The Republican journal., 1913-02-06
Maine Men in The Nav.
Recognition Asked for Those Who Served
During the Civil War.

served in the U. S. Navy from this State
during the war of the Rebellion been
recognized in any official manner by those
in authority? Al the office of the Ad-
jutant General can be found the names
of every person who served in the army
III any capacity during that great strug-
gle for the Nations life. But, with the
exception of the names of some recruits
who enlisted for a big bounty under an
act OF Congress passed late in 1864, per-
uniting States to ship men for the Navy,
TO be counted on the quota of the towns
IN the State that shipped them, the State
paying bounty of $500, the State has
no record of those who served in the
navy We feel that these men were not
representative, but misrepresentation of
those who went in early as volunteers
and stayed in late without bounty.
Most of those men came from the ut
most ends of the earth, and many of
them shipped under assumed names.
Men who came from foreign countries
in ships to our seaport towns enlisted for
the bounty only. and the towns and cities
from which they shipped knew them
no more. They We're put on board re-
ceiving ships at Portsmouth or Portland.
and the State having paid their bounty
and sent them off with fat pocketbooks
kept no further track of them. There
sEere about 1000 of this class, and it is
estimated that about 5000 men and 400
volunteer officers went into the navy
from Maine, thus leaving 5000 men and
about 400 officers of whom there is no
record in the archives of the State. This
should not be. The tide of oblivion
should not engulf all the heroes who
went down to the sea in ships from the
good old State in all its wars. How, l
ask you, can a true history of Maine be
written with the part taken by the brave
men in the navy left out. Maine as a
maritime State has taken a prominent
part on the Sea in all the wars upon this
continent since its settlement by the
English. Maine men werewith Sir William
Phipps, native of Woolwich, Maine
at the capture of Port Royal, n s.,
from the French in 1890. They were
with Sir William Pepperill, native of
hittery, Maine, at the capture of Louis
burg, N. S., from the French in l745.
The first naval engagement of the war
Of the Revolution was fought at Ma
chias, April %, 1875, when an armed
British sloop, the Margaretta, was cap
tured by the six O'Brien brothers, and
others whose names are unknown to me.
This took place few days after the
battle at Lexington, and was then known
as the Lexington of the Sea. The con-
gress of the State of Massachusetts ex-
tended to the heroes of that day vote
of thanks; but to the shame and disgrace
Of the Nation, and of the State, no 9th
er public body has ever recognized the
men who performed that daring feat in
any public manner.
Right here | wish to state that shortly
after the Bill Conway celebration at
camden, six years ago, ! mentioned to
Rev. Dr. Burrage. State Historian and
recorder Of the Military Order of the
Loyal Legion, Department of Maine.
that our order could DO itself no greater
honor than to erect Boulder in memory
OF those heroes; telling him that we
could fill Machias bay full of ships of
war and other vessels and have such d
pageantry as was never before witnessed
IN Maine. He told me that he would
look the matter up, and did So Shortly
after he wrote me that he had attended
to the matter and found it in good hands:
that the Daughters of the American
revolution had the matter in charge and
we're going to proceed at once. Six
years have passed and nothing has been
done so fac as have heard, and at the
next meeting of the Loyal Legion shall
call the matter up more fully.
But to return: The first ship of war
quit by me Continental Congress was
built at klttery. She was a "a gun ship
called the America, was commanded bv
i Ohm Paul Jones and was manned by the
sturdy seaman from the coast of Maine
from Kittery to Quoddy Head
Commodore Samuel Tucker, of Revo.
utienary memory, was a resident of the
town of Bremen in this State. He it
was that commanded the Frigate United
States that took John Adams, then min
lister to France, safely to that country in
Che time Of the Revolution. | do not
know OF any other thing that was placed
to his credit during that war. But a
monument has been erected to his mem
DRY within a few years. Our seamen
we're with Commodore Preble at Tripoli
an S06 Preble was native Of Port
land The battle between the American
brig Enterprise and the British brig
Boxer was fought in Maine waters, off
Seguin at the mouth OF the Kennebec,
Sept, 1914 The Americans were the
aictors; but both the captains were killed
and were buried side by side at Portland,
one slab covering both graves.
| am not we'll informed as to the num-
Der of officers belonging to Maine who