UnionMaine

20th Maine Infantry

Union · Formed 1862-08-29 · Mustered out 1865-07-04
Raised From
Maine
Initial Strength
386
Formed
1862-08-29
Mustered Out
1865-07-04

Service Summary

The 20th Maine Infantry was a Union regiment raised in Maine during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited from Maine. It mustered into service with an initial strength of approximately 386 soldiers. The regiment was formed on August 29, 1862. It was mustered out on July 4, 1865.

Key Engagements

Battles and campaigns in which the 20th Maine Infantry served. Linked entries open the engagement's full record.

Distinctive Record

Under Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the 20th Maine fixed bayonets and charged down Little Round Top on July 2, 1863 after exhausting their ammunition. The charge prevented the Confederate flanking of the entire Union line at Gettysburg.

Civil War context

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.

Source

Regimental data from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service (public domain). Reference: National Park Service.

Questions about this regiment

What was the 20th Maine Infantry?
The 20th Maine Infantry was a Union regiment raised in Maine during the American Civil War. It was formed on August 29, 1862.
Where was the 20th Maine Infantry raised?
The regiment was raised in Maine.
What battles did the 20th Maine Infantry fight in?
The 20th Maine Infantry saw action at Fredericksburg, Little Round Top (July 2, 1863), Wilderness, Petersburg (1864).
How large was the 20th Maine Infantry?
The regiment mustered in with an initial strength of approximately 386 soldiers.
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