Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08

created as a State department by
the frat laws enacted after the ad-
mission of Maine as a State In 1S2o.
Samuel Cony of Augusta served as
the first Adjutant General. An ex-
animation of the records show that
even at that early date the military
law was quite complete and from the
beginning provisions were made 10
organize the militia Of the State con.
formally to laws of the Unlteo
States. and to make such alterations
therein as were deemed necessary:
The Adjutant General of the state at
the time was appointed by the Gov
ernor with the advice of the Council.
The law provided that each and every
able bodied white male citizen pc
fweensthe ages of Is and 45 should
constitute the State Militia and I'M
der the old laws of that date every
such enrolled citizen was to provide
himself with arms and equipment.
Men between 40 and As were exempt
except when detached or called fortn
to execute the laws OF the UnHeo
states or State.
The first conflict In which armed
forcesswere used after Maine became
a state against outside enemies was
the Aroostook War. which occurred
in 1899. Governor John Fairfield OF
Saco was at the head OF the STATE
and Gen. A. B. Thompson OF Bruns-
wick was the Adjutant General: ms
disturbance arose out OF a dispute
over the boundaries between Maine
and New Brunswick. A large pooy
Of troops was called out by the GOV
ernor and sent to stations along tne
border of Maine, from Passport 10
Fort Kent, but no armed clash re-
suited. and after a Few montns lhe
troops were withdrawn.
In those days there Were seveta'
divisfi5ns Of Militia in the State,
nractfcally every town maintaining a
company or some military unit, to
which each male citizen between GER
tain &xes was by law compelled to
belong. These units met at stated
times during the year for their an
nual .fraining, which OF necessity
could. not be carried to a very high
degree Of efficiency but nevertheless
the tasis of military organization
was mere and the men of Maine IN
those days were practically all used
to the woods and hunting and good
rifemon.
Tho, next armed conflict was with
Mexico in 1s47-4S. during the term
Of service of Governor John w. Dana
of FrSfeburg and General Alfred Red
ingtoyf Of Augusta was Adjutant
General. The records in this Office
for that period are rather incomplete.
there being only on file the records
Of onA company from Maine In serv-
ice during the war.
In 1857 the law was slightly chang
ed ann provided for an annual en-
rollmeht on the first day of April.
Tho ununiformed Militia was sub
iect g no active duty whatever ex-
cent IA case Of instruction, war. IN
vasioit or to prevent invasion and the
active forces consisted Of voluntary
Militia not to exceed 1000, 40 men to
q company. These volunteer forces
were later increased and all OF the
consultations organized under these
laws went into the service under the
call q the President in 1851.
Dus3ng this period General John
A. Holsdon of Bangor served as Ad-
jutant General and his reports for
the war period are remarkable in
their !, completeness and exactness.
containing as they do history OF
every military organization furnish
ed from Maine which served in that
war and credit is given by name to
more than $4,000 men who went out
from our State.
After the close Of the Civil War
the Militia was re-organized and fin
ally consisted of two regiments of
Infantry, which conformed to the Or
Plantations in force in the Regular
Armyc
ThCswar with Spain found Cover
nor Llewellyn Powers chief executive
OF tho State and John T. Richards. a
veteran Of the Civil War, as Adju-
tant General The two Infantry reg
iment3 and a company of Signal
troopE were called to active service
and assembled at Camp Keyes, Au-
gustas. May 2, 1898. The LIST Regi-
ment.s. was mustered into Federal
service as Infantry and did duty in
the south, as also the Signal Com
pany Event out as a unit and saw
service in Cuba. The End Infantry
was consolidated and became the list
lBu, Heavy Artillery, and did duty in
Savannah, Georgia, and in Cuba.
After the close of the Spanish War
the two regiments were reorganized
and retained their old designations
until 1910 when the LIST Infantry was
transferred to Coast Artillery and
became a Corps of Coast Artillery.
The End Infantry retained its identi-
tv ASIAN Infantry organization until
the World War.
During the World War. Carl e.
Milliken was Governor and George
Mel sPresson the Adjutant General.
The 2nd Infantry was called to the
ColorS on April 13. 1917 and did duty
20 TT,
railroads until July 5th when 1t was
assembled at Augusta as a regiment.
The Coast Artillery was called into
service July rs, 1917 and rendezvous
ed at the forts around Portland Har-
Dor. where they remained on duty
for some time. later becoming the
54th Coast Artillery. as which they
went TO France. The End Infantry
was, IN August. 1917. moved to West
field, Mass. and consolidated with
the 1st New Hampshire Infantry to
form the 103rd Infantry, becoming a
part Or the Sind Brigade Of the 26th
Division, with which unit it went to
France and participated in all the
enga gements Of the American Army
on the western front.
The" National Defense Act passed
by Congress in 1920 for the first time
gave the Country definite military
policy and fixed a definite place in
the scheme Of National Defense for
the National Guard. which is the new
namesfor the Militia Of former days.
Under the terms of this Act certain
constitutional rights governing the
military forces are left in the hands
pf the. State authorities. while GER
tain Others Are exercised by the Fed
eral Government. It contemplates
tho organizing into brigades, divi-
sion1 and army corps and the work
OF forming these units has been
steadny going forward since 1920.
from being what was commonly
caAed IN the second line" by the