Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-17
5th MAINE BATTERY
Holds i Very Pleasant Reunion a,
Grand Army Hall.
0aIesss Elected and spsechss Made Brief
History u Batssr.

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The 5th Maine Battery Association
held a reunion in Grand Army hall.
Friday forenoon. afternoon and even
ing. Nearly 40 members of the ASSOC
citation with their ladies' attended and
the meeting was one of the pleasantest
ever held. 1t will long he remembered
by those present as happy gathering
At the business meeting. at II o'clock.
Reuel w. Dutton Of Augusta. was
elected president: Geo. w. Pelton.
West Gardiner. vice president: Thomas
b. Mennealey Lewiston. secretary; Will
liam l. Town. Waterville. Benz. s..
Smith, Augusta. executive committee.
committee consisting OF Major G.
T. Stevens of Augusta, Lieut.. Charles
o. Hunt of Portland, and James w.
White OF Augusta. was appointed to
distribute the books entitled Maine
ut Gettysburg" to the families of the
brave soldiers killed in action and also
to the surviving participants in that
great battle. Sixty.flve books have
been allotted to the battery as its pro-.
portion and they will be so distributed
that all those directly interested will
have a copy.
The afternoon was passed in an in
formal roatfnp and at & o'clnck the
party sat down toan elaborate banquet
in the dining hall.
The meeting was again called to or
der, at 7.3O O'Clock, and short speeches
were made by Hon. S. w. Matthews.
Major c. j. House, J. W. White and
George Gardiner.
william H. Mason. the president.
was called away on account Of sickness
in his family and in his absence Major
G. T. Stevens presided and made the
opening address which was through
out interesting and instructive. He
gave the history of the trials and
triumphs of the 9Th Maine Battery.
Told in the story-iike manner by one
who was in command of the battery it
was indeed very interesting and the
end came altogether too soon.
During Judge Stevens remarks the
following facts and data were brought
out. The 9Th Maine Battery was
raised at large. it's members being re-
cruited from all parts of the State. The
battery was organized in the fall Of
1861 and served continuously at the
front under Generals John Pope. Nc
clellan. Burnside. Hooker. Meade.
Grant and Sheridan
1t was first under fire at Cedar
Mountain, Va, in 1862. where 1t fortu-
nately sustained no losses. Its next
engagement was at Rapahanock Sta
ton, on Aug. 80 of the same year.
1t was also holly engaged in the
second battle of Buu Run. where 1t
lost seven men killed and mortally
wounded and five men wounded. On
December Is, of the same year. it was
engaged at the battle of Fredericks-
burg, where it lost no men, but met
heavy losses in horses and material.
At ChanceslOrsville on May 3. 1863,
the battery lost six men killed and
three officers and 10 men wounded.
total number %.
A,,orr tho ,norttallv wnunHed, was
Capt. George Francis Leppien. the first
commander of the battery. The bat
terry in that memorable engagement
also lost 48 horses killed.
The 9Th Maine Battery was next en-
gagged at Gettysburg. on July l, and
3, 1863. In the first days engagement
there were but three Maine organiza :
tions present, the I'd Maine Battery.
commanded by Capt. James Hall. the
| 18th Maine Regiment, commanded by
/ Col. Tilden, and the 5th Maine Battery
under Capt G. T. Stevens.
The 5th Battery, in that engagement,
lost three men killed and two officers
and II enlisted men wounded.
The battery was also in the Mine Kun
expedition. but was not engaged. 1t
also went through The Wilderness
| campaign under Gen. Grant. hat suffer-
| ed no losses.
It's next engagement was at Spotsyl-
| yania Court House, where it expended
11s rounds of ammunition without loss.
The next battle was at Cold Harbor
where it expended 16 canister, 16 shells
| GA solid shot and % spherical shot with
a total Of 124 rounds. Here they sus-
tanned no losses either of men or ma
terial, being fully protected by earth
works.
The next engagement was at Peters
burg, where it had but one man wound
i ed.
When TIE Rebel General EARLY made
his last raid on the City Of Washington
the battery. with the 9Th Army Corps
was shipped from Petersburg to the
| Capital by transports, and, subsequent