fixed bayonets, thus ending the Confederate attack on the hill. The 20th Maine and the adjacent 83rd Pennsylvania together captured over 400 men from the 47th and 15th Alabama regiments.
Recent research has presented claims by Lt. Holman S. Melcher[2] that he initiated the charge, although Col. Chamberlain has been credited by most historians for ordering the advance. This action is depicted in the novels The Killer Angels, and "Courage on Little Round Top", and subsequently an important scene in the movie Gettysburg.
[edit] Disbandment
The 20th Maine marched from Appomattox, Virginia, on May 2, reaching Washington, D.C., on May 12, where it was mustered out of service on July 16, 1865.
[edit] Statistics
The 20th Maine had an initial enrollment of 1,621 men, losing 147 dead from combat, 146 dead from disease, 381 wounded, and 15 in Confederate prisons.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Bollet, Alfred Jay, M.D., Plagues and Poxes: The Impact of Human History on Epidemic Disease, Demos Medical Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-888799-79-X.
- Styple, William B. (Ed.), With a Flash of his Sword: The Writings of. Maj. Holman S. Melcher, 20th Maine Infantry, Belle Grove Publishing, 1994, ISBN 1-883926-00-9.
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further reading
- Desjardin, Thomas A., Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine: The 20th Maine and the Gettysburg Campaign, Thomas Publications, 1995, ISBN 1-57747-034-6.
- Pullen, John J., The Twentieth Maine: A Volunteer Regiment in the Civil War, 1957.
