The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29
HEROIC MAINE "HEAvIES.'
a WILD BATTLE CHARGE REoALLED
By THEIR REUNION.
The Regiment which In tho Rebeiiion Lest
the Largest Number OF wen In Rattle. the
Largest Number In Single Rattle. and the
u,r.,., Eumhnr nr comutruioned Oncrrr.

ANk0M I'M" ~ SA"b'
Largest Number OF Commissioned OTlcerr.
BANGOR, Me-, Aug. 2s.-Just thirty.nvc years
ago. on Aug. "a, 1862. this city babe g~odspecd
TO a regiment or volunteers which went to the
front on a hasty summons for troops to protect
Washington, when Leo and Stouowall jackson
were marching upon 1t from tho banks Of the
RappahannoUk. The anniversary OF the do
parture from Bangor was commenioratod to-
day by the reunion OF tho veteran survivors at
Bucksport, a town on the lower Penobscot,
twenty miles down tho river. the headquarters
' o. Comp my g.
When this body OF soldiers left Maine in an.
twcr to the stirring call to arms It was the last
OF eighteen regiments sent out from the Fine
Tree state during the first year Of the war. 1t
was no novelty then to march away to battle,
but thoughtful people applauded the courage OF
men who resolutely sang, ave are coming.
Father Abraham, three hundred thousand
more" In the face OF the startling reports
from the battlefeldso of Virginia.
But to-day tho war record Of this regiment,
known as the Maine Hoavies First Maino
Heavy Artillery spread upon the muster rolls
Of the State and the nation, presents q novelty
of the nrst rank. Among the two thousand and
odd regiments Of tho Union Army. the position
Of the Maine Heavies 10 unique in every par
ticular. 1t lost the greatest number of mon
killed In battle; IT lost the greatest percentage
Of men killed in battle considering Its time of
service; 1t lost tho greatest number killed in q
single battle; also the greatest number OF COM
mlssiored officers killed in q single action. In
the battle where II eclipsed all records In the
number of men shot down 1t was under lire only
seven minutes. And 1t was not caught in that
terrible slaughter pen through a military blum
der. like the one which sent tho Light Brigade
to its doom at Balaklava. 1t was ordered for
ward to slaughter as a cool, premeditated. mer-
CHESS experiment.
As combatants the Maine Heavies must be
classed among the eleventh.hour men. They
fired their first shots at Spottsylvania on May
IL. 1864, and that means that Names crack
regiment piled up its enormous death roll, in
about ten months of battle. Whom the new
regiment, which was first known as tho
Eighteenth Infantry. reached Washington in
August, 1852, the army engineers were at work
preparing the capital for defence. Men were need
ed just at that time to WELD axes rather than
handle muskets, and tho companies were dis.
tributed along the line of Notifications to clear
away the forests and build forts. In q few days
tho regiment was ordered to the extreme trout,
bat the engineers informed the War Depart
mont ~offici,ls that the hardy lurnbermen
from the valley of tho Ponobscot had
done more effective work building forts
and cutting Town trees than any other
SIX regiments detallel Tor that lAbOr.
This incident changed the fate Of tho rog.-
ment. and 1t was assigned to the ~fortidca-
tons permanently. On Jan. l. 1868. two new
companies were added. and tho organization
WAS thereafter known as tho First Maine Heavy
Artillery. On May 10, 1864. the Maine Heavies
were ordered to march TO Spottsylvania in Gen.
Tyler's division. Nearly all OF Tyler's regi-
meuts had been organized as infantry. origi.
nally. and then placed on garrison duty for tho
defense Of important forts. They entered the
hattie as trained reserves. In the spirited
vate, Frank Wilkeson, the soldier-au,hor gives
O description of the arrival OF o division of
hos, troops on the ield Q; Srottsylvania,
ON. and down the road we heard tx stirring
music OF a martial band. Soon the bead of =
riding ut the heud OF the soldiers on horses that
prnnced. The men were neatly clad, and their
THE heavy artillery from the Qualifications
Of washington. one Of my comrades murmured.
fully. They were singing loudly and tunefully.
They were apparently pleased with the prospert
s5 hsh rensSn in the sf %infnnsrS Of ., their esn ,i SS u p vo, pGr
men. There wasn widespread belief that these
men had enlisted In that arm because they ex.
p,ected to night behind csrthMorks or to garrison
the forts which surrounded Washington.
pissed through the bloody gauntlet their songs
we're hushed. They became, grave and sober
hih"oh. + " hIo IN Iney TeAllLeQ WQ0t
PLEASURE. 1t was not sport under the green:
perate adversuries, who dealt death and grievous
wounds witt impartial Lands. These troops
ami I an proud to say that their asbtin Uat ws;
superb. They fought with n steadiness and de-
m5n'n 'n that could ,hsu no. DO eKselled; Tho
9rtilIerymen whom Grant summoned, from
Wilderness
The Maine Heavies took their baptism Of fire
and came out With SpSS't q loss "a % 43e t fiihi',SSn snd
wounded out Of 1900 that entered the fight.
On tho trip up from Bucksport this evening
the reception given tho Heavies by the battle
Sc,.Tr &c soldiers az S.o!tsyiyanie In the party
this city. who commanded Company B. the
Bangor company. 81 the time;
sport OF us, said the Major" and no doubt It
had SONG effect upon our men. There was no
later. on juno ls. we turned the laugh upon our
side. Costly satisfaction II was. but it ali came
TUNE Is. 1854, is a red dsS IL the history of
ne regiment. IL was then we placed the First
q the 2,,ot7 r~esinenls in the Uaion Army. At
about 2 o'clock In the afternoon that day, as we
marohed toward the front limo held by the Sec.
ond Corps at Petersburg. word anne to us that
tried the enemy's line and failed. 1t then began
to be very seriously considered that we were to
have our courage and soldIerly bearing tried.
and possibly see some very serious work. Our
regiment numbered S32 men In line, II coz
sIStsd OF twelve companies and we were formed
IN three battalionso or four companies front,
We found OF rselves in a aruken roai nro.
tected by about three feet OF bank, upon which
was 2 four or h%ye:foot rail fence. We saw then
our situation. We wore to charge over an open
h,!d OF slightly rising ground for about 800
feet, or 800 yards. with a clear rake before US
from certhlnly q third OF a mile 10 our right and
LETT; racing Infantry and n concentrated fire Of
the enemy's batteries for a space OF about three
lourihs OF q mile. When the men saw what was
expected OF them there was a scene l shall never
forgt'. Knapsarks wero taken on and thrown
ina a pile and bayoncts hXod. Orders were TO
remove the caps from the muskets, and rely en-.
tirely upon the bayUnet.
! The mons faces grew very serious: We
Fnew many, very many OF US were to die. Men
turned to their comrades bidding each olhor
gooi;by. and with tears running down their
checks dictated messages TO wives, fathers.
mothers. sisters, and sweothearts. myself
received a number of such messages.
Next the fence in front OF us was broken
down with the butts OF the muske,s. The order
came as soon as the fence was down 10 double
quick charge. The men frightened their urips
upon their muskets. and. citing their teeth to-
eethcr, sprang upon the bank and went forward
with n ,hpar Aa anon M tha Eirut nn,Inl.-