USA > Maine > First Maine bugle, 1892 (history of 1st Maine Cavalry) > Part 36
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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
The roll call needs your help, comrade --- not the help of some other comrade, but your help.
Bind Your Bugles.
James Hearn & Co., binders of the history, will bind the ten calls of the BUGLE in half morocco, stamped on one side with cross sabres and lettered on the back, making a com- panion volume to the history, for eighty cents per volume in lots of one hundred.
Comrades who also have the copies of our reunion pro- ceedings, first to eleventh, can have them bound in like man- ner and price. Comrades are urged to do this and thus preserve the literature of our service.
The treasurer, Gen. Cilley, will receive the issues, and when one hundred are on hand forward to the binder.
The postage on the BUGLES forwarded to the treasurer will be one cent for every four ounces, but the return postage on the bound volume will be one cent for every two ounces.
Mail is the cheapest way of sending the BUGLF. The bound volumes will cost about the same by express or mail.
The first issues of the BUGLE and the copics of our first reunions are in demand to complete sets for binding.
Comrades who may not de- sire to preserve their copics will confer a gicat favor on the Association by sending their copies to the treasurer and thus supply the members who have lost their numbers.
Surplus Numbers.
There are quite a large num- ber of copies of the reunion proceedings from the fifth to the eleventh, which will be given to any member of the Association, who may desire thus to complete their sets or who may wish to preserve them as interesting and valu- able records of regimental life.
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FIRST MAINE BUGIE.
Capt. Melville B. Cool., whose nomination for County Commissioner of Knox Coun- ty was noticed in last issue, was one of the few successful candidates on the Republican ticket for that county; thanks to the comrades of Co. B and the old regiment, who rallied as a man to his support.
Jonnies.
In war time we called the Confederates "Jonnies." That name held more of good fel- lowship than of hostility. To- day it holds good fellowship only. This call of the BUGLE furnishes abundant evidence that the kindest feeling and respect exists between the old soldiers of both armies. All this evidence is most happy and of peculiar interest. Read the letters of Major Brown and Thomas J. Sanford, and Gen. Cilley's report. He found the same feeling during all his journey in Virginia.
On our advertising pages will be found the notice of the Grand Trunk Railway Com- pany of Canada, and all who are intending to visit Chicago and the World's Fair will find it to their advantage
to read this notice before de- ciding upon their roate. Th conduct of the road is too well-known to need any com mendation.
The BUGLE was made the official organ of the Casdey Society of the Armies of the United States at the annual meeting last June. The Jeb Call contained the report of the proceedings of that meer- ing, and sketches are prom- ised by different members of the society from time to tinger
Read the roll call as pub- lished last January, see what is missing and write us ab at it.
Correction.
On page 61, fifth line, insert October in place of September.
The First Rhode Island Cavalry.
When the seven companies of the regiment entered Vis- ginia in April. 1862 -- their fire! campaign-they stopped in the woods near Catlett's station We were about as forlorn a body of cavalry men as With seen during the whole war. We arrived there with our horses and that was about all. It was raining and we had no
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tents; we were hungry and we had no food, nor had we any cooking utensils ; we were cold and we had no axes with which to cut down the splendid white oak trees all around us, in order to build fires. We were destitute. It was our first march, and. everything had been put into the wagons, and the wagons were hung up the other side of a creek five miles away. We were cold, wet, hungry, weary and help- less. We named our stopping place "Camp Misery," and spent there two or three of the most miserable days of the whole term of service. Near "Camp Misery" was another camp known as "Camp Mud." This was occupied by the First New England Cavalry, after- wards the First Rhode Island Cavalry. They had arrived a day or two before, and the rain which begun on our last day's march had not flooded the creek so as to keep their wagons back. They had some of the comforts of camp life, but not all. They had car- bines, however, which we had not. There were cattle roam- ing about in the vicinity, but we could not kill them. Yet as we had nothing to eat, we
must kill them. So carbines wore borrowed from the Rhode Islanders, cattle were killed, and we were saved from star- vation, even though we were obliged to cook that beef on the end of a stick and cat it without condiments or accom- paniment. And many other kind services did they perform for us, in those out days of need. Thus the Rhode Islanders saved our lives. We were not destined to remain with this regiment long. They were sent into other localities, and we met them but seldom dur- ing our service, though we heard of them and of their gallant deeds and grand re- cord now and then. But we always remembered them and their kindness to us when kind- ness was worth something.
The First Rhode Island Cav- alry held their annual reunion on the 4th of August last, at Pleasant Bluff, on the shores of the beautiful Narragansett Bay, and it was our good for- tune to be present. We enjoy one of these reunions almost as much as we do one of our own. There is a spirit of com- radeship among them, as there is among our own comrades, which I have never seen at
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any Infantry reunions, and I have attended many of them. We enjoyed this reunion be- cause we felt very much at home. Some of the comrades .we have been acquainted with for a score of years, some of them we "had not seen since the muster-out," nor before, either. But they were all com- rades. The reunion was very much like one of our own- cordial, comradely, cavalry greetings, old stories, jokes, a business meeting, a dinner, then speech making, etc. It was pleasant to us to be call- ed upon as a representative of the cavalry regiment which had the best reputation of any regiment in the service-which lost more men killed in action, had the largest number of battles upon our flag, etc., and it was pleasant to respond by relating the story of the first meeting of the two regiments, and giving the First Rhode Island Cavalry the credit of saving our regiment in the time of greatest need it ever exper- ienced. Chaplain Frederic Dennison ( the "fighting chap- lain")-as good a soldier of the nation as he was soldier of the cross-read an original poem at this reunion, which he has
kindly allowed to be presente ! in our columns, and every comrade should read it while thinking of the time the car. bines of the First Rhode Island killed the beef which kept u. from suffering. All hail to the comrades of the First Rhode Island Cavalry.
Gen. John Pope.
Within a few weeks there has passed away a soldier who was at one time prominent in the rebellion, but whose final muster-out was barely noticed in newspapers which have poured out columns of tribute to men much less deserving. Gen. John Pope died and was buried and few knew of it, or realized that it was he who once commanded the glorious old Army of the Potomac. The comrades of that grand army who were serving in front of Washington during the summer of 1862. when Gen. Pope was appointed to the command, will remember the thrill of joy with which they greeted his breezy orders -those orders which were re- ceived with so much ridicule. We had been marching to and fro, backward and forward, to the Rappahannock and be-
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yond and back towards Wash- ington, to Falmouth and then to the Shenandoah Valley, and we could understand noth- ing about it. Of one thing we were assured, and that was, that the whole army seemed to be busily engaged in pro- tecting the property of rebels rather than in fighting them. Our comrades will remember the first time we were sent out foraging, when it was a matter of life or death for men and horses, when a receipt in the name of Uncle Sam was given for all that was taken; they will remember how many of the boys, and sometimes whole companies, were detached as safeguards to protect the prop- erty of the citizens from being taken by our men, who were suffering for want of what was so near them and so strictly guarded. We were told it was the property of "Union citi- zens" we were guarding so carefully, until we were led to believe that all the citizens of Virginia were looked upon by the gov- ernment as Union citizens, while we felt that there was nothing more scarce in this world than Union citizens in Virginia. We remember once
upon a time the regiment was camped near a mansion where such care was taken of the grounds that some of the in- corrigibles of the regiment averred that they were not allowed to whittle on the camp ground; where the horses had to be watered, one company at a time, and the horses led out in single file, so as not to mar the beauti- ful grounds of the "Union citizen" who owned the grounds ; where there was no comfort in living. When Gen. Pope took command of the army and issued his fa- mous orders we knew all this would be changed, and we welcomed the change. We felt that the troops which were scattered all about doing " safe-guard duty" would be gathered together again into an army, which was done. We felt that Gen. Pope be- lieved that the army was rais- ed for the purpose of fighting the enemy, not of protecting him so that he might the bet- ter fight us. Gen. Pope infused more life into that portion of the Army of the Potomac than did anything else until the appointment of Gen. Grant to its command. He did not
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win the second battle of Bull Run --- it isn't worth while to enquire why at this late day, as the comrades well know why-but he did inspire the troops with new life, he did inaugurate a change in the whole manner of campaign- ing in Virginia, and the old idea of protection to the enemy's property was never revived. From that time forth there was a new order of things, and in the end success crowned our arms. Who shall say then that Gen. Popc does not deserve the highest credit for his service in the Army of the Potomac-the credit of one of the most im- portant military steps taken from the firing upon Fort Sumter to the surrender at Appomattox? God bless Gen. John Pope.
Kind Words.
The Rockland Tribune pub- lishes an article upon the July Call of the BUGLE, from which the following kind words are taken with thanks. The Trib- une's article closes with the sketch by Comrade William H. Luce :
THE FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
The July issue of this interesting pub- lication shows by its increased pages
and its varied contenty a growth both in financial and literary points of view that is most creditable to the associa tion and to those who have immediate charge of the quarterly. It row con- tains more reading matter than the North American Price. It may not be quite modest to speak of the mechan- ical excellency of the periodical as it was executed in THE TRIBUNE cines, but we should be very happy to have a com- parison made of our work with that of any other printing establishment in the state.
Since the April issue the Brors. has been adopted as the official organ of the Cavalry Society of the Armies of the United States and will contain contribu- tions from members of the mounted reg- iments, north and south, which partici- pated in the War of the Rebellion.
All its articles are carefully written and contain valuable historic ficts and fascinating narratives of personal ex- perience. This last quality is well shown in the semi-plaintive account of the soldier " beguiled by chance." There are three original poems, all well worthy of permanent preservation in our licia- ture.
Among its larger and more ambitious articles is an exhaustive and interesting account by our townsman, young Cilles, of the exploration of Grand River and the re-discovery of Grand Falls by the Bowdoin College scientific expedi- tion to Labrador; and an account of " the country for which we fought " by the editor, containing quite a large number of illustrations.
The First Maine Cavalry claims a lot of first things -- and not content with bearing three more authentic names of battles on its colors than any other regi- ment, and of having lost more offers and more men killed in battle than any other cavalry regiment in the entire army, now claims the honor of bearing
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on its rolls the name of the first man who enlisted in the War of the Rebel. lion. We present this claim, not only for its own interest, but because it mentions the name of Dick Marta, a genial citizen of our neighboring town, picturesque Camden. It is written by Wm. H. Luce, of Rice Lake. Wis.
Our First Visit to Warrenton.
The comrades who went on the famous expedition to War- renton on the night of April 11th, 1862, will never forget that experience, but the following story of that expedition, told by Capt. George N. Bliss, of the First Rhode Island Cav- ally, will be new to them :
Some of Gen. Sigel's men had been lett sick in Warrenton, nine miles from our camp. and about sunset one night six hundred of the First Rhode Island and four hundred of the First Maine Cav- alry marched for Warrenton, escorting ambulances in which the sick men were to be brought within our lines. About midnight the column was halted, and an officer came along the lines giving the order in a whisper, . Draw sabres !' The man had never been in action, and this order, given in a low whisper in the darkness of midnight, was appalling but it was obeyed, and the men could be seen carefully adjusting their sword knots and swinging then sabres to be sure they were ready to strike home; then at a slow walk ve moved into the town and Warrenton was ours. Some of the citizens, aroused from sleep by the clanking of sabre scabbards and the ringing of horses shoes on the stone pavements, opened their windows and locked out, and one citizen came out on the street just as the colonel reached the court house. The colonel said "Corporal Jones, you will take this citizen as a guide, and produce the mayor of this sity instantly." In a few minutes the United States flag was made fast to the balhards of the court house dagstaff, and the mayor was pro luced, showing evi-
dences in his confused clothing and dis orderly hoir of a hasty toilet, and the following ensued :
Colonel-Are you the mayor of thiscity ? Mayor ---- Yes, sir.
Colonel -- Hoist that flas. Mayor -- Hadn't you better hoist it yourself? I don't acknowledge that flag. Colonel-Hoist that flag instantly. The mayor hoisted the flag, the style of the colonel evidently in pressing him with the belief that to refuse was death, and then the colonel said :
"Now. sir, I hold you responsible that when I return Fere again to-morrow night that fiag shall still float."
" Bat," sail the inayer, " suppose that Stuart or Ashby con.es in? "
" But they won't come-they won't come," said the colonel, with crushing emphasis. "They have heard of me !"
The Kansas Crop of '92.
SIXTY MILLION BUSHELS OF WHEAT -- A BUSHEL FOR EVERY INHABITANT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Never in the history of Kansas bas that state bad such bountiful crops as this year The farmers cannot get enough hands to harvest the great crop, and the Santa Fe Railroad made spe- cial rates from Kansas City and other Missouri River towns, to induce harvest Ian's to go into the state. The wheat crop.of the state will be from sixty to sixty-five million bushels, and the quality is high. The grass crop is mule, and is ve very large one: the carly potatoes, rye, barley and vat crops are made, and are all large. The weather was propi- tious for corn, and it is the cleanes :. best looking corn to be found in the country to-day. Cheap rates were made from Chicago, St. Louis and all points on the Santa Fe east of the Mis- souri River to all Kansas points on August go and September 2;, and these excursions gave a chance for eastern farmers to see what the great Sunflower State can do. A good map of Kansas will be mailed free upon application to Jno. 1. Byrne, 723 Monadnock Block, Chicago, Il, together with reliable sta- tistica and information about Kansas landis.
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FIRST MAINE BUGLE.
BUGLE ECHOES.
"Its echoing notes your memories shall renew From sixty-one until the grand review, Where elbows touched and troops rode bout to boot, Triumphant 'neath the flag that South and North salute."
LETTERS FROM THE COMRADES.
PORT CALEDONIA, Cape Breton, May 31st, 1892. DEAR GEN. CILLEY,-I received the BUGLE and enclose you one dollar for a year's subscription. I will also fill up the dates with regard to marriage, etc. I feel so interested in the BUGLE I think the sound should bring a host of subscribers.
I remain yours respectfully. ROBERT NUTTER. [ITist. p. 537.]
CAMBRIDGEPORT, Mass, June 13th, '92. GEN. CILLEY :
Dear Old Comrade,-Please find en- closed one dollar for BUGLE for second year. I sent you one dollar . last year for first year which you did not credit to me as per inclosed slip. The BUGLE> are worth their weight in gold. I hope to meet you and all the boys at Washington in September. I am suffer- ing from an accident to right hand. Will send family record for next cam- paign. If you intend to print another Roll Call sometime in the future I will send all corrections I may know of. Gen. Smith's brother is a neighbor of mine and is greatly pleased with the BUGLES I loan himn.
Yours in F. C. and I ... BRADBURY F. DOE.
[Elist. p. 000.]
(The January Call of each year will contain a roll call of the members of thy. regiment .-- Eb.)
347 EAST TENTH St., ST. PAUL, MINN. JULY 14th, 1892.
MY DEAR GENERAL :-
Enclosed please find draft for two dollars to pay my subscription for the BUGLE, as also my genealogy, which you desired me to forward. It is very sel- dom that I meet anyone connected with the regiment, unless it is when I go east, but here in St. Paul I do not have the pleasure of meeting any of my o! ! comrades. I have had the satisfaction of meeting Capt. Cole once in a while, and am glad to be able to say that the last time I saw him he was as fat anl jolly as ever. Should you ever come as far west as St. Paul I should be delight- ed to meet you, as also any other, of the boys of the First Maine Cavalry.
Yours very truly, EBEN L. SHACKFORD.
| Ilist. pp. 401-515.]
94 SOUTH MARKET Sr., BOSTON, AUG. 15. 1892.
DEAR GENERAL :--
Enclosed tind check for two and a half dollars, amount due for the Booth to October. IS02. Let them come and should I fail to respond with cash as often as you would like. " blow the rally."
Yours truly, JOHN B. DRAKE.
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BUGLE ECHOES.
437 EAST TWENTY-SECOND ST., NEW YORK, AUG. 16, 1892. GEN. J. P. CILLEY :
Dear Comrade,-Your copy of the BUGLE just received, also slip showing indebtedness of fifty cents for same. 1 euclose check SI in payment. The ex- cess fifty cents devote to sending the BUGLE to some deserving worthy com- rade, and if he takes as much pleasure in reading it as I do he will be well pleased indeed. While I was not a cavalryman but rather a mud-slinger, alias an infantryman, I find your BUGLES of much interest indeed in bringing be- fore me the stirring events and happen- ings of the days when I was a member of the good old Army of the Potomac. Please continue to send them and very much favor
Yours fraternolly, E. W, SCHULTE, Late Serg't., Co. C., 13th Mass. Inf.
BAR HARBOR, MOUNT DESERT, AUG. 31, 1892. MY DEAR GENERAL :
Your letter was forwarded to me here at Bar Harbor where I am taking a fortnight's vacation. . You certainly don't charge as much to get the "pro- ceedings " in the hands of the mem- beis as it has cost us in the past. For my part I am profoundly greatfal to you-for it has fallen to my lot every year to superintend the getting out of the pamphlet, reading proofs, mailing. etc., and it was a very irksome job, as it generally came along about the time my hands were full of work in my pro- fessional capacity. I trust too it will prove of benefit to your magazine, the BUGLE, which is a most wonderful thing to be published by a regimental organiz- ation. It is full of of interesting matter, and I read the number you sent me with a great deal of enjoyment.
Very truly yours, GERRARD IRVINE WHITEHEAD.
BLOOMINGTON, ILL., AUG. 28, 1892 GEN. CILIEY :
Dear Sir and Comrade, -- I find upon my table a copy of the First Maine BUGLE. I cannot express to you the feelings that are revived or the memo- ries that are awakened by the perusal of its contents. First Maine BUGLE. Not the old bugle that rang out upon the morning air to awaken the boys from peaceful slumbers, or sounded the charge that sent the thundering column into the midst of death so many times upon the soil of old Virginia in the six- ties, not the old bugle that sounded "taps" when night had thrown its friendly shades over the dead and the dying of our brigade so many times when we were honored by being asso- ciated with you, but none the less a bugle sound that reaches from the far distant shores of Maine to the broad prairies of Illinois, and on to the snow- capped mountains of the Rockies. How well I remember you as a regimental and our brigade commander, Gen. Smith. The captain of my company, J. H. Harmony, of Co. L, was brigade inspector during the winter of '64. Com- ing to the brigade comparatively a new regiment after six months' dismounted service in the first brigade, first divi- sion, fifth army corps, our first acquain- tance began at Stony Creek Station and Boydtown Plank Road. The Bellfield Raid, Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks and Farmville, and finally at the grand wind-up at Appomattox, are ties of memory that now, after almost thirty years have past and gone, are strong in everything that tends to bind in bonds of comradeship all who yet survive. God bless you all. I incluse you one of my efforts in the way of poetry, should you honor it with a place in the columns of the BUGLE, I should appreciate the kindness and remain fraternally,
CHARLES C. HASSLER, Co. I .. , 21st Pa. Cav.
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SOUTH NORRIDGEWOCK, AUG. 19, 1592. GEN. J. P. CILLEY :
Dear Sir,-Yours of the 15th received. I therefore remit the $1.50 for BUGLE and thank you beside, for it is a very welcome guest. It is one of our strong- est ties now as we are so scattered; we think of each other when we receive each Call, filled with letters from old comrades from the First of Maine. You may be assured that every Call sent the boys is carefully read and filed away where they can be reached often. 1 fear we do not study the Holy Writ as studiously and frequently as we do this yellow covered volume. I have a few times after solemn obligations from comrades of another regiment "to be careful and not to soil it," let them take it to read, and have been surprised that they dil not show more interest in it. But come to think of it they never knew the writers of those stories or they were not there on that day, and if they were in the battle mentionel, their position was different from ours. The fact, " this is my regiment, although we may have occupied a very humble position in it, makes us toss our heads a little when the question is asked, " to what regi- ment did you belong?" With pride we can say " we hold an honorable dis- charge from the First Maine Cavalry, dated August 1865, and received it upon the old camping gioand at Augusta." Even if we did raid a sutler's tent at Newport News we have tried to be good citizens since, help pay the debt the government contracted in putting down the rebellion and do our best to aid every good cause. It is evident that we all are now passing down the sunny slope of life, but I think we should keep up good courage and try to miset each other at the annual reunions, as the duty we owe fast to ourselves and secondly to the rest of the boys, and then when we hear the bugle sounding "Taps,"
" Lights out," the world can say the he has tried to do what good he could.
PLUMMER H. BULLAR, Co. IL., First Maine Cav. [list. p. 5 .. ]
196 to 200 LEVI, SI., NEW YORK. At6. 20, 1892.
GEN. J. P. CILLEY :
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Dear Sir,-After an absence of two weeks I return to niy office to find the package of Jaly Booths as onlered. A copy was received at Jefferson, N. II., for which I beg to thank you. It is a very enjoyable number. At the same hotel with me -- the Jefferson Hill Hous -was a couple of Bow Min boys-Mi. Dane and Dr. Parker, who were very much interested in the account of the Labrador trip. Perhaps you will be in- torested to learn that the cedar in Rush- ton's boats in that trip, mentioned on page 27, was furnished by me. Kush- ton has been a customer of mine for many years, both in celar and mahog- any. I beg to thank you for your very flattering notice of my Itle poem, and I only hope it will please all the readers of the BUGLF.
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