Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-08-06
TALES OF THE
THIRTY FIRST.
Continued from page s. }

capturing six pieces of artillery and six
hundred prisoners. The writer was de-
tailed with a squad OF men to take the
captured guns to the rear, and returned
to his regiment to find it well advanced
to the front.
The following day we supported the It'll
Maine battery while Smelling the enemy,
and from the 18th OF May until July 80
the regiment was constantly under fire
without an interval of relief from the
sound OF bullets; doing its full quota of
picket, entrenching, fort building and
other duty while the 4Sth Pennsylvania
regiment was engaged in some mysteri
Gus operation down in a rsvine in front OF
a Confederate redoubt on Cemetery Hill
near Peters burg, Va. Excavations OF
some description were being carried on
and the "grape-line telegraph" was bur
dened with persistent and varying rumors
as to the nature thereof; but the con-
sensus of opinion among the rank and file
was to the effect that - WAS about to be-
come loose. Eight tons Of powder we're
carried into the opening which had been
/ concealed by bushes srtificislly placed to
/ hide it from the peeping eyes of any rebel
/ lookout inside the enemy's works, or
| lurking spy who might give US an unwel-
coined visit unbeknownst to tive 'uns."
THE MINE EXPLOSION.
The explosion OF the mine thus care
| fully constructed and partially con-
cealed took place on the early morning
| of the 30th of July. The thirty-tirst
! Maine was assigned to an important
! position by General Griffin, the COM
handing officer. This regiment with the
9Th New Hampshire and the End Mary
land was under command of Col. Daniel
White OF Bangor, Me-, our own COM
mander. These were the first troops to
enter ''the crater" made OF the rebel fort
by the explosion, in which no less than
eight hundred men had been blown
skywsrd. 1t is so well known that the
entire attempt failed that nothing further
need be said than that ten men were
killed, 81 wounded and AZ taken prisoners;
Col. White being one who took the in
voluntary march into Petersburg with
the others. One commissioned officer
and seventeen enlisted men were all who
reported for duty the following morning. |
the writer being one OF seventeen.
From the last date mentioned the
shattered and thin ranks of the regiment
were under fire on the same old camping
ground until August IS, when the 9th
corps went to the support OF the 9Th
corps in the taking OF the Weldon rail-
road; remaining in the front until Sep
TENDER IA, when it was sent a little to the !
rear and allowed a few days of COM
parative rest. But it was soon called to
test again the mettle of the command
which it nobly did on the 30th OF the
month at Poplar Spring church under
command OF Capt. Deane, Co. A. 1t
distinguished itself by being among the
last to fall back when our right had been
turned by the persistent attacks OF the
enemy. The regimental losses on that
day were five killed, is wounded and the
same number (l5) taken prisoners.
AT this date the number had become
again reduced, this time to 60-without a |
commissioned officer, coming off the field |
in charge OF a sergeant. October l We |
were attacked again while on picket and |
Captain Desne fell into the enemy's hands, |
from whom he subsequently returned |
under parole.
Captain George A. Bolton, then on duty |
as a staff officer with Gen. Griffin. asked |
TO be returned to his regiment, and being
permitted to do so assumed command.
ON PICKET DUTY.
In the early part OF October the regi-
ment was engaged in picket duty and
drilling. While the grand reconnaissance
was being made on the left, this regiment
with the 45th Pennsylvania was left to
hold Fort Fisher-not the one which Gen.
Butler failed TO capture, but an earthwork
on the line-with a battery of six guns, all
under command OF Lieut.. Getchell OF the
3lst Maine. This officer had just returned
from hospital and was still suffering from
the effects OF a severe wound. A thin line
of men held the extended line before
Petersburg, to whom two hundred rounds
of ammunition per man had been dealt
out, with orders to hold the line at the loss
of the last man. But Gen. Lee had other
things to attend to at the time and he
failed to make us a call on that date.
After the return Of the main body from
their unsuccessful attempt, the regiment
was given picket and guard duty with
drilling until the 18th of November, when
the corps was ordered to relieve the End
corps and with the 18th Vermont and seth
Massachusetts, regiments was assigned to
| garrison Fort Davis on the Jerusalem
plank road in front OF Petersburg. In the
meanwhile, however, it had been
strengthened by the addition of two full
companies, l.. and NJ, which had just
come from the state OF Maine. December
Il, Is officers, ana - men of the 32nd
Maine volunteers were consolidated with
and became part of the regiment. The
regiment was ordered from Fort Davis
to 'near Parke Station" ON the line OF the
military railroad which extended from