Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-21
WAR STORIES.
Ons of the Papers Read Be-
fore the u. V. u.
Accidents Outside of Battle in the
First Maine Heavy Artillery.
The Collision Between Transports Black
Diamond and Massachusetts Recalled.

in% of the I. Y. L.
1t WAS ut a recent meeting nT the t.
Y. L. that Major c. j. House of thi.
city, read the story that follows
Major House has quite reputation Il.
story writer and as al
authority ON all matters pertaining
to the wars in which .his country ha~
taken part l'p is constantly in re-
cent oi letters asking for data in re-
&atd TO Tie war records of soldiers,
and in searching for these. he often
stumhies upon many an anecdotc, that
he is fully capable of telling,
The article is somewhat out OF the
usual run, treating principally of the
fatalities that occurred outside those
caused by battle, and ends with a comic
sketch about the chaplain of the reei-
ment, which was the 18th Maine. and
later transferred to the First Maine
Battery.
Colonel and comrades: 1t is Il fact well
most entirely by the citizen generally.
that not all the injuries to man in the
field are received in action or caused by
bullet and shell. As a deviation from the
usual war story. propose to mention
several accidents. more or less serious.
which occurred in my own regiment, and
while | do not expect the recital will pos
sess the interest that a description of an
exciting battle scene naturally would.
yet they were a part of our life and cX-
pericnce at the front. and may well de-
serve a place around the camp lire or IN
history.
When our regiment arrived in the vicin-
ity of Washington the work of fortifyn-
the city was being vigorously carried un.
and regiment after regiment was pressed
into the service to wlptd the pick ami
shovel in the construction of earth works.
or to swing the AK in cutting away the
forests for the double purpose of giving
the guns in the forts greater range, and
to impede the advance of the enemy in
case of attack; for the rebel army were
but q few miles south of us on Virginia
soil. and were hard pressing Pope. and
Worsting him at almost every turn on
their onward movement to Autictam.
The 18th Maine, literally a regiment of
Woodsmcn from the lumber swamps
along the Penobscot the Mdchias and the
st. croiN.and from the half cleared farms
i'll the wilderness of Eastern Maine We're
furnished with axes and grndstoncs aud
set at work telling trees. which work We
continued for several months. am many
Il ucklcsS fellow got badly cut during the
time: how many | never knew. but there
must have been Il score or more y letter
from our colonel to the State adiutaut
general now ON file at that office writ
ten 4 week after we commenced this
work, states that five men had already
been cut vithaXcs and that h" considered
this a more dangerous occupation than
service in front of the enemy; and rs h"
had lust passed through the Peninsula
cHnIpaiGn as ma ior Of the 2ud Maine In
fautry. he WAS competent to Judge with
the exception of Stephen l.. Mcdonald OF
Par1man. in Company y, am mahlc t"
locate any of them. Resides W"un ling
many of thcm with HXcs, several were III
iured by falling trees. Henry >. Han 81
i3un-or in Company u. had his loS bf"k-
en-. ana WAS 50 badly injured that h"
never returned to tn" company. but after
partial recovery he WAS detailed aS clerk
in one of tl,, government departments in
Washington.
Hrniamiu Narnum of Starry, in COM
panv &. John Gerald of Canaan. in com
panv y. and Josiah N. Jordan of Troy,
in Company T. were treated in general
husnitaI. and James r. E.rskino of Brad
ford. in Company T., was discharged On
account of an injured ankle. al hurt by
falling trees. that autumn. ON June %. 1864.
VIM. j. LanderS of Cornna, in Company
NJ. was badly injured in the same way III
front of Petersburg.
Three of our men lost their lives by
drowning Sergeant Major Nathan NJ.
Mills of Milford. who had lost an arm
the 18th of June 1864 at l'ctcrsburG was
crossing the Penobscot river in Il boat
between Odd Town and Bradley, late that
fan. when the boat capsizcd and he WAS
drowned.
In a collision on the Potomac river
Anril =" 1860, between the two transports
Black Diamond and the Massachusetts,
Sergeant AUGUSTUS +. Nash of Steubcn,
in Company II. ANA John Hall of Her
mon. IN Company i Ntic '''' ''i'''ioN''
Nash had been ii prisoner and recently
exchanged.
on the 2lst of August, lS63 while cele-
brating the first anniversary OF our muster
into service 10y foot. and bag races, mule
riding. catching the creased pig, etc.
Charles Eaton of FoXcroft in Company
r. WAS thrown from Il balky mule, ana
received a bad Sprain of the ankle.
In the spring of 1854 AXel Woodbury. OF
Exter. in Company NJ, while unloading
rations at Fort Sumner i'll some manner
sIipped, and Il barrel of pork fen on hlih'
rendering him an invalid for llfe' ana III
timately on June 80. 1876. as 1t is cialhiei
caused his death.
In the morning of May is, lS'i' very
early, before many were aStif, "hde INC
regiment lay at Belle Plain lahdlhs' Na''
ON the way to Spottsylvania, w iiiiahi H.
Kent of Brewer. in Company Is. whiie en-
raeing in splitting kindlinS WOOD 10
start a fire. as he alleges. accloeht"iN
cut off two fingers from the let hah"'
In the fail of 1863 Michael b"hcher "i
Calais in Company a, fell in mt across
:, fire. and severely burned his arm near
" it's whole length. He was uhoer ''l'9t
l,,, IA