The Portland daily press., 1891-08-27
"rhe Story of the maine Fifteenth. +"


The records Of the Maine Regiments in the
war Of the Rebellion are gradually being
made up. So far they have been done by
members Of the organizations, and they have
often gained In vividness and detail what
they may have necessarily lacked in strict
impartiality. Some OF these histories are
made up largely Of personal incidents and
anecdotes of camp and field others of them
have treated their subjects with broader
view F campaigns and battles. To the lat
ter class belongs "The Story of the Maine
Fifteenth" just completed by Major II. A.
Shorey. The history Of the Fifteenth Maine
is not so replete with thrilling battle scenes
as are the histories Of those Maine regiments
which served all their time in the great
campaigns Of Virginia. r siments that
could show on their banners names like
Fair Oaks" ''Antietam," "Frtdricksburg, /"
Charlottesville, Gettysburg" "The
Wilderness" and the "Siege Of Petersburg, :"
might look with something like disdain upon
a regiment whose banner could show no
more famous word than the name OF an OBJ
Scure battlefield In Louisiana. Yet Of every
thjpg that could try the soldier with the ex-
ception Of severe loss in heavy battles. the
Fifteenth Maine probably experienced as
much as regiments that fought on more
famous fields. Upon two occasions, during
Banks'S retreat on the Red River, the
regiment showed its gallantry In bat
tie; and its conduct proved that 1t
was worthy place beside sister reg
iments Of greater opportunities. Aside
from battles, the service Of the Fiji
teenth was probably as arduous as that
of any other Maine regiment. A campaign
in Louisiana and Texas was far more trying
than in the cooler and more bracing climate
Of Virginia. In Its four and half years Of
service the Fifteenth experienced service In
Florida, Louisiana. Texas, South Carolina
and Virginia, and its men were, so far as
campaigning was concerned, seasoned veter-
ans superior even to the famous heroes of
the army Of the Potomac. When the Nine
teenth corps, Of which the Fifteenth Maine
was part, was transferred to Virginia, 1t
was found that the men who had tramped
up Red River and back, could, in the marches
Of the Shenandoah campaigns, surpass even
the men Of the removed Sixth corps. The
author Of "The Story Of the Maine Fifteenth
has adopted the excellent plan of telling
the story of the campaign In connection with
the story of the regiment. This would not
have been practicable In writing the history
Of regiment actively engaged in the great
campaigns Of the army of the Potomac; but
In the case of a regiment engaged In minor
operations, like Buffers capture Of New
orleans and Banks's. Red River expedition,
tnis was perfectly easy. or battles there
was deaIth, but Of long and tedious
%a.ches great abundance. In the two
na.'ies participated in by the regiment 1t
,Oss az Pleasant Grove only one killed and
- nueu, and at Pleasant Hill, where
.n' maue gallant and successful lcharge. onlv
SrorsU %TU G"oln %Ounoed' But the men who were
SfOSs SrOSen down down by the hard marches and % the
ueauly climate were as numerous 40 tho
losses Of other regiments on bloody @S Sie,SO tne
OF 1852 names borne on the rolls y ~ ~ neius. @
and half years of service over sevan e hUu ,Uu'
dred and thirty were returned as hav,nn Iun, H,n,