The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-23
THE HEAVY ARTILLERY.
What Maine Soldier Has 10 Say About Theli
Service.

Ahai q Maine SDlliPF Has 10 Say About Ihe.T
Service.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / am reading
the Story OF q Cannonoer" with interest, aud
have been waiting 10 see If be remembered and
would mention tie "heayies." lie has done
50 ln The NATIONAL TRIBUNE Of the 10Th inst
and 4, IS one Of those hcayies" feel iInpelled
70 SKY few words 10 him and 10 tie many
re2Gers Of your paper. Ii is very late and per
baIIs unnecessary 10 correct the veteran infau-
try and light arullerymen IN the idea that they
entertained. and il seems yet entertain. Of the
notions, hopes and expectations Of those heavy
Eriillerymen when they volunteered in the
Summer Of 1862. But wish to do So as /, and
] have no doubt All other surviving heavics do
not Ike 20 resi- any longer under the stigma Of
eniisting with such motives as were and are
sscribed 70 Us. lie, the Caunoneer, says that
- these heavy artillerymen were men who had
enlisted or been drafted 10 serve in fortifca-
tiODs." Drafted There was not one drafted
man 10 MY regiment. They had got the idea
that they were 10 man carthROrlzs, but did not
suppose that they would ever be required to
capture the eartbWoTks that they were TO
man"
dc then gives ms credit Tor what we did.
But wish 10 say that lie and Frank Wilkeson,
IN his Lec0!leetI0ns 81 q Private" and prob.
ably ali other surviving veterans infantry aud
light artillery do as a great Injustice when
p
with the hope Of staying IN the deieuses Of
Washington, eating three square meals a day,
sad sleeping Oh q good bed every night. and
doing 10 lighting except possibly behind good
earlhWorks. 4 also have % say that we were
ali volunteers. and there were no drafted men
IN my regiment. ] enlisted in the 18th Ne.
IA August, 1862, as private, and went with
Dy company 10 the end and for FIVE months
after TIE end. ] aud the regiment enlisted as
insantryIneB, with the hope and expectation of
going right into business aud helping the vet
Grams finish the war. Well after We arrived in
Washington. We, with several other regiments
were, by order Of the War Department. and
uUcl 10 our disgust, made heavy artiilervfuen
and pat into the forts and batteries around
the city. We, the lst he. Heavy, were TO a
man disappointed, mad and rebeliioGs. ~.
kicked. We felt mean and degraded, and talked
among ourselves Of open rebellion, but oil
course we bad 70 obey. Then al the time that
We were ia those forts almost every man in NV
regiment bad tbs mind made up 10 20 TO the
front and enlist ia a fighting regiment. II
We were discharged IN those forts and Tie
war not ended We chafed and fretied. sulked
and EWorc all those months and when AZ last
We dId receive the order 10 20 10 the front IN
May, 1854, we, 70 a man, excepting, of course
lac average number 81 coffee bUiIers 10 be found
IN al regiments, were thankful and we left on,
camp with cheen, being glad % 20 an So,
geFvice.
When we reached Fredericksburg and IN.
Wilderness beyond, we were astonighed AND
mad al the insulting greetings we received from
the veterans. We did not know why they
should sncer and scon and insult US gut lbes
old 50, and u only made Us the more anxious
70 20 IN F" and show them that we could fight
which We proceeded 70 do as soon as we wer,
given q chance, and which our record show
we did do. Witness, Col. Fox's Losses ia Ia,
Rebellion" The lst BE. Heavy, In which an
proud % have served more than three years. los
more men killed in percentage than any regi
Ient ia the Union armies during the four wears
II also lost more men killed and wounded n
proportion % Us numbers and IA percentage ia
single battle Than any other regiment IN a single
battle during the four years Gen. Walker
History Of Second Corps BY company wen
IN az spotsylgania with I47 men; 30 DAYS ate
there were seven Of as leit-one Sergeant my
self, enc Corporal, and five uriyates And q
those AZ men and boys there were only II
conee-bOiler; not larger proportion.
think, than were to lie found IN other cam
panies Of l47 men Of any other branch Of tb
service. That leaves ~ good boys-as good a
were IN the Army OF the Potomac or any in Ia
world.
We have long since forgiven the veterans 70
their gfs and sneers, but il is time that the,
knew at the Heayies" did not enlist a
HeaF !" did not wish to be I" Heavies :" tina
we. the he. heavy, enlisted as infantrymen
and ne dreamed Of being heavy artillery
men on made against our will By order q
the War Depsrtment-F o. TALBOT Co. K
LIST he. ID. a., East Machias Ne.