Synopses & Reviews
Written by one of the Union armys most celebrated officers, The Passing of the Armies offers a remarkable first-hand account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac. In his gripping memoir, first published in 1915, General Joshua Lawrence
Synopsis
Written by one of the Union army’s most celebrated officers, The Passing of the Armies offers a remarkable first-hand account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac. In his gripping memoir, first published in 1915, General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain presents a highly literate, clear-eyed description of the momentous events that occurred during the last weeks of the American Civil War. Well-deserving of its place as a key document in American military history, and crafted with true literary skill, The Passing of the Armies is a must read for Civil War buffs and anyone interested in the history of warfare.
Synopsis
"He was as great a writer as he was a fighter." --Albert Castel, Civil War Times Illustrated. Written by one of the Civil War's most celebrated officers, a hero of Gettysburg, this classic book offers a remarkable first-hand account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac. This is one of the finest accounts of a campaign penned by a Federal soldier.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Maine college professor who entered the Union Army in 1862. He fought with the Twentieth Maine at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg at Little Round Top.
In the campaigns described here, Chamberlain commanded a brigade in the Fifth Corps in the Army of the Potomac during the final days of the war. His eyewitness account takes us past Lee's surrender to show the beginnings of Reconstruction.
About the Author
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828–1914) was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions at the battle of Gettysburg, where he commanded the 20th Maine. A professor at Bowdoin College, Chamberlain volunteered for service in the Union army in 1862 but declined the colonelcy of a regiment, “preferring to start a little lower and learn the business first.” Chamberlain also took part in many other important battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Petersburg, during which he received his fourth serious wound of the war. He later took part in the Appomattox Campaign, and commanded the troops that formally accepted the surrender of the Confederate army. Following his military service, he served as governor of Maine and president of Bowdoin College.