©Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain®

as portrayed by Joseph Topinka

Civil war reenactor for the N.B.C. Today show in August for the 140th reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg. Joseph portrayed Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin of the 20th Maine. Joseph explained to Reporter Kerry Sanders that "the Morale of the men was Great... The men are ready to fight... fight to the end..." as Joe and Kerry sat around a camp fire, and troops assembled to stage the battle of Gettysburg.
Reporter Kerry Sanders of N.B.C. TV was just back from Iraq, as a live battle reporter, and was imbedded with the U.S. Marine Corps ground assault, as Operation Iraqie Freedom was underway.
Kerry's next assignment in the U.S. was to portray an 1863 reporter, that was at the front lines of a civil war battle called Gettysburg.
140th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg;
There were 15,000+ reenactors on hand to stage the reenactment and 66,000 spectators for the 3 day event. The grandstands were brought in from the U.S. Olympics and were full of civil war fans.

facts about the 20th Maine in the civil war;
The 20th Maine was an extra unit of men from Maine. The state generated 19 units of men and when they filled up the ranks, the 20th was created. The men of the 20th were from all parts of Maine. The other units formed in Maine were regional units from isolated areas of the state. This is why, i believe, that the 20th Maine was superior to many other units in the civil war. The 20th had members with several ethnic backgrounds from many parts of the world and generated many idealisms in battle. Also another reason for the 20th Maine sucess is that 3 year veterans joined the ranks before Gettysburg. The veterans taught the newer recruits how to fight in battle and what to expect. In an era where entrenching was bad for morale

Joseph Topinka portraying Colonel Joshua Chamberlin, and N.B.C. News Reporter Kerry Sanders portraying an 1863 reporter, discuss battle strategy for the N.B.C.Today Show.

Joseph is very active in both the summer and winter months as a civil war Reenactor and Living Historian.
He is also a member of a Union artillery group and portrays both Union and Confederates, from Privates in the army, to Generals.
His scope in the civil war is to experience all branches of the serivice including, Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry, to have a total first hand, civil war experience.
In between Living History and Reenactment events, Joseph is busy studying the civil war and has found several notable historic events in history. One topic is that he found the last documented victim of the battle of Gettysburg, and it is now on file at the Gettysburg Military Park. Other presentations include honoring the oldest living daughter of a Union civil war veteran in Pennsylvania.
Joseph does not believe in Ghosts or orbs and etc. but has experienced several strange things while at Gettysburg. One experience was in the month of February a few years ago, he had a great urge to go to Gettysburg in the middle of February? why February?. So he went and then had to eat at the Pub Restaurant on the Square in town, i dont know why, i never had an interest before to go there in the least. When eating at the Pub things happened that i just wont repeat because its too foolish and i dont believe in that stuff. Later that nite in my motel room, i had a dream that the place was on fire. I heard fire engines running by the motel room and the sound woke me up. I told my wife that it was burning and she thought i was nuts. We went up to the square to eat at the Lincoln diner and the pub had really burned down. It was a civil war hospital.
One more strange story about Gettysburg... I had joined an Artillery Group to experience the guns firsthand. My friend Don Rauscher is in charge of the unit and we were walking towards the Pennsylvania monument and i asked him if he ever hear of the crazy story of a 3 year old child whos parents visited the monument and the kid got out of the car and ran up to the 32,500+ names on the monument and pointed to his relative on it. The child could not read yet. Don said YES that boy was me, how did you ever hear of the story? When the parents walked over to their son, they looked at the name and it was Rauscher, Dons Great Great Grandfather in the war. Plus the fact that the name was low enough on the monument for a child to reach is something else. Dons mother felt very ill and his parents would not return to Gettysburg.
Joseph is also accepting donations for a statue of Joshua Chamberlain that is being sculpted, and will be placed in the future, at Gettysburg. ^TM © ® phone 814-623-2240 for details on how you can help! This is long overdue for one of the most memorable men of the civil war. The statue will have Chamberlain in motion, with sword elevated, just as the charge was made to repulse the rebels at Little Round Top.
CHAMBERLIN'S PHOTO GALLERY CLICK HERE ®©^TM