The Portland daily press., 1894-09-14
THE MAINE FIFTEENTH.
The Veterans of This Regiment Held
Highly Successful Reunion at-Peak's
Island

regiments of infantry raised originally for
the Butler expedition against New Orleans,
and had yseveral months the longest term
of seyice of any Maine regiment, extending
four years and seven months. The cam
paigIs in Louisiana, in Western Florida,
the Banks expedition to Southern Texas,
the famous Red River expedition, the Sheri-
dan campaign in the Shenandoah Valley,
and later years arduous service in South
Carolina during the year following the close
of the war, are the principal movements in
which it wa engaged. The four or five
hundred survivors are very widely scat
tered, and a large attendance at the re-
unions is not expected. But with this as
all the long term regiments, the fraternal
spirit is very strong, ard all who looked in
upon the Fifteenth boys at their Peaks
island camp, must have noticed the extreme
oordiality with which the veterans of many
| campaign greeted each other.
Besides the forty or fifty whose names
were given in yesterdays PRESS, were
considerable number who arrived Wednes-
| day evening and Thursday morning. Among
| these were: Col. John G. Cobb and wife,
| Portland; Sergt. Orlando j. Winslow, Port
| land: Corporal Silas S. Holbrook. East
| Haipswell; ] L. Brown, Cape Elizabeth;7J.
| F. Getchell, South Portland, and several
whose names were not reported to the
| secretary.
| The actual number present is thought to
| be about sixty, several coming from remote
| sections. The reunion continued two days.
| in a free-and easy social commingling, and
is reported by the participants as among
the most enjoyable in the associations
| history. The party was quartered with
| Sawyer, lodging at. .the Bay View and tax
| ing meals at the adjoining Peaks Island
| house.
The business session was held Wednesday
| forenoon. in the parlors of the Bay View,
| Vice President E. W. Sprague of Easton, in
| the chair.
| The secretary read letters from prominent
members expressing regret atstheir ina bility
to be present, including Gen. B. B. Murray,
| president of the association; Col. f. M.
Drew of Lewiston, Capt. G. A. Clark, Maj.
| j. H. Whitmore, Lynn, Mass; and several
| others.
The secretary. Major n. A. Shorey. pre-
sented an informal report, covering the
| work of his Office, and stating some inter-
esting facts concerning the present location
| of members. He said that as far as he was
able to ascertain, there were upwards of 6O0
L
| Maine, largely in Aroostook, Penobsot Ken
1 nebee and Washington counties. while of
/ the 200 others, so were in Massachusetts, and
the Is others were scattered in thirty-nine
states and countries no one OF them having
4 a dozen members. 8@
4 The treasurer reported the financial
4 status as follows:
4 Receipts, all sources, $64. AZ
i Disbursements, 1887
Balance due treasury, l25
| Upon the suggestion of the secretary it
was voted that committees be appointed for
the several counties, states and countries,
to aid in keeping the scattered comrades in
touch with each other and with the associa-
| tion.
| When the election of officers order of bust
ness was reached, the association. by acc1a-
nation. and by unanimous vote, elected
Major H. A. shorey, president of the asso-
citation. The Major positively declined, and
the following board of officers was then
chosen
President-Gen. Isaac Dyer of Skowhegan.
Vice Presidents-Sergt. 3. W. .Sprague,
Easton: Capt. DIP. Rolfe, Wakefield, Mass. !;
Lieut.. y II. Wentworth. Bangor.
Secretary. Treasurer and Historian-Maj.
H.. A.. Shorey, Bridgton.
Assistant Secretary-W Walter c. Ross,
| BRUNSWICK.
Executive Committee-Adjutant. Above,
Houlton: Rev: Mally Kearney. Sergt. L. D.
Small. Bowdoinhaln; Capt. James Walker.
Gardiner: Capt. GeorgeW. Capen. Eastport.
| A fine shore dinner was served by Mine
host Sawyer at dinner call.
In the afternoon the spacious parlors of
the Bay View were crowded. and a very in
teresting camp fire was held. ALL the
speakers were members of the Fifteenth,
/ t. i:
selves.
Gov. Cleaves, who had been announced,
was obliged to leave by the noon train for
Augusta.
The secretary read very pretty letter from
Gen. Neal Dow, who once commanded the
district of West Florida. where the
Fifteenth was then stationed, regretting
his inability to accept an invitation to din
ner, and speaking very highly of the regi-
ment as an organization.
Gen. Dyer, the regimental commander,
gave some interesting "reminiscences of
regimental history.
Lieut.. and Hon. 7. H. Wentworth, Maine
Commissioner of Fisheries and Game, spoke
ably and eloquently .saicing his remarks with
some amusing anecdotes of the eccentric
Gen. Phelps, who once commanded the
l
who as a master of sarcasm, was unsur-
passed in the Gulf Department. Some OF
the boys personally applied the anecdotes
and were very jolly thereat.
A very fine original poem was read by
Mrs. H. a. Shorey, sketching the regi.
mental history; the author understood to be
member of her family.
Captain D. P. Rolfe, Wakefield, Mass,
spoke briefly and pleasantly.
Sergt. and Rev. Malry Kearney, who
carried musket in the regiment and
fought with the First Maine Battery at
Cedar Greek, made an excellent speech. He
told the story of the regiments sailing out
of Portland harbor in the spring of 1862. in
the great ship Great Republic. very
effectively. and highly eulogized some OF
the officers of the regiment.
Col. John G. Cobb, a first lieutenant in
the Fifteenth, and afterwards the COM
manding officer of a Kcolored regiment,
spoke entertaining of his service in the
| Gulf Department. and of his attachment for
the old Nineteenth Corps.
Major H. A. Shorey spoke in euiogistic
49, 41 IL