The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-11-21

ment is a page from official records.
The Thirty. first Maine volunteers march |
ed out of Augusta to the tune of The |
Girl | Left Behind Me- on April Is, 1864. !
1t was differed by soldiers who had serV-
ed from one to shree years at the front,
and as for the ranks, had the raw recruits
all repented of their war enthusiasm at
the last moment and flunked, there would
have still remained in line a body of men,
all veterans, equal in numbers to the aver
age field regiment on going into battle III
was next to impossible in 1854 to enlist
fresh volunteers unless they knew they
were to be led by veterans, and every vet
eran officer appointed in a new organiza-
ton rallied around him scores of former
comrades ready to try it over again under
leadership which had been tested
There were IA field and line officers in
the Thirty-frst when it entered the VIII
deruess, April 6, 1864, and in less than w
days, or before the close of July, II OF
them were struck dead in battle The
strength of the ranks was 9O5. Out OF that
identical roster 1853 were killed and over
400 wounded before their one year of held
service ended, and nearly so per cent OF
those casualties were made in the first
three months Another noticeable thing
about this record is that 1t is that oil
Ninth corps regiment, not OF the soma
Sixth, not of the brilliant Fifth nor the
fighting Second. but of the Ninth. AT the
Wilderness ON the morning OF May b,
when General Warren, with the Fifth ana
Sixth corps, and Hancock, with the Sec
ond, were struggling ahead on the Orange
Plank road and Turnpike, the Thirty-tirst
marched out in General 5. g. Gritlin's
brigade. of General r. b. Potter's Second
division. Potter had been ordered TO cut
through the enemy's line between those
two roads They continued on until they
ran into a force of the enemy posted across
their pathway, with guns in position.
General Potter was preparing to lead
the Thirty first and two companion regl-
ments in charge upon the battery when
he was overtaken by an aid with impera-
tive orders to move his whole division to
the left and support Hancock's Second
corps on the Plank road. As soon as the
new field was reached the column charged
through the dense swampy thicket up }
and over the Confederate rifle pits. They
were driven out, but twice renewed the
attack with the same result. The battle
of the Wilderness was decided on that
ground. Hancock tried to open the PLANK
road again and again and failed, yet the
glory of it all is given to his corps, and OF
men of the Ninth received more than d
share The Thirty first got out with loss OF
90, among them Captain A. II. Packard and
Lieutenant A. J. Snow killed outright.
General Potters division marched from
the Wilderness to Spottsylvania on route
opened up by the Ninth corps, but on ar
irving at the new field its line becamt
only an attenuation of HancoCk's SeconC
corps line On the morning of the 18th o
May, when Hancock assaulted the famou
bloody angle, the Thirty-first entered tn
charge at O'Clock a. m. The enemy me
the shock in a ravine outride of his in
trenchments, but was driy back beyonC
his breastworks. which were entered anc
held, guns and all, until General Han
cocks line on the right gave way, allow
ing the Confederates to flank Potter
men. The Thirty-frst retired Il few rods
intrenched "A line close to the enemy
works, and held on under fire for six days
On the 18th the assaults were taken VI
again and repeated three times with aw
full slaughter and without result. TIT
regiment lost lO5, killed and wounded
Captain \. X. p. Wallace and 10 men wer
killed outright and Is men died of wounds
The last charge at Spottsylvania, whicl
was on the line at the McCoOl house, wa
made just one month after the regimen
marched out of Augusta. During tina
month over one-seventh of its men ha
fallen in battle. On the march fror
Spottsylvania toward Richmond the reg
iment fought at the North Anna and a
TopotSmoy. Lieutenant w. o. Tibbett
and four men were killed.
The day which the survivors of the Thil
ty-first recall with deepest pride is June
1t was then that they won their first con
plimentary order in the field in sectio
of the Cold Harbor battle known as b.
thesda Church. The Ninth corps was d.
NEaa