USA > Maine > Oxford County > Norway > Centennial history of Norway, Oxford County, Maine, 1786-1886, including an account of the early grants and purchases, sketches of the grantees, early settlers, and prominent residents, etc., with genealogical registers, and an appendix > Part 24
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ment was complimented and commended in a special order by the division commander. While at Stafford Court House, the regiment performed heavy out-post duty, more than half the men being con- stantly upon detail. In April, the three years' men were ordered to leave the regiment and report at Corps Headquarters, and on the 27th of April, the Tenth Maine was ordered to proceed to the place of enrollment to be mustered out of the service. The three years' men
were reorganized as the Tenth Maine Battalion. In general orders, the regiment was again highly complimented for the faithful and effi- cient manner in which its members had performed their duties. The men whose terms were about to expire, then proceeded homeward by easy stages, visiting points of interest along the route, and revisiting places where they had previously been stationed, and finally arriving in Portland, were mustered out of the service on the 8th of May, 1863.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
FOURTEENTH MAINE REGIMENT.
This regiment was recruited in the autumn of 1861, without regard to divisional limits, and was officered in advance by persons appointed by the governor. It went into camp in Augusta, and was mustered into the service of the United States December 31st, 1861. It remained in camp until the fifth of the following February. The weather was unusually cold, even for this latitude, and the men in canvas tents suf- fered severely, and there was much sickness in the regiment, incident to this exposure. Measles broke out in this and other regiments, and batteries quartered here at the same time, and many of the Four- teenth Regiment boys had the disorder with greater or less severity. Captain Amos F. Noyes, of Norway, was First Lieutenant of Company G, in this regiment, and thirty of the enlisted men were recruited from this town, a much larger number of our townsmen than went out in any other regiment. There were in Company G, as originally mustered into the service, and among the recruits who subsequently joined the regiment, several from this town.
The regiment left Augusta for Boston, February 5th, 1862, and then embarked on the steamship North America for Ship Island, Miss- issippi, on the following day. They sailed February 8th, and reached their place of destination on the 8th of March. The regiment remained here until May 19th, when it embarked on the ship Premier for New Orleans, where it arrived on the 25th. It was in the brigade com- manded by Colonel George F. Shepley. A portion of the regiment was detached for provost guard duty, but was called in July 5th, and the regiment embarked for Baton Rouge. The battle of Baton Rouge followed on the 5th of August, in which the regiment lost in killed, wounded, and missing, a hundred and twenty-six men. All the regi- mental property, except the records, was destroyed. Among the killed and wounded were two Norway men, an account of which will be given in the personal service of each. Early in September, the Fourteenth, with other troops, captured a band of guerrillas near Charles City Court-House, Louisiana. Captain Amos F. Noyes resigned his Lieu. tenancy in Company G, June 14th, 1862, on account of an injury, and I. Frank Hobbs was appointed Second Lieutenant to fill the vacancy
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He was subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant and Captain. Dur- ing the winter, the regiment was in camp at Bonnet Carre, Louisiana, an unhealthy locality, with bad water, and many of the regiment sick- ened, and were discharged for disability. In the spring of 1863, the regiment took part in the protracted siege of Port Hudson, a strong- hold on the Mississippi, which surrendered July 8th, four days after the fall of Vicksburg. There were no casualties to Norway men dur- ing the siege, but thirteen, up to this time, or soon after, had died from wounds or disease, and a number more had been discharged for disa- bility.
Early in January of 1864, on the promise of a furlough of thirty days, all the members of the Fourteenth, except forty, re-enlisted for three years. They arrived at Augusta on the 21st of February, and from there went to their homes. At the expiration of their furloughs they re-assembled at Augusta, and were sent to their regiment. They sailed from Portland on the 10th of March, and reached New Orleans on the 19th. They landed at the Parapet, eight miles above the city, where the regiment remained on duty until the 5th of May, when it was ordered to Baton Rouge, which place was threatened with an attack, and here it remained until the first of June. It was then ordered to Morganza, where it came under command of General Nickerson, its former Colonel. On the 3d of July, the regiment, with other troops, started for Virginia to re-enforce the army of the James. It landed at Bermuda Hundred on the 22d, marched to Deep Bottom, and was assigned to the command of General B. F. Butler. Remaining here only a short time, the regiment embarked for Washington, where it arrived on the Ist of August. It then marched by way of Chain Bridge and the Leesburgh Turnpike, to the Shenandoah Valley, passing through the Blue Ridge at Snicker's Gap. It was here joined to the army of General Sheridan, and was engaged in marching, picketing, and skirmishing, and finally took part in the bloody battles of Opequon and Cedar Creek. The regiment was in the First Brigade of General Cuvier Grover's division and did excellent service. In the battle of the Opequon, the regiment lost sixty men. Among the wounded were Captain I. F. Hobbs, F. M. Noble, and David Flood. At Cedar Creek, the regiment lost eighty men in killed, wounded and prisoners. After the
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
battle of Cedar Creek, the regiment moved to a position near Kernes- town, where heavy works were thrown up, and where it remained until the expiration of its term of service as a regiment. On the 20th of December, 1864, by virtue of an order from General Sheridan, the regiment was consolidated into four companies, of the non-veterans, all officers rendered supernumerary, and all men whose terms of enlist- ment had expired, were ordered home to be mustered out. The remainder were formed into a battalion. There were but few Norway men remaining in the regiment at this time. The battalion was sent down to Georgia, where it was recruited to a full regiment. It was finally mustered out of service August 28th, 1865. The Fourteenth Maine had a varied experience, as much so as any other regiment from this State. Its camp experience in Augusta was severe, it took several long sea voyages, had service in several widely separated departments, and took part in several hardly contested engagements. It was a good regiment, composed of excellent material, was well-officered, and its service was highly creditable to the regiment and to the State.
SEVENTEENTH MAINE REGIMENT.
This regiment, one of the best in the service, was recruited almost entirely from the western counties in the State. The field officers were mostly from Portland. It was recruited in July and August, was mus- tered into the United States service at Cape Elizabeth, August 18th, 1862, and left for Washington on the 21st, with full ranks, and arrived on the 23d. The Norway men in this regiment were mostly in Com- pany F, though there were a few in Company C. Uriah W. Briggs, a native of Woodstock, but then residing in Norway, was First Lieutenant of Company F, and Norway had two sergeants and four corporals. Besides these, nine of the enlisted men were from Norway, George W. Verrill was First Sergeant in Company C, and was subsequently pro- moted through the several grades, to Captain. Sumner W. Burnham also became Lieutenant in this company. The regiment remained in the vicinity of Washington, doing garrison duty, and perfecting itself in drill until the 7th of October, when it crossed the Long Bridge into Virginia, and there joined General Berry's brigade of the Third Army Corps. Still later, it recrossed the Potomac, and went into camp at
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
Edward's Ferry. On the 28th of October, the regiment broke camp, and by way of Leesburgh, Salem, Middleburgh, and Warrenton, marched to Falmouth, on the north bank of the Rappahannock River. While in camp here, there was much sickness, and several deaths. Its first baptism of fire was in the battle of Fredericksburg, an account of which need not be repeated here. Though under fire for several hours, the regiment was singularly fortunate, losing only one killed, and nine- teen wounded. Its next battle was that of Chancellorsville. But several changes had previously taken place in Company F. Captain Hersey had resigned; Lieutenant Briggs had been promoted Captain, and had also resigned, and the changes in the non-commissioned officers were quite as marked. The battle of Chancellorsville was commenced on the first day of May, 1863, and during the series of engagements which followed, the Seventeenth Maine lost one commissioned officer killed, and five wounded, and of enlisted men, three killed, fifty-nine wounded, and forty-five missing. The results of the battle of Chancel- lorsville are well known. The Union troops were defeated, and then General Lee began his flank movement for the invasion of Pennsylvania and the North.
By forced marches, the regiment reached Gettysburgh in season to take part in the second day's fight. The regiment fought without cessation from four o'clock in the morning until seven in the evening, losing more than one third of its strength in killed and wounded. Among the commissioned officers wounded, was Lieutenant George W. Verrill of Company C. Twenty-nine enlisted men were killed from the Seventeenth, and ninety four wounded or missing. The battle of Gettysburgh was the highest wave of the Rebellion, and the rebel hordes were, from this field, driven across the Potomac, never to return in any great force. Shortly after, in the pursuit of Lee, the regiment was engaged at Wapping Heights, but being in the second line, it did not severely suffer. In November, the regiment was engaged at Locust Grove, where it lost seven killed, including two commissioned officers, forty-four wounded, and one missing. The last of November, 1863, the regiment was in the Mine Run affair, suffering severely from cold, but not otherwise. The regiment went into winter quarters at Brandy Station, where it spent the time in drilling and recruiting its depleted
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
ranks. On the 29th of March, the original Third Corps was consoli- dated with the Second, General Hancock commanding. Then followed the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburgh, in all which the Second Corps played a conspicuous and highly creditable part. On a charge upon the enemy's works in front of Petersburgh, the regiment lost heavily, having only enough left for a respectable company, and most of the skeleton companies being commanded by non-commissioned officers. In the Seventeenth Maine, the casualties for 1862, were two men killed and nineteen wounded; for 1863, four officers and thirty- seven men killed, eleven officers and two hundred men wounded, and fifty missing ; for 1864, five officers and fifty-nine men killed, thirteen officers and three hundred and fourteen men wounded, and one officer and thirty men missing. Most of the missing were made prisoners and were exchanged, but some were killed. On the 24th of October, Lieutenant Wellington Hobbs was shot through the body while on the picket line, and lived but a short time. Casualties to other Norway men will be noted in their personal records.
While in front of Petersburgh the Second Corps was engaged in several movements to the left, in one of which the Weldon Railroad was captured and held. Late in November the corps was withdrawn from the trenches in front of Petersburgh, being relieved by the Ninth Corps, and went into winter quarters in the rear. In the final cam- paign which resulted in the fall of Petersburgh and Richmond, and the capture of the rebel army of Virginia, the prominent part borne by the Second Corps is too well known to be repeated here. The regiment had its last brush with the rebels at Deatonsville on the 6th of April, three days before Lee's surrender. In this engagement the regiment lost five killed, and twenty-seven wounded. After the surrender, the regiment marched to Washington by way of Richmond, took part in the great review, and then came to Portland and was mustered out. It was a fine regiment, and though it did not join the Army of the Potomac in season to take part in the earlier battles of the war, while it was in, no Maine infantry regiment took part in more engagements, and none con- ducted itself with greater coolness and bravery.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
TWENTY-THIRD MAINE REGIMENT.
The Twenty-third Maine Regiment was recruited under the call for nine months' men, and was raised largely in Oxford and Androscoggin Counties. Three entire companies and portions of two others, enlisted from Oxford County. The recruits went into camp in Portland from the tenth to the fifteenth of September, 1862. No regiment raised in the State contained so few persons of foreign birth, and morally and intel- lectually, no Maine regiment was entitled to a higher rank. It contained many of the most intelligent citizens from the counties represented, and in its ranks were graduates from seminaries and colleges, professional men and men of wealth and culture. The regiment was commanded by William Wirt Virgin of Norway, who had previously been on duty as Major-General of the Third Division of Maine Militia. Rev. Joseph C. Snow of Norway was chaplain. The regiment was mustered into the service, September 29th, 1862, and remained in camp until October 18th, when it left by rail for Washington. Arriving in Washington, the regiment received its arms and went into camp on East Capitol Hill. The weather was cold and windy, and with nothing but shelter tents and in a very exposed situation, the men suffered severely. On the twenty-fifth, Colonel Virgin had orders to report to General Cuvier Grover of the regular army, a native of Bethel in this county, at Seneca, a point on the left bank of the Potomac, fifteen miles above Washing- ton. The march was made in a cold rain-storm, the mud was ankle deep much of the way, and arriving near their place of destination the men were met by an orderly from General Grover, directing them to go into camp. It was a cheerless place, mud and water covering the ground, and with tents and clothing dripping, it is not strange that some of the men became, thus early, quite disgusted with soldiering.
The duty of the regiment was to guard the fords and ferries on the Potomac, to prevent the crossing of guerrilla bands, which under White, Moseby and other partisans, were constantly prowling around on the Virginia side. The regiment was brigaded with the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, Fourteenth New Hampshire, and Tenth Vermont regi- ments. Remaining at or near Seneca about three weeks, the brigade was then ordered to Offuts Cross Roads, five miles nearer Washington. Meantime, General Grover had been relieved and assigned to a com-
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
mand in more active and genial service. He was every inch a soldier, and the bravest among the brave. About the 20th of December, the brigade and regiments were broken up and scattered along the river in the defences of Washington, from Great Falls to Monocacy Creek, a dis- tance of thirty miles. The Twenty-third Maine had its head-quarters at Muddy Branch, and was stretched along the river for ten miles. After a few days, the regiment was ordered to Edward's Ferry, where it remained nearly six months. General Virgin, for a portion of the time, had command of the brigade, and also served as president of a court- martial, during which time the command of the Twenty-third devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Luce. When the weather was suitable the regi- ment engaged in drill, in which it became very proficient. At the opening of the spring campaign of 1863, the brigade was broken up, a portion going to the front, and the Twenty-third being ordered to Poolesville, three miles back from the river. Here it remained until May 25th, when it was ordered to Washington. It remained near Fort Ethan Allen doing picket and guard duty, for about three weeks, when, in anticipation of a cavalry raid into Alexandria, it was ordered there. The regiment remained in Alexandria about four weeks, doing picket and guard duty, throwing up earth-works, digging rifle-pits, and building barricades across the principal streets of the city.
June 17th, the regiment marched back to Poolesville. The Army of the Potomac had been beaten at Chancellorsville. Lee's army was moving toward the Potomac, and the Union forces were opposite Poolesville in the vicinity of Leesburgh. Company F (from Paris) was ordered to Sugar Loaf Mountain, to guard the signal station there. After four days, the companies again united, and the regiment marched to Maryland Heights opposite Harper's Ferry. From this elevated position, the rebel hordes could be plainly seen crossing into Maryland. But the time of enlistment of the Twenty-third Maine had expired, and on the twenty-seventh day of June, the men were ordered to Portland, to be mustered out. As the regiment left Harper's Ferry, it passed the Union forces on their way to head off Lee, and soon after occurred the battle of Gettysburgh. The Twenty-third Maine was in no engage- ment, but it lost upward of fifty men from disease. The company in this regiment containing the Norway men, was H, and was commanded
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
by Captain Amos F. Noyes. W. E. Frost was Corporal, Henry A. Hutchinson was Drummer, William H. Foster was Wagoner, and Abner F. Jackson was Sutler of the regiment; beside these, Norway had seventeen privates in Company H. William E. Frost was discharged for disability, December 29th, and Mark F. Frost died December 7th, both from Norway. Henry E. Shattuck died in Portland, the day before the regiment was mustered. These were the only casualties among the Norway men.
TWENTY-NINTH MAINE REGIMENT.
In June, 1862, the government authorized the raising in Maine of three veteran regiments of infantry and one battery ; but subsequently the order was modified so as to allow a regiment of cavalry to take the place of one of the infantry regiments. One of the regiments of infantry was the Twenty-ninth Maine. Colonel George L. Beal, who had recently been mustered out of the Tenth Maine, was authorized to raise this regiment, and the officers, most of whom had served in the Tenth, were designated in advance. Colonel Beal was commissioned Colonel of the Twenty-Ninth; Captain William W. Whitmarsh was made Captain of Company G, and Henry R. Millett, First Lieutenant. Norway also furnished for Company G, two corporals, one wagoner, and ten privates. Charles Thompson was Quartermaster of the regiment, and Jonathan Blake, formerly Captain of Company G, Tenth Maine, was Sutler. The Tenth Maine Battalion was subsequently joined to the Twenty-ninth, and this contained several Norway men. The regi- ment went into camp in Augusta in connection with the Thirtieth Maine, and was mustered into the United States service, December 18th, 1863. It left Augusta on the thirty-first day of January, 1864, remained in Portland until February 2d, when it sailed for New Orleans, arriving there the 16th, and reporting to General Banks. Two cases of small pox broke out in the regiment during the passage, and on arriving at Key West, Florida, the men were not permitted to land. On the 17th, the regiment was ordered to Algiers, and was quartered in the Belleville Iron Works. On the 20th, it took the cars for Brashear City, and on the day following reached Franklin where it went into camp,
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
and was assigned to General McMillans' brigade, of General Emory's division of the Nineteenth Army Corps.
On the 15th of March, this corps with others under General Banks, started on the famous Red River Expedition, and the Twenty-ninth Maine reached Alexandria on the 25th. Here this regiment was trans- ferred to the First Brigade. On the 29th of March, the regiment left for Natchitoches, reaching there on the second of April and going into camp for four days, when the army moved forward and was skirmishing with the enemy nearly every day. The first battle in which the Twenty-ninth Maine had a hand, was that of Sabine Cross Roads, and was the result of an attempt on the part of the rebel General Dick Taylor to stop the advance of the Union troops. The battle began at midday, and the Twenty-ninth was in the thickest of the fight, and really was in a position to hold the key to the situation. It occupied an elevation, and charge after charge was made to drive it from the position, but without success. An attempt was made to flank this position on the right, but was defeated by the Thirteenth Maine commanded by the gallant Colonel Henry Rust of Norway. A movement was then made toward the left flank, but the Thirtieth Maine commanded by Colonel Francis Fessenden, interposed and prevented it. The position was held, and for gallantry and bravery in defending it, Colonel Beal was subse- quently promoted to Brigadier-General by brevet. During the night, the Union troops fell back down the river, and the Twenty-ninth Maine was designated to cover the retreat. Company G went into the fight with sixty-five men, and had seven men killed or wounded. The only Norway man hurt was Corporal Calvin B. Burnell, who was wounded in the arm. At Pleasant Hill a stand was made, and the rebels made another unsuccessful attack, after which the Union army continued down the river to Alexandria. In the engagement at Pleasant Hill, Company G had one man wounded. At Alexandria, there was much sickness in the regiment, and during its twenty weeks' stay in Louisiana, it lost eighty-one men who died from disease. The 29th of June, the regiment reached the Mississippi, and was joined by the Tenth Maine Battalion at Morganza Bend, and on the 5th of July it left Louisiana without regrets, and started for Fortress Monroe.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
From Fortress Monroe, the regiment was taken to Washington, and then marched to Harper's Ferry to take part in the stirring scenes which were soon to take place in the valley of the Shenandoah. At the commencement of the campaign, Colonel Beal was made Brevet Brigadier-General, and assigned to the command of a brigade composed of the Twenty-ninth Maine, Thirtieth Massachusetts, and the One Hundred and Fourteenth, One Hundred and Sixteenth, and One Hun- dred and Fifty-third New York. The battle of the Opequon occurred on the 19th of September, in which the Twenty-ninth Maine lost four men killed, and twenty-two wounded. There were five wounded in Company G, of whom John H. Lovejoy, of Norway, was one. The
battle of Fisher's Hill followed two days after, in which the Twenty- ninth Maine was engaged, and in which the enemy was again driven from their position. The battle of Cedar Creek occurred on the 19th of October, during the temporary absence of General Sheridan, and the Union troops were routed and driven back four miles, with the loss of their camp, and much valuable property. The Twenty-ninth was hotly engaged during the entire battle, and did excellent service. John H. Lovejoy was mortally wounded, Harrison Noble lost an arm, and Atwood Gammon was wounded in both legs, during the engagement. This was the last battle in which the Twenty-ninth Maine was engaged. It was stationed in Shenandoah Valley until after the surrender of Lee and Johnson, and the collapse of the rebellion. November 13th, General Beal was commissioned as a full Brigadier. The regiment reached Washington on the 21st of April, and took part in the grand review in May. In June, General Beal having been assigned to the command of the department of Eastern South Carolina, the Twenty-ninth Maine, with other regiments forming the brigade, sailed for Savannah early in June, and then went to Georgetown, South Carolina. Company G was ordered to Darlington. In September, General Beal was promoted to Major-General of Volunteers by brevet. At Darlington, Captain Whit- marsh was Provost-Marshal, and Agent for the Freedman's Bureau. The regiment staid in the South until June 21st, 1866, when it was mustered out at Hilton Head, and the boys came home. Captain Whit- marsh was discharged March the 3d, 1866, and Henry R. Millett, who had been promoted Captain of Company E, was discharged March the
17
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
14th, both having resigned. The duties of the regiment in the South were arduous and perplexing, consisting in part in assisting in making contracts and investigating complaints made by the freedmen and planters. The battles in which the Twenty-ninth Maine was engaged were as follows: Sabine Cross Roads, April 8th, 1864; Pleasant Hill, April 9th; Cane River Crossing, April 23d; Opequon, September 19th ; Fisher's Hill, September 22d; Cedar Creek, October 19th; and by general orders, these battles were inscribed upon the national flags of the regiment. During its term of service, the regiment lost in killed, died of wounds, and died of disease, two hundred and thirty men. The casualties among the Norway men were, John H. Lovejoy, and Andrew P. Greenleaf, killed in action; W. E. Morse, Nathan Foster, and David F. Frost died of disease. Calvin B. Burnell, who had been wounded on the Red River, and was returning home, was drowned near New York City, by the collision of the steamer in which he took passage. The other Norway men came home, but many of them were more or less disabled from the exposures and hardships which they were called upon to pass through, and probably the lives of some, if not all of them, were materially shortened thereby.
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