USA > Maine > Franklin County > Industry > A history of the town of Industry, Franklin County, Maine > Part 31
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OLIVER D. NORTON.
Oliver Davis Norton, son of James and Mary ( Davis) Nor- ton, was born in Industry, Jan. 21, 1841. Ile enlisted in the
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summer of 1862, after he became of age, and was mustered into the U. S. service August 18th, as a private in Co. G, 17th Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry,* Capt. Edward I. Merrill, of Farmington. This regiment rendezvoused at Camp Berry, in Portland, Me., and started for Washington on the 21st. Mr. Norton's regiment saw much active service and has a fine record. Among the incidents in his army life he relates the following, showing his narrow escape at Gettysburg: "At this battle our regiment occupied a commanding position. Just in front of me was a large boulder, behind which one of our boys had taken refuge and was busily engaged in firing at the enemy. As my musket had become extremely foul from constant use, I joined this fellow that I might place the end of my ramrod against the rock in forcing the bullet down the barrel. We were so busily occupied as not to notice a change of position made by our regiment. Soon the enemy advanced their line and we were compelled to retreat. The enemy fired at us as we ran up the hill, and one of the bullets tore the sleeve of my blouse. This was the nearest I came to being wounded during my term of service in the army." Another incident relative to his experience at the battle of the Wilderness, is as follows: "While stationed in a piece of woods, our regi- ment was ordered to retreat from the position it occupied. , While on the move a wounded horse came dashing through the woods from our rear and threw me violently to the ground. On regaining my feet my regiment had passed out of sight. Taking the direction I supposed they had gone, I soon came to a road. Glancing up this road I discovered, a few rods distant, a battery of rebel artillery in the act of firing. I only had time to lie down in the ditch by the roadside, when a volley of grape and canister went crashing over me. I continued my search, and at length found our regiment without further adventure." Mr. Norton is now a farmer and resides on the homestead in Industry.
* The 17th Maine participated in thirty-two battles, and is said to have lost more men in killed, wounded and prisoners, in proportion lo its size, than any other Maine regiment in the service.
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JAMES PINKHAM.
James Pinkham, son of Curtis and Rebecca ( Ditson ) Pink- ham, was born in Stark, Me., March 25, 1835. lle enlisted as a recruit for Co. L, Ist Regiment, Maine Cavalry, and was mus- tered into the service Sept. 2, 1862. Mustered out at Peters- burg, Va., Aug. 1, 1865. The members of the regiment immediately started for Augusta, Me., where they arrived on the 9th, and were paid off and finally discharged. Mr. Pink- ham now resides in Farmington, Me.
SAMUEL PINKHAM.
Samuel Pinkham, son of Curtis and Rebecca (Ditson) Pinkham, was born in Anson, Me., April 2, 1841. He enlisted as a recruit for Co. L, Ist Maine Regiment, Cavalry, and was mustered into the service Sept. 3, 1862. But little can be learned of Mr. Pinkham's army life aside from the fact that he was detailed as a dispatch carrier at the battle of Williamsburg. His health became much impaired by the hardships of camp life, and he was sent to the hospital in Washington, D. C., Sept. 13, 1863. Mustered out of the service Aug. 1, 1865, and soon after discharged. Disease had made such fearful inroads on his vital powers that he never regained his health. He died May 9, 1866, aged 25 years, 1 month and 7 days.
WELLINGTON PINKHAM.
Wellington Pinkham, son of Curtis and Rebecca ( Ditson ) Pinkham, was born in Stark, Me., May 28, 1839. He was brought up in pretty much the same way as the average far- mer's son,-at work on the farm in the summer and attending the district school in winter. When the War of the Rebellion broke out, Mr. Pinkham enlisted as a member of Co. L, in the Ist Regiment of Maine Cavalry, and was mustered into the U. S. service Nov. 1, 1861. In March, 1862, his company left Augusta for Washington, D. C., where they arrived on the 28th of that month. He remained in the vicinity of Washing- ton about six weeks, when he was taken sick with brain fever and died at Meridian Hill, after a brief illness, May 24, 1862.
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WILDER PRATT .*
Wilder Pratt, eldest son of Stephen M. and Elizabeth (Cushman ) Pratt, was born in New Vineyard, Me., Oct. 3, 1829. He entered the service under the conscription act July 21, 1863, and was mustered out at City Point, Va., Feb. 2, 1866, having served 2 years, 6 months and II days.
CHARLES S. PRINCE.
Charles S. Prince, son of Ami and Abigail ( Reed) Prince, was a native of Cumberland, Me. IIe settled at Allen's Mills prior to the War of the Rebellion, and eventually married a daughter of Benjamin Allen. He volunteered, with others, in the fall of 1862, to serve nine months. He was mustered in Oct. 13, 1862, as a member of Co. K, 24th Maine Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, and soon after was appointed corporal. Discharged for disability, Dec. 23, 1862, while the regiment was stationed at East New York. He resides in Canton, Dakota.
ALBANUS D. QUINT.
Albanus Dudley Quint, son of Capt. Joab and Elizabeth (Thing) Quint, enlisted as a musician in the 14th Maine Veteran Infantry in March, 1864, and was mustered into the U. S. service and assigned to Co. B on the 26th day of that month,- at which time he had not completed the first half of his fif- teenth year. On the 9th of April he left Augusta for Portland, where he embarked on board the steam transport " Merrimac," and sailed on the following day. Arriving at New Orleans, La., on the 19th of April, he landed on the following day at the " Parapet," some eight miles above the city. Here he remained stationed until May 5th, when his regiment sailed up the river to Baton Rouge, where they remained about three weeks, and then proceeded to Morganza. On the 3d of July they sailed down the river to Algiers, opposite New Orleans, preparatory to an unknown sea voyage. On the 13th the regiment sailed,
* From the Adjutant General's Reports. The writer fails to find this name, how - ever, in any list of conscripts in Industry that he has examined.
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under sealed orders, for Bermuda Hundred, Va., where it arrived on the 22d. Here Mr. Quint and James O. Burce, also an Industry boy, obtained permission to visit some acquaintances in the 9th Maine, which was stationed about six miles from their own regiment. On the way they passed rather too near the enemy's out-posts and received the fire of some twenty of the enemy. "This," says Mr. Quint, "was my first experience at being under fire, and as the bullets whistled over us I involunta- rily ' ducked' my head a little, whereupon Burce chaffcd mc by asking ' what I was dodging for?' I noticed, however, that le was in favor of an immediate retreat to a piece of timber which stood near, and made excellent time on the way." They made their visit and returned without further adventure. On the following day Mr. Quint had his first experience at march- ing, when the brigade to which he belonged made a double- quick march of five miles, expecting to make a charge on the enemy's works, but from some cause the attack was not madc. On the 31st of July they sailed for Washington, "where," says Mr. Quint, "we had the honor of dining on chocolate coffee and sour bread." August 14th they started for the Shenan- doah Valley, marching fifteen miles per day. On the 4th day, at about 2 o'clock, having made their day's march, they rc- ceived orders to be ready in five minutes to make a forced march, as a large body of the enemy was moving to cut them off from the main body of Sheridan's army at Berryville. This distance, thirty-two miles, they accomplished without making a single halt, marching through Snicker's Gap and fording the Shenandoah River after dark, and arriving at their destination soon after midnight. Making a total march of forty-seven miles without scarcely a halt. During the last three hours of their march it rained hard, and as a result of the fatigue and expos- ure of this march, Mr. Quint suffered severely from cramps, followed by varicose veins of his lower limbs. Had his regi- ment moved again immediately, his injuries would have com- pelled him to have sought treatment at the hospital; this he felt loth to do, "for," says he, "I had previously sworn that I would dic rather than apply to the regimental surgeon for aid.
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This gentleman had gained my displeasure on one occasion when I applied to him for an ounce of Epsom salts by roughly saying, ' Get out, you have been here enough already '-mistak- ing me for a regular patient. Then and there," adds Mr. Quint, "I ' got out' and kept out, never having been excused from duty for a single day during my term of service."
The next movement made by the regiment was to within a few miles of Winchester, where they remained entrenched until September 19th, when they took part in the battle of Winchester. At the battle of Fisher's Hill, the brigade to which Mr. Quint belonged was detailed to harass the enemy's rear. Following the retreating enemy as far as Harrisonburg, they marched from thence to Stanton. Here they were so far from their supplies that for several days they drew only quarter rations. "On the 4th of October," says Mr. Quint, "James Burce and I formed part of a party detailed for a foraging expedition. We had good luck, and I brought in four chick- ens and a quarter of mutton. I was fifteen years old on that day, and celebrated the occasion by eating a big supper,-my first square meal for a week. One big burly Irishman brought in a tanned calf-skin, and I still have in my possession a can- teen strap made from it." From here they returned down the valley and entrenched on Cedar Creek. On the evening of the 18th of October orders were issued to the 14th to be ready at sunrise on the following morning for a reconnaissance. They were barely ready for duty when Early made his dashing charge on our forces, the rest of the troops being still asleep. Attempt- ing to check the onward rush of the enemy, the 14th was swept aside. At this juncture the colonel gave the order to retreat. What followed we will allow Mr. Quint to relate in his own words: "At the moment the colonel gave his order, James Burce, George Whittier, of Fayette, and myself, were standing together. Whittier said, 'Which way shall we go?' I replied, across that ravine. Burce said, 'They will shoot every one of us if we go there.' .Well,' I replied, 'I had rather be shot than taken prisoner.' tion and I another.
We then parted, they going in one direc- Burce was taken prisoner and Whittier I
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have never seen since. Eleven of us, including Lieut .- Colonel Bickmore, started to cross the ravine, and on rising the opposite bank we saw the enemy at the point we had just left. Rest assured our position was not an enviable one, as we were within easy range of the enemy and the air was as clear as a bell. Our lieutenant-colonel was the first man that fell, mortally wounded in the abdomen. A middle-aged Irishman and I were in the rear of all, and although it was but the work of a moment to scale the hill, yet my Irish companion and I were the only ones to reach the top in safety. When we had nearly gained the top and but three of us remained standing,- I was running just behind a tall man when my toe struck against something and I fell forward just in time to let a bullet pass over me; it struck the man squarely between the shoulders and he fell forward and expired without a groan. The Irishman on seeing me prostrate exclaimed, 'Ah, me sonney is gone too !' but I was unhurt, my fall had probably saved my life. Gaining the top of the hill my Irish comrade and a wounded soldier with their muskets and I with my revolver gave the horde a parting shot. I believe it to be a fact that these four shots, I having fired two from my revol- ver, was the last resistance made by our brigade until Sheridan rallied the troops in the afternoon." This engagement is known as the battle of Cedar Creek. Remaining in the vicinity of this battlefield several weeks they moved to Kearnestown, where heavy works were erected, in which they remained until Dec. 23, 1864. Shortly after this the regiment was ordered South. They proceeded to Baltimore, Md., and embarked on the 11th of January, 1865, for Savannah, Ga., at which place they arrived on the 20th, and occupied the city till May 7th. From thence they went to Augusta, Ga., where they arrived on the 14th and remained until the 31st of May, when they were ordered back to Savannah. On the 9th of June they left Savannah for Darien, Ga., and there remained engaged in guard and patrol duty until Ang. 28, 1865, when they were mustered out of the service and finally discharged at Augusta, Me., Sept. 28, 1865. Mr. Quint arrived at his home in Industry a few days before his sixteenth birthday, having been in the service upward of eighteen months.
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WILLIAM L. QUINT.
William Lawry Quint, son of Capt. Joab and Elizabeth (Thing) Quint, was born in Stark, Me., Feb. 7, 1847. Early in the first year of the war he enlisted, but was stricken with diphtheria before he was mustered into the service and died Sept. 8, 1861, aged 14 years, 7 months and I day.
EDWIN A. R. RACKLIFF.
Edwin Albert Ruthven Rackliff, son of Benjamin R. and Rachel (Oliver) Rackliff, was born in Industry, Aug. 17, 1841. Soon after completing his twentieth year he enlisted as a mem- ber of Co. E, 13th Maine Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, Col. Neal Dow. Although the regiment filled quite rapidly Mr. Rackliff was obliged to remain at home some weeks after his enlistment. At length a sufficient number of men were secured and on the 10th of December, 1861, he was mustered into the U. S. service at Augusta, Me., where the regiment was ren- dezvoused. After some weeks spent in drill and the usual camp duties the regiment left the State capital, Feb. 18, 1862, to as- sume its part in the great civil conflict, and arrived in Boston the same day. While in this city the regiment was quartered in Faneuil Hall. On the 20th a detachment including Mr. Rackliff's company, under the command of Colonel Dow, em- barked on board the new iron steamer " Mississipi," bound for Ship Island, Miss. They touched at Fortress Monroe on the 24th to take on board General Butler, and put to sea on the following day. The steamer encountered a tremendous gale off Cape Hatteras, which placed it in great peril for a few hours. In consequence of damages sustained by grounding on Frying Pan Shoals the " Mississipi" put into Port Royal, S. C., March 2d, and the detachment went into camp. They sailed for Ship Island on the 12th and arrived there on the 20th. July 11th Mr. Rackliff's company left the Island, under the command of Colonel Dow, and after a brief stay at New Orleans moved down the river and occupied Fort St. Philip on the 15th. Remaining in the vicinity of New Orleans until Oct. 24, 1863, the regiment
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was ordered to Texas, forming a portion of General Banks's expedition. Here they participated in the capture of Point Isa- bella, Mustang Island and Fort Esperanza. Remaining in that locality until Feb. 18, 1864, the regiment was ordered back to Louisiana, and took a part in the Red River campaign. The regiment subsequently joined General Banks's forces and bore an honorable part in the battle of Pleasant Hill. Mr. Rackliff and his comrades were in active service at various places until December, when he, with others whose term of enlistment had expired, started for Maine, arriving at Augusta on the 30th of that month. Here they were mustered out of the service Jan. 6, 1865, paid off and finally discharged. He now resides in Kansas City, Mo.
ELBRIDGE H. RACKLIFF.
Elbridge Henry Rackliff, son of Henry B. and Elizabeth (Oliver) Rackliff, was drafted under the conscription act Sept. 26, 1864 Going before the board of the examining surgeons, he was examined and accepted October 4th, and ordered to report at Camp Berry, in Portland, Me. Here he was again examined and on the 11th of October was mustered into the service of his country. Three days later he left Portland for the place of rendezvous on Galloupe's Island, in Boston Harbor. Here he remained until October 20th, when, in company with a large number of recruits, he embarked on board the steam transport "Ashland." This vessel, like many others employed during the war in transporting troops, was a clumsy affair. During the voyage South the " Ashland" encountered a severe gale, and it became necessary to order the soldiers below and batten down the hatches. Five of the soldiers, however, hid themselves on the hurricane deck and were washed overboard during the night. Touching at Fortress Monroc, they sailed up the James River and landed opposite City Point on the 24th of October. The following day Mr. Rackliff and over one hundred others who had been assigned to the 8th Maine Regiment, marched to Bermuda Hundred, and on the 26th to Chapin's Farm, where the recruits joined the regiment and Mr. Rackliff was assigned
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to Co. B. As evening approached, the regiment was ordered to " fall in," and during the night marched, by a circuitous route, sixteen miles to the old battlefield of Fair Oaks, arriv- ing in the carly dawn of the 27th. Orders were given to charge the rebel works, and as the column advanced they received volley after volley of musketry from their watchful enemy. "So heavy and continuous was the firing," writes Mr. R., " that we were ordered to lie down. Some, contrary to orders, beat a hasty retreat, and in so doing lost their lives. Not wishing to be captured, I took my chances with those who retreated, and fortunately got out of range of the firing uninjured." The fol- lowing night they returned to the entrenchments at Chapin's Farm, having been without food or rest during their absence. "I was somewhat curious," continues Mr. Rackliff, "to see what the papers would say regarding our futile attack on the enemy. Imagine my surprise on reading in the New York Herald a report substantially as follows: 'October 27th General Butler made a reconnoissance in the vicinity of Fair Oaks, and, having gained the information desired, the troops retired in good order,' no mention being made of the fact that over half of three brigades were lost in the engagement."
"On one occasion shortly after this," adds Mr. Rackliff, "our pickets were under fire for three nights in succession, with a loss of only thirteen in killed and wounded, when, mirabile dictu, this same Herald gave a three-column account of the affair. Thus will be seen the unreliability of the war news, as promulgated through that great civilizing medium, the news- paper."* On November 6th Mr. Rackliff was detailed to pre-
* Since the above was written, a correspondent of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, in speaking of the " War Correspondents' Methods," says: "Sometimes correspondents were attached to the personal staff of a subordinate general, and naturally they saw a battle from the standpoint of the general who favored them. In scores of cases this class of correspondents described a great battle, making the commander of some division the hero of the occasion. Nearly every soldier in the army would recognize the injustice of this, but it was accepted at home as the truth. Such correspondents saw only the fighting of the division to which they were attached, and they were prone to believe that the one division did all the fighting that was done on that day. They described what they saw, and often gave a column to a division that did little or nothing, and a paragraph to the remainder of the army that bore the brunt of a contest."
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parc the regimental voting-list for the presidential election which occurred two days later. He also served as company clerk for a time. After thoroughly testing the skill and endurance of the regiment, it was assigned to a skirmishing brigade, and Mr. Rackliff and his comrades were kept continuously on the move during the winter. He participated in the capture of Fort Gregg, on the 3d of April, 1865, and his regiment bore an honorable part in the engagement at Rice's Station on the 6th. Likewise at Appomattox Court House, April 9th. After the surrender of General Lee, the regiment marched to Richmond, Va., where the subject of this sketch remained on duty till about the first of June, when he was paid off and finally dis- charged. He is post-master at Allen's Mills, where he now resides.
JOHN O. RACKLIFF.
John Oliver Rackliff, son of Benjamin R. and Rachel ( Oli- ver ) Rackliff, enlisted as a private in Co. F, 2d Maine Regiment of Cavalry, and was mustered into the U. S. service Dec. 31, 1863 .* The men of this regiment were rendezvoused at Augusta, Mc., and so great was the tax upon the government facilities for shelter at that time, many actually suffered for want of suitable protection from the inclemency of the season. To meet the urgent demand for additional barracks, green, wet lumber was taken from the river and sawed into boards and frames. As soon as sawed the lumber was taken to the camp- ground and used. Many of these barracks were single-boarded, without battening strips, leaving the inmates much exposed. In one of these rude cabins Mr. Rackliff was obliged to spend his time, night and day, when not on duty. By the exposure incident to this mode of living he contracted a severe cold, which resulted in an attack of bronchitis, and for many weeks he was unable to speak aloud. During this time he did not give up work, but assisted in building barracks, and for a time, was in charge of the officers' quarters. He was also frequently
* The Adjutant General's Reports give the date as December 1Ith, but Mr. Rackliff's discharge gives it as mentioned above.
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detailed for other light dutics. He afterward had a severe attack of pulmonary hemorrhage, which incapacitated him for further military duty, consequently he was not sent into the field with his regiment. He was kept at Augusta doing light camp duties until May 22, 1865, when he was discharged, with health seriously impaircd.
SAMUEL RACKLIFF.
Samuel Rackliff, son of Benjamin and Rachel (Oliver) Rackliff, was born in Georgetown, Me., Dec. 18, 1823, and was nearly seven years old when his father moved to Industry. After attaining his majority he worked away from home much of the time, often working for neighboring farmers by the season. On the 27th day of January, 1852, he married Sarah R., daugh- ter of Peter W. Butler, by whom he had four children. After his marriage he engaged in farming until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the fall of 1862 as a member of the 24th Maine, and on the organization of the regiment was assigned to Co. K. He accompanied his regiment in all its various marches and counter-marches during the nine months for which they had enlisted. Was slightly wounded at Port Iludson, Miss., May 27th, and was mustered out of the service with his regiment, Aug. 25, 1863, their term of enlistment hav- ing expired.
In September, 1864, he re-enlisted in the Ist Company, Unassigned Infantry, Capt. Edward S. Butler, and was mustered into the U. S. service on the 19th of the same month. On the 18th of October his company was assigned to the 29th Regi- ment as Co. A. The following day they participated in the battle of Cedar Creek, Va. During this engagement Mr. Rack- liff was detailed to carry the wounded off the field. Early in the day a change in the position of his regiment left him exposed to the enemy, and he was made a prisoner while assist- ing a wounded comrade from the field. He, with other prison- ers, was hurried off the field and marched to Richmond, Va. After an incarceration of sixteen days in Castle Thunder, he was transferred to Salisbury Prison in North Carolina. Ilere,
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exposed to all the changes and inclemencies of the weather, at this season of the year, his only protection being a small shelter-tent, coupled with enervating effects of a meagre allow- ance of food, soon made serious inroads on his physical strength, and he died during the night of Dec. 5, 1864, aged 40 years, HI months and 17 days. He was called to meet the grini Messenger of Death all alone. No mother with tender love was near to soothe and comfort his dying moments; no sister was by his side to watch the sands of life as they ebbed away and wipe the death-dew from his pallid brow,-not even a comrade was near to carry his dying message to his wife and family in their far-off home. But all alone in a rebel prison, in the silent hours of the solemn night, with the little stars shedding their feeble light on the slumbering world,-and with no watcher, save the eye of Ilim who never sleeps, he claimed as his that peaceful sleep which knows no waking.
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