The leather boots and horse saddle that Brewer native Joshua Chamberlain used while leading Union Army soldiers to victory during the Battle of Gettysburg are showing their age.
Those artifacts are now the most prized items on display at a museum set up in Chamberlain’s former home in Brunswick, but the saddle is dried out, to the point that it could break apart at the lightest touch, according to Troy Ancona, who manages the site.
The saddle, along with the blanket that went under it on Chamberlain’s horse Charlemagne, are in need of cleaning. Stitching is coming undone on the blanket. The boots require more inspection to determine their condition.
And all of the items require better display cases. The current ones are handmade, with the boots propped up by doll stands, and the saddle exposed to accumulating dust. They’ve been like this for the 25 years Ancona has worked at the museum.
“History is so fleeting,” Ancona said. “If you’re not careful, it’s gone.”
Now the Pejepscot History Center, which operates the museum, is raising money to help save the artifacts, which can draw hundreds of visitors to the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum in some months.
The cost of cleaning and stabilizing the artifacts is estimated to be $8,000, while another $10,000 is needed for additional costs that include proper museum displays, cases and lighting, said Sarah Sharpton, outreach manager for the Pejepscot History Center.
After growing up in Brewer, Chamberlain went on to study at Bowdoin College before becoming a professor of languages and rhetoric at the Brunswick institution.
He then volunteered to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War, famously leading the 20th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry at Gettysburg in 1863. When his soldiers ran out of ammunition during the battle, he ordered them to make a well-timed bayonet charge that helped clinch the victory.
After the war, he went on to serve four terms as governor of Maine and return to Bowdoin as its president.
The boots and saddle on display in Brunswick now draw visitors from all over the country, according to Ancona.
During a tour, Ancona described an occasion when Chamberlain was shot in the foot at Gettysburg. A leather patch can be seen where the boot was sewn up to patch the bullet hole.
Ancona also told a story about Charlemange being shot in the neck in battle, the bullet exiting the horse’s neck and hitting Chamberlain. Chamberlain was uninjured due to something in his breast pocket deflecting the bullet, and Charlemange pulled through, though had to be retired from war.
However, while the museum staff have plenty of other history to share with visitors, they still hope to do their best to preserve and display the artifacts from Chamberlain’s life.
To raise funds for that work, the Pejepscot History Center is planning a horse-themed gala for Aug. 15 at Skyline Farm in North Yarmouth, where attendees will be able to take carriage rides and bid on a silent auction, among other activities, and are encouraged to dress up in 19th century costume or summer cocktail attire.
Sharpton said Chamberlain’s extended family has provided a $5,000 donation, and money has also been coming in through other individual donations.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
