Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (September 8, 1828February 24, 1914), born as
Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, was an
American college
professor from the State of
Maine, who volunteered during the
American Civil War to join the
Union Army. He became a highly respected and decorated Union
officer, reaching the rank of
brigadier general (and
brevet major general). For his gallantry at
Gettysburg, he was awarded the
Medal of Honor. He was given the honor of commanding the Union troops at the surrender ceremony for the infantry of
Robert E. Lee's
Army at
Appomattox Court House, Virginia. After the war, he entered politics as a
Republican and served four one-year terms of office as the
32nd Governor of Maine. He served on the faculty, and as president, of his
alma mater,
Bowdoin College.