USA > Maine > First Maine bugle, 1890 (history of 1st Maine Cavalry) > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
.
48
FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
went twice during the last cam- paign, when slightly wounded and more scared than hurt, and our recollections of him in those days are still vivid and pleasant. Wasn't there a nice chat, too, after the recognition was ac- complished ?
Adjutant Thadeus Little was there, but only for a moment. He was on duty for his Grand Army Post, in caring for the thousands of visitors, all through the encampment week, and had time for only the briefest kind of a call and a hand-shake with his old comrades; no time for the pleasures of the reunion. He is the same jovial, hearty comrade he was in the days of yore, and his face always bring's to mind the morning at Sailor's Creek, where he was wounded.
Capt. Black Hawk Putnam was there. He looks much as he used to look, but has changed more than has Major Tucker. The captain was made happy when the Association voted to meet at Houlton next year. He said they could n't give the boys such a banquet as they had in Boston, but they should have good, substantial food, and plenty of it, and a rousing good time. No one doubts that, and all will be at the reunion in Houlton who possibly can.
Capt. Isaac G. Virgin was there. He doesn't seem to have changed much since he left the regiment, at the expira- tion of his three years' term of service. He is just as young
as he was then, and was just as glad to see the boys as they were to see him. It just did the boys of Co. G good to shake his hand once more, and hear once more that laugh which called up so many old memories of the service.
Capt. Llewellyn G. Estes was there, and made a rattling speech at the banquet in the evening. Capt. Estes served with the regiment until March, 1863, and then was detailed .as Assistant Adjutant-General on Gen. Kilpatrick's staff, remain- ing with that general until the end of the war, doing valiant and distinguished service, and winning a commission as major, U. S. V., and lieut .- colonel. colonel, and brigadier-general by brevet.
Capt. Joel Wilson was there, looking much the same as a dozen years ago, and giving the old-fashioned dignified though cordial greeting. It was a pleasure to meet him, for it memory serves, there was no comrade of the grand old regi- ment who performed his duty more conscientiously than he, and no one who would be a better friend.
Capt. John P. Carson was also there, and seemed to be en- joying the reunion, albeit he has not been present so often as his comrades would like to see him.
Lieut. Calvin B. Benson was there, and the comrades were few who brought up in our
THE REUNION OF 1890.
mind more pleasant memories. or whom we were more glad to When we were wounded and prisoners at Brandy Sta- tion. Lieut. Benson (then Ser- geant Benson) stood by us all that long, dreary, halting march to Culpepper. assisting us in every way -a friend, indeed. On arriving at Annapolis. we went to the hospital, and Serg't. Benson to Camp Parole. The latter was paid off in a few lavs. when he promptly re- paired to the hospital, and ten- dered his wounded comrade whatever money he wished - doubly a friend. It is always pleasant to greet Lieut. Benson.
Lient. George F. Jewett was there, looking. for all the world, as he has looked for years. Lieut. Jewett was also taken prisoner at Brandy Station, and remembers all the incidents of that trip to Richmond, and of the tiresome days at Camp Parole --- the shelling over the log barracks, the bathing for sanitary reasons and water- melons, the famous prize fight, the raid on the sutler and the fatalities of that terrible night. But he also has the memories of nearly four years of active ser- vice.
Lieut. William F. Stone was there, bringing up memories of the days at the office of Col. Allen as military governor of Frederick, where he was on duty, of his saving the life of his captor. in the spring of '63. of the days at Cavalry Depot in
the fall of '64, and all along through the service of the regi- ment. And, by the way, there was present a daughter of Cont- mander Graves, of the gun-boat which lay on the James River, off Cavalry Depot, who, then a little girl. used to play around head-quarters, and was known to all the officers at the depot.
Lieut. Edward Jordan was there, looking as young and as fair as he did more than twenty- five years ago, when one day upon him and ourself depended the safety of the regiment if not of the whole army of the Potomac. This was during the unsettled days just after Stoneman's raid and Chancellorsville, when all was uncertain. The regiment was sent to the vicinity of Bealton Station alone, to do picket-duty in the rear of the army, on the lookout for guerrillas. This service was not a pleasant one. to be sure. One day, while the great portion of the . regiment was on picket, rumors of ap- proaching forees from all direc- tions were so thick that Col. Smith deemed it wise to have pickets around the camp as well as on the more distant lines. and summoned the non-commis- sioned officers, sick men, etc., in camp, for that duty. Lieut. Jordan, then saddler, and our- self, then corporal, were among the number, and as Inek would have it our posts came together. so we became acquainted with each other, and expressed our- selves freely about the weather,
,
50
FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
the new kind of pieket duty, the hardship of non-commis- sioned officers standing picket. etc., forming a friendship which has never been broken.
Col. Albion C. Drinkwater was present - a comrade of Co. A during the war, a colonel on the staff of Gen. Benjamin F. Butler when the latter was Gov- ernor of Massachusetts. Comrade Drinkwater is always present, and no more enthusiastic com- rade belongs to the Association. He was President of the Asso- ciation in 1889, and every com- rade who attended the reunion at the Revere House, Boston, that year, well remembers how his efforts and the efforts of the other Boston comrades were crowned with most enjoyable success.
Sergeant Nelson S. Forsythe, and Privates Frank C. Adams, Charles H. Additon, Virgil P. Dillingham, and Levi W. Wheeler, all of Co. G, were at the reunion, and these five we had the pleasure of seeing for the first time since they left the service. Each one called up many recollections of the old days, and it was good to meet them once more, even though the recognition was not imme- diate and the ravages of quar- ter of a century of time had made many changes in their personal appearance. But their hearts still beat true, and their memories of service with the "Old First Maine" are still vivid. Among the recollections
called up were those of Farm- ville, where we were wounded and had our horse shot, when comrade Adams kindly assisted us to the field hospital, where Dr. Northrup attended to our needs with cold water and a bandage. Comrade Adams well remembers the old negro woman on the road leading down into the village of Farm- ville, who, frightened by the flying shells, attempted to climb the fence in a hurry, and her clothing catching, she fell and hung there, feet in the air, quiv- ering and patiently waiting the "coming of the Lord."
Sergeant George P. Andrews, of Co. D, clerk at regimental head-quarters during the winter of 1864-5, and afterwards ord- nance sergeant of the regiment, was at the reunion. He hasn't changed so much in appearance as some of the boys, and his voice and his laugh seemed old- fashioned, and were sweeter than music.
Riley L. Jones, of Co. G was there, coming all the way from Michigan for the sake of being there. Riley does n't look natu- ral, but his voice and his man- ner give him away. We knew he was in the city, and were anxiously watching for him to come into the hall : but seeing a lady from Maine that we knew. we grasped her hand and led her one side, only to find after- wards that the comrade we were so anxiously watching for came in as escort for this lady, and
51
THE REUNION OF 1890.
was surprised to have her so rudely taken away by an old comrade who did not even no- .tice him. But explanations were made, Riley forgave the oversight, and there was a jolly chat between us and a wonderful revival of old memories.
William H. Farnum, of Co. (i. was there, though he came in late. Bill is the same quiet, unassuming, level-headed com- rade he was in the regiment, and is a prominent citizen of his town - Rumford -- one of the Town Fathers for years. Possibly Bill does n't remember one day at camp Bayard, when he and ourself were with a de- tail sent out after wood. It happened on the way that there was a creek or small stream or puddle of water to be crossed. We jumped it in safety, but Bill did n't quite reach the other shore. Stooping down to rub the mud and water from his pants, Bill coolly remarked, "that's one disadvantage of short legs, --- when you come to buy cloth for pants the advantage is with me." It came out so coolly and sounded so comically that we never forgot it. But it is full three years' memories that comrade Farnum calls up.
Bugler Charles B. Kenney, of Co. K. was there and it was de- lightful to meet him. Charley was at head-quarters on duty frequently during the winter of 1864-5, and his round face, red cheeks, laughing eyes, and merry voice always brought pleasure
to head-quarters. At Farmville Charley captured a horse which we had the privilege of riding until after Lee's surrender. The comrades will find an interest- ing letter from him on another page.
Milton F. Ricker and Augus- tus D. Brown, of Co. L, were there. The presence of these two always brings up recollec- tions of Ground Squirrel Bridge. We saw them that morning while the horses were grazing -a bit before the regiment was called to the skirmish line. They were talking together about a certain Greek book, when the word came. After the fight, Comrade Ricker was missing and had a long term of imprisonment before he saw his comrades again. But he was able to make the entire march of the Grand Army of the Re- publie with his Post - Burn- side Post of Auburn - the day after this reunion.
Leroy II. Tobie, of Co. G, was not present, but was repre- sented by his wife and his daughter, Grace E. Tobie, the latter being elected Secretary of the Ladies' Auxiliary. Leroy is now travelling for the Con- solidated Car Heating Com- pany, with head-quarters in Chicago, though his family still resides in the good old state of Maine, and was unable to at- tend. But his heart was at the reunion just the same.
Samuel C. Lovejoy, hospital steward for the first three years,
52
FIRST MAINNE BUGLE.
who mixed the doses for the boys until they were either ill no longer or were so ill as to be taken to the general hospi- tal, was at the reunion. He doesn't make his appearance with the boys very often, but he is always welcome. for the boys long ago forgave him all the castor oil and Dovers pow- ders -he couldn't help it.
James T. Williams of Co. D. better known as "Jim Wil- liams," Postmaster of the regi- ment for two years, was present. and was accompanied by his daughter, who made many friends by her pleasant manner. Jim is - well, Jim Williams is Jim Williams, whether in Vir- ginia in the sixties, or in Bos- ton in the ninety - the same jovial, jolly, large-hearted com- rade -ready for fun at any time, and ready to share his last hardtack or his last penny with a comrade; or if the com- rade were worse off than he. he would give the whole. When the regiment was getting ready for the Hatcher's Run expedi- tion, in February, 1865, Jim slipped a can of condensed milk into our saddle-bags. It was a small action. maybe, looked at in these days when condensed milk is thirteen eents a can, but it was a thoughtful, kindly action, and in those days con- densed milk commanded a
higher premium than gold. It was one of those actions that show a great heart, and that carry comfort with them for
days -- or would if the saddle- bags and contents had not been stolen the second night out from camp.
But this proposed brief men- tion of the reunion is stringing out wonderfully, and if not stopped will crowd everything else out of the Bugle. It must be stopped, and here and now. though there are scores of comt- rades and of recollections that might be put on record. Among those present who now come up in mind. were Charles F. Dam. of Co. F ; Charles A. F. Emery. of Co. A, the printer of our History and of the Bugle : Volney H. Foss. Daniel W. Gage. Henry Little, and Wil- liam Maloon, of Co. G ; Thomas J. Long and Melvin Preble, of Co. K : Augustus L. Ordway. of Co. L; Nathaniel L. Owen. of Co. M; Thomas B. Pulsifer. of Co. D, and many other -. We shall have something to say about them by and by. Here's hoping all may meet at the next reunion in Houlton. next summer.
The Ladies' Auxiliary.
The Ladies' Auxiliary held their annual meeting at the same time as the Association. and elected officers for the ensu- ing year. The ladies seem to enjoy our reunions as well as do the comrades, and the com- rades enjoy them better by rd- son of the presence of tir. ladies. The Ladies' Auxiliary
53
EDITORIAL.
has done grand service in thus making our reunions pleasant. and has, thank God, come to stay. It now only needs for the sons of the comrades to or- ganize. and then the reunions. of the First Maine Cavalry will be the reunions of the families of the First Maine Cavalry, and such reunions as were never before held. The President for the ensuing year is Mrs. Edward P. Tobie. of Pawtucket, R. 1.
The Next Reunion.
As already intimated, the next reunion is to be held in Houlton, next summer, where Captain . Putnam promises a hearty welcome and a jolly time. The time of the re- union is to be fixed by Capt. Putnam and the comrades there. as will best accommodate them. It will be worth one's while to attend that reunion, and if all the comrades will commence now and save a small sum of money per week from unneces- sary expenses, they can all go to one of the jolliest, heartiest reunions we have ever had.
A Sailor's Visit To Japan.
We have received from Comrade Melville B. Cook. First Sergeant of Co. B., a copy of a volume entitled ~ Japan - a Sailor's Visit to the Island Empire," written by himself, and published by John D.
Alden. New York. Since the war closed, Comrade Cook has followed the sea as master of a vessel, in which capacity he has made two voyages to Japan, and what he saw in that strange country is related in this vol- ume in a clear and concise manner, as is natural to a sol- dier and sailor. Beside the in- terest in the facts set forth in the volume, there is the added interest of the author's own im- pressions, which crop out here and there almost involuntarily, while over all there is a spirit of true loyalty to the country for which the author so nobly fought for four long years.
The Eastport Reunion.
The following extraet from an Eastport paper, concerning the ball held in connection with the reunion in that city, was miis- laid and did not discover itself until too late to be inserted in the account of that reunion.
"The reunion ball, under the man- agement of the militia companies was a great success, about one hundred and fifty couples being on the floor, besides a large number of spectators. The proceeds of the dance were about fifty dollars over expenses, which amount was turned over to the mana- ger of the Cavalry Association, to help towards the expenses of the reunion. Wyatt's orchestra of Calais, furnished excellent music for the dance. The Eastport Brass Band rendered some choice selections during the evening. The dresses worn by some of the ladies on this occasion were among the richest ever seen at a ball in East- port, being only surpassed. perhaps in variety. at the Governor's reception here one year ago."
54
FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
WHAT THE COMRADES HAVE TO SAY.
Letter from Charles B. Kenney, Co. K.
94 PINE ST., PORTLAND, ME. October 20, 1890. LIEUT. EDWARD P. TOBIE :
Dear Comrade -- I have finished reading your history of the First Maine Cavalry for the fourth time. It must have taken a great deal of time and hard labor to have gathered so many facts concerning the campaigns of the regiment. It is a book that every member of the regiment ought to be proud of. I have taken more interest in reading it this last time than ever before, and it has revived more recol- lections of my three years' experience in the army when a boy, than it did in the former readings.
My army life was not all spent in the First Maine Cavalry. My first en- listment was as drummer, at the age of fourteen. in the 25th Maine Nine Months Volunteers, Capt. Charles C. Chase's Company. I shall never for- get how hard it was for my dear mother to give her consent for me to go, and what a happy boy I was when finally she said, " Yes." Oh, how proud I was when dressed in that suit of blue, with stripes across the front of the coat, such as the drummer-boys wear! I remember what a hero I was considered by all the girls and boys of my age in Ferry Village where I then lived. Then came the orders " On to Washington." There we guarded Long Bridge for two months. We had orders to kill all the " Johnnies " that came over the bridge, but none came. We then marched to Arlington Heights where we built nice winter quarters, and were not disturbed in them all winter. ' In the spring we were ordered a little farther to the front. and soon after that our term
of service expired. Then came the march home. That regiment was not in one battle or skirmish, nor was # gun fired by it during our twelve months in the field. It may be asked. " Whose fault was it?" It was surely not the fault of the officers or men. No, comrades. no finer regiment ever left the State of Maine than the Twenty-fifth, one thousand strong, of fine, hardy, young men ; and a better drilled volunteer regiment was not in the field during the war. If they had been ordered into battle, they would have proved themselves no cowards, for after our return home the most of them re-enlisted in other regiments : and when I say there were over two hundred of them in the First District .of Columbia and First Maine Cavalry. it is enough to add that the bones of hundreds of those brave men lic mouldering on the bloody battle-fields of Virginia to-day.
There were eight companies, as you all know, raised in the State of Maine for the First District of Columbia Cavalry, to guard Washington. I en- listed as a private in Capt. A. M. Ben- son's company, and we were soon ordered to Washington. There we remained drilling, dismounted, I do not remember how long. I would here like to relate a little incident that hap- pened while in camp at Washington. and I think many of the District of Columbia boys will remember it. Some of the officials of that city were to re- view us on dress parade, one after- noon, and we were told that the one that looked the neatest in each com- pany should have a pass for twenty- four hours. I was the one that was unfortunate enough to get the pass in our company. There was a young man of the name of Loren H. Milliken,
55
WHAT THE COMRADES HAVE TO SAY.
but I do not remember what company he was in. He and I had the pass to- gether. We started down town that evening and went into Ford's Theatre. We had been in there only a few min- utes when the provost guard came in, The sergeant asked to see our pass, which, we supposed, was all right. On looking at it, he said that we must go with them. We asked what was the trouble, and he said our pass had not been signed by the provost marshal as it ought to have been. They locked us up in an old stone cell which was extremely wet and filthy, and there they kept us that night and part of the next day. For breakfast they gave us a dry piece of bread and a dish of cold water. There was nothing to sit on or to lie on except some dirty straw, which looked as though it might have been there for months. I hardly be- lieve there was a more filthy prison in the South than that. I remember how glad I was when we were released and allowed to return to the regiment. That was my first, and, thank God, my last experience in a cell. But how many narrow escapes I had from rebel prisons after that ! Then the District of Columbia men, although they had been told they would not have anything to do but guard Washington. were ordered to the front to take their chances on the battle-field with the brave men that were already there. But was there a murmur of dissatisfac- tion when those orders came? No. On the contrary, every man was glad to hear them.
hundred miles of railroad, burning stations and bridges, and doing all the other damage we could, besides having a little skirmish or two every day with the rebels, and finally, after having a hard fight at Roanoake Bridge and losing a great many officers and men killed and wounded, including Capt. Benson, wounded and taken prisoner, we started on our return march. I was wounded slightly at that battle and after the doctors had bandaged my wound, I thought it not severe enough to go in an ambulance. On our way to camp with our ambulances full of wounded, the rebels had us al- most surrounded, and at one time the situation was very critical. When the commanding officers found it would be impossible to get the wounded in- side of our lines without all of us being taken prisoners, they took the wounded out and set the ambulances on fire. They also spiked all the artillery and cut the horses loose. Gen. Lee said he would have Wilson's raiders, if he lost Richmond, and he came very near accomplishing his threat, for it was said he had twenty to our one after us.
Just as we had crossed the swamp. where our officers were leading us to save us from being gobbled up by the rebels, my horse was shot from under me, and as I was going fast, I went some distance over his head; but I soon found that I was not hurt much ; only the wound that I had received the day before was troubling me a great deal. For fear my horse might possi- bly live for some rebel to ride I put a bullet through his head and then started on the run. The bullets were coming thick and fast, and that rebel yell -- will I ever forget it? No, not until my dying day. It did not seem more than twenty yards away. As one of the boys was riding past me he
We were mounted at City Point and were veteran cavalrymen almost be- fore we knew it. Armed with sixteen- shooters, we were terrors to the " rebs." Every District of Columbia man will always remember Wilson's raid. Its hardships will never be forgotten by me. After destroying two or three . called out, "Charlie, don't let them
56
FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
.
take you prisoner ! catch hold of my horse's tail !" This I did, and held on until we arrived inside of our lines which, I was told, was twelve or fifteen miles from the place where my horse was shot. The comrade who called out to me as I have stated. and whose horse's tail saved me from being taken prisoner, was present at our last re- union in Boston. His name is Morang. Poor fellow ! he is nearly blind from fragments of shell received in one of our engagements.
In a few days, after our return to camp, I was taken very ill and they put me in an old corn shed which was being used as a hospital, near where we were encamped in front of Peters- burg ; and there I lay on a bed of straw for eight or ten weeks, between life and death, and my being restored sufficiently to be able to join the regi- ment, which I did within nine or ten weeks, was something remarkable as you will see, for I firmly believe the " medicine " I took -a dish of baked beans -was what cured me. or at least effected the cure a great deal sooner than otherwise would have been the case. I was feeling very hungry one morning when one of the boys from the regiment. George Stevens, who was from the same town as I. came in to see me. He said, "Well, Charlie. how are you this morning ?" My re- ply was, " George, I belive I am starv- ing to death. The doctors will allow us scarcely anything to eat." I said I thought if I could have something to eat I would soon get well. He said they had baked beans in the ground the night before and he would bring me some if I thought I could eat them. I told him the doctors would not allow us to have baked beans, but if he could smuggle in some without anybody seeing him, I would bless him as long as I lived. He said he would try to
do so. and went away. He was not gone long, though it seemed a long time to me; when he came back he had the dish of beans and brought them in without being discovered. Just as I commenced to eat them I saw one of the doctors coming. and I covered. them over with the straw. I shall never forget how frightened I was for fear he had seen them and would take them away from me: but he had not, and as soon as I got a chance, I ate them, straw and all. I commenced to improve right away, it seems to me now, from that minute. There was hardly a day after that while I remained in that old corn shed that my friend, George Stevens, who is now a grocer at Knightville, Cape Elizabeth, did not bring me in some little thing to eat that he had fixed for me, and I believe I owe my life to him. I am glad to have this oppor- tunity of acknowledging my indebt- edness to him.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.