Life of Daniel Sickles
Life of Joshua Chamberlain
By Stephanie Eckert
How momentous were the roles of individual Union generals in the victory at Gettysburg and ultimately the defeat of the Confederate
army? Both General Chamberlain and General Sickles claim to have won the crucial battle of Gettysburg for the Union army, and
consequently the Civil War itself. The public immediately praised Chamberlain as a hero for his unhesitating courage and innovation on
the battlefield, but scorned Sickles for disobeying military orders. Sickles fought persistently against criticisms of what he called heroism.
But who was the real savior of the Union? Whose decision had the most impact, and who merits recognition as the greatest hero of
Gettysburg? I will investigate the lives of these men to determine what makes a true “hero.”
Portrait of the young Sickles in the prime of his military and political
career from the Library of Congress
Daniel Sickles was born on October 20, 1819 in New York.
His father George was a Democratic lawyer and politician
actively connected with the South and a supporter of
Southern principles. Professor Lorenzo Da Ponte, the first
professor of Italian at Columbia who led a dazzling life,
became Sickles’ mentor. His relationship with the Da
Pontes cultivated his for theater and opera, as well as his
devoted concern with politics. Sickles led a scandalous life,
and frequently engaged with prostitutes.
Portrait of General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain from
the Library of Congress.
The battlefield as Sickles arrived at
Gettysburg on July 2, 1963 boded
uncertainty. He disputed the position that
Meade had recommended for his men, as he
had taken note of the high ground of
Emmitsburg Road and saw advantages in
placing his regiment at the Peach Orchard.
Sickles, without orders from Meade, moved
his men and left the left of the Union line
exposed—one impulsive decision no one
would forget. Sickles’ men faced a brutal
onslaught from the Confederate army, and
were unable to hold the position.
“I took it on my own responsibility… I took
up that line because it enabled me to hold
commanding ground, which, if the enemy
had been allowed to take—as they would
have taken it if I had not occupied it in
force—would have rendered our position on
the left untenable.”
Not far across the battlefield, General
Chamberlain and the Twentieth Maine were
stationed at Little Round Top. The first few
hours of the second day of battle ran the
men out of ammunition, and left a third
dead or wounded. The enemy had begun to
regroup, and in a moment of stunning
decisiveness, he ordered that his men
charge with bayonets—and they secured
the sacred hill.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s father was a farmer and raised
him out in field. He often pushed Joshua to his limits and
taught him the importance of duty and honorable work.
Chamberlain suffered from a lack of confidence accompanied
by a speech impediment, and spent much time alone. He
attended Bowdoin College, where he was very devoted to his
studies. He fell in love with Fanny Adams, the minister
daughter of the school’s daughter and desired to commit
himself to one woman eternally.
“It was imperative to strike before we were
stuck… At that crisis I ordered the
bayonet.”
The Gettysburg Battlefield on the Third Day.
Brown, L. Howell. Map of the battle-field of Gettysburg with position of troops July 2nd 1863.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891. Found on Baylor, The War of the Rebellion
Atlas.
“Bayonets Playing Cards Joshua
Chamberlain Civil War New” on ebay.
Picture from Harper’s Weekly newspaper of Daniel Sickles murdering Francis
Scott Key, son of Philip Barton Key, who was having an affair with his wife
Teresa.
“Homicide of P Barton Key, Daniel Sickles, Washington,1859” on ebay.
2pm – Sickles moves his Third
Corps men to the peach orchard
3:45pm – Meade realizes the
change in Sickles’ position and
artillery fire begins in the peach
orchard
4:00pm—Hood’s division
attacks Little Round Top
5:30pm – Confederate
army captures the peach
orchard
5:30pm – Chamberlain
orders bayonet charge
Chamberlain Figurine
“Union Col. Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain Britains #17925” on ebay
These popular toy items based on Chamberlain illustrate his
fame and reputation among the public as a hero.
Historians think…
Scholars define Sickles as a scoundrel. Historian Thomas
Keneally argues that Sickles’ move at Gettysburg was made
in the aftershock of the battle of Chancellorsville, where
the Confederate army slaughtered Union men from a
position similar to that of the Peach Orchard. Coddington
and Trudeau, however, believe there was a hidden agenda
behind Sickles’ disobedience at Gettysburg—Coddington
suggests that he sought to expose Meade as a poor military
leader, due to his personal issues with the general. Trudeau
along the same vein argues that he risked the fate of an
entire army in order to secure himself a seat in the White
House.
Historians think…
Chamberlain’s career was characterized by his chivalry. His
thought was centered on the Transcendentalist and European
Romantic movements that glorified nature, chivalry, the
individual, and bravery. He saw the war as his gateway to selfdiscovery, an honorable crusade. His romantic focus led him to
embody the ideal of the Weber leadership typology of
charismatic authority, as he inspired loyalty and bravery in his
men.
Sickles seems to fit the Big Five personality trait of neuroticism.
The angry temperament and paranoia he expressed at the battle
of Gettysburg led him to make a poor decision.
Obituary of Joshua Chamberlain from Library of Congress
Chronicling America newspaper website
“1903117wr American Civil War General Daniel Sickles dead
May 4, 1914 newspaper” on ebay
Monument to Sickles at the
location of his wounding
Monument to Third Corps
Monument to Third Corps
These monuments at Gettysburg Military Park are all dedicated to
Sickles or the Third Corps. Interesting, because Sickles funded the
construction of the park and has various monuments in it. All of these
photos are by RunnerJenny on flickr.
Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day (Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press, 1987), 93, 95, 102.
Daniel Sickles in Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day (Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 1987), 103.
Thomas A. Desjardin, These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped
American Memory, (Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2003), 128; Pfanz, Gettysburg:
The Second Day (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987), 234.
Joshua Chamberlain in Oliver W. Norton, The Attack and Defense of Little
Round Top, (New York: Neale Publishing Company, 1913), 214.
Thomas Keneally, American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General
Dan Sickles, (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 3-4, 7.
Glenn W. LaFantasie, Gettysburg Heroes: Perfect Soldiers, Hallowed Ground
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008), 50, 52, 56.
Thomas Keneally, American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General
Dan Sickles (New York: Doubleday, 2002), 277, 279.
Edwin B. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command (New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968), 346-348.
Noah A. Trudeau, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, (New York: Harper Collins,
2002), 367.
Glenn W. LaFantasie, Gettysburg Heroes: Perfect Soldiers, Hallowed Ground
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008), 63, 88; Bruce Catton,
Gettysburg: The Final Fury, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday 1974), 41; Jeffrey
Denman, "What really happened on Little Round Top?," Civil War Times 44,
no. 3: 34-40 (Military & Government Collection, 2005), EBSCOhost
(accessed February 29, 2012); Max Weber, Max Weber: Essays in Sociology,
Edited by Hans Gerth and Charles Mills (Psychology Press, 1991), 52.
Thomas A. Desjardin, These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped
American Memory, (Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2003), 128.
In Conclusion…
But who was the real savior of the Union? Whose decision had
the most impact, and who merits recognition as the greatest hero
of Gettysburg? Ultimately, however advantageous the Peach
Orchard could have been, Sickles did not have the manpower to
utilize it successfully. He was first and foremost a politician,
seeking his own ends. Chamberlain, however, was not a selfseeker. In the face of disaster he was able to collect himself and
make a confident decision, shock the enemy, and protect the left
that Sickles had endangered. Chamberlain was able to maintain
the image of himself that he wanted the public to see
successfully, while Sickles by no means garnered the praise and
recognition that Chamberlain did.
My research has revealed that these men’s actions on the
battlefield were tightly interwoven; therefore, neither of them
single-handed won the battle. My research question thus boils
down to who had the most influence—whether Sickles’ men
deflected a deadly Confederate attack or impeded Union victory,
a question to which there is no certain answer. The conclusion I
am able to draw is this—that both men were great leaders, and
heroes in their own rite
Many believe Little Round Top to have been the most crucial
point in the battle of Gettysburg. Historian Catton argues that
if Hood had taken this essential point, the Union line on
Cemetery Ridge would have been hopeless and the
Confederates would have won the battle. According to
LaFantasie, however, “…the Chamberlain we have come to
know is, in a sense, the same man Chamberlain saw in the
mirror every morning.” According to Denman, Chamberlain
exaggerated in his after-action reports, the creation dates of
which are questionable at best.
“Just here a nation torn
asunder by civil war
would persevere or
perish, and it was all in
his hands.”
Monument to the 20th Maine at Gettysburg.
By BattlefieldPortraits.com on Flickr.