The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-09-21
The Proposed Veteran Association.

lne mcetlnS OF tne various associations OF
Maine Veterans which have been held this
sun land fall appear to have been more
nn Us and interesting than ever before.
'ad to see that at the reunion of the
Regiment Association at Norway.
LIE OF. 'ay, preliminary stens
toward ding 90
veteran w the organiza-
tion tow they belonged. This project
ought to. ,rried out. Besides the social
endowment 'ch would result from such a
meeting, tn ,re certain matters touching
the fame of war regiments and the COM
fort ard hap, of their surviving men,
bers that migl ell engage the attention of
such general organization.
Full justice has never been done Names
war record, and the proposed veteran associ-
alton could not do better than to select some
competent person to compile a succinct but
comprehensive account of the deeds of Maine
soldiers in the war. The state which sent
fifty-three thousand men into the service, ex-
elusive Of those in the navy and regular
army, and which contributed so many SOL
diers to the quota of other states, as to make
her aggregate number greater in proportion
to her population than any other state
in the Union-the state whose troops never
lost flag and whose sons fell on every
field, even from the Baltimore riot
of April 10, 1851 to the final struggles in Vir-
ginia-ought to preserve with sacred care the
fame and glory of her soldiery. Nothing, to
be sure, can be better fitted for this purpose
than chose wonderful reports of Adjutant
General Hodsdon, which, in few more de-
cades, will be held among their most highly
priced treasures by their fortunate possess ors.
But the volumes of the report are so numer-
Gus, cumbrous and at the same time scarce
that they must be regarded rather as reposi-
tories of facts and authorities for reference
than as means of keeping alive popular
appreciation of the valor of our soldiers. Be-
sides these reports there are the various regi-
mental histories and the volume called
"Maine in the War;" by Messrs. Whitman
and True, hastily compiled few weeks after
the close of hostilities. OF the former we be-
lieve there are now but four, viz: The First
Maine Cavalry,by Chaplain S. Fl. Merrill; the
Seventeenth Maine, by Major Edwia B.
Houghton; the Fifth Maine by Rev. Geo. W.
Bickneu and the 1-10-29th Regiment by Ma
jor J. M. Gould. Of these histories but linn
tied editions are printed and copies of two
earlier ones, at least, are already exhausted.
In a few years they will be boarded by the
survivors of the regiments whose stories thew
give and by curious collectors. There are of
course few private libraries that could aspire
to contain them all with those which
in time will follow. All of them are
excellent for the purpose for which
they ara designed, but what is
wanted for popular reading is a compact
and racy story told in one inexpensive vol
ume and written by some soldier like Gen.
Conner or Gen. Chamberlain, who have liter
ary ability of high order as well as a glorious
military record, or Major Gould who made
SO entertaining story of his regimental
history.
A still more important subject for the con-
sideration of the association would be the
general care for veterans who have fallen
into restitution and an appeal to the state
in their behalf. These men are just saved,
by the allowance at present made them by
the state, from absolute pauperism. Though
time may dull in some degree the keenness
of the gratitude that was felt at the close of
the war toward those who had saved the
Republic, we cannot believe that Maine will |
ever turn deaf ear to representation in
behalf of her suffering veterans. But it
seems that already an appeal is necessary
to obtain what ought to be voluntarily
offered