Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-09-13
BREAKING FAITH WITH MAINE
BOYS?
Disrupting Of MiIiken Regiment
Causes Widespread Complaint-Pre-
Enlistment Promises Not Fulfilled.

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| The Biddeford Journal voices this
bitter complaint:
| Great dissatisfaction is brewing
throughout Maine because of the &C
ton of Major General Edwards in
splitting up the First Maine regiment
Of Heavy Artillery. and one protest
has already gone forward to Governor
Milliken. If something is not done
promptly to restore the status ante, q
strong protest will be forwarded to
the War Department.
There is good ground for this dis
satisfaction The Maine artillery reg
iment was brought into being through
the influence and zeal of Captain Ar
thur T. Balentine, a former. artillery
officer of high accomplishments in the
regular army. 1t was given out. and
was the understanding all around, that
this regiment, If accepted by the gov
eminent, was to be a distinctively
Maine regiment. whose identity as
such would be preserved. BY dint Of
whirlwind campaign, the regiment
with practically full ranks. was re-
cruited in about 80 days. a prodigious
bit Of work. An effort was made to
have each Of the six batteries repre-
sentative of certain Maine city or
locality. Young men enlisted from the
farm, the shop, the counting room,
men from all walks in life, common
school boys and university graduates,
young men from some Of the most dis
tinguished families in the State, all
imbued with the one idea of uniting to
form an artillery regiment. which
should be a great credit to the State
Captain Balantine, since made Colonel,
worked like a beaver, and spent hun
dreds. If not thousands, Of dollars to
raise and help equip the regiment. He
was very proud Of it and his men were
proud to serve under him. They are
devoted to him, every man Of them.
The regiment was suddenly ordered
to Westfield, Mass, and made the get
away in remarkably quick time. They
chopped huge trees and cleared away
an immense quantity Of underhrush,
set up their mess shacks. cut out
streets. erected officers quarters and
did a hundred and one things required
to make their camp at Westfield what
it really is, one Of the best, if not the
very best, ones there.
w ltIioul NdlIliIS lltib ilISl N1IlIS an
order for one Of its units, Battery r.
to entrain for another camp in Masse
ehusetts. It is believed it IS now at
Eoxford and that the men have been
withdrawn to help fill UP the ranks Of
some Massachusetts contingent which
is short Of men. This battery had hard
~ shaken the dust of Westf1eld from
its feet when orders were received for
another unit of this Maine regiment,
Battery D. to entrain and proceed to
another camp, where II is bellved that
they too have been turned over to a
Massachusetts officer to aid him in a.
ing his ranks. There are now hut four
batteries left intact in the regiment
and there is fear that. even these
four may he broken mp. All this is
unfair and very disappointing to Col
Balentine and equally so to the young
men who enlisted with the distinct IN
dersianding that they were to serve IS
part Of a Maine regiment Of artillery.
At least half a dozen young Harvard
graduates and undergraduates came
down to Maine and enlisted in the reg
iment being induced to do SO by
classmates or college friends living in
Maine and who had themselves enlist
ed. Some of them are personal friends
of Colonel Pa1entine and were influ-
enced by the knowledge that he was
an artillery officer Of large experience
end a man held in high regard by
prominent officers Of the regular army
Nearly all the men, however, are from
Maine.
OF the 1900 men Of this so-called
Milliken regiment Of heavy artillery
rot more than 500 are as vet undis-
turbed. IF the breaking-up process is
to be continued and the men scattered
kere and there to help out the quotas
Of other regiments from other states.
the remaining artillerymen will be
sorely aggrieved, and with good rea-
son. Colonel Balentine is making no
complaint for publication. nor are any
Of his men. but the facts are leaking
and friends. There are even intima-
tions that somebody is playing politics
and working for the glory Of Massa-
chusetts at the expense of Maine
Whether this is warranted or not it
is to be hoped that proper representa-
tons will he made at once to the war
department and that no further with
drawals of troops from the Maine
Heavy Artillery will be made Let
justice he done to these brave bows
Of Maine and faith with them be kept
even though it be necessary TO yanz ;
down the heavens and Massachusetts /
be compelled to get a big move on and
fll up its regiments with its own sons. /