In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War by Alice Rains Trulock

In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War Reviews

• 
  Bob

  If you have seen Gettysburg or otherwise are a Civil War buff, you know right away who Joshua Chamberlain is. A strong argument could be made that his (and the 20th Maine's) stand on Little Round Top on the second day at Gettysburg was the turning point in the battle, and perhaps the Civil War. {Actually stand is not accurate--out of ammunition, he led a bayonet charge of his troops that overwhelmed the opposing Confederate line.)
  
  Trulock's biography fleshes out this unlikely hero--a college professor who ends up a brevet Major General by war's end. We follow him through the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg (where he is badly wounded in the abdomen) through to the final battles, in which he once again plays a decisive role. What is fascinating (and similar in many ways to Stonewall Jackson, and so many others) is his fearlessness in battle nourished by a belief in Providence--that his life--and death--is in the hands of God (hence the book's title.
  
  The biography gives a moving account of the Confederate surrender ceremonies organized by Chamberlain, in which Confederate soldiers laid down their arms without laying down their dignity. Chamberlain treated them as fellow brothers at arms, not evil and inferior enemies. Sadly this conviction hindered him at times from seeing that the South would not always act honorably in the matter of Reconstruction. But Chamberlain went on to a distinguished career as four-time governor of main, innovative college president of Bowdoin College, his alma mater, and businessman.
  
  But the Civil War forever changed his life. Not only was he often called on as a speaker at many veterans events and remembrances. He also lived in pain from his wounds for the rest of a long life. Trulock does not go into detail but one wonders if he was rendered impotent. At one point the couple nearly divorced, and no more children were born. The wounds were a source of recurring infections, from which he finally died fifty years later.
  
  The book is a mix of good historiography, and narrative skill, which sometimes lapses into hagiography. Perhaps it is difficult not to, given the courage and character of Chamberlain.
• 
  Steven Z.

  Recently my daughter earned a position a position at Bowdoin College and when I visited the campus I was struck by the statue of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, an individual who I was familiar with but had not read much about. A week before visiting the Bowdoin campus my wife and I celebrated our anniversary traveling up and down the Maine coast, and for those who know me, they could predict I would find a few books, and in this case they were two biographies of Chamberlain, one of which was Alice Rains Trulock’s IN THE HANDS OF PROVIDENCE: JOSHUA L. CHAMBERLAIN AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, the subject of this review. I knew in advance that Chamberlain’s life story was remarkable, and perhaps, the book should have been titled, “The Professor turned General.” In any case students of the Civil War should become familiar with his exploits; a hero at Gettysburg, a hero during the run up to the siege of Petersburg, a hero at the final battle of the war that led to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox; achieving the rank of major-general, and having his horse shot out from under him six times. His amazing career also included a professorship and presidency of Bowdoin College, and a four term governorship of the state of Maine. There is no question that Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain deserves a full length biography depicting his many exploits and accomplishments, but I must ask, has Alice Rains Trulock done Chamberlain’s life justice? Trulock has written a comprehensive biography, but it lacks the incisive analysis that a major work of historical biography calls for. Trulock spends two-thirds of the book detailing Chamberlain’s role in the Civil War and the remaining third on his pre and post-war career. I wonder whether the book is an improvement over Willard M. Wallace’s biography, SOUL OF THE LION, written over thirty years earlier.
  
  To Trulock’s credit she mines the documents carefully and does an exceptional job integrating Chamberlain’s own writings throughout the narrative. Her discussion of the attack and eventual siege of Petersburg and Chamberlain’s role in planning and carrying out orders is perhaps the author’s best section of the book, surpassing her very solid description of the Battle of Gettysburg. Her blend of the course of the many battles she describes, as well as her human interest approach provides the reader with the feel that they were riding along side Chamberlain as he was constantly under fire and repeatedly wounded. The major drawback to the narrative is the paucity of analysis, something that is not expected from a work of this type. Her approach is as a reporter and less so a historian. Her observations of Chamberlain’s bravery and the respect that the troops had for him is well and good, but beyond this and intricate details of a myriad of battles, I expected further discussion of the whys and wherefores of decision making and the historical significance of what transpired.
  
  Trulock’s political observations are more interesting than her military ones. Her discussion of the Election of 1864 that saw President Lincoln defeat General George McClellan was astute. Arguing that it “was one of the most important victories of the war” for union forces, it belied the myth of McClellan’s popularity with the troops as Lincoln garnered a 3-1 advantage among the military. (221) The author also does a credible job as she portrays the important commanders during the war. In particular, her description of the self-serving Philip Sheridan, by providing examples of his egotistical nature is well put. I also enjoyed her discussion of the soldiers and the cross they had to bear. Her short biography of Sgt. Patrick DeLacey and his interaction with Chamberlain is poignant and reflects the raw courage of the men who fought for the union.
  
  Aside from matters relating to the Civil War the reader is exposed to Chamberlain’s early years in Brewer, ME, his staunch moralism, and his early years at Bowdoin. After the war the narrative concentrates on Chamberlain’s presidency of Bowdoin, his governorship, military reunions, business ventures, his health, and family issues. An example of the analysis that may be missing is seen with the ruckus over the mandatory military drilling that Chamberlain called for at Bowdoin. When students opposed the order and rebelled, he suspended the entire student body as his solution for the “drill rebellion.” Trulock could have related this episode to Chamberlain’s own suspension from college when he thought his stand was a matter of honor to defend his beliefs, but she does not. Further, she does not really address why Chamberlain was able to be such a success in the military arts with little combat training. Perhaps it was the discipline he forged during his earlier life.
  
  Overall, despite its flaws, Trulock’s biography is comprehensive and is a useful addition to any Civil War library. There are areas that should have been addressed, perhaps greater clarity of the “fog of war,” but to her credit she does address his depression, physical issues related to the war (he was wounded “by shot and shell” six times), and alludes to a probable case of PTSD from his wartime experiences. One wonders how he accomplished so much as he had to deal with so many personal issues. It reaffirms that Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is a worthy subject, and those with an interest in the topics that encompass his life might want to pursue Trulock’s biography.
  
• 
  Donna Davis

  Well researched and written. Recommended to Civil War buffs.
• 
  Stephanie Weisgerber

  I had never even heard of Joshua Chamberlain. An old teacher of mine told me he was a personal hero of his, so I read this book about his life. He was truly an exceptional man. At his funeral it was said they there was a fabric to his thoughts, a color to his soul, that blended a particular mix of integrity and manliness not often seen. I think that sums him up very well. He was an English professor who volunteered to join the Union Army during the Civil War. He won the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership during the battle of Gettysburg. He rose to become an officer and then brigadier general. Twice he evaded capture by the confederates through his quick thinking and mastery of accents, pretending to be one of their sergeants…and faking a southern accent and drawl. I found his life to be very tough yet Inspiring. The essence of real manhood.
• 
  Drew Norwood

  4.5 stars for the biography; a full 5 stars for the life of Joshua L. Chamberlain. What an exemplary life. A bonafide national hero. He was, in Trulock’s words, “a true hero in the romantic and classical tradition,” and in the Christian tradition.
• 
  Kathi

  After Killer Angels became a best seller in 1993—almost 20 years after it was published—a rather unsung hero of the Civil War emerged for the 20th century and beyond: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the beloved Maine professor turned inspirational Union general.
  
  Perhaps Alice Rains Trulock began researching information about Chamberlain back in the 1970s, since it could well have taken her twenty years to gather all the letters, documents, papers, news releases, and more that she needed to publish, in 1992, what has become the definitive biography of this heroic human being.
  
  I looked for a biography of Chamberlain after I read Angels because I wanted to know more about him. Although Trulock’s work included many, many (!) more statistics than I needed to know about each of the battles in which Chamberlain participated and that he led throughout the Civil War, she also narrated an equal number of detailed examples and colorful vignettes to vividly paint an extremely good man, who again and again put others before himself to do what was right.
  
  Many of his famous decisions contained kernels of wisdom that matured from a lifetime of concern for others. His heroic charge on Little Round Top arguably changed the course of the Civil War. At Appomattox when the treaty was signed, it was Chamberlain’s leadership and his brigade’s silent salute to the Confederates that began to restore dignity to the vanquished South.
  
  Trulock also lets us know Chamberlain through his own words that permit his thoughts and ideals to speak for themselves. We learn that he was not a born leader—in fact, he stuttered throughout his early life into his college years—but became one by taking courageous, difficult actions again and again. He wasn’t perfect, of course—as Trulock states simply and sweetly in her introduction—but his strong Christian beliefs helped him to rise about his shortcomings and difficulties to become a man of honor and excellence.
  
  Chamberlain endured great physical suffering for the rest of his life from wounds that were almost fatal, and yet served his college, his state, and his country for almost fifty years after the war ended. He taught every subject except math and science at Bowdoin College before, during, and after he was its president, and mastered nine languages other than English. He was elected four times as governor of his beloved Maine.
  
  As wonderful a researcher as Trulock was, her writing style in the first few chapters made me check the copyright date—it was unpleasantly “old-fashioned” to me. Either I gradually embraced her style or she modernized her writing as her characters matured, because by the time Trulock was narrating Chamberlain’s heroism during the Battle of Little Round Top—for which he received a Medal of Honor—I had forgotten any of Trulock’s perceived shortcomings, and was focusing on the hero that Chamberlain had become.
  
  So, another American hero has entered my lexicon—Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. We owe a debt of gratitude to Michael Shaara for reintroducing him to Americans, and to Alice Raines Trulock for the biography he deserves.
  
  
  P.S. Although Trulock never truly admits it, Chamberlain had, in my opinion, a less than happy marriage with his true love, Fanny Adams. Although they were married for almost 50 years, many of Fanny’s actions over the decades hinted that she did not celebrate the belief that her husband was a wonderful hero, and appeared not to return his love as he might have deserved.
  
  Although this seems a sad fact, Trulock does narrate familial sweetness that Chamberlain knew with his daughter Grace and her family. Through their letters and deeds, we learn that Grace valued her father greatly; his granddaughters were joyful lights in his later years.
  
• 
  Sherrie House

  Not a bad biography, going from what was known at the time. She's a bit over-the-top with her hero worship, even for me (and I've been referred to as "High Priestess of the Church of Saint Josh"!) Her treatment of his wife is...well, less than generous. Still, it's on my shelf and I still pick it up from time to time.
• 
  Blake

  An inspirational life of someone who seemed fairly ordinary, but had significant leadership ability, courage, competence, work ethic, and some luck.
• 
  Jake

  This was the first nonfiction work about Joshua L. Chamberlain that I read. I was pretty drunk on the Chamberlain kool-aid at this point. The biography didn't bring me back down off my high, but it got me closer.
  
  As with several other reviews, I feel duty-bound to plug the book
  Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine. That is the book to read if you're are a fan of Chamberlain's now mythologized contribution to the Battle of Gettysburg. However, I'm not knocking this biography. I really enjoyed it, and recommend it for those wanting to get to know Chamberlain.
• 
  Gregory J Wolfe

  Combined bio and military history
  
  One of the most enjoyable reads I have had I quite some time. Most people would likely enjoy at least a portion of the book. The story of a great man from the simple parts of life to many of the details of his military service. There are stories of childhood and romance of the 1800s and his early life to details of Civil War military conflicts. The later chapters then read much like a biography of many who have acc ok polished so much their lives are worth writing about. My favorite parts were the great writings and speeches of Chamberlain himself.
• 
  Daniel Ziegelbauer

  Definitely a book I found hard to put down and even more difficult to have end. Possibly the most definitive work on Joshua chamberlain if not the most informative and entertaining next to his own memoir. A definite must read for any civil war follower but more importantly for anyone who wishes to learn about a great human character and natural leader worthy to emulate as a design of providence itself.
• 
  Sarah

  A well written biography of a worthy subject. It's more comprehensive when it comes to Chamberlain's Civil War service; his post war life only takes up a few chapters, even though he lived another half century after. I would have appreciated a bit more about his time as Governor of Maine and his post-war tenure at Bowdoin, but otherwise a good book.
  
  I particularly appreciated that the author quoted heavily from Chamberlain's own writings as it helped give a real sense of the man.
• 
  Missty

  Very enjoyable! I recently finished Rebel Yell and the Yankee Hurrah: The Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer by Ruth L. Silliker, which provides an enlisted man's perspective on many of the same battles and events covered by this text. I recommend pairing the texts for a broader view of the topic.
• 
  Sarah

  Read this way back in my initial 'Chamberlain is God' phase, and it's probably the best biography of him to date. Easy to read and good, good stuff. What a great man...
• 
  Jessica Jewett

  A credible biography but Trulock feeds into the ivory tower complex. She does, however, cover the action and wounding at Petersburg very well.
• 
  Rich

  Interesting and filled with details, but more of a hagiography than a biography.
• 
  Gilda Felt

  I was somewhat surprised that Chamberlain’s life before the war is covered quite a bit more than I expected. We’re given a look at a gentle soul, and then a gentleman, as his courtship of Fannie Adams, his future wife, attested. Yet his sense of honor and love of country would propel him away from his family and to a destiny that none could have prophesied of an academic. It would not take long for him to come to love his new life.
  
  I appreciated that, while Chamberlain’s time during the early years of the war weren’t glossed over, neither is the reader given a blow-by-blow account of each battle. We learn what we need to know, as battles are fought and commanders come and go: McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade. Then there was Gettysburg and Little Round Top and everything would change. Chamberlain’s role in that battle would be decisive, as a loss there would have been devastating for the Union. After the war, he would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions there.
  
  After Gettysburg he was given permanent command of the 3rd Brigade, but an attack of malaria would have him sent to D.C. and then home to recuperate. During his time away, a new commander-in-chief of the Union Army would be named: Ulysses S. Grant.
  
  The war would go on, and Chamberlain would be wounded at the battle of Petersburg. For his leadership and gallantry there, he would be given a battlefield promotion to brigadier general by Grant, and then to Major general at the Battle of the Quaker and White Oaks Roads.
  
  Because of his outstanding soldiering at Appomattox, he would be chosen by Grant to command the surrender ceremonies of the infantry of the Army of North Virginia.
  
  Chamberlain’s life after the war is, unfortunately, pretty glossed over, even though he would serve four one-year terms as governor of Maine and that his marriage would almost end in divorce. Of course, one does understand that will be the case from the title. One does get the impression, though, that, with age, he would lose much of his progressive leanings.
  
  On February 24th, 1914, nearly fifty years after the minié ball tore through Chamberlain at the battle of Petersburg, the culminated affects of it would finally kill him.
• 
  Alex

  'In the Hands of Providence,' a biography of one of the finest officers and best people the U.S. has ever produced, is competently written and fascinating from start to finish. I recommend reading this book, with its associated maps, over listening to the audio version. I listened to the audio and, while narrator Grover Gardner does a fine job, I'd have benefited from being able to reference maps of the Civil War battles in which the book's subject, Joshua Chamberlain, participated.
  
  I have a problem with the book, one that keeps me from giving it more than three stars. While author Alice Rains Trulock introduces Chamberlain well enough and delivers an excellent Civil War biography, she gives relatively short shrift to Chamberlain's long and distinguished postwar career. I'd have loved to learn more about the near-civil-war the man defused in Maine. I'd have loved to learn about the late-19th-century Florida land speculation in which Chamberlain engaged. I'd have loved to learn more about Bowdoin College, about Maine politics, about all the stories I imagine Trulock left behind in an earlier draft of the book, after her publisher told her Civil War buffs cared only about the Civil War.
  
  Still, if you're interested in the Hero of Little Round Top, the President of Bowdoin College, the Governor of Maine, the Medal of Honor Recipient, the Devout Christian, and the All-Around Great Guy Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, this is the book for you. I recommend it to history buffs, Civil War buffs, and Jeff Daniels fans.
• 
  Jim

  A look at Civil War hero and Maine native Joshua Chamberlain. Civil War readers will recognize him as the commander of the famed 20th Maine infantry, which participated in several major battles, including a pivotal engagement at Gettysburg which could have turned the course of the battle and potentially history itself had his unit not held the line when it did. Interspersed with Chamberlain's own words in the the form of written correspondence during and after the war, the book gives a glimpse into his thoughts and feelings at important times throughout his life, particularly during the war. At almost 600 pages, this is a moderately-long book, but it didn't seem that long for two reasons. One, it flowed smoothly through the subject's early life and pre-Civil War days to his service during the war to his life in academia and public service in later life. In fact, it seemed at times to just gloss over the pre-and-post war periods despite adequate coverage of each. I suppose it's a case of Chamberlain's military exploits being more interesting and noteworthy to the average history buff than the rest of his life, despite his later years as Governor of Maine and President of Bowdoin College, to name a couple of interesting periods. His was an interesting life, and its well worth the read.
• 
  Jeff Koch

  Chamberlain's life was characterized by unflagging courage and consistent care for his men, his wife, his family, and all those who were entrusted to his care. His career as an officer in the Union army was marked by an unyielding trust in the Sovereignty of God as relates to his own mortality; this compelled him to lead his men into the heart of battle time and time again. Wounded several times, Chamberlain continued to return to battle as soon as his recovery made it possible, eager to do not just his duty, but called by God to fight for a cause for which he would gladly give his life. Two stories I found especially entertaining were the accounts of Chamberlain extending himself beyond his own forces, yet in the face of capture by the CSA, eluded them by pulling up his faded blue union coat, (which could be mistaken as gray) and imitating a Confederate Officer--once even to the capture of the very CSA soldiers themselves. Chamberlain's is an inspiring story, worthy of retelling subsequent generations who aspire to possess honor, responsibility, faithfulness, love, and courage.
• 
  Ann Otto

  I recently re-read Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels and watched Gettysburg, the film based on the novel. I was moved by Jeff Daniels' portrayal of Joshua Chamberlain and wanted to know more about Chamberlain's life after the war. Trulock's narrative nonfiction is well researched and easy to follow. Included are many direct passages from Chamberlain's writings and photos of the main characters on both sides of the battles during the Civil War. Many feel that Chamberlain is due much more credit than he has been given for his acts in the war. His four years as Governor of Main, later Presidency of Bowdoin College and many business dealings later in his life completed the history.
• 
  Eric Basford

  Reading this has brought me immense pride in my state and our people, as Joshua Chamberlain was truly the avatar of our great Maine spirit.
  
  The book was a compelling read, with battle details and poetic flourish throughout. In parts it does become mired in the names, ranks, and maneuvers of soldiers in battle. While the author may have felt these necessary for ties to be a complete history of these barriers, they distracted somewhat from the focus in our hero.
  
  Overall, one of the most inspirational histories I have read! And to think this man of heroism and chivalry graced the waterfront of Portland a mere 90 years before I lived along the same shore.
• 
  Tim Armstrong

  This was a fantastic biography on Joshua Chamberlain. I found the book very interesting and I think the author did a very good job in presenting Chamberlain's life. The focus of this book was Chamberlain's Civil War service and the author does a great job of focusing on his entire military career and not just Gettysburg. There was also good information on his life before and after the war. Overall a book I enjoyed quite a bit. It was exactly what I was looking for in a Chamberlain biography.
• 
  Andrew

  This is a fine biography, looking favorably about General Joshua Chamberlain. Don't expect it to offer criticism, take consideration of Ellis Spear and others who wrote contrary accounts of the famed bayonet charge on Little Round Top at Gettysburg, nor will you find much analysis of his political involvement (four terms as Maine's governor) and his political thought.
  
  That all said, this is a well written and we'll researched book into someone who lived a pretty incredible life.