Soul Of The Lion: A Biography Of General Joshua L. Chamberlain

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a born soldier but he planned to be a missionary. A graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary, he was an instructor at Bowdoin in College when the Civil War broke out and he discovered his true vocation. His military career was one of exceptional gallantry. He was an officer always in the thick of battle. Fourteen horses were shot under him, and finally he was terribly wounded, yet recovered to fight in the closing campaign of the war. He was designated to receive the surrender of the Confederate infantry after the Appomattox meeting of Grant and Lee, and he played the role with magnanimity.

Chamberlain's peacetime career was no less notable. Four times he was elected Governor of the State of Maine, and later became president of Bowdoin College. In 1880 Chamberlain, unarmed and alone, faced down a mob that threatened to kill him. With magnificent courage, he said: "I am here to see that the laws of this state are put into effect....If anybody wants to kill me for it, here I am." Willard Wallace has told with sympathy, insight and understanding, the life story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.