At the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, 75,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee squared off against 90,000 Union soldiers under the command of Gen. George Meade. This 3-day battle would prove to be the pivotal battle of the war. If Lee won there was a good chance that Washington DC could be captured and the Union defeated. If Meade won there was the possibility of ending the war quickly.

The Battle took place over 3 days, during which time 53,000 + men were killed or wounded. Almost one third of the men involved would be casualties or fatalities. You may ask yourself, why would a smaller force attack a greater one, especially when the greater Union army was dug in on the high ground? The answer is that Lee's army had consistently beaten greater Union forces in most of their battles. The confederate army was feeling very invincible at the time.

It was during the second day of the battle that our scenario took place. The Union army was spread out in a long line on the heights. It was noticed that one little hill at the extreme left end of the Union line was unoccupied. Both armies noticed it at about the same time.

If the Confederates could take the hill, then they could get in behind the Union forces and defeat them. This was a tactic that Lee had used well in previous battles. It was imperative for the Union army to hold the hill and prevent their flank from being turned which would lead to their ultimate defeat.

A division of Union soldiers was dispatched to the unoccupied hill. Their orders were to hold the hill at all costs. The division was made up of 4 regiments. The regiment on the extreme left end of the line was the 20th Maine commanded by Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain. Chamberlain had been a college professor and had even studied for the ministry before enlisting at the start of the war. Chamberlain was not a professional soldier, but he had fought since the beginning of the war and was now a seasoned veteran.

The 20th Maine had, at the time, about 350 men in it, a little more than one-third its normal strength. They arrived at the hill barely ahead of the Confederates and had little time to prepare defenses or dig in. Facing them were about 1500 battle hardened veteran Confederate soldiers. During the hour-long battle it is estimated that close to 45,000 rounds of ammunition were fired. Five times the Confederates charged up the hill and each time they were driven back. Sometimes the lines met in hand to hand fighting. At one point, the Confederates tried to slide their line around the left end of the 20th. The tactic was seen and Col. Chamberlain stretched his line and bent it into and "L" shape to meet the new threat.

At the end of an hour of fighting, both sides were nearing exhaustion. The 20th had only about 230 men left fit to fight. They were about out of ammunition. They had already taken ammunition off of the wounded and dead. If the Confederates came at them again, the 20th would be overwhelmed and defeated. The Confederates would then sweep over the hill and come down in behind the main Union lines and Gen. Meade's army would be crushed.

Sure enough, the Confederates were coming again. Chamberlain could not retreat and he could not hold out against another assault. Certain death seemed to be staring them in the face. It was time for a bold move. Col. Chamberlain ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge the enemy. It is said that when the command to "fix bayonets" was given that it ran like electricity through the men up and down the regiment. When the order to "charge" was given, the beleaguered regiment swept down the hill on a dead run, yelling at the top of their lungs.

The enemy was caught by surprise. In the resulting panic the attack was completely broken and over 400 Confederates were taken prisoner. Many were guarded by Union soldiers whose guns were empty! The end result was that the Union line held and the following day Lee's army would be soundly defeated.

What lessons can we learn from all of this that will help us in the spiritual arena that we are fighting in? The first thing we learn is that many times huge battles are turned one way or another depending upon the bravery of only a few soldiers. Sometimes the decision of one man to attack or retreat can have far reaching consequences for great armies. Col. Chamberlain and David had much in common. Neither of them were professional soldiers yet when there was a need, they rose to the occasion and brought victory.

We also learn that it is better to control the high ground than to have to march up the hill. Fighting from a position in the heavenlies is far better than being in the valley. No matter what the odds against us are, or how loud the enemy yells at us or how much he shoots at us, we must hold steady and not retreat. Many lives sometimes depend on us to be where we have been placed by the Lord. Cowardice, like bravery, is infectious. If we run from the battle, others will also.

There will be casualties in this war. We must not let the carnage deter us from following our orders and completing our great commission. Sometimes standing in faith requires us to use bold and decisive tactics that in the natural will seem foolish and wasteful. Sometimes retreat is not an option. We must stand and fight UNTIL there is victory. Jesus has already won the victory for us at Calvary and now we need to enforce it upon the enemy of our souls.

A few men with unity of purpose and trust for each other can do great things and overcome great odds. What will happen if the devil finds out he can no longer divide and conquer God's people? If one can chase a thousand and 2 put ten thousand to flight, what could the whole body of Christ do if it were in a position of unity and trust with each other?

I have condensed all of this into a little saying that helps me in times of trouble. It goes like this: "When you are out of resources and about to be overwhelmed by the enemy and retreat is not an option, there is only one thing left to do, FIX BAYONETS AND CHARGE!"

Jerry Snyder October 21, 2000