The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-29
900 MEN FROM MAINE.
The Terrible Charge Of the ist
Heavy Artillery at Petersburg.

The story of the charge of the First Regi-
ment of Maine Heavy Artillery, Juue 18th,
1864, has never been told except in the
brief telegraph dispatches to the newspa-
pers at the time of its occurrence, but as
time rolls its years between that day and
this, it is but fair and just to the survivors
of that awful slaughter that their story
should be told before the last man Of the
Regiment shall have passed over the river,
and the once grand army of the Potomac
shall have faded into dusk, and their glory
and herOism be but ghostly memories of
time shrouded past. Balakava has been
written and sung until tbs people OF two
continents are familiar with the charge OF
the light brigade" but this action Of our
own countrymen. almost unprecedented in
the annals of civilized warfare, remains un-
written, unsung and nearly forgotten, except
by the survivors and their friends.
The First Regiment, Heavy Artillery,
Maine Volunteers, was organized as the
Eighteenth Infantry but was raised to an
Artillery Regiment by special order from
the War Department in the latter part OF
Sixty-three. Recruiting parties were sent to
Maine and recruits enough enlisted to give
us complement of eighteen hundred men,
or more, including two new companies, l. and
M. The regiment thus constituted had line
formation of twelve companies, commanded
by Col. Daniel Chaplain, of Bangor. At the
Brigade, Sd Division, Second Corps. all un-
der the command of Maj. Gen'l. w. S. Han
cock, Birney commanding the Division and
Gen1 Gresham G. Mott of New Jersey the
Brigade.
The fatal day of the charge owing to Gen'l.
Hancocks old wound breaking out afresh he
was seriously i'll, and the command Of the
Corps fell upon Birney, the Division upon
Mott, and the Brigade upon Chaplin. This
left the Regiment in command Of Col. then
Major Shepard, Lieut.. Col. Talbot being
sick. Col Chaplin was with us and led the
charge, however For convenience in hand
ling the Regiment had previously been diyi-
ded into three battalions under the three Ma
jors, Sheppard, Sabin and q. V. Crossman.
There were present for duty this day about
eight hundred and fifty officers and men and
we formed part OF the Army. OF Potomac
then under Grant, digging bitches, throwing
up earth works, and besieging Petersburg
Our position was near a place locally
known as the Haire House SO called from
its owner, celebrated horse owner Of Vir-
ginia in ante-bellum days. This house stood
upon q slight rise of ground. From the road
where we were, looking toward the house on
the left was garden and orchard; on the
right cornfield. Back Of this were the
front lines of the enemy's works; beyond
them lay Petersburg and the Army of North
ern Virginia. Early in the morning we had
been moved short distance to this place
from position further towards Grants left,
where we had been skirmishing and lost a
few men the day before, and / think also this
morning. This was Saturday, June 18th
1864.
In making arrangements for the charge we
were drawn up in an old road bed few feet
and formed protection from the enemy's
works. 1t was now about four o'clock D. m.
Mai Sabine was wounded think the day
before or else that morning and his place de-
volved upon Capt. w. ). Clark of Co. e., who
was in charge of his battalion. The road
being quite narrow. our orders were for the
First battalion to move forward until there
was short space between that and the sec
ond, then the second was to follow, then the
third after them.
We were armed with Springfield rifles; the
old percussion n,uZZle leaders, and our Or
ders were to remove the caps from the tubes
and not to fire until we were over the works
in our 'front.' In other words to carry them
by the bayonet. These works consisted of
a line of breast works Of earth protected by
a ditch and arbatiS in frontsabout as formida-
BILE as could be made and were defended by as
many infantry and artillery as could well
work to advantage; furthermore they were
well provided with traverses to protect their
men from any entlading fire we might
chance to give them. The conformation of
their works gave them an opportunity for
an enflading fire on both our fianks which
rapidly developed as We moved toward their
line.
From our position in the sunken road we
were well protected and could see the barrels
Of their muskets as they projected over the
works in readiness for our reception. Occa-
sonally an officer in his gray uniform would
show himsels as he took an observation Of
our lines and seemingly wondered what tall
meant But there was q Sabbath stiffness
along their whole line which was ominous of
evil. A few rods in our rear was posted
battery of artillery. q think. the Sixth Name
making terrific noise, informing the Rebs
that few Yankee soldiers were about to be
turned loose for them to shoot at. Batteries
are effective in the open field. especially
where your opponents are green troops, for
their noise is very demoralizing, but old vet
Grams ensconced behind their works,
wouldn't miss the boiling of pot of coffee
for all the field batteries, in both armies, and
these chaps of Lee had heard big noises be-
fore and patiently waited for us to break
cover and come to them.
There was buzz ON our left and the order
was passed along the line to be ready. A
tightening Of cartridge belts and a nervous
lingering of muskets was all that was notice.
able in our ranks. Then the order, For
ward first battalion. They moved forward
a few yards. Forward second battalion, and
as sufficient space was left the third followed
the second. Then, Forward First Maine.
Out of the road up over the bank into the
field, and the slaughter began. The crash of
two thousand muskets rent the air as a long
line of flame leaped from the works in our
front and the we'll known yell of the Army
Of Northern Virginia mingled with the roar
Of the Rebel batteries on our right and left
as their canister followed the musket balls of
the infantry and tore enormous gaps In our
ranks.
The First battalion melted away before
this fire and lay in a heap, officers and men,
except now and then scattering one who
had miraculously escaped. Before the Second
or Third Battalion reached their places the
regimental formation had been almost oblit-
Grated and two-thirds of the First Maine lay
dead or wounded upon the field. Still, with
ont firing q gun but in blind obedience to Or
ders. the remnant struggled ON towards that
pitiless line of fire that never once ceased or
slackened. The reader must understand that
the regiment was alone. The troops on either
flank refused TO go in, and in just eight min
utes and thirty seconds, GOA men of the $50
that started in on the charge lay dead in
front of the enemy'S works.
/ assert that there is not another instance
on record in the late war that has a compari-
son to this-not even Magrader's charge at
Malvern, for they had at least some chance
Of injuring their enemy-we had none. From
the first not an officer or man in the regiment
ever for an instant had an idea of success,
still in obedience to orders they pressed ON
until almost absolute annihllatiOn compelled
them to stop and the few survivors were
scattered over the field. In a short time the
firing ceased and the dead and wounded lay
where they fell, scattered from the road to
they lay that it is not exaggeration to state
that the field was blue with the dead Of the
First Maine Heavy.
All that night those of the survivors who
could were bringing off their wounded COM
rades, and the Sabbath sun arose on the sad
dest field that ever the sons OF Maine fought
on, and the telegraph dispatches carried
news that plunged in grief nearly every town
and hamlet from the valley Of the Aroostook
to the New Hampshire line, and in Penob-
scot county there are few families but mourn
the loss of some relative who fell in the
great charge"
About month after that day the writer
and q cOmrade visited the field, and there,
lying where they fell, were number OF the
regiment so near the enemy's works that 1t
was impossible to get to them the night after
the charge to ascertain whether they were
dead or wounded. Their only grave was the
rank grass and weeds that waved above them
where they lay. Some 70 or so yards from
the front line of the enemy's works stood
large tree. When the remnants Of the regi-
ment turned to retreat, many, bewildered
perhaps sought safety from the deadly fire
by endeavoring to place themselves behind
this tree. Around it the dead lay in win
rows, piled one upon the other, and the cell
lar of the Haire House was filled with our
wounded. These were taken out that night
by being passed through the cellar
window under the piazza on the side OPP
posite the enemy. The night was bright
and if man exposed himself he was tar
get for sharpshooter's rifle, | think the
only man outside of the regiment who accom-
panied us in was Captain Starbird, Of the