Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-29
ABRAHAM SLOWER.
Well-known Benton Man With Fine
Civil War Record Passes Away.

Benton, Me, April 2S.-(SpeciaD.-A vet
eran of the Civil war and one of more
than ordinary character died at the home
of his daughter, Mrs. Eugene Sullivan,
on the River road today.
When the first call for troops was sent
over the country it reached the back
woods of what was then Wisconsin forest
primeval and from the forest section was
raised company of infantry which was
finally assigned to the 4th Regiment of
that state In Co. / of the regiment then
was a strapping lumberman of % years,
Abraham Slower by name. The 4th Wis
consin had tnmultuous time from the
start to the close Of its enlistment. The
ranks were shaken and shredded in many
battles, but no shot or shell touched
Abraham Slower. He was always ready
for duty whether it were of the regular
order or that of special service. He was
never sick day. He was the life of his
company and regiment. After several
sharp engagements in which the regi-
ment lost heavily, Slower allowed that he
must have been born to be hung and not
to be killed in war. He lost 16 comrades
in three battles-men who had filed in
the spaces and put their shoulders to his
own in the charge. Comrades fell in
front of him, on either side, and shells
and solid shot passed over him to do
damage in the rear He was a good sol
der and a hard fighter. He was tough
as hemlock knot and never complained
of his fare.
In the latter part of 1864 Slower was
transferred to an engineers corps and
when the war closed was with a Maine
regiment. His term of enlistment had
expired and he was with the regiment at
or near Weldon Railroad station when
the famous engagement of Weldon Road
occurred. The regiment was waiting for
orders to return home and the rifles of
the command had gone into a general
stack. The stack had been made several
days before the Weldon Road engage
ment, which was one of the last of the
war. When the two fire lines began APP
preaching each other there was some I'M
certainty regarding the result of the en-
gagement. From a Northern standpoint
| things looked dark for the Tnion lines
The battle commander took account of
stock and found the Maine regiment lay
ing in it's tents waiting for orders to go
home. The commander sent an aide to
the regime mt and asked the boys if they
would take q hand in the scrimlnage SO
imminent. Not a Maine man declined
the honor and as soon as possible the
rifles were taken from the stack and the
Maine regiment with Abraham Slower
in the front rank reported ready for
business.
Weldon Road was a short but exc ed
ingly sharp engagement. Many ,nen fell
on both sides. When the Maine regiment
was ordered to charge and had got we'll
into the space between the lines, about
the first thing to happen was the whistle
Of a mimic ball which landed on the left
wrist OF Slower. The bones of the wrist
were shattered, but he kept steadily on
with the front rank, using more or less
emphatic English about getting through
whole war without being SCARED to get
his wounds In play war engagement
When the lines were about to meet, a
second bali struck Slower in the left
shoulder and sent him to the ground. Be
fore he struck the soil, however. a third
bullet had landed in his right hip, and
while he was rolling about grcaning and
cheering, a fourth bullet plowed a deep
furrow along his ribs on the right side,
glancing away at the shoulder blade
1t was Mr.. Stover's finish as a fighter,
for his arm was amputated three differ
ent times, being finally removed at the
shoulder. He was often heard to say that
he was hit four times in as many min
utes. He never wrote a letter home while
he was in the army, but he sent his pay
home regularly and to him was entrust-
ed the pay of several comrades of his
regiment. When he finally returned to
his home in Wisconsin he found no little
difficulty in discovering the relatives of
two comrades who had died in the SER
vice and whose money he held in trust
He was more than Is years locating the
relatives of one comrade
For many years he was iantor of a
public hnlding in mis- native town, and
IL years ago came East to live with hi
daughter. lie never Joined the Grand
Army. was never a member of any Sc
cret or fraternal order, was Independent
in religion and politics. He never asked
for a pension and so never received one
His daughter alone survives. his wife dy-
Ing Is wears ago at Waupon Wis. The
remains will be sent to Waupon for bur
ial