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The Wounded Lion of the Union
The Wounded Lion of the Union
By SARAH HANDLEY-COUSINS
At this year’s sesquicentennial of the battle of Gettysburg, thousands of visitors will wander the battlefields, contemplating the terrible and magnificent events of those three days. Many will make their way to one of the most compelling spots on the battlefield, the rocky tor called Little Round Top, where they will ponder, discuss, and probably argue about the deeds of one of the battle’s most famous participants, Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of the 20th Maine.
On July 2, 1863, Chamberlain, who had been a professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me., before the war, cemented his place in history by playing a crucial role in the defense of Little Round Top, protecting the Union line’s vulnerable left flank. After being prominently featured in Michael Shaara’s book “The Killer Angels” and its film adaptation, “Gettysburg,” Chamberlain is one of the most popular figures of the Civil War era. Visitors to Gettysburg this July won’t be able to make it down the street without seeing Chamberlain’s face on signs, T-shirts and key chains.
For most of those visitors, Chamberlain’s story begins and ends with his actions at Gettysburg. In reality, it was far more complicated – and much less glorious. Almost a year after his defense of Little Round Top, Chamberlain stood before his men near Petersburg, Va. As he lifted his sword to motion for a leftward oblique, a Minié ball smashed into his side. The lead bullet traveled through his right hip to the left, crushing his bones and cutting into his bladder and urethra on its way. Blood pooled around his feet. Chamberlain knew the wound was likely to be mortal but feared that falling in front of his men might derail their momentum, so he held himself up on his saber until he weakened and fell. He lay bleeding into the Virginia soil for almost an hour, thinking of his mother as the life drained out of him. When he finally arrived at the field hospital, Chamberlain asked the surgeons to leave him and see to the soldiers first. Then he laid back to wait for the end.
But the end never came. The surgeons ignored his requests and instead worked with tenacity on his extensive wounds, toiling through the night until they could give the colonel a slight chance of recovery. For weeks it appeared he wouldn’t survive, but somehow, miraculously, he was back at the front of his brigade within a few months.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/the-wounded-lion-of-the-union/?smid=fb-share
By SARAH HANDLEY-COUSINS
At this year’s sesquicentennial of the battle of Gettysburg, thousands of visitors will wander the battlefields, contemplating the terrible and magnificent events of those three days. Many will make their way to one of the most compelling spots on the battlefield, the rocky tor called Little Round Top, where they will ponder, discuss, and probably argue about the deeds of one of the battle’s most famous participants, Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of the 20th Maine.
On July 2, 1863, Chamberlain, who had been a professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me., before the war, cemented his place in history by playing a crucial role in the defense of Little Round Top, protecting the Union line’s vulnerable left flank. After being prominently featured in Michael Shaara’s book “The Killer Angels” and its film adaptation, “Gettysburg,” Chamberlain is one of the most popular figures of the Civil War era. Visitors to Gettysburg this July won’t be able to make it down the street without seeing Chamberlain’s face on signs, T-shirts and key chains.
For most of those visitors, Chamberlain’s story begins and ends with his actions at Gettysburg. In reality, it was far more complicated – and much less glorious. Almost a year after his defense of Little Round Top, Chamberlain stood before his men near Petersburg, Va. As he lifted his sword to motion for a leftward oblique, a Minié ball smashed into his side. The lead bullet traveled through his right hip to the left, crushing his bones and cutting into his bladder and urethra on its way. Blood pooled around his feet. Chamberlain knew the wound was likely to be mortal but feared that falling in front of his men might derail their momentum, so he held himself up on his saber until he weakened and fell. He lay bleeding into the Virginia soil for almost an hour, thinking of his mother as the life drained out of him. When he finally arrived at the field hospital, Chamberlain asked the surgeons to leave him and see to the soldiers first. Then he laid back to wait for the end.
But the end never came. The surgeons ignored his requests and instead worked with tenacity on his extensive wounds, toiling through the night until they could give the colonel a slight chance of recovery. For weeks it appeared he wouldn’t survive, but somehow, miraculously, he was back at the front of his brigade within a few months.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/the-wounded-lion-of-the-union/?smid=fb-share
The article goes on to discuss the difficulties presented by his wounds, and the inadequate pensions he and other veterans received following the war. Quite topical to today.