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Some of you may be surprised to learn that there was a third Chamberlain brother on Little Round Top. John Chamberlain had set out from Maine to pay a visit to his brothers in June. He secured a temporary assignment as an agent for the U.S. Christian Commission which enabled him to pass into the lines of the Army of the Potomac which was then on the northward march to Pennsylvania. He caught up with Joshua and Tom at Aldie, Virginia and rode on with them to Gettysburg, where he helped tend the wounded during the battle and for several days thereafter.
In the summer of 1864, the Chamberlain family back in Brewer received alarming word from Annapolis that Joshua, who had been severely wounded on July 18, had taken a turn for the worse. John was rushed to Annapolis, but by the time he got there, the crisis had passed. Here is John's brief report to the Adjutant General, who had helped facilitate his emergency trip.
Transcription of John Chamberlain's Letter
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