To the Limits of the Soul's Ideal (original) (raw)
WAF:
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TO THE LIMITS OF THE SOUL'S IDEAL
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My Tribute to Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
" The inspiration of a noble cause involving human interest wide and far, enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before, and which they were not capable of alone. The consciousness of belonging, vitally, to something beyond individuality, of being part of a personality that reaches we know not where, in space and time, greatens the heart TO THE LIMITS OF THE SOUL'S IDEAL'.(1)
Recently, this site was re-reviewed by "Civil War Interactive", and was upgraded from 4 1/2 to 5 stars. I am deeply grateful to Mr. Joe Avalon, CWI's editor, for granting me this award!
Hello--my name is Pat Finnegan. (And yes--I AM A WOMAN.) And this is me, at one of my favorite places anywhere: the 20th Maine monument at Little Round Top, Gettysburg, PA. Welcome to my Web site, which is dedicated to my favorite Civil War figure--and a very great man: General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
One might say I came into a belated interest in the Civil War in general, and Chamberlain in particular. I'd never heard his name mentioned in any Civil War study I did in elementary or high school. But when I saw Ken Burns' landmark PBS series "The Civil War" in 1990, I heard Chamberlain's name mentioned for the first time. For some reason, the General's name stuck to me, and I thought, "What a remarkable man he was!" I read later that Mr. Burns is a huge admirer of Chamberlain himself--and he confirmed it, when I met him at Syracuse University, in the fall of 1995.
Some years passed, and Chamberlain's name faded into my memory. That is, until I met up again with an old friend in the spring of 1994, after some years apart. She was a true Civil War enthusiast--and a great fan of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. So much so, she couldn't stop talking about the man! She invited me on a weekend trip to Gettysburg, in May 1994--and the rest, as they say, is history. I visited the 20th Maine's position at Little Round Top, and was completely captivated by their story--and especially by their dashing commander. So much so that, I started to read everything I could find about Chamberlain. And the more I read, the more I was attracted to him. And not simply because he's a very good-looking man!
Since then, I've made several more trips to Gettysburg, and to Chamberlain's beloved home state of Maine, to learn more about this man, and what made him tick. At first, I thought he was too good to be true. But the more I read about him, the more fascinated by him I became: by his strong character, his courage and coolness under fire, and his willingness to stand up for what was right--even if it wasn't popular. Qualities that I feel, sad to say, are lacking in the world today.
When I 'found' the Internet in 1998, I discovered several Web sites about Chamberlain, created by different admirers--some of which can be seen on the Favorites page. The following year, during a long period of unemployment, I toyed with the idea of creating my own Chamberlain Web site. And with the encouragement of my sister and brother-in-law, along with several new friends who were also Chamberlain admirers, this site was born. Through it, I've 'met' so many wonderful people who share my admiration for Chamberlain, and who have also contributed to some of the pages below.
Turns out that many of my visitors are women--who, like me, have become members of Chamberlain's 'Devoted Band of Female Admirers'!
It's my hope and prayer, that all my visitors learn a bit more about the General, each time they visit.
The site is broken down as follows:
GENERAL BIOGRAPHY OF JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN:
**PREWAR LIFE: 1828 TO AUGUST 1862:Childhood and Early Youth Bowdoin College Student Road to the Civil War **CIVIL WAR PART ONE: ANTIETAM TO GETTYSBURG:Antietam Fredericksburg & Chancellorsville Commander of the 20th Maine Gettysburg**CIVIL WAR PART TWO: POST-GETTYSBURG TO THE GRAND REVIEWPost-GettysburgPetersburgLast Campaign: March-April 1865AppomattoxNEW PHOTO ADDED!The Grand Review, May 23, 1865**POSTWAR POLITICAL & ACADEMIC CAREER:Governor of MainePresident of Bowdoin CollegeThe Twelve Days
**FAMILY, BUSINESS AND LAST YEARS:Family LifeBusiness and Public Speaking CareerLast Years
JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN'S SUPERIOR & SUBORDINATE COMMANDERS
JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN'S DEATH
JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN'S FUNERAL
TWO FAVORITE HYMNS OF JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN
TWO SPEECHES BY JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN
SITE VISITORS' CONTRIBUTION PAGES:
AN HISTORIAN'S VIEW OF JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN
TWO MEMORIAL TRIBUTES TO JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN
VISITORS' PICTURES OF CHAMBERLAIN-RELATED SITES AT GETTYSBURG
VISITORS' PICTURES OF CHAMBERLAIN-RELATED SITES IN BRUNSWICK,MAINE
VISITORS' PICTURES OF THE CHAMBERLAIN FAMILY GRAVESITES IN BRUNSWICK, ME
VISITORS' PICTURES OF CHAMBERLAIN-RELATED SITES IN BREWER, MAINE
VISITORS' PICTURES OF CHAMBERLAIN-RELATED SITES IN AUGUSTA, ME
VISITORS' CHAMBERLAIN-RELATED BOOK REVIEWS
WHY PEOPLE ADMIRE JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN
A PERSONAL INSIGHT INTO PROFESSOR CHAMBERLAIN'S PHILOSOPHY
"THE BALLAD OF JOSHUA CHAMBERLAIN"
'CHAMBERLAIN DAYS, AUGUST 2003" BY BOBBY GRENIER
'WE ARE THE FLANK" AND 'CHAMBERLAIN' : TWO ORIGINAL POEMS
PAGES RELATING TO CHAMBERLAIN'S VISITS TO CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE:
JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN'S TIES TO CENTRAL NEW YORK
TRAVEL PAGE:
MY VISIT TO MAINE: MAY 11 - 15, 2002
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GENERAL PAGES:
PAT'S FAVORITE LINKSNEW LINK ADDED!
A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN BRIAN POHANKA
WHAT'S NEW:
I added a new photo to the "Appomattox" page. My friend Mindy Eckler sent me this one, from the 140th anniversary reenactiment at Appomattox, in April 2005. I've also added a link to "Joshua's Restaurant & Tavern", in Brunswick, ME, on the Favorites page.
I changed some wording here and there, on the home page and Favorites page.
There's another new tribute to the late Brian Pohanka -- a very touching one, sent by Mr. Howard Blanck.
I've drastically rewritten my own reviews to the Chamberlain-relatead novels on the book reviews page. I've added several excerpts from each of the novels, to give the visitor an example of each author's work.
It has also come to my attention that some of my site's text was plagiarized and posted on a 'research' site. While I am happy to assist visitors with any research requests they may have, visiting this site does NOT give anyone the right to copy the text and pass it off as their own work, or to post it on their own Web site. This I will not tolerate!
PLEASE SEE THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
I would also like to see more written and photographic contributions from site visitors--in the form of book reviews, photos, or descriptions of their own visits to Chamberlain-related sites in Maine, Gettysburg or Virginia. This is why the site is here: for fellow admirers to share their experiences, etc.. Please email them to me, and I will post them.
SOON TO COME:
I will be revising several pages in the biographical sections, particularly those dealing with Chamberlain's family life. Looking on them now, I see how much information I need to add, with the resources I have on hand. I am especially planning on adding some postwar letters Chamberlain wrote to friends and family members in the post-Civil War pages. These will be from the book "The Grand Old Man of Maine: Selected Letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: 1865 - 1914", edited by Jeremiah Goulka.
Future pages will be about Chamberlain's faithful war horse "Charlemagne", and an examination of the effects of the terrible wound Chamberlain suffered during the attack at Petersburg, VA, in June 1864.
Please note: Any information that is listed on all these pages is as accurate as possible; any errors are mine, and mine alone. If you have a question, please feel free to**contact me.Thanks for visiting my site!
THIS WEB SITE IS DEDICATED TO GENERAL CHAMBERLAIN,
AND TO THE MEMORY OF:
BRIAN C. POHANKA
Civil War Historian, Author, Reenactor -- and Great Champion for Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
March 20, 1955 - June 15, 2005
Photo taken at Gettysburg in 1995, byJeffrey Rodriguez -- and used with his most kind permission.
Special thanks to my dear friend Thomas Fleming, for reducing the image's size for me!
Do not use without Mr. Rodriguez's express written permission.
YOU ARE STILL VERY MUCH MISSED, BRIAN--
GONE, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN!
IN REMEMBRANCE
The poppy has been a sign of military remembrance since the Napoleonic Wars--and most especially since the First World War. So I think it's an appropriate way to commemorate Brian's life.
NOTE: This Web site is Copyright © 1999- 2006 Pat Finnegan All rights reserved.
DO NOT use any written material, or photographs, without first contacting me in writing. If you do not do this, be assured that legal action will be taken. Thank You!
THIS SITE WAS LAST UPDATED JANUARY 14, 2006