Army Life: A History of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment by Theodore Gerrish

Although there are brief, scattered accounts written by other veterans of the unit's wartime activities, Army Life: A History of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment remains the only full-length book, purposely published by a veteran of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment. One of the most famous regiments of the Civil War was the Twentieth Regiment of Maine Volunteers. Formed in 1862, the regiment saw action in some of the fiercest campaigns & battles of the war; Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg, Five Forks & Appomattox, where it had the distinct honor of being one of the regiments to receive the surrender of the Confederate Army. Originally commanded by Colonel Adelbert Ames, leadership of the regiment soon fell upon the shoulders of the most famous civilian soldier of the war - Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. At Gettysburg, Chamberlain & the 20th Maine anchored the Union line on Little Round Top, the day, possibly the battle, for the Federal cause. The regiment fought with excellence in several later campaigns, but will always be known for its brilliant and heroic performance at Gettysburg. After the war only one veteran of the unit attempted to chronicle the exploits of the 20th Maine Infantry. The first edition of Theodore Gerrish book was published in 1882.