The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-09-30
First Maine Cavalry Reunion.

First Maine Cavalry Reunion.
| The annual reunion of the First Maine
Cavalry Association was held in Belfast
Wednesday, Sept. Goth The weather was
fine and the attendance large, many COM
rades coming from other States
The meeting was called to order at II
O'Clock by the President, Samuel j. Gurney
OF Waldo. After reading the records of the
previous meeting the Treasurer, 0. S. Has
kell of Pittstield, presented his report, which
| showed receipts for the year, S2712; ex-
penditures, So 90; OIL hand, S512
The following committee was appointed to
receive invitations to hold the next reunion
M. B. Cook, Friendship; Y. A. Foss, Ban
gor N, S. Emery, Waterville. Invitations
We're received from Bucksport, Pittsfeld
and Kittery, and suggestions were made to
meet in Boston and Rumford Falls. The
| association voted IN favor of Bucksport.
The following committee was appointed to
nominate officers for the ensuing year: E.
z Tobey, Pawtucket Il. L.. 0. S. Haskell,
Plttstield; j. B. Loring, Rockland B. S.
Wood, Newburyport, Mass. g. NJ Harris,
Portsmouth, n. H.; E. L. French, Belfast :
Alfred Pierce, New York Leonard Rowe,
Leeds D. N. Gage, Cambridge, Mass. Chas.
Moulton, Foxcroft; Geo F. Jewett, Boston
They reported the following list of officers,
who We're unanimously elected.
President, Isaiah Richardson, Bucksport.
Wee Presidents, Edward Jordan, Bangor ;
Augustus Devereau4, Ellsworth.
Recording Secretary and Treasurer, O. S.
Haskell, Pittstield.
Corresponding Secretary, j. P. Cilley,
Rockland.
The meeting then adjourned and the COM
rades took teams for the Battery where a
clam bake was held.
The afternoon was spent in visiting, view
suited the comrades.
At $50 o'clock 7. H Marshall Relief
Corps served an excellent supper for the
comrades at Memorial Halt
The following record OF the work of Maine
Regiments shows not only highly honor
| able record for Maine soldiers as whole,
but that the First Cavalry stands at the
head of the list in some respects
Of the 2,047 regiments in the Union Army
| in the war of the Rebellion the three mum
dred who bore a loss IN killed OF mortally
wounded equaIling Or exceeding 130, have
been designated as the Three Hundred
Fighting Regiments The ratio of tho ight-
ing regiments to The whole mum her Of regi-
ments is II per cent. Maine sent into the
service, counting the batteries and unassign-
ed companies as equivalent to two regi-
! ments, 81 regiments. Twelve of these are
included in the three hundred fighting reg
iments making the ratio so far as Maine
troops are concerned SO per cent. The mill
tary record Of the Maine troops is still
further pre-eminent in the fact that Of all
the 2,Q47 regiments the Firsl Maine Heavy
Artillery sustained rhe greatest loss in bat
| tie. Not only was the number killed the larg-
est, but the per cent. of killed was exceeded d
in only one instance. Again, its loss at
Petersburg, June Is, was tne greatest Of
any one regiment III any one action during
the war. The First Maine Cavalry sustain
ed the heaviest ,oss killed II action, of any
cavalry regiment IN the entire army. In
the battle order, socalled, designating the
number Of battles each regiment was Ell
titled to bear on its standards, the number
| accorded to that regiment exceeded by three
any other regiment in the whole army Of
the United States.
The following list shows the number Of
men killed or mortally wounded at each of
the battles i'll which the regiment was en-
gagged;
Middletown, Va, May 24................. "a. 3
Manassas, Va, Aug. %, 1862. .........,.. /
South Mountain, Nd, Sept. II, 1862. 80. I
Louisa, 9. e., Va, May 2, lS63.-........ 2
Brandy Station, Va, June 9,1ot3 .,.....
Aldie, Va, June H. 1865. 5................. s
| Middleburg, Va, June 10, 1858. II
| Gettysburg, Pa, July 3, 1868 ........... l
| Shepherdstown, Va, July Is. 1868. ..... q
Manassas, Va, Oct, Is, 1858 .-......,.... l
Dahlgren Raid Va, March, 1864 ...,.. 10
Todd's Tavern. Va, May s, 1864 4........, /
South Anna, Va, May 10, 1864 .,......,.. .
Ashland, Va, May IL, 1864 .............. 8
Meadow Bridge, Va May II, 1864 ..... /
Hawes Shop, Va, May 2S, 1864. ..... !
| Cold Harbor, Va, June 3 1864. ........... ?
| Skirmsh, Va. June 49, 1864 4..............
W hlte House, Va, June Il, 1861. ........ |
ST. Mary's Church, Va, June "a, 1S64.... II
| Gurley Farm, Va, June %, 1864. ...,..... /
! Picket, Va, Aug. 8, 1864. i
Deep Bottom, Va, Aug. 8, 1864. ........ 1
Malvern Hill, Va, Aug. 16, 1864. ......... 4
| Charles City Road, Va, Aug. Is, 1864. 3
Reams Station, Va, Aug. %, 1864. i........ 3
| Yellow Tavern, Va, Sept, %, 1864. ,......
Boydton Road, Va, Oct 27, 1864. 16
| Bellefeld, Va, Dec. 10, 1864. ............. I
Dinwiddie Q. H, Va, March 81, 1S65..... q
| Deatonsvlle, Va, April 6, 1916. .........
Sailors Creek, Va, April 6, 1865 4
| Farmville, Va, April 7, 1865 ............. .
| Appomattox, Va, April 9, 1865. 5........... Z
| Picket DUTY. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2
An incident is worth relating as an ex-
ample of the coolness of the men of the First
Maine Cavalry. Col. Cilley is little near
sighted. After forming the regiment on the
Boydton plank road, Oct. u, 1864 the men
opened fire with their Spencer and Henry
/ rifles. A moment later, seeing DO enemy,
and thinking they We're wasting their am
| munition, the colonel rushed along the line,
| directing the men to cease firing. Coming
| up to Corporal S. j. Gurney, of Co. B, he
| shouted: "You are acting like a fool with
your ammunition, corporal" "The rehs
are right out there the corporal replied.
| THAT may be so, but wait till you can see
them" "Kneel down here, colonel now
| look through there" The colonel said no