Of the many characters in the movie “Gettysburg”, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain stood out to me the most. Chamberlain, a scholar turned soldier, was a professor at Bowdoin College. His belief that the Union should be supported aided in his desperation to serve his country. He was met with great opposition from his wife and colleagues about the war. This did not stop his passion. Without his family and friends’ knowing, Chamberlain enlisted. He volunteered his services to the governor of Maine. He was appointed to Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Maine regiment, even though he was offered the Colonel position. He declined and was under the command of Colonel Adelbert Ames.
Before the battle began, Chamberlain was presented with 120 men from Maine who refused to continue to fight in the war. He was …show more content…
This did not sit well with him. He felt it would be impossible for him to return to Maine if he did this. He respected these men and treated them fairly unlike everyone else. While listening to their frustrations, he was interrupted by a messenger with news that the confederates were going to attack and they needed to move out. This inspired Chamberlain’s speech of persuasion. This speech was enough to convince all but six of the men to join. One of his most heroic actions was his bayonet charge at Little Round Top. The confederate’s army had executed numerous attacks against the union army’s flank. The lack of ammunition also proved to be a major setback, but this did not discourage these soldiers from battle. The union soldiers fought until they had no more. With the odds not being in his favor,