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DECIDING MOMENT – the Joshua Chamberlain story

LIFE CHOICES

I’m standing on the very spot where the course of history changed in a dramatic way. One of the most deadly battles of all time was fought right here on this hillside. Soldiers here did not fight with high-tech weaponry, but primitive musket loading rifles and bayonets. The fighting here was brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Imagine standing here and looking down into a group of soldiers, charging at you with swords and bayonets. Would you be gripped by fear, or courage? Would you run or would you stand your ground? Would you try and save your own life, or would you willingly sacrifice it for what you believed in? What choice would you make? 

Choices were made here that not only influenced the outcome of this battle, but also influenced the result of this war, and ultimately impacted the course of world history. Sometimes simple choices we make have a huge impact!

Life is made up of choices, individual decisions that can influence our future, and even determine our ultimate destiny. This life, here and now, is a matter of cause and effect, like the butterfly effect. You’ve heard of that principle haven’t you? If not, we’re going to discover what it’s all about, why it’s important, and how it relates to this place, Gettysburg and the American Civil War.

BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES

One hundred and fifty years ago, on the eve of the Civil war, the United States consisted of only 34 states, not the 50 states we know today. On this map, you can see the mighty Mississippi River. A landmark that divides this country in half, from top to bottom, east from west.

Most of the land west of this river was defined as ‘territories’,  not individual states. On the west coast of America there were only two recognized states, California and Oregon. During the Civil War, this country had a total population of just over 30 million. That’s about one tenth of America’s population today.

Another landmark was created during the Civil War. It was known as the Mason-Dixon line. A division of philosophy, a division of politics, and a division in the way of life created this imaginary line. On certain issues, the Southern states had very different views and values from the Northern states.

Freedom runs deep in the soul of America. A spirit of independence is what led to the American Revolutionary War, in 1776. The founders of this nation signed a document declaring separation from Britain. It’s known as the Declaration of Independence, one of the world’s most famous documents. Representatives from thirteen individual states signed at the bottom. And so was born, the United States.

 FREEDOM AND/OR INDEPENDENCE

Less than a hundred years later, freedom and independence would again become an issue leading to war. The nation would be tested over the idea that all men are created equal. The Northern states believed that the slaves should be free. The Southern states believed they should be free to rule over other people.  

In the 19TH century, most of the heavy industries existed in the Northern states, whereas the Southern states were mostly agricultural, growing cotton and other crops. And for that, a large labour force was needed – slave labour. The economy of the South centred on slavery. Slavery was the single most important thing supporting the Southern states. This key issue over slavery is what led to the American Civil War. 

Wars are waged over a difference in ideology or opinion. A difference of opinion can lead to argument. Arguments can lead to war. The American Civil War even forced brothers with different opinions to take opposing sides. 

HOSTILITIES ERUPT

As Abraham Lincoln, the 16TH president of the United States, took office in March 1861, the controversy between the North and the South had become very aggressive. The next month, hostilities erupted into physical war when Southern rebels attacked Fort Sumter, the battle that launched the Civil War. 

Southern slave states from Texas to Virginia seceded from the Union and created their own government, called the Confederate States of America. They chose Jefferson Davis as their president and established their own constitution. Suddenly the United States was divided, torn into two separate countries.

The North was called the Union. The South was called the Confederacy. The Union soldiers, or Federal troops were called Yankees. The Confederacy soldiers, or southern troops, were referred to as Rebels.

During the next four years, death would enter the experience of thousands of families across this continent, on a level unimaginable. It’s said that more American lives were lost during the Civil War than all other American wars combined. This terrible war involved everyone in the nation in one way or another.

By the end of June, 1863, America had been fighting itself for two years. Thousands of lives had been sacrificed. There was no end in sight. And the next conflict would happen right here at Gettysburg. 

General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate army, decided to invade Northern territory. His goal was to bring the war to a close by walking into the White House in Washington DC, and taking President Lincoln captive. Army generals on both sides believed that capturing the enemy’s capital city would end the war. 

At the end of June 1863, Rebel troops from the South crossed into the state of Pennsylvania, north and west of Washington DC. On the first day of July, one mile west of the small town of Gettysburg, Lee’s Confederate army collides with Union troops and the first skirmish soon escalates. 

The battle fought on this land, in and around Gettysburg, was the deadliest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Over three days of intense fighting, 50,000 men would die. Three days that changed American history forever. 

JOSHUA CHAMBERLAIN THE INDIVIDUAL

Many heroic actions took place here. But according to some, it was the decision of one individual that turned the tide of the battle, and changed the course of history.

His name? Joshua Chamberlain. 

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828 in Brewer, Maine, the northernmost state. He was the oldest of five children. As regular church attendees, Joshua grew up reading the Bible and singing in the church choir. 

He was torn between the aspirations of his mother to be a preacher, while his father, a former military serviceman, wanted him to join the army. 

Joshua attended Bowdoin College in 1848, where he studied liberal arts. Here at Bowdoin he met many people who would influence his life. One of the most notable was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the wife of professor Calvin Stowe. She was the author of the famous book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 

This well-known novel, written before the Civil War, describes the harsh life of slavery and was instrumental in the anti-slavery movement spreading across the Northern states in the 1850s.

After graduation, Joshua Chamberlain continued studying for three more years at Bangor Theological Seminary. Upon his return to Bowdoin he began his career in education as a professor of rhetoric. He was fluent in ten languages, and just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War was appointed as professor of modern languages, in 1861.

When president Abraham Lincoln asked for men to defend the Union, Chamberlain not only joined, but also encouraged his students to do the same. He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 20th Maine regiment in August of 1862. 

His younger brother Thomas also joined the same regiment. Another brother, John, served as an Army chaplain.

Just before marching to Gettysburg, Chamberlain was promoted to full colonel. 

Upon arrival at Gettysburg, the first day of the battle did not go well for the Northern soldiers. The Union army was forced to retreat, as the persistent Confederates overran and captured the town of Gettysburg. 

Having been pushed south of the town, Union army leaders surveyed the land and worked throughout the night to position them[selves] on the high ground. By the next morning, they’d created a defensive line that ran from their right flank on Culp’s Hill across Cemetery Ridge and ending at Little Round Top. 

It was this left flank at Little Round Top that became a key point of decision in the Civil war. Colonel Strong Vincent, Chamberlain’s commanding officer, assigned the 20th Maine regiment to guard the outer edge of the left flank. He told them to hold the line at all cost. 

This monument sits on Little Round Top overlooking the battlefield below. It’s in honour of Colonel Vincent, who was mortally wounded the second day here at Gettysburg. During the heat of battle, Vincent stood on this large boulder so his men could see him, and shouted, “Don’t give an inch!” 

But this prominent position also made him a prime target. A fatal bullet struck him in the thigh as he was standing fully exposed on this rock. He died five days later at the age of 26. 

Chaplain John Wega: We’re here on the battlefield of Gettysburg, at what’s known as Little Round Top. In fact, we are at the end of the Union line on July 2, 1863. 

Now this position was something that was determined by a commandeering decision of Gouverneur K Warren, so this position is not just one place on the battlefield. This is disconnected from the other part of the army and the actual chain of command going back to Fort Meade. 

Most people in the army on the other part of the line did not even know that the 20th Maine was located here. So their position is an isolated spot on the battlefield at the very end of the Union line. 

They could not give up, quit or let the enemy go through them or around them, because it would have jeopardised the rest of the Union line down below from this high position on the battlefield.

THE DECIDING MOMENT

I’m standing at the spot on Little Round Top, where the 20th Maine soldiers were positioned on July 2. On the left flank, Joshua Chamberlain and his men are holding the vulnerable edge of the Union Army. 

Down below, charging up the hill are the Confederate rebels, the 15th Alabama infantry regiment. Their first attempt fails and they fall back. But the rebels regroup and charge again, with the same results. 

John Wega: Those men knew that this was their chance to take this hill and perhaps defeat the Union army on their own soil. The 14th and 15th Alabama Regiment would make charge after charge after charge, and as they did so the 20th Maine would begin to run out of ammunition. 

It was an unsupported position. They did not have reinforcements, or people reinforcing even their ammunition, and as they stood on this hill in an act of bravery and courage, Joshua Chamberlain chose something that was very unorthodox. 

From a fixed defensive position at [the] top of a hill, he commanded a charge with bayonets and as those men heard that command, it crystallised in that moment of decision rung true within them, and gave them the courage as Joshua Chamberlain led that charge down the hill, to win the fight. 

And they did so, sweeping down in a hinge fashion and took literally the 14th and 15th Alabama soldiers by surprise, and the men would surrender.

That moment, in this battle – seemingly insignificant at that time – would impact this battle for the three days of fighting, and impact the rest of the Civil War, by what took place of the men that stood their ground at Little Round Top under the command of Joshua Chamberlain.

Many historians believe this to be the pivotal moment in the Civil War. Had Chamberlain yielded to the enemy, the Battle of Gettysburg might have resulted in a Confederate victory – a victory for the Southern rebels. 

So on the third day, General Robert E. Lee changes his strategy and decides to attack the middle of the Union line at Cemetery Ridge. This is known as the famous Pickett’s Charge. 

However, as his brave soldiers are forced to march across a mile of open field, Federal cannon and muskets take their toll. Historians have remarked that the sounds of the mass of cannons “may well have been the loudest man-made sound on the North American continent” up until that point.

By the end of the day, this strategy also fails and Lee is forced to retreat from Gettysburg. His invasion of the North had failed. 

Joshua Chamberlain continued to serve until the end of the Civil War. Chamberlain regularly carried two things in his chest pocket: a small Bible and a framed picture of his wife, Fanny. During a battle in March of 1865, a Confederate bullet went through the neck of his horse and hit the picture frame before circling around one of his ribs just under the skin inside his chest, and exiting out his back. Again he survived.

WAR ENDS

A month later, General Chamberlain received a special message. A Confederate staff officer came to him under a white flag and stated, “Sir, General Lee desires a cessation of hostilities until he can hear from General Grant as to the proposed surrender.” 

And so concluded the bitter struggle between the states. At the Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865, General Lee surrendered his Southern army. 

John Wega:  At the end of the war, when the Confederate Army was surrendering, the Union Army chose a man who had the respect of both sides, and that man was Joshua Chamberlain. He received the surrender flag from the Confederate Army given to him by General John Gordon.

In giving testimony to the courage that was exhibited on this battlefield, in the mind’s eye would see him receiving that surrender flag because of the impact that, not just what we recognise here, but what the armies and the general commanders recognised.

And I believe even the Confederate rebel army recognised that as well, because that would be an honour to turn it over to him. Joshua Chamberlain, such a great commander and person that fought here at Little Round Top at Gettysburg. 

He was gracious in victory and showed the highest respect to the Confederate leaders. He was seen as a unifying figure and played a major role in bringing reconciliation between the northern and southern states.

For his bravery here at the Battle of Little Round Top, Joshua Chamberlain received the nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honour. His citation reads, 

“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with 20th Maine Infantry, in action at Gettysburg Pennsylvania, for daring heroism and great tenacity in holding his position on the Little Round Top against repeated assaults, and carrying the advance position on the Big Round Top.”

Joshua Chamberlain died in 1914 from complications of his lingering battle injuries. At the age of 85, he was the last Civil War veteran to die as a result of war wounds, and so considered to be the last casualty of the Civil War. He was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Brunswick, where his grave is marked with a reddish granite stone.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

So, let’s come back to the butterfly effect. What is it, and how does it work? Well, the concept is actually quite simple. It asks, if a butterfly flaps its wings, does that movement have any effect other than propelling the butterfly? 

In 1963 a scientist, Edward Lorenz, proposed that a butterfly flapping its wings could set molecules of air in motion that could have far-reaching effects. Who hasn’t tossed a pebble into a pond and watched the ever-widening ripples in the water? The pebble sinks, but it has a physical effect on the movement of the water. Could the same ripple type effect happen in the air?

In his theory,  ‘The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions,’

Lorenz went so far as to say that the small movement of air caused by a butterfly’s wings could generate and multiply enough air movement to start a hurricane on the other side of our planet. 

Now, if the movement of a small butterfly can have such a dramatic effect, what about us? Does what we do and the decisions we make have any effect beyond the immediate? Could it be that everything we do results in an influence that affects others?

Is it possible that the battle of Gettysburg, fought here 150 years ago, has affected how you and I live today? Some historians claim that a single decision made by one man on July 2, 1863, determined the course of history! 

CHANGING HISTORY

The butterfly effect happened at Gettysburg. In the face of defeat, the decision made by Joshua Chamberlain created a pivotal point that would have far-reaching effects. Had it not been for his order to fix bayonets and charge, the Union army might have lost this battle of Gettysburg and the Confederate army could have marched right into Washington DC and won its independence.

Then the result of the Civil war would have been a divided nation, North and South. The United States would have been the Dis-united states. America would have been carved into two, or perhaps three or even four different nations. 

But all because one man of courage chose to advance against the enemy on this battlefield, 150 years ago, the nation was kept intact. Had it not been for Joshua Chamberlain, there might not have been a United States. Had there not been a United States, the political world might be totally different today. 

For example, without the United States involvement in WWII, the outcome of the war would have been different. Hitler and the Nazis would have triumphed in Europe and their allies would have been victorious in the Pacific. How different our world would be today if not for the decision of Joshua Chamberlain!

ANOTHER JOSHUA

There is a Bible story about another man called Joshua. He was the leader of Israel after Moses. He led his soldiers into battle to claim the Promised Land. He realised that life is made up of choices, and that our decisions play a key role in our destiny. His advice is summed up in a simple text: 

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…[But] as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Joshua knew that life is a matter of choosing whom you will serve. And that isn’t a multiple-choice question. It’s a decision limited to two options. 

Joshua realised that the greatest battle is not fought on the physical battlefield with a visible enemy. The real battle is with an invisible enemy. It’s a battle for your mind and your will. The Apostle Paul describes the battle strategy in this way:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  (Ephesians 6:12)

It’s a spiritual battle that you and I face every day, a battle for our loyalty. The Bible says that we belong to whomever we choose to follow and obey. The Bible says we belong to whomever we give our allegiance to.

Now, here’s the amazing thing, the outcome is already determined. You see, the butterfly effect works on a spiritual level as well. Our choices have a far-reaching effect. You may not realise it, but you hold the key to your personal destiny, and no one can take that away from you. So let me remind you of the words of Joshua, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” 

PRAYER AND SPECIAL OFFER

Why not, like Joshua, decide today to serve the Lord? You can make that decision right now as we pray. 

Dear Heavenly Father, we’ve been reminded of the importance of the decisions we make and the far-reaching implications of those decisions. Lord, please guide us in the decisions that we make. May we make wise decisions and my those decisions be in accordance with your will, and above all, may we, like Joshua of old, choose to follow you and to commit our lives to you. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The story of Joshua Chamberlain and his brave decision at the Battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, is certainly inspiring and has captured the hearts and admiration of people all over the world. 

There are many lessons that can be learned from the Battle of Gettysburg – lessons that can even make a difference to our lives today. If you’d like to find out more, then I’d like to recommend the free offer we have for all our viewers today.

It’s the booklet, Determining God’s Will. It’s our gift to you today and is absolutely free. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever.

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If you’ve enjoyed today’s journey, be sure to join us again next week, when we’ll share another of life’s journeys together and experience another new and thought-provoking perspective on the peace, insight, understanding and hope that only the Bible can give us. 

The Incredible Journey truly is television that changes lives. Until next week, remember the ultimate destination of life’s journey:“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21: 1,4)