The Passing of the Armies

by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Richard Sauers (Introduction)

Joshua Chamberlain's "The Passing of the Armies" is one of the classic books of Civil War history. When it was posthumously published in 1915, it received acclaim for its Victorian prose and accuracy in bringing to life the final twelve days of the war in Virginia. Although highly critical of Sheridan and defensive of the operations of his Fifth Corps, Chamberlain's work is an important contribution to the true story of this intense fighting. It is an important contribution by a contemporary who, as a distinguished Union officer, witnessed the events he wrote about. "The Passing of the Armies" is a superb book that belongs in every Civil War library.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Nonfiction, Memoir, Military History, War

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 1914

About the author

Chamberlain was a college professor at Bowdoin College before the U.S. Civil War. When the faculty refused him permission for a leave of absense so that he could enlist he took a sabbatical and enlisted anyway.

He played a Key role in the Battle of Gettysburg as depicted in Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel about Gettysburg, The Killer Angels, and the movie based on that novel, Gettysburg (in which Chamberlain was played by actor Jeff Daniels, who repeated that role in the Gods and Generals prequel).

Chamberlain was later seriously wounded in the war and was propted to General but survived and went on to become governor of Maine and President of Bowdoin College where he was proud to say that he eventually taught every course in their curriculum with the exception of mathematics

Reviews

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I learn of Colonel, later General, later Governor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin, the more I believe him to be someone more American’s should know. His defense of Little Round Top during the second day of Gettysburg is fairly well known among students of the American Civil War. This defense, wherein he routed a much larger attacking force and captured the retreating survivors despite the fact his undermanned unit was out of ammunition, earned him a Medal of Honor. Chamberlain continued his service to his country and his state for many years. This Edition: The Passing of the Armies (Library of Essential Reading) Paperback – Illustrated, June 17, 2004 by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Author), Richard A. Sauers (Introduction) is a facsimile re-print of the 1915 version published in Chamberlain’s last years. 1862 to 1915 is a lot of time for a person to be dedicated to so many good achievements and public causes.

The focused of The Passing of the Armies are his experience as a commanding, general officer during General Grant’s Wilderness Campaign and continuing to his presence as the officer chosen to command the American Army’s acceptance of the rebel army’s surrender. He has several axes to grind about the mishandling of particularly his fellow Maine units and the dismissal of their General. Chamberlain was present for several key victories over the Lee’s Armies. He also had strong opinions over how much time was lost while senior Union General competed for personal primacy , ordered and counter ordered and otherwise lost the detailed local picture. Chamberlain may not have fully understood the problems, usually described as decision making while under “The Fog of War”. His speculations that particular Generals where paying with the lives of soldiers for reasons tied as much to personal egos than strategic necessities. He makes a good case. I leave it to more advances students of war to which is more correct, Fog or Egos.

As much as Chamberlain is remembered for his success at Little Round Top, he should also be remembered for extending to the surrounding armies the respect of a soldier’s salute to the losing Army. It may be hard to understand, but this was an important symbol of respect. Whatever had divided these men in battle, Chamberlain made the personal decision to respect and honor the soldiers there to give up their flags and muskets.

The language of The Passing is deeply Victorian. He may seem to exalt in war, but his point of view is primarily focused on the needs and suffering of his soldiers. His bearing is that of a leader with a good eye for the tactical advantage and a willingness to lead for the front. He was shot and so severely injured at to have been pronounced dead. Evan his horse would continue to serve him despite its being wounded. There is a certain stagy set piece about much of the book. He had been a traveling lecturer for many years and The Passing may represent an edited collection of years’ worth of speaking engagements.

A serious weakness to this edition is the lack of maps. For Example, the Battles at 5 Forks was a complex engagement. The only map of this battle is very small scale and on the printed page does little to make clear what who was where, when. A lot of time is given to what general, commanding what unit was where. Making this more confusing is that there were several generals with the same last name. For example, I think there were at least 3 Generals named Lee and not all on the same side. An order of battle listing, Divisions, Brigades and Regiments would help. Other editions may have better maps and a few pictures.

Maybe the best thing many Southern states could do is replace statues of losing Southern Generals with a few that remember he who rendered honor to those same generals, and their soldiers. General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book to someone that does not have a deep interest in Civil War books. This book was awesome though, for those of us who do. Well-written. It took me a long time to read it because I really tried to cross reference the reports with the maps and geography. That is what this book is essentially, an annotated report by a man that was there. This book covers sometimes excruciating detail about each moment of the final battle and the ultimate demise of the Confederate Army. Chamberlain offers a lot of conjecture as well, definitely writing from his point of view almost as if it was written as the events unfolded.

As I have said in many Civil War reviews, it is hard to pick a side as a non participant removed from the events for over a century. I have respect for both sides of the war. This book was striking to me at how "enemies" knew each other so well. From Generals to Corporals down to many members of the calvary and infantry, it truly was friend against friend, brother versus brother, etc. I think that is sometimes overused and becomes a cliche, but then is reaffirmed again and again with each Civil War account.

I also admire the deep religious convictions of those involved. One line I really like that Chamberlain states after taking about 500 prisoners and knowing that he has to care for them, even though his own army was depleted of rations, and in reference to the war in its total was: "Was it God's command we heard, or His forgiveness we must forever implore?"

Later in the book he starts to describe the character and leadership of many of the generals, on both sides. His tribute to Lee is humbling. After fighting against Lee for so many months and losing so many men, and taking so many of Lee's men, he applauds his character and leadership in defense. He criticizes Lee's offense, going back to Gettysburg and still struggling here.

I also really liked the Afterword. I don't know who the author of the afterword is, but I really like how he breaks down the tributes paid to those involved in this war, and the sobering stats regarding what books have written in comparison to other major US events. Such a meaningful war for the Country, yet so poorly represented in literature, film, and so on. I was at first confused, feeling like there is so much out there about the Civil War, until he compares it to WWII, and compares the stories of other presidents to the lack of Lincoln portrayals and movies and so on. I did not do it justice with this paragraph.

Anyway, in summary, this was a tough read that took time, but I loved the book and was happy to have read it. I actually bought this book in Gettysburg years ago, stuck it on a shelf and almost forgot about it until it "resurfaced" recently.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic account of the final two weeks (!) of the Civil War, written by an improbable scholar-turned-war-hero, a Bowdoin College professor who just might have single-handedly saved the Union. Well, there is plenty of credit to go around, but his bravery – and modesty – were unquestioned. I am fascinated by the 'end game' of the Civil War, and General Chamberlain writes well and does not hide his (many, conflicting) emotions. Of interest only to real Civil War buffs, obviously, but highly recommended.

Some of his stories are impossibly tragic or horrific; some are sweet and moving; and some are just plain funny. A few examples of the latter category are his quick-thinking ruse when surrounded by Confederate soldiers during a battle; how his young provost marshall, and he himself, became flustered by a beautiful Southern belle's reluctance to take an oath of loyalty to the Union (official policy) in order to receive a bag of potatoes for her starving family; and General Chamberlain's reaction to seeing the first flag of truce – mixed emotions, including overwhelming relief, but also in the back of his mind he couldn't help wondering, "Where on earth did they find such a white piece of cloth?!?" – as every single thing in their camp, and presumably the Rebels', was dirty, stained, dusty, ripped, bloody, etc. (An interesting anecdote in General Gordon's memoirs – Gordon, a Confederate general, on hearing that Lee had surrendered, wanted to stop the fighting where he was, so he told his staff officer to send out a flag of truce. The officer soon returns, saying they didn't have any truce flags. "Fine, tie a handkerchief to a pole, then. Just go!" The staff officer feels around in his pockets ... no handkerchief. "Then rip your shirt and tie that to a pole and go!" The officer looks at his shirt and at General Gordon's – they are both flannel. The exasperated general tells him to find *something*, but GO! ... So yes, white cloths were not easily found in army camps!)

I was also looking for JLC's thoughts on the moral aspect of the war, and his opinion of his opponents' views – since I am having a hard time understanding how so many good and brave Southerners could fight so vigorously for such a wretched cause. Being a thoughtful man and a professor of religion, JLC does not disappoint and I found his musings on this aspect of the war helpful.

[John Maag · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the most interesting parts to be:
- his duties between the surrender and disbandment
- the insight into what some of Sherman's army thought of their eastern theater brothers

The end of the war battle commentary was okay but not detailed enough to really understand all the tactical considerations. I should have grabbed my own map and looked up some other resources on the battles to get a view of his part in them.

The Last Review chapter was a slog.

[Jim Martine · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a civil war buff I’ve wanted to read this book for years but I have to give it 2.5 stars because it reads like a military report. I was hoping much more time would be devoted to the actual surrender of Lee’s army. I found this small part to be sad, respectful, honorable, and insightful. I also found his opinions on Gen. Grant and Gen. Lee to be very interesting and completely in synch with how history views those two honorable men. Unfortunately the vast majority of the book is quite dry with massive lists of people and maneuvers. 🇺🇸

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book must be read if only for the chapters concerning the surrender at Appomattox and the final review of the Army of the Potomac through Washington DC.

[Robert Gobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the battles were difficult to picture without maps but overall this was a fascinating book. I would highly recommend this to anybody

[Spectre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua Chamberlain, winner of the Medal of Honor for leading the 20th Maine’s bayonet charge from Little Round Top at Gettysburg, writes of the last few months of the Civil War from his perspective as a Commander in the 5th Corps. The book begins with the battle of Five Forks where the Union forces victory caused Robert E. Lee to abandon his defense of Richmond/ Petersburg and retreat hoping to combine his forces with those of General Johnston. Chamberlain traces the union pursuit resulting in the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. He then writes of the return of the Army of the Potomac to Washington, the Grand Review, and its June 28,1865 disbandment. As expected from the former Bowdoin College professor of rhetoric and modern languages, his writing is creative, philosophical, and well researched. I found his discussion of command confusion of the 5th Corps during the time of the Five Forks battle where Generals Grant, Meade, Sheridan and Warren seemed to lose the concept of unity of command. The chapter, ‘The Last Review,' is particularly pleasant reading as Chamberlain recounts the exploits and losses of the various commands as they passed in review in late May 1865.

[Jeremy Neufeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chamberlain is such a weirdo, way more-so than the popular portrayals.

Beautiful prose, but I wasn’t ready for how strange this book is. He writes like a Yankee Hegelian, as obsessed with the metaphysics of the war as he is in his recollections of battles and scenes. Reading his own account of his interactions with other officers, you get the sense that the other generals thought he was a freaky little dork but put up with it because he was so brave. Here he gives us the Geist manifesting itself in the men (be prepared for pages of rhapsody on the masculine Spirit) of both armies transforming the nation along dialectical lines.

They should have put that in the movie!

[Steve Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Passing of the Armies (Joshua Chamberlain)

I enjoyed the book more because of the subject than the writing. The writing ostentatious and while I love words, he achieves a ponderous style that is exhausting. Chamberlain was a hero at a critical moment of Gettysburg and survived as the general of a division the bulk of the rest of the war. He was there at Appomattox so the read is irresistible in spite of that. Grant’s memoirs towers over the book though.

[Bill Tress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had an interest in the Civil War for some time. Yet, I first encountered Joshua Chamberlain (JC) when I read “Blood & Fire at Gettysburg”. This small Vignette of a book described the second day in the battle of Gettysburg when Chamberlain and his 2oth Maine defended Little Round Top. The dialogue was the inner conversation that Chamberlain had with himself during battle. His description of the battle was amazingly clear, he described the brutality and heroism of a Civil War battle in a way that put the reader on the battlefield. For instance, after realizing that his Regiment was nearly out of ammunition. He ordered Bayonets, and as he described the event, his whole regiment understood his thoughts and immediately began a charge that ended the Confederate hopes of securing Little Round Top. The case can be made that this action was instrumental in winning the battle for the Union. Chamberlain won the Congressional medal of honor for his actions during this battle.
I searched for more about Chamberlain and found it in “The Passing of Armies” one of the books written by Chamberlain. His writing style is unique and the style of a highly educated man of the nineteenth century, he attended Bowdin College and was a professor of Rhetoric at this institution of higher learning, and add to that three years of theological study, so his style of presentation took some getting used to for someone like myself who is less gifted. Add to the required adjustment, Chamberlain’s sermonizing and psychological ramblings and you get the picture. Yet, nothing I have read to date on the Civil War captures the daily grind, the misery and the horror of battle. He is a leader who leads from the front a warrior/minister who is given up for dead twice and had several horses shot out from under him. He survives this war becomes Governor of the State of Maine and writes this book in the 1880’s after years of reflection.
The military action begins at the siege of St. Petersburg, Va. under General Grant and goes to
Appomattox. His fifth Corp lead the race to Appomattox. They fought at White Oaks and five forks and all the small sided scrimmages leading to the end.

JC was a very highly decorated and experienced officer who had a twenty-year opportunity to reflect on what happened in the heat of battle. In writing about White Oaks and Five Forks, he believed there was quite a bit of command confusion. He pointed out that there were two many Generals in one location and the result was orders and counterorders flying all over the battlefield. While the battle was won the confusion was totally unnecessary.

General Warren was relieved of command by General Sheridan during Battle at Five Forks and JC felt along with many other Officers that the decision was wrong and was made in this haze of conflicting orders and troops marching and countermarching. General Grant eventually gave Warren another command, yet, the humiliation of Warren was a grievous error and was not resolved until after the war when Warren requested and was granted at a Court of Inquiry. JC testified at the hearing on Warren’s behalf, and the result was a typical bureaucratic resolution. Sheridan’s decision was supported, yet Warren was vindicated, and the record remained on Warren’s otherwise exemplary war record, life is not fair.

The fifth Corp was put under Sheridan’s command in anticipation of Lee’s attempted breakout, and Chamberlains’ infantry Regiment supported Sheridan’s Calvary in the final race to Appomattox. JC always the good soldier worked for Sheridan, yet, JC gave us several different signals regarding Sheridan. On the one hand, JC is quoted as saying it was a different style of fighting, , “We had a taste of his style of fighting and we liked it”. “Sheridan does not entrench. He pushes on, carrying his flank and rear with him, --------rushing, flashing, smashing”. “He commanded our admiration, but we could discriminate, we reserved room for question whether he exhibited all the qualities essential to a chief commander in a campaign”. Three things bothered JC about Sheridan, first was his very rough and unfair dismissal of General Warren; the second was his propensity to gather all the glory to himself, as stated in his summary of the battles of White oak and Five Forks, “Warren would have shared the glory while Sheridan gathered it all for himself; the third was the favoritism Sheridan received from General Grant. Some officers in the Army of the Potomac referred to Grant as Sheridan’s father! Grant wrote his autobiography and JC having read it disagreed with some of the conclusions regarding the two battles in question and the handling of Warren. JC after pointing out his areas of disagreement and then states,” We should suppose that General Grant would acquaint himself with the facts, yet, the pressing sense of his approaching end compelled General Grant to finish his book in haste”. Enough said about JC reflections on command confusion, Warren’s dismissal and Sheridan, any student of this war needs to weigh Chamberlains insight, he was there and his intelligent portrayal’s warrants respect.

JC liked the style of battle fostered and required by Sheridan, and it was on full display in the race to Appomattox. Grant’s brilliant strategy was to cut off all of Lee’s access to the outside world, no supplies or communication while he was entrapped in the trenches of St. Petersburg. This resulted in Lee’s frantic attempt at a breakout to the west in the hope of reaching Johnson and the Army of Tennessee. When Lee made his desperate move, Sheridan and his calvary were quickly on his heels. The Fifth Corp infantry raced along and kept as close to the calvary as was possible. JC description of this chase was compelling. He described abandoned equipment that Lee’s Army just discarded in its haste and this was a clear sign that things were deteriorating quite rapidly for Lee. Finally, the scene when the Union army crested a hill and was confronted Lee’s defiant Army facing them but oddly not prepared for battle. JC describes his bewilderment and the myriad thoughts about what to do, then he saw the white flag and in disbelief the knowledge that war was over. This commentary was thrilling, JC stated how the knowledge of final victory just rolled up and down the Union Lines and while he called for a cease fire most of his Army had already stopped its advance, These scenes are rare in the history of war and JC was there and expressed the emotions with a great flair . He went on to describe the comingling of the two armies, exchanging rations and souvenirs with little or no rancor, just acceptance that it was over.

Appomattox to this reviewer, was a surreal historical moment in time. Lee had been sending communications to Grant for some time in the hopes of securing terms for surrender. Grant and Lee knew each other from the Mexican War, yet, Grant refused terms and requested unconditional surrender, when it happened, between the two Generals an agreement was reached to end the conflict. No politicians, no humiliation, no rancor. This could never happen again in American History and JC was witness to it all and described it brilliantly. The final military act was the surrender of arms and the requirement to take an oath not to never again take up arms against the United States. JC’s on his own and based on his military instincts and his moral code had his Regiment come to a military salute as the Confederate forces relinquished their weapons. He did receive some criticism, yet, it was the proper and gallant thing to do and demonstrated his endearing magnanimous and moral fortitude. This chapter alone was worth the price of this publication, JC presence at the scene and his clear and insightful description was amazing.

Most histories of the Civil War end at the battles end, Yet, this book is different, JC describes the march of his victorious Fifth Corp from St Petersburg to Washington DC. This feat alone tells of the grit that these men were made of; only a superior athlete in today’s world would undertake the mile after mile of marching through driving rain and the humid heat of this region in order to participate in the victory parade.

You can sense JC’s emotional state as he watched the Union Army and his Corp pass by the reviewing stand, and he made a poignant statement that one man was missing…. Lincoln. He spoke to the joy evidenced in their disciplined march, their love of Country, State and Corp, as they passed, JC reminisces about the battles fought by each unit, its officers and their brilliance in battle and the losses they incurred, as they marched by the reviewing stand. This chapter rivals Appomattox for its emotion and illustrates the great humanity of Chamberlain and his deep love for the men he fought beside through the many years of war, expressed as only a professor of rhetoric could.
Chamberlain was an eyewitness to the events chronicled in this book. He had the talent and skill to enthrall the reader with the horror of war and the heroism of the combatants. It would be a mistake to profess expertise on the Civil War without reading this witnesses account. Joshua Chamberlain has been added to my list of people I would most like to meet.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review concerns the Kindle edition of Chamberlain's memoirs:
-- it is a fine example of the weakness of the Kindle to display maps, diagrams, images. A reader would be better served finding a print edition of this book.
-- there are only two images in the Kindle edition, one of Chamberlain as a young colonel and one in old age (he would live until 1914). There are no maps.
-- Chamberlain's description of two key battles preceding Appomattox, the battles of White Oak Road and Five Forks, are enmeshed in controversy due to Gen. Phil Sheridan relieving Gen. Gouvernor Warren. They would lead to a court of inquiry five years after the war and Chamberlain strongly takes the side of Warren. But the accounts are hard to follow without more background on the characters and absent any diagrams of the movement in battle, which even Chamberlain terms "cyclonic".
-- Two chapters on Appomattox are electric: these you can trace with a road atlas because of the efforts of Lee's army to flee Richmond towards Lynchburg. Chamberlain's and Sheridan's troops move quickly to stem the escape of the Army of Northern Virginia and the former's description of the state of the armies is highly descriptive.

Interest in Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain has revived since the release of the Turner Classic movie, "Gettsyburg", which told the story of his Maine regiment defending Little Round Top, which was the left flank of the Union army on the 4th of July, 1863. Chamberlain would go on to be governor of Maine and president of Bowdoin College after the war.

[Nyri Bakkalian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plenty of people have written plenty of words about Joshua Chamberlain, so much so that one of his foremost biographers, Thomas Desjardins, refers to the popular image of him as the "Maine Man of Steel." It isn't my intention to add to that, but rather to say a few words about what this book says about the man.

That Chamberlain should have secured an officer's commission despite zero prior military experience hardly makes him exceptional. That he made himself an above average leader in the field merits respect. That he was able to live for so many decades thereafter in nearly constant pain from war wounds is, to me, jaw-dropping.

His authoring Passing of the Armies tells me something more about the man. As a trauma survivor myself, albeit not from war, I have some appreciation of the psychological baggage that Chamberlain must have carried, especially in an era before modern forms of therapy and understandings of things like PTSD were common. But to be able to describe such terrible things in such soaring prose is an incredible skill.

If, like Chamberlain, I can write words that move people to tears even a century after I'm gone, I'll be fortunate indeed.

[jean hummel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed

I have long respected Chamberlain, and anticipated reading this book. However, it proved too "wordy", and overly done. Pretentious in a word.

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was one of those weird kids that had a favorite Civil War figure growing up . Mine was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, one of the heroes of Gettysburg and a Medal of Honor recipient. Most of what I know of him comes from Michael and Jeff Shaara’s Civil War trilogy, of which Chamberlain is the primary Union Army POV character, but I was curious about Chamberlain’s “The Passing of the Armies”, his memoir of the final days of the Civil War.

As a fan of Chamberlain, I really wanted to like Passing of the Armies but really it’s just “okay”. It took a lot for me to get into the first half of the book, ironic because it chronicles the battles between the Siege of Petersburg and the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. I honestly had a hard time following Chamberlain during this portion as sometimes he’d talk of the fighting before waxing philosophically about war and life. The section ultimately got really repetitive even though there were a few sections that caught my interest. It wasn’t until the surrender itself that the book finally started to finally draw me in. It was moving to read about how respectful Chamberlain and his troops treated the surrendering Confederates. The initial weeks after Appomattox were also interesting, be it Chamberlain’s recollection of the reactions to President Lincoln’s assassination, the troops’ thoughts on marching through battlefields they’d previously suffered in, and the weird tension between the Union’s Eastern and Western armies. The second half did start to get repetitive again during Chamberlain’s description of the army marching through DC but I was able to follow it a bit better than the repetitive sections of the book’s half.

It’s a bit hard to admit that I wasn’t enraptured by “The Passing of the Armies” due to my respect for Chamberlain and the strength of his writing in some sections of the book. I just honestly felt like I got more out of the book’s introduction and the closing obituary to underscore Chamberlain’s historical significance than the portion written by Chamberlain. I don’t regret reading the book, it hasn’t changed my respect for him and I do recommend Passing of the Armies to other Civil War buffs. The book just didn’t do it for me like I wanted it to though.

[Sebastian Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought and read this after watching Ken Burns' excellent series The Civil War, in which stories of and quotes from Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain figure prominently at several points. Several of the quotes come from this account, including some very poignant and moving passages about the surrender of the Confederate forces at Appomattox, during which Chamberlain had the honour of commanding the Union contingent.

Chamberlain had been an academic prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, and his prose is somewhat grandiose at times, which dates the feel a little. But overall he's an excellent writer, coming across as intelligent and humane, with a very 19th Century sense of martial honour. Chamberlain can get quite poetic, such that his account is almost rhapsodic in places, his intelligence and even his dry sense of humour shining through in a highly engaging narrative.

Subtitled An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac, Chamberlain relates the actions of White Oak Road and Five Forks, as Lee's shrinking army is brought to bay, before ending with a near Homeric rendition of the surrender at Appomattox. It's quite hard to convey to the modern reader the intoxicating romanticism of his writing, when, after two world wars and the knowledge of so much brutality and suffering we might find it hard to stomach such a 'heroic' tone. But Chamberlain wasn't sentimental, he saw and lamented the cost.

Jeff Daniels was perfectly cast as Chamberlain in the excellent movie Gettysburg, capturing the attractive qualities one also detects in Ken Burns documentary, many history books, and Chamberlain's own accounts, of a sensitive intelligent man, who managed also to be an inspiring and decisive military leader without sacrificing his humanity. I think I need to find a good biography of this intriguing man next. But I'd certainly recommend this fascinating and moving account very highly.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

General Joshua Chamberlain was a professor of literature at Bowdoin University in Maine in 1861 when the Civil War broke out. In 1862 he requested leave to travel to Europe for study, and when he was granted his leave, he promptly went to Augusta to volunteer with the Maine contingent of the Union army. He would serve for 3 1/2 years with 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac and saw action at Gettysburg, where he won the Medal of Honor, and in several battles at the end of the war.

This book is an account of the last 10 days of the civil war in March to April 1865. Chamberlain writes his account, not in the dispassionate perspective of the historian, but as a fellow soldier who laments the sacrifices endured for the Union and the men lost in battle. It is a very moving account.

Chamberlain spends most of the book discussing the three key battles of the closing days of the Civil War, the battle of White Oaks Road, the subsequent battle of the Five Forks, and finally the encounter at Appotomox Courthouse where General Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. In his narrative of the battle of White Oak Road, Chamberlain spends a considerable amount of time defending his commander and friend General Warren, who was relieved of his command of 5th Corps by General Phil Sheridan for failing to be aggressive in the battle. Warren was actually tried on these charges in a famous trial in 1879-1880 which included several key Union Army commanders including Sheridan, Sherman and Grant as well as Chamberlain. Warren was acquitted of the charges as a result of the trial. As this book was written in 1914, long after the war and the trial, Chamberlain writes these words in a note of nostalgia and regret. How many soldiers look back on their service with mixed emotions? On the one hand, they long for the comeraderie of the unit in which they served, and on the other hand they regret the hardships and sacrifices that cost so many lives and limbs. Chamberlain makes this very apparent in his descriptions of the final battles of the War.

The last few chapters of the book focus on the disbanding of the Union Army in the summer of 1865. Here Chamberlain is very nostalgic, going into each unit that he commanded and served with, showing their sacrifices and courage in battle. Chamberlain is not critical of anyone in this book, not the Union commanders or their units and not even the Confederates. He sees his service in the War as a heroic sacrifice, even an event of biblical proportions. Looking back on it 50 years later it must surely have seemed so. His memories of the battles, the units and the soldiers that he served with are something that you will not get from a typical Civil War history.

Overall I think this book is essential reading for the military professional, the civil war historian and anyone with an interest in military or civil war history.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book- at times, war memoir, at times, spiritual and philosophical exploration of humanity at war. The prose style feels a bit dated at times, which makes sense for a book published in 1915 about events in the 1860s (though Grant's memoirs, written earlier, feel more modern in style).

Also, a several sections of the book felt like Chamberlain's rebuttals of arguments not present in the book, such as his defense of General Warren. The are several occasions when he directly takes on Grant's book. I think the whole thing would have flowed more smoothly if he just told his story in his words, rather than arguing it out on the page.

I still enjoyed getting Chamberlain's eyewitness account of the end days of the Civil War, particularly the surrender at Appomattox, and how it felt to march home afterwards. And while his style was a bit old fashioned, it wasn't hard to get into, and I felt like reading his account gave me more of a feel of what he was like as a person.

And I know he was in poor health, and died before publication of the book, so who knows what he might have revised or removed had he had more time to do so.

[Old Time Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Civil War buff you understand what Gettysburg means. And if you truly understand Gettysburg then you KNOW Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Lion of Little Round Top. The problem is that Gettysburg is probably ALL you know about Chamberlain, and that's a shame. Because the man truly was a hero throughout the entire war and Gettysburg, believe it or not, is a minor part of his story.

In this book Chamberlain tells the story of the last few weeks of the war and the months after it. The final battles, the struggle towards Richmond, the chaos of the end. No one was a better witness to the end of the war than Chamberlain. He was there, he saw it all, and he made sure that it ended, properly. His account of the surrender of the Southern forces sharply brings into focus the feelings of Confederate soldiers, the Lost Cause and the Confederate flag in a way that folks today simply fail to understand.

Chamberlain is on my very short list of truly great men, right next to George Washington. This book will tell you why.

[Jan Topham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting first person account from a field general who because of his rank sees the “big picture” but is also in touch with the suffering and travails of his foot soldiers. He writes many vivid descriptions, with many artful and poetic turns of phrase. However, he is very wordy, using a hundred words to say something when 20 would be sufficient. It seems the narrative often gets bogged down in a swamp of words. He writes in the style of educated people of his day, and he uses many allusions to things that must have been easily understood in his day, but are unclear in ours. He also talks all the way around things, and relies on the reader to make assumptions and fill in the blanks, rather than clearly stating what he means.

Bottom line: this is interesting for its detail and authenticity, but is not a quick read.

[DW Rowlands · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to decide what to say about this book. Chamberlain is an amazingly poetic writer, and his prose is beautiful. As an account of moving scenes--the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Grand Review of the Armies, and so on--this is an amazing book. However, the first half of the book, in which he describes the Fifth Corps' final campaign, is very hard for me to follow. I'm not sure how much of this is his writing style, and how much of it is my unfamiliarity with things he assumes his audience will be familiar with, but it was a bit of a slog to get through.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has a sense of humor, displayed at the most unexpected moments.

For example, in describing an attack on confederate bulwarks: “Then,” cried [General Sheridan], ... “you take command of all the infantry round here, and break this dam - “ I didn’t wait to hear any more. That made good grammar as it stood.”

(He was a religious instructor before the war and makes many remarks about the crude language used in the military).

The last couple of chapters are pretty boring. It’s basically just a list of all the divisions and who led them.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a first-person memoir of General Chamberlain's experiences toward the end of the Civil War. He doesn't spend time on his heroic leadership of the bayonet charge at Gettysburg's Little Round Top. It is full of personal opinions and critiques of himself and other generals' tactics, both successful and less than successful. I thought it was very thoughtful and analytical which was explained by his professorship at Bowdoin college, specializing in logic, natural theology, rhetoric and oratory. Quite a guy before, during, and after the war.

[Stephen P · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, but sometimes laborious memoir of one of the Civil War's most compelling and interesting heroes. Covering the final campaign of Grant's army through Appomattox and the final days of the army it is a must-read for Civil War buffs, while the casual reader may find it tiring. It is definitely written in the style of a 19th Century college professor - Chamberlain's peace time profession.

[Neil Crowle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an account of the last days of the American Civil War by a leading participant in the Army of the Potomac. Not only does it describe the last week of battle in Virginia, but the surrender at Appomatox and the Grand Review of the U.S. troops in Washington a few weeks after the surrender. At times this book is not an easy read: Chamberlain was a college professor and at times writes like it.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

This was difficult for me to read. I have a hard time with the flowery Victorian style of writing and this book is chalk full of such writing. Ultimately it hurt my enjoyment. The book itself was not bad, though the author's tendency to go on long side tangents grew tiresome. But it was interesting to get an almost minute by minute account of the Appomattox Campaign as experienced by Chamberlain. Glad I read it, but not a book I will ever revisit.

[John Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of book about the civil war. This book was written by one of my favorite, not very well know generals in the Union army. You might want to read one of the fictional books about the battle of Gettysburg like "The Killer Angels" to get a sense of his contributions to the winning of the battle and the war, as well as his personality.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

A longer review will be forthcoming on my blog.

Chamberlain is a good writer, but not a succinct one. He will wax poetic and take far too long to make a point or tell a story. That aside, the book was excellent, and I throughly enjoyed the insight it provided into a number of personalities, including Governour Warren and George Meade.

Would recommend to every student of the Civil War.

[Wagner Andrasic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read little about this book shortly after watching the DVD set of Quentin Tarantino excellent historical TV series, War, he's an excellent writer, coming across as intelligent and humane.
Currently I'm too busy with several strands of work to be modelling or painting figures. In the meantime, posting some book reviews is one way I can maintain some sort of activity.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chamberlain's writing, at times florid and often rambling, never-the-less holds fascinating anecdotes and details of grand tactical operations during the ACW. He also does an excellent job of challenging aspects of "accepted" history set forward by Grant and Sheridan.

A worthwhile read for many, but not all, ACW history buffs.