A faction of historians and soldiers controversially contend that he led the downhill bayonet charge of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.

After being surrounded he ordered his men to lie on the ground and start shooting; they captured thirty Confederates and sustained only minor injuries.

[6] As a young boy Holman Melcher worked on his family farm with his brother, Nathaniel, and his sister, Mary.

[1] He became engrossed with the patriotism involved with the war and upon concluding his studies he quit his teaching job, and enlisted formally on August 19, 1862 as a private in Company B, 20th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry.

[6] His brother became interested in following his footsteps but Holman advised him to avoid enlisting and pursue education at Bowdoin College, promising to write each other weekly.

[4] On July 2, 1863, Melcher took part in the bayonet charge at Little Round Top that helped repulse the Confederate attack.

[1][2][3] On the second day of Battle of Gettysburg, military forces moved to Little Round Top, where Chamberlain began preparing strategic options, as Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker was recently replaced by George G. Meade.

As fighting raged in the Wheatfield and Devil's Den, brigade commander Col. Strong Vincent had a precarious hold on Little Round Top, an important hill at the extreme left of the Union line.

A certain faction of historians agree that it was Joshua Chamberlain who conceived of a charge while others argue that Melcher physically engaged first.

[8] This was later confirmed by Brigadier General Ellis Spear,[6] as he stated that Melcher initiated the charge by ordering the remains of his company to move forward a few steps to cover and protect fallen comrades in front of them on top of the hill.

[9] Spear concluded prior to the order of Chamberlain to fix bayonets, Melcher "led the impulsive charge, responding to the cries of wounded comrades between the lines.

Had not Melcher come on I think this officer would have shot me (4 barrels were loaded when I took his pistol) and very likely his men would have got such headway they might have swept us all back.

[12]It is important to note that Melcher's position was in the center of the regiment atop a large rock formation where the unit's monument now stands.

By every account of the battle written by men of both sides, the 20th's charge began on the far left of the regimental line, a few dozen yards from Melcher's position.

Due to the heavy fog and subsequent lack of vision, they failed to notice Confederate soldiers move up to their left flank and were surrounded.

He ordered his men to lay on the ground and start shooting, capturing thirty confederates while sustaining only minor injuries.

Due to the level of injury sustained he was escorted to Armory Square hospital in Washington, and returned to Maine for recuperation.

[1] Serving under Ulysses S. Grant, and George G. Meade, he and his company were tasked with the advancement of soldiers to Laurel Hill, a position that was blocking them from Spotsylvania Court House.

Melcher ordered a clearing of the Brock Road for the infantry, but the troopers soon bogged down, and provided a weak defense against the confederates at that point.

The thousands of white tents dotting this green surface, and the many wagons, and ambulances, which go with the marching column makes a really grand sight.

[1] In his postwar years, Melcher put the wartime skills he obtained working as adjutant for Maine Generals O.O.

His old commanding officer, Col. Chamberlain, wrote to the advertisement board of the city and published the following:I want to propose a name for the Republican nomination for mayor-- a name that needs no recommendation; a man with a record of splendid courage and endurance in the late war, from the beginning to the end since the war an honorable, high-minded citizen and energetic businessman, enjoying the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens in both parties.

[1] As Mayor, he remained committed to the progression of Veteran Affairs and founded the 20th Maine Regiment Association (1876 – 1905), where he served as president.