Symposium 2026 Spotlight: Frenemies

Welcome back to our spotlight series, highlighting speakers and topics for our upcoming symposium. Over the coming weeks, we will continue previewing of our speaker’s presentations for the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium. This week we feature Evan Portman’s topic:

Frenemies: The Partnership and Rivalry of Joshua Chamberlain and Ellis Spear

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is a name forever linked to the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment. Ellis Spear, Chamberlain’s second-in-command, is less celebrated. Once Chamberlain’s student at

Bowdoin College, Spear proved a reliable lieutenant to his former professor, leading the regiment’s left wing at Gettysburg and assuming command of the 20th Maine during Chamberlain’s frequent absences. However, after the war, the two men grew apart. Their outlook on the war differed as well. Chamberlain remembered the Civil War as his greatest achievement, while Spear looked upon it as a tragedy. This lecture follows Chamberlain and Spear’s complicated relationship, as their friendship during the war morphed into a post-war rivalry.

For more information on the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium and to purchase tickets, click here.