Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-02-15
For the OXFORD DEMOCRAT.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR.
A WINTER IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG VA.

The Seventh Maine Battery was q
veteran organization, all its officers and
most of its men having seen active ser
vice in other Batteries or Regiments
Captain Twitchell had been an officer IL
the Fifth Maine Battery and WAS severely
wounded in the battle of Charlottesville
Lieutenant Bundy had been Orderly Ser.
geant Of the same Battery; Staples had
been a non-c on-commissioned officer in the
Second Maine Regiment; Thorp, now an
officer in the Regular Artillery, had been
a Lieutenant in the Twenty-eighth Maine
Regiment, and well no matter; this
was not my first service. Among the
on-commissioned ofhcers-Quinby had
been Captain in the Second Maine. VIII
lis, Lieutenant in New Hampshire
regiment, and most of the others had seen
more or less of honorable service. Ser
geant VIM. II. Jones of Winthrop, a
student of the Maine Wesleyan Seminary,
scholarly and with uncommon poetical
talents, went out with the Battery but
died of disease in Washington. before 1t
was sent 10 the front. Among the
priyates were several graduates, and
many who since the close of the war have
entered professional life, while a still
greater number became prominent busl-
ness men in this State or elsewhere. OF
the non-commissioned officers, Albert ).
Twitchell Of Bethel, is successful law
yer in Gorham, y. H.; Howard Gould
has been bank officer In Portland for
several years, and Augustus NJ. Carter of
Bethel, IS thrifty and intelligent farmer
in his native town. Sergeant John f..
Willis was accidentally killed on the
Grand Trunk Railway several years ago.
Among the privates, Albert Billings Of
Woodstock, is a prominent railroad man
and road master of the Portland and
Rochester road; Warren D. Douglass is
sheriff and jailor at Paris Hill James ).
Lowell of Portland is successful tele-
graph operator Oren K. Lyman Is IN the
lumber business in Portland A. ). Per-
ham is in the Pension Department al
Washington Geo. NJ. Pease OF BTdg
ton, became a physician, and might
name Others did space permit.
The Battery was mustered into the
service Of the United States on the 18th
day of December, 1868, and went into
camp on the State grounds IN Augusta.
The last Of January 1t was ordered TO
Washington and left Augusta on the Isl
day Of February, reporting TO Col. James
A. Hall, then in command of the artillery
reserve at Camp Barry, near Washing
ton City. Here the Battery drew It's
equipments, horses, &c, choosing the
smooth bore twelve Founders, and
commenced 10 drill. April 10Th. we
were assigned to the Ninth Army Corps
under General Burnside and started for
the froat the 18th. In camp a short
time a; Brandy Station, the Battery
crossed the Rapidan with the corps on
the 5th of May, and received It's frst
baptism Of fire Immediately after, in tbs
battle Of the Old Wilderness. After
this the Battery took part in the succes.
sion of terrific engagements that took
place at Spoisylvania, North Anna River.
Gold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Rail
road and PEBBLES Farm, which occupied
mos, of the season.
II is not my purpose to sketch a his
tory Of the Seventh Maine Battery, or
detail the particulars Of its service.
Nearly sixteen years have elapsed since
the Battery, or what remained OF it, was
mustered out at The close of the war, and
minor events and circumstances are for
the most part forgotten. The great cam
paign of 1864, beginning with the battle
of the Wilderness, and closing with the
seige of Petersburg and Richmond, TO
look back upon, at this distant day, seems
more like an ugly dream, than ike re
atty. For several weeks It was either
marching or fighting about all the time,
and when we reached the front Of Peters
burg, we had almost a new army, the
greater part Of the old having been left
on the five great battle fields. For one.
| have but a faint recollection of particu-
, lar events. There was much sameness
about il; the march the biyouac, the
nightly alarm and the engagement fol-
lowed each other in rapid succession.
But the season was far spent and
though We had been for several weeks in
sight of the spires of Petersburg, we had
not been able to enter the city. At the
close of the active campaign, the Ninth
Army Corps was on the extreme left.
Our Battery was at Fort Welch, near
the PEBBLES House, so-called upon army
plans, and all in sight OF the south-side
Railway, still in possession of the rebels,
and we could see the trains Of supplies as
they came up from the South and passed
on towards Petersburg. The last of No.
smber came an order for the Ninth
| Corps 10 relieve the second Hancock $,
which was stationed farther to the right
and our Battery after half days march
was ordered into fort situated in ths
woods, called Fort Alexander Hayes
There were no rebels or rebel works il
sight and we congratulated ourselves OF
having an easy winters job before US
But our JOY was of short duration, fo
scarcely had We begun to build our winte
quarters, when an order came for US Il
relieve regular battery in Fort Sedgwick
We were also informed that the chang'
must be made very quietly at night. or VI
/ shonld excite a disturbance which woulC