Episode Details

Ronald White, guest author, describes how, returning home as a hero, Chamberlain overcame a stutter to become one of the nation's most eloquent orators, focusing on the themes of national reconciliation. He was drafted by the Republican Party and served four one-year terms as Governor of Maine, where he championed economic reconstruction, railroads, and the founding of an agricultural college. However, his public success hid a private agony caused by his unhealed Petersburg wound, which forced him to work while lying down or with his legs extended. This physical toll and his long absences in Augusta strained his marriage to Fanny, who may not have fully grasped the depth of his suffering. Despite his prominence and the respect of political giants like James G. Blaine, his integrity and refusal to self-promote likely prevented him from pursuing national office, leaving him to serve his state in persistent pain. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (5)
1879 AUGUSTA