The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-01-04
COMMUNICATIONS,
The State of Maine and her Soldiers.


WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 20, 1868.
To the Editor OF the Press:
Maine has discharged her whole duty to
the Government hitherto. For nearly three
years she has never failed nor even ialtered,
when called upon for men and means in pro-
portion to her population and wealth. Her
artillerymen have built and now guard one OF
the argest OF the many forts, which protect
this capital. Her cavalry has won praise very
dear to the good people at home. From the
Potomac to the Gull, her infantry has been
heard from, and always with credit. To the
coDscription, when that became necessary, she
had no murmur of dissent TO oppose, and now
once more within her broad limits the chief
business of the hour is the reinforcement of
her thin regiments.
The State will not fail, but there is another
duty she owes her regiments in the field. She
owes to them, to every soldier in trouble, sick
wounded, or discharged, her protection assis-
tance, advice, freely and to the extent of her
ability. The State has not forgotten this du-
ty, but the people Of the State, many of them,
do not know what provision has been made
for its fulfilment very many do not even realize
its full extent and imperative nature. Those
who have had occasion to avail themselves of
its services, have learned that the Maine Sol
diers' Relief Association, through the agent OF
the Sanitary Commission in your city, MIR. Geo.
r. Davis, offers them facilities for safely
sending box or parcel to friends in the ar
my. Even they do not always know that the,
box is received and stored at the Agency Of
the Association in this city, and finally sent
forward and delivered by special messenger,
Mr.. c. q. Hayes, appointed for that purpose
by the Governor and Council. The Camp
Hospitals Relief Association, with its efficient
organization at home and its faithful nurses
Mrs. Mayhem, Mrs Eaton and tuntil recently
Mrs. Fogg, in the field, completes the circuit
through which the currents of beneyolence
flow and return in assistance TO our soldiers
and intelligence to their friends.
The Maine soldiers Relief Association was
organized in June, 1862. For year the war
had rolled on its desolating way, and this ne
cessity was one of many which had become
too obvious to be overlooked. The first meet
ing was held at the rooms of Mr.. Pike, then as
now Representative ofthe 9th Dis. Maine. Vice
President Hamlin, our entire Congressional
delegation, and most Of the Maine men there
inWashington, were present about fifty in all.
Senator Fessenden was in the chair. A sec
ond and third meeting followed rapidly. The
organization OF the Association was complet-
ed. A subscription of some four hundred
dollars was made up by the original members.
A committee was appointed to visit each of
the hospitals within and around Washington,
and Georgetown and Alexandria. Each mem
more hospitals, and agreed to report the num-
Der, names, condition and wants of all Maine
soldiers therein, with al! changes by furlougb,
transfers, or death, from week TO week. These
reports were consolidated monthly and return
ed to the Governor of the State. Regular
meetings of the Association were held every
fortnight, and an executive committee was in
trusted with its management in the interim.
In October, 1862, Col j. w. Hathaway, of
m taff canf IN asbi
and a military agency was formally opened in
the name OF the State, at No. 273 L street,
near Thirteenth Mr.. Leonard Watson, of
Pennington, who had been at Sharpsburgh
since the battle of the Antietam, Joined Col.
Hathaway as an assistant. Mr.. Watson's ten
days In the employ of the Sanitary Commits
sion, according to the original understanding
when he went to Sharpsburgh, had Heightened
to four weeks, and he now declined a perma-
Encouragement. to offer his services to his
native State. The Relief Association con-
tinued to furnish reports from the hospital.
The business OF the Agency was beginning to
be augmented by questions OF fnrloughs.
transportation, discharges, back pay, and the
like.
So five months passed. The war dragged
slowly on, and the same convincing reasons
which had been urged in the Capitol for a
conscription, began to be fel. in the affairs of
the Association. The end of the war was not
then as now visible. 1t seemed necessary to
prepare for years OF warfare, no man could
tell how many, and the first step of such
preparation was to cease depending upon vol
unteers, who had done their part, and make
definite provision for every needed service.
so the Association proposed to the State Gov
ernment, TO assume the whole responsibility
of the work here and put it upon permanent
footing with an expenditure OF $500, month.
Col. Hathaway was recalled in March. The
visiting committee was discharged. Mr. Wat
son was made the agent Of the Association,
and Mrs. Sampson, of Bath, was assigned to
duty as his assistant.
Under the present organization, the Hon.
Second Auditor of the Treasury, Il. b. French,
is President OF the Association; Mr.. A. b.
Farwell, of the Navy Department, Wee Pres
ident; Hon. Horatio King, formerly Postmas
ter General, Treasurer; and Mr.. j. w. Butter
field, OF the Treasury, chairman of the Exec
utiye Committee The Office and store-rooms
of the Agency are those occupied by Col.
Hathaway. In addition to the visitation of
hospitals, the delivery of packages and distr-
button OF stores, there thousand ways in
which the Agency is becoming daily more
and more indispensable. Soldiers cannot gain
access TO the Departments. If each man were
allowed 10 explain his own case in person, the
wheels of business would be blocked. 1t is
the business of the Agent to see that their
papers are III form TO have them corrected If
need be, and then to apply in person for back
pay, or pension and bounty, where such appl-
cation seems desirable. Meanwhile he finds
lodgings for the soldier, and when all is done,
sees that he is provided with railway transpor-
tation at the reduced Government rates. If
sick man needs furlough, the Agent must
see that he has it; and if the man is very i'll
that he is carefully transported from the hos
pital to the station and put on board of the
sick car The correspondence of the Agency
averages two hundred letters a month.
These are only part of the regularly recur
ring duties ofthe Agency, and this part of its
labors is increasing. Anomalous cases are
continually arising. Thus man named
Buck, regularly discharged in Febnary 1862,
was arrested in Augusta last November, as
deserter on the information ofsome scoundrel