Daily Kennebec journal., 1903-02-19

uncovered and with no support. held n
whole rebel horde at bay for "a time un-
til reinforcements came./ Now go over
to the clump Of trees and along the
| stone wall to the Bloody Angle and
you find Colonel Heath with the Nine
teenth Maine. This regiment was en-
this liEc all the second and third days
fight, did bloody work and helped to
repuse Pickett's charge.
Now drop over to Little Round Top
on the extreme left of our line of bat
tie and here we find Col. Chamberlain
With the 20th Maine. This regiment
was charged by four times its num-
her of rebels, charge upon charge was
made and the old goth was as firm as
the rocks on which they stood. and
finally drove the rebels back. Also on
Little Round Top was Capt. Mcclure
with Co. D. Sharpshooters who did ex-
cellent service. On a knoll at the foot
of Culp's Hill we find Capt stevens
with the 9Th Maine Battery
On our extreme right was Col. Smith
with the First Me. Cavalry and near
the Peach Orchard we find Lieut. Dow
with the 9Th Maine Battery fighting
like demons. Col. Edwards of the 5th
|
Maine and Col. Selden Connor with the
| 1th Maine were ON our left center The
most of our Maine organizations are
| found right where the hardest fighting
| was done and they did heroic battle
| and lost about one-half their numbers
| on many another hard fought field.
the sons OF Maine distinguished them
| selves FOR courage, vallor and bravery
| If pnl ha
ericksburg. Anteitum and Petersburg
and in every place where Maine men
were found they did honorable service.
Not one Maine organization lost it's
| colors during the war.
| Comrades, we are proud to say that
we We're Maine soldiers in the war and
! that wc are now soldiefs of the Grand
| Army of the Republic. 1t took four
years of marching and fighting, such
as the world has never before seen to
make this republic of free men and
| when the flag of that false govern
| ment went down in disgrace and defeat
at Appomattox Il new dawn was upon
our republic and we started upon a
mission of humanity and justice to all
who live under the flag of our common
| ,ountry.
! VIII tid-S IL Olll tue lilit We SiSHtU
| the enlistment rolls till the time we
We're mustered out. whether on guard.
| around our camps, out on the picket
| line. Oh the battlefield. in the hospitals.
| in the prison pens or gathered around
| our camp-Grcs telling stories and
| planning for the future. there was
| growing up in our hearts d feeling of
| fraternity a brotherly love. stronger
\ 10
| army life. When the war was over
| and the soldiers returned home. and
| took up their several occupations and
| professions some of them began to
| think and talk of starting society
! among themselves to keen alive the
memories and incidents of their army
life, and as a result of this, on April
9th, 1866, the Grand Army Of the Re
| public sprung into existence.
1t grew and spread until every state
in the Union except North Carolina had
its Grand Army Posts. In 1892 the
| high water mark was reached when
| the membership was 100000. These
comrades were found in 66S6 posts in
10 departments. Since that time. the
membership has been gradually de-
creasing. until at the present time
there are about 100000. We have in
| the DEPARTMENT of Maine 1871 Posts
| with 6,37S members. Although some of
| our Posts are small, yet on the whole
| they were never in better condition
than they are ut the present time. they
are ut least stronger in fraternity,
| charity and loyalty.
| Comrades. the Union army consisting
| first and last of nearly three millions
| of men was such an army as was never
| before raised. and probably never will
be again. The Grand Army of the Re-
| public is practically a continuation of
that army, it stands alone among the
| organizations of the world. There has