Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-09-17
1ST MAINE CAVALRY
Holds Its Annual Regimental
Reunion at Watervi|Ie.
The City Wide Open to Receive the
Brave Boys in Blue.
One Of Most Pleasant Gatherings Ever Held
by the Organization.

old boys of the First Maine Cavalry
them. 1t was great day for hand
shaking for most of the veterans are
well known here and then again they
have come from all over the State.
The venerable Col j. p. Cilley is here
in all his vigor and that rrepressible
and inimiatble George E. Goodwin of
SkoWhegan. is on deck life size by the
great stick er-i- bum" by the way
Co. II of Sllowhegan is the bloody COM
pany of the regiment as their little tiff
with the Johnnies in front of Richmond
testites. Did you ever hear that story
Of Kilpatricl<'s raid? Well it is a good
one and SO here goes. 1t was when
the Federal army was in front of Rich
mond and both sides We're desperate
From Libby prison, close at hand came
every day of the horrors of the pen in
which several thousand Union prisoners
We're suffering tortures unparalleled IN
human history. The men of the North
We're mad and it was decided TO make
an attempt to release the victims OF
Libby prison. 1t was called kilpatricks $
raid because Gen. Fitzpatrick a fighter
of the first water took 800 of the First
Maine Cavalry and set out with the
above purpose in view. Gen .Dahlgren
was in the movement and the two
generals decided upon a certain plan Of
action. The detachment was divided
into two parts. one section was to
march around to a given point and
make an attack and the other was To
raid the prison. The section which was
to so out around the city was being
guided by negro who led them pur
posely off on the wrong road and was
hung for his pains. But that did not
let the soldiers into the city for in
stead they We're "A hours behind time
so that when they arrived at the point
they We're expected to the day before
they found that their comrades had
been discovered and the object of the
raid was practically a forlOrn hope.
Anyway Co. H, under Major ThaXter
made an assault, succeeded in getting
beyond the first line of f0rtificationS
The assault was made at night in II
rain storm and when Il stand was made
morning was at haind. The light of
day disclosed the fact that the com
pany 40 only in number was entirely
surrounded. 1t was here that the Maine
man showed his nettle. Thousands On
every hand, Libby prison or death con-
fronted the men. but none hcsitated
for a moment. The saher was drawn
and the order to charge given. Eevery
man knew it was q case of cut your
way through" and that is just what
-
yell with pine trees all around it went
up on the Southern atmosphere that
must have given the Johnnies to un-
derstand that something was coming
full tilt Balaklava wasn't in it for
second The dare deVilism Of the Down
East Yankee was though and they cut
and Slashed and heWed their way
through that line of disputng bayonets
and rifle fire SO astonishing what John
MES they did not kill or main that pur-
suit was not thought of until too late
The loss was slight. wonderful thing
and the men had to pinch themselves
in order to make sure that they Were
really out of the hole unscathed. Dahl
gren's men We're all captured and killed
but Co. II returned to the regiment
with slight loss This fight was char
acteristic of the work of the First
Maine Cavalry in the As engagements
in which it participated. No other
regiment, cavalry or infantry took part
in as many battles and the First Maine
lost more men than any other cavalry
regiment in the service
The regiment was mustered into the
United States service in October, 1861
at Augusta, and left for the front il
March and in April of 1862. going III
three divisions of one battalion each
The regiment arrived in Washington
in due season. Five companies were
sent up into the valley and seven went
to Manassas station. In August the five
companies that went up the valley re-
Joined the regiment at Warrenton, Va.
In all this time the engagements were
mostly minor skirmishes but the regi
ment was destined to get all the fun it
wanted and it was very different from
that of robbing the orchards of the
som in-law of Governor Wise. Cedar
mountain and Antietam madeup a part
of the fighting history of the regiment
for 1862. The First Maine was the first
regiment to enter Fredericton after
Stonewall Jackson had moved after
his experience WIFI 1CdiIlS ipeti beii a.
Winter quarters were established ii
White Oak church, Fredericton and
the regiment was brigaded.
With the spring OF 1868 came the bat |
tie of Aldee, Middleburg, Upperville |
and other engagements At Aldee the
regiment lost Col. c. S. Doughty and
Capt. Summatt. favorite officers and
Co II lost nearly 100 men.
Then came Sharpsburg, Middleton
and Gettysburg, with all the horrors of
war. Thus on and on lighting tooth |
and nail went the stubborn First Maine |
Cavalry" The regiment won Gen. Kill |
patricks stars for him, they won inn |
mortal fame for their country, their
State and themselves, and returning |
home. donning the habiliaments of the
civilian they have made our best citi- |
zens; the lion has become the lamb;
the heroes of more battles than any
other number of men in the service |
have become the peaceful quiet and |
staid citizen at home, carrying their |