Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-07
THE FIFTH MAINE BATTERY
MAJOR STEVENS ANSWERS.
NATIONAL TRIBUNE WRITER
By Major G. T.. s,evens-l


ply requested 70 al article in the Ma
t!onal Tribune under date Of December
18th last, written by one William B.
Weber ot Chestnut Hill. Mass. who Al
one time was member Of the 5th Maine
Battery.
Judging from the sketch the writer
must have been slightly Gisgrlntied- out
Of sorts and wa. grossly IN error.
He incorrectly quotes as fellows: 1t
was during the year -s64 that the battery
took part in The battle Of Chanceliors-
Vile" And further IL Quilted, It was
during this year that the hat:ery took
such a prominent par II -a= tatIls q
Gettysburg
In answer l would say re 5a--i@ O.
Charlottesville was NJ fought II ~:
but was fought or Slnds:. May >-d. W.,
in which the battery took part Neither
vas the battle Of Gettysburg fought Il.
ia hut was fought July ! and 3 1875,
Again ne quotes wha. Lieut. Whittier re-
ported 70 ,he Ad.1tart Genera! Of Maine
during Stevens leave q absence II jan
uary III. 10 The e:!%c. Whatever i tine
battery may have acco-nIa .shed for =
self ard for The honor of the State may
b. considered as me direc- result o. his
I.epple-sJ constant care. labor AID s-ucy
il the winter Of 49, and -ss3.' which was
rrtr.e1 II the A6tutan, Generals -spcr,
for lS33, oser Whi,t!ers own Signature.
See Pg. -
Weber. giving the reader 70 under
stand taat :; vas TIE AdtutaEt General
who made those remarks. Whittier had
been taken from -he ranks b. CAPITA Z
Leppien and made e Second L--e1-e-a-,
and r. felt presume Ike pairing con-
plirrent 70 his memoir. ~
Weber was cor i. the hattie II Char
cellorsyi.le or The battle o: Gettysburg
that he writes so HippaaI!y about O. i.
the army az all, q. that date. hur :
minor in his teens, q, his parental home
and under the Jurisdiction Of lis father
and mother.
He was a recruit, and was net mustered
into the service until February 2, 1854
about eight months after Charlottesville
and six months after Gettysburg. See
Ad3utant Generals Report for 1854, Vol
2 page l.3. Such an article from such
a source would be unworthy OF an an
swer were il not for its intended biund-
ers and misleading.
Who commanded the battery in its sew
eral enga gements?
Lieutenant ". r. Tvitchell commanded
ct Bull Run 2nd, and was killed. Captain
Leppien was riding in an ambulance that
day, but could not ride the saddle II was
claimed, on account Of boil on his per
son. Losses. One officer and three men
killed. eight men wounded and six men
missing.
Four guns out Of FIVE were captured
one gun and the line OF ca;ssons were
saved. The company records were lost.
and the baggage wagons abandoned. l
never thought tina. the Battery gained
very great glory in that fight. !; was
Leppiens battery then. The ambulance
and its contents were saved. Fredericks
burg came next. This was on December
L., 1sse. Stevens, Lieut., was IT. personal
command there.
Captain Leppien was acting as Chief o.
Artillery Rickets Division. No losses
among the men. Some loss Of material.
pien was not IN the Battery that DAY
while under fire.
The battle of Charlottesville came
next. Captain Leppien was in personal
command Of the Battery there.
That was his first. last and only battle
where he was in personal command He
was seriously wounded. He lost MS right
soa.
creme. then second amputarion. He
died at Washington. .. C., May q, ls52.
He had received Lieutenant-Cols. COM
mission in the Maine Mounted Artillery,
but was not mustered IN as such until
May IS. six days before his death. Lieut..
Stevens and Lieut.. A. 3. Twitchell were
also wounded. Six men were killed. q
men wounded ard g horses killed. Our
numbers were SO depleted that % men
(more than oEe-third Of its nunber) were
assigned 70 US from the SD and @ith New
York Regiments. They had never served
in the artillery before. However, they
were drilled. disciplined and made eff
Gent as canncneers and drivers b. the
time We arrived at Gettysburg. where
they with the original men Of the bat
terry did most gallant service.
Stevens was commissioned Captain Of
the Battery 10 take rank from May 18th,
lSs3, the date that Leppien was mustered
into the United States service as Lieut.
Colonel See Vol. 2. .Adjt Generals Re
port for 1915, page IA.
AT Gettysburg we were defeated the
first day Of the battle: out-nunbered TWO
ton one: driven back but not dismayed
While retiring with the infantry. and
other artillery. inter-ningled, General
Hancock was met on the Baltimore pike
not far from the cemetery gate, He
called for the Captain Of that Brass
battery" Stevens, Captain. heard what
he said and put himself in Hancock 8
presence. He ordered him 70 take his
battery over on that hill, pointing to
Culp's Hill, about one-third Of a mile
away land stop the enemy from coming
up through that ravine." The order was
promptly obeyed.
The enemy was stopped in short order,
taking shelter and lying down behind
anything that furnished protection. They
never got any further in that direction.
and the desire OF General hancock was
fully achieved. In the afternoon Of the
second day Stevens, Captain, was shot
y Nvh hot L-x<