Governor LePage to Participate in the 150th Commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg

Augusta, Maine - Governor Paul R. LePage will visit Pennsylvania Wednesday to participate in the 150th commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg, a decisive victory for the North that marked a turning point in the American Civil War. The ceremony will take place tomorrow evening on Little Round Top, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“I am proud to participate in the ceremony at Gettysburg that honors the sacrifice and gallantry of Maine soldiers, who played a crucial role over the three-day battle,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “Maine men were in the thick of the fighting each day. They fought and died in all the critical battles of Gettysburg, and their valiant efforts helped turn back a Confederate invasion of the North.”

The heroic action of the 20th Maine Volunteers during the battle for Little Round Top is one of Gettysburg’s most celebrated victories. Commanded by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, the 20th Maine fought back repeated assaults by Alabama regiments determined to break through Union defenses.

Exhausted and almost out of ammunition, the 20th Maine fixed bayonets and charged at the Confederate soldiers, who then surrendered. Had they broken through the Union line, it is possible the Southern army could have marched on Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

“The soldiers from Maine were told to hold the line at all costs, and they did,” said Governor LePage.

The Governor will join the Maine National Guard in a joint tour of the battlefield with the Alabama National Guard. He will deliver brief remarks as the Alabama and Maine National Guard stand together in honor of their fallen.