Charge!

“In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls… generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.” 
― Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

On July 2, 1863 Colonel Joshua Chamberlain found himself trapped between the proverbial rock and the hard place.  He and his Maine men were in the unfortunate position of being the last regiment on the left flank of a two mile long Union line of troops that barred the Confederacy from pursuing a course to Washington D.C., and perhaps, the end of the now two and a half year long Civil War.  Although he held the high ground, an extremely beneficial position in military stratagem, his men were nearly exhausted of both spirit and ammo after being attacked repeatedly by Southern troops for hours.  Chamberlain had been told emphatically by fellow officers that he could not retreat and must fight to the end, lest enemy troops flank the Union line and sweep away the troops like a strong tide, perhaps washing away any hopes of preserving the nation and ensuring freedom for those still in chains.  However, as he looked at his men, and then down the hill at the grey coats preparing another assault, he simply found himself out of options.  Should he sound the retreat and perhaps save the lives of his comrades in arms, one of which happened to be his younger brother?  Or should he order them to fight valiantly where they stood to the last man, a heroic, but in the end pointless, sacrifice?

In essence, the weight of a war fought to ensure that the lines "all men are created equal" truly applied to all men, and even the destiny of the entire nation first forged when the Founding Father's laid quill to paper to create the immortal Constitution, found itself squarely on Chamberlain's shoulders, and luckily for posterity, he did not flinch at the strain.

Rather than be overcome by the intensity of the moment or what seemed like inevitable defeat, Chamberlain did something bold and unexpected.  He sounded the call for his troops to fix bayonets, and then ordered a charge down the mountainside and into the enemy position.  Unheard of in terms of military tactics, his higher ranking officer's mouths must have been agape when he informed them of the plan.  Charge the enemy when they are seemingly infinite in number and when you hold the high ground?  Pure folly at worst, unusual at best.  But Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was not a "usual" soldier.

In fact, it was improbable that he ended up in the conflict at all, not to mention commanding troops at its epicenter.  He was not a fighting man, he was an academic.  He was a professor of rhetoric at esteemed Bowdoin University, and taught men how to be better communicators, not better killers.  Described as shy and reluctant by some, it was unfathomable--or as it turned out, providential--that he held a position of military leadership at all.  But Chamberlain held two hallmarks of character that made him the right person for the job at the right time: clarity of thought and empathy towards others.  He knew he could not retreat, but he also knew he must act.  Yet he also saw his men, the men he had marched with, bled with, and nearly died with, sweltering in the summer heat and frantically searching for cartridges in the belongings of their fallen comrades. So he availed himself of the only option left to him and boisterously yelled "charge" and began running down the steep mountainside with his troops, sword in hand.

Perhaps it was the fact that the enemy troops, exhausted themselves from the day's events, were taken completely off guard.  Or maybe it was the tenacity with which the Maine boys swept down the mountainside, wheeling from left  to right in order catch any Southern troops in the vicinity.  Whatever the case, the "Lion of Little Round Top" made a courageous decision when the fate of the entire nation was in the balance, and he ended up tipping the scales in favor of the Republic's preservation.  He would later receive the Medal of Honor, the highest award given to a soldier, and would go onto serve after the war's end as Governor of Maine and President of Bowdoin College

It is important to remember that tomorrow marks not only our nation's independence, but also the sesquicentennial of the end of the climactic Battle of Gettysburg.  There are so many stories of bravery and selflessness from both sides during the three day struggle that ultimately changed the course of history, but ever since I became fascinated with this event as a teenager, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain has been one of my personal heroes, not just because the part he played on the grand stage of our nation's history, or who he was as a person (both of which were admirable), but because in a moment of extreme chaos and calamity, he had the courage to act rather than be acted upon.

How many times in our life are we placed in a stressful situation and we simply sit around and wait for circumstances to get better?  I know it is a personal bad habit of mine to figuratively crawl into the fetal position and cut myself off from the world around me when faced with extreme challenges.  Like the frog in a pot of boiling water, I feel the temperature of life's turmoils increase, but rather than take action and escape, I grow comfortable with not taking action at all.  How much more healthy would it be if, rather than simply wait and let life act on me, or even worse, retreat from my problems completely, I followed Chamberlain's example and charged them head on?  Even more poignant, how much more of an impact could I have on the world around me if I wasn't afraid of what other's thought or whether and simply acted in the manner that was best?

I love history because, when taught well, it should be the most engaging of stories;  a tapestry woven with the actions of heroes and individuals that we can look at and learn from.  The actions of figures long left behind by the annals of time can be remembered, and as Chamberlain said, "their vision can pass into our souls."  So as you remember those who fought and who are currently fighting to preserve the pillars of liberty we as nation hold dear, remember not only what they did, but the lessons they were trying to teach us.  Like the lesson that an unassuming teacher from Maine taught 150 years ago: that sometimes when life seems like it is beating down furiously upon you, when you are being plagued by column after column of quandaries, sometimes you have to bravely take a step forward and charge into the fire in order to avoid getting burned.

Happy Day of Independence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(If you made it to the end of my bloviating, I commend you and I apologize for the many grammatical errors you were sure to have encountered.  In my defense, I am writing this at one in the morning and decided that I could not give my tired brain rest until I finished.  On the other hand, it is sad to think that a post dedicated to one of my heroes, who happened to be a professor of language, would be riddled with errors that would most likely make him cringe.  So if you are looking down from the great haven in the sky JCL, or if you are one of the 4 people that actually read this post, I am sorry!!!)