Chamberlain Avenue

Chamberlain Avenue. . The concrete sidewalk in front of you follows the original alignment of Chamberlain Avenue. Named in honor of Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, it passes around Vincent's Spur where on July 2, 1863 the men of the 20th Maine Infantry fought a desperate battle against the 15th and 47th Alabama., The road was completed in 1897 by the United States War Department. By the dawn of the twentieth century, Civil War veterans were rapidly aging and unable to explore the battlefield as they once did. Avenues like this one allowed easy access to important spots within the battlefield park., Chamberlain Avenue was constructed using the Telford system. Large stones composed the base, topped with smaller stones and clay. This created a stable, smooth, and relatively dust-free riding surface. So well-built were these Telford Roads that their foundation still remains beneath the surface., "To our minds, the work we are placed here to do is not ephemeral. We are building for the ages to come, a monument for the instruction of the people and the glory of the Republic. In this, haste may be a desirable thing, but the essentials are, excellence, completeness and permanence."John P. Nicholson, Widam M. Robbins, and Charles A. Richardson , Gettysburg National Park Commission, U.S. War Department, (caption) Photographer William Tipton took this 1902 image of the completed Chamberlain Avenue. Note the monument to the 20th Maine on the slope to your left front.