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Why Is Little Round Top Important

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The Civil War was the bloodiest battle on American soil, killing around 600,000 men on both sides. With so many deaths, individuals have been recognized as heroes or villains. One of the heroes of the Civil War was Joshua Chamberlain, a brigadier general who helped the Union win the Battle of Gettysburg. He lead the 20th Maine Regiment on a bayonet charge down Little Round Top, forcing John Bell Hood and his Confederate army to retreat. Their charge had the Union successfully defend the crucial Little Round Top. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828, in Brewer Maine, the oldest of five children. His parents, Joshua and Sarah Chamberlain, named him after Commodore James Lawrence, who was famous for the words, “Don’t give up the ship!” His …show more content…

Strategically, Little Round Top was the key to the battle, and was almost lost due to the poor command of Major Dan Sickles. Sickles moved his Union III Corps three-quarters of a mile ahead of the Union line, to take up position in a wheatfield, a peach orchard, and around a tumbled mass of boulders, called Devil’s Den. This quick decision did not prove effective because it left the round tops open to enemy attack. As Sickles was holding off the Confederates, Governor K. Warren spotted the Confederate soldiers attempting to flank the Union, in order to conquer Little Round Top. He sent word for reinforcements, and was answered first by Colonel Strong Vincent with the 1st division of the V Corps. Other regiments including the 83rd Pennsylvania, 44th New York, 16th Michigan, and the 20th Maine helped defend Little Round Top (Civil War Trust). Vincent’s men took position on the far side of the hill’s top, along a ledge. Fifteen minutes after the Union arrived, the Alabama and Texas troops arrived at Little Round Top and the battle commenced (Little Round

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