Twentieth Maine

This is the monument to the 20th Maine volunteer Regiment.  This piece of land is a spur of Little Round Top stretching between that hill and Round Top.  It was the extreme left of the Union army.  This regiment, commanded by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, was the last regiment in line.  If the Rebels could take this position the whole Federal army would be at risk.  The men from Maine were attacked by elements of three different Confederate reginments and repeatedly beat them back.  As another assault was coming and his men nearly out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered his men to fix their bayonets, and charge.  The Rebels were nearly exhausted after a long march and repeated hard fights.  They must have been shocked to see an attack coming at them and they turned and ran.  Little Round Top was safe. 
Dad thinks that this battle was as close as the Rebels ever came to doing something on a battlefield that might have won the war.