#The 20th Maine is my all time favorite American Civil War Regiment

[roosterarts]

Battle of Gettysburg - Day 2

July 2

5:10 PM

The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment Defends the Union Left Flank

"Fix bayonets!" The order came along the line. It was an order no one wanted to hear, yet no one hesitated. With bayonets fixed, the troops of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment dressed their line and waited. Then the order came. "Charge!"

From atop Little Round Top, Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren, the Chief Topographical Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, could see the entire battle unfold before him. III Corps held positions at the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and Devil's Den, and one by one they were attacked by advancing Confederate forces. However, as he watched the Rebels adanced, he noticed a portion of them were swinging left and heading towards his position. This was a problem. The position at Little Round Top was the left most position of the Union line and, to make things worse, there was only a small contingent from the Army Signal Corps holding it. If the Confederates arrived, there was nothing stopping them from capturing the hill and swinging north to turn the Army of the Potomac's vulnerable left flank.

Without hesitation, Warren quickly sent out couriers to look for reinfocements. One of his couriers would encounter Colonel Strong Vincent, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, of the 1st Division, of V Corps. V Corps had been ordered by General Meade to plug the gap created by III Corps wreckless advance and, due to the confused nature of the fighting, many of its divisions and brigades were being spread out and sent to different portions of the line.

Initially, the courier wanted to talk to Vincent's division commander and relay Warren's message to him. But eventually Vincent managed to convince him to give the orders to him instead and, upon realizing the importance of situation, quickly orderd his brigade to march to Little Round Top.

In deploying his brigade at the hill, the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, was positioned on the very left. In this position, the 20th Maine did not only become the left flank of the brigade, but they also became the left flank of the whole Army of the Potomac. Beyond them was nothing more but open air.

Vincent's brigade arrived at Little Round Top just in time. Moments after arriving, at around 4:45 in the afternoon, the Confederate 4th and 5th Texas Regiment, as well as the 4th Alabama Regiment, struck the center of Vincent's Brigade. Despite the tired and exhausting march under the day's heat, the Confederates still found the energy to rush up the hill and attack. The Union troops quickly responded with a heavy volley of musket fire. With good positions and a determined defense, the Union managed to repulse the Confederates. However, Colonel Vincent was mortally wounded and so Colonel James Rice, of the 44th New York, assumes command of the brigade.

At 5:10 in the afternoon, as another Confederate attack on the center and right of the brigade was repulsed, the Confederate 15th Alabama Regiment struck the left flank. Moving against the front of the 20th Maine, the 15th Alabama were stuck by heavy fire, but countered with volleys of their own.

At 5:25 in the afternoon, fighting between both sides momentarily stops, as the Confederates prepare for another attack. This respite does not last long, as the 15th Alabama make another assault at 5:28 in the afternoon. Once more, they move further right, thus forcing the 20th Maine to extend more and more to the left.

Hoping to outflank the exposed left of the 20th Maine, the 15th Alabama shifted their attacks further right (the Union's left). Seeing this, the 20th Maine starts to extend their line, thinning their front in order to occupy a broader front. This thus prevents the enemy from outflanking them.

As the 20th Maine desperately tries to hold the left, the rest of the brigade fends of attacks from the other Confederate regiments, who strike with great energy. Despite this, the Union line at Little Round Top was holding.

At around 5:45 in the afternoon, knowing that he can no longer extend his line, in fear of it becoming too thin, Chamberlain orders the 20th Maine to refuse the line. In this maneuver, the regiment's left wing would pull back and face towards the left, essentially creating an L shape. This would thus enable them to properly cover their left flank.

By 6:00 in the evening, the 15th Alabama, realizing that other Confederate regiments were withdrawing, and realizing they couldn't break the enemy before them, begins to withdraw. At 6:05 in the evening, Chamberlain, unaware that the 15th Alabama was about to withdraw, and noting that his regiment was desperately running low on ammunition, orders a charge against the enemy. He hoped that a charge would bring the final blow upon the foe who he believed were exhausted from a constant uphill fight.

Putting on their bayonets, the 20th Maine's left flank swung and wheeled right, in order to realign with the rest of the regiment, before the unit as a whole charged downhill. This sudden assaullt caught the 15th Alabama by surprise, which resulted in their troops either routing or surrendering.

With that the Union left had been secured.

However, as the fight for Little Round Top was raging, other battles were occuring down below.

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Featuring my ponysona, my GF's Ponysona, and Cream Cake, as members of the 20th Maine Volunterr Infantry Regiment. In front of them is a makeshift stone wall, which was stacked by members of the 20th Maine in order to better cover themselves against musket fire during the fighting at Little Round Top.