USA > Maine > Knox County > Thomaston > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. II > Part 6
USA > Maine > Knox County > Rockland > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. II > Part 6
USA > Maine > Knox County > South Thomaston > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. II > Part 6
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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 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
Greenhalgh, lieutenant ; Abram J. Furbish, wounded May, 1864; Thomas C. Saunders, wounded May 2, 1863; and Horatio A. Ulmer, detached on gunboat service.
This regiment, after arriving at Washington, spent the time in further improvement in drill and discipline at different places of encampment. At one of these, July 13th, the first rebel prisoners by Maine regiments, were taken by John But- ler, Corporal Stevens, W. E. Crockett, and John McKeen of Capt. Walker's company ; and their weapons were distributed by Col. Berry among the captors. In the disheartening bat- tle of Bull Run, July 21st, this regiment (scarcely more than one short month from peaceful homes) took an active part, and was the last to leave the field -having in connection with the 2d Vermont, made a desperate charge up the hill, and, for half an hour after its lines were partially broken by re- treating cavalry and the battle was lost, stood the fire of shot and shell till ordered to retreat ; and then, with the rest of Howard's brigade, came in from Centreville to Alexandria, in good order, under command of its officers. Its loss was 23 killed, 24 wounded, and 42 missing. Among the killed, this city had to lament the loss of several valuable citizens. Sergt. Major Chapman, a man of literary and musical talents, whose letters published in the Gazette, giving an account of the journey to Washington and all the movements of the soldiers, were so much prized by their friends and the com- munity, was the first of the regiment to lay down his life as he had been the first to enlist in the cause of his country. He was killed instantly by a rifle ball, soon after the regiment came under fire, - thus giving a noble answer to the question which appeared in his latest published letter, written just be- fore the battle, " how can one better or more gloriously die, than for his country ?" Asahel Towne, also, B. W. Fletcher, Wm. B. Foss, Dennis Canning. Jarvis B. Grant, and Sewall Hewett, all in various ways, contributed their lives to the great ransom paid for the Nation's integrity and freedom. Nathaniel B. Gowen, who had been an estimable member of the first Baptist church and an active teacher in its Sab- bath school, and Jacob A. Sparhawk, were wounded and carried prisoners to Richmond, where they subsequently died. The various instances of individual bravery and daring, in this battle, as in the many that have followed, would fill vol- umes ; but we have not space for them.
2
Subscquent to the retreat, the Fourth returned to the sta- tion it had previously occupied at Bush Hill, south of the Potomac, and several changes took place among its officers.
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
Lt. Col. Marshall being appointed colonel of the 7th Maine, his place was supplied by Major Nickerson, and that of the latter by Silas M. Fuller. Company H, having become re- duced in consequence of a misunderstanding among the men in regard to the time of service enlisted for, was broken up, and the men, with some others in the regiment, transferred to the 38th New York, or distributed in other companies. It was, however, replaced in November by another, of new re- cruits under Capt. W. L. Pitcher of Bangor. Before the close of the year, Capt. Walker of company B, became major ; and, to the regret of the regiment, Col. Berry, its active, pop- ular, and meritorious commander, left in March, 1862, on being promoted to the office of brigadier general. Major Walker relinquishing his place to Capt. Pitcher, succeeded as colonel, and Capt. Carver of company D, as lieut. colonel.
The eagerness of this regiment for action was evinced in the fact that more than 100 of its men volunteered early in Feb., 1862, to join the gunboat fleet at Cairo; but only 30 from any one regiment were allowed to leave. . On the 17th March it went to Old Point Comfort, thence to the plains be- yond Hampton, and on the 4th April advanced towards York- town. In the operations of our army between Yorktown and Richmond, it was most frequently drawn upon for men to do special duties requiring marked heroism and despatch; and Gen. Heintzelman is reported to have said of it, " it could furnish a corps of brigadiers as good as any in the army."
In the battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, from the posi- tion assigned to it on the left flank which was not attacked, it did not materially suffer; yet its flag was the first the next morning to float over the abandoned defences of Williams- < burg. Still, as many of Co. H had been transferred to the New York 38th regiment, which behaved so nobly and was so terribly cut up amidst the storm of deadly hail which assailed them, some of our Rockland boys suffered. At Seven Pines the regiment was engaged. At the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31st, it suffered but little; as, in the afternoon of the first - day, Gen. Birney failed to bring the brigade into action ; and, on the second day, though, under another commander, doing good execution on the enemy, it was protected by the railroad embankment which formed a breast-work from behind which the men poured a constant shower of ballets upon the foe whilst remaining in comparative safety themselves. Col.
Walker stood in an exposed situation on the railroad, direct- ing the fire of his men, and, together with Lieut. Col. Carver and Maj. Pitcher, received honorable mention in Gen. Ward's VOL. II. 5 ,
1
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
official report. Two only of the Fourth were killed and seven wounded. On the 25th of June, the Fourth was en- gaged with the enemy in the afternoon and evening, holding a most difficult position in face of the rebel force through the night; on the 28th, it was detached from its brigade to build a bridge across Jordan's Ford in White Oak Swamp, where, the remainder of the brigade having joined them, they held back the enemy until the main force had crossed, when they joined the retreat as the extreme rear guard; and it bravely bore its part in the several succeeding battles which were fought before Richmond. At Charles City Cross Roads it was in action; and at Malvern Hill, July 1st, supported the artillery planted on the heights. Though often won- derfully and providentially preserved from exposure, it did not escape a share of the casualties; among which, at the latter place, Sergeant Cowing of this city, much respected and beloved, was killed instantly by a piece of shell. On the 4th of July the regiment reached the place of retreat, Harrison's Landing, completely exhausted. On the 15th of August it again left its encampment ; and, in the various and severe engagements which, from August 27th to September Ist, attended Mclellan's retreat from before Richmond, the Maine 4th bore itself in its usual faithful and energetic manner ; - being thus spoken of in Gen. Kearney's report. " The staunch 4th Maine, under Walker and Carver, true men, of rare type, drove on through the stream of bat- tle irresistibly." It suffered severely, though, -having at the second Bull Run seven killed, (among them Sergeant Achorn, Corporal Stevens and Charles Clark of this city,) * thirty-three wounded and seven missing, and, at Chantilly, eight killed, fifty-four wounded and two missing. An ex- ploit of two young men of this city, Orlando H. Brown and George H. Dunbar, may deserve mention. Being left be- hind with two other videttes, on the 30th, in the retreat to- ward Centreville, they 'succeeded in capturing a party of the „enemy consisting of one assistant adjutant general, one lieut. of cavalry, one orderly and two negroes, with six horses and sets of horse equipments, all of which they brought into camp. After this, till December, the Fourth was actively employed at various important points along the Potomac, guarding the fords.
In the battle of Fredericksburg, commencing Dec. 13, 1862, it is doubted if any regiment participating displayed more indomitable courage, or suffered a severer loss than did the Fourth Maine. In Ward's brigade and Birney's division,
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
they made the first charge upon the rebels ; and it was they who drove them back through a dense piece of woods on the right of where the division entered the engagement, through an open field and back of the embankment which there formed a part of the railroad. But as soon as they reached the rear of this embankment, the rebels who had been driven, fell flat on their faces, while others rose fresh in their rear and poured in so murderous a fire that our Maine boys were compelled to retreat ; though their left nobly continued to hold the foe in check, till, being joined by their right, and the rebels driven back by Gen. Berry, who came with his brigade to their relief, they retired, bringing off many of their wounded or dying comrades. Of the 211 men which went into the fight, but 124 returned in safety ; and of the 23 field and line officers, but five escaped uninjured. Of those belonging to this city, Avcry L. Candage and John A. Kelloch, corporals, James M. Bragg, Moses D. Bartlett, and Samuel A. Wood, privates, were killed, falling, like their gallant Major Pitcher, " with" breasts to the foe, doing their whole duty."
At Chancellorsville, the Fourth " did good service to re- trieve our position"; the desperate charge of Ward's brigade on the night of May 2d, 1863, costing its chief loss of 32 killed, wounded and missing, -only a few, comparatively, being wounded in the main battle on Sunday. None of those from this city were killed ; but the whole regiment, as well as the people of Rockland and the community at large, were most deeply affected by the loss, in this battle, of its early commander, -the brave, exemplary, and eminently success- ful Major General Hiram G. Berry. After his promotion to the command of a brigade, he had, at the battle of Williams- burg, by a forced march through the rain and mud in double quick time, passing three other brigades on his way, arrived at a critical moment to the relief of the right wing of our army exhausted by a bloody conflict and about giving way, and, by a gallant and successful charge upon the fresh troops of Johnston, turned the scale of victory and won for himself and his brave command the highest honor. Thus having ob- tained the soubriquet of "the hero of Williamsburg," he again, at the battles of Fair Oaks, White Oak Swamp, Nelson's Farm, and Malvern Hill, managed his brigade with the same promptness, skill, and courage, rendering signal service at the right time and situation to prevent imminent disasters; so that on his return home, Aug. 6th, to recruit his health and recover from a slight wound and injuries occasioned by a fall from his wounded and plunging horse, Rockland was proud
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
to give him, her favorite son, a public and very flattering re- ception. Mayor Wiggin's address of welcome on the occa- sion was appropriate, warin, and deeply affecting. On the 29th of January, his gallant services were rewarded by an ap- pointment to the office of major general, in which capacity his services were equally appreciated. But the end of his career was approaching. On Sunday morning, the 3d of May, while posted to the right of Chancellorsvile, Gen. How- ard, whose division had been put to flight, rode up and said, " Gen. Berry, I am ruined !" Berry replied, " Oh no, Gen- eral; I have a division that never was driven an inch ; I will put them immediately into the breach and regain what you have lost." 'Twas said, 'twas done. He put himself at the head of his brave men, and, with an irresistible charge, they drove back the rebels at the point of the bayonet and retook the ground which had been lost. In the temporary hush of battle that followed this successful onset, Gen. Berry direct- ed Capt. Greenhalgh to ride to Hooker's headquarters, for orders as to whether he should hold his position or not. Then dismounting with the remainder of his staff, he walked a few rods to confer with Gen. Mott, the senior officer of his division, and, on his return, when but a short distance from where the members of his staff stood, was struck in the arm close to the shoulder by a rifle minnie ball, which passed downwards through his vitals, lodged in his hip, and killed him almost immediately. "I am dying," he mur- mured, " carry me to the rear ; " and indicating by a feeble shake of the head to his inquiring aid that he had no partic- ular wish to express, his spirit ascended to its reward. His body, after being greeted with an outburst of regret and sor- row from Gen. Hooker at the Chancellor house, was conveyed back to Falmouth. On the way, it was met by a squad of the Fourth regiment, who, learning that the body of their former commander was being carried by, desired to have it laid down, and each one of the brave fellows came forward, kissed the cold brow of the man they had loved and first followed into the battle field, and then silently and tear- fully took their places in the ranks. The corpse, under the care of Capt. Greenhalgh, after being embalmed, and receiving the highest honors, civil, military, and masonic, at Washington and Portland, arrived in this city May 9th, in charge of the committee which had been sent on to Portland for that purpose. On the appearance of the steamer, minute guns were fired and the bells of the churches tolled, the flags of the shipping displayed at half mast, the stores
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
and principal buildings in Main street draped in mourning. At the Atlantic wharf, with a brief address from its chair- man, Joseph Farwell, Esq., the committee, which had been sent on to Portland, delivered over its precious charge to the committee in waiting as representatives of the city, in whose behalf a response was made by Hon. S. C. Fessenden; and the coffin in a hearse draped with national flags, attended by the guard of honor with reversed arms, and followed by the family of the deceased and a long train of citizens in car- riages, was conveyed to the family residence. After lying in state there, in the full uniform of his rank, adorned with bouquets, and on his breast the Kearney badge, with the beau- tiful wreath of flowers offered by the President at Washing- ton, until Thursday the 14th, the body, beneath a gloomy sky and the moaning of the ocean wind, was deposited with parental dust in the Achorn cemetery " at Blackington's Corner. The obsequies which preceded were performed in front of the house, from a platform on which were seated Gov. Coburn, Ex-Gov. Washburn, and other distinguished personages, and consisted of scripture readings by Rev. Mr. Hart, prayer and eulogy by Rev. N. Butler, benediction by Rev. Jos. Kalloch; succeeded by the procession, comprising the military and masonic bands, the Bangor and Rockland bands of music, military officers and guard of honor, and, following the funeral car, the General's three war horses, his family and relatives in carriages, his military staff, various official personages, guests and citizens, which moved down Lime Rock and up Main and North Main streets to the cem- etery, where the usual masonic and military ceremonies were performed. The half-hour guns, the tolling bells, the closed places of business, and the assembled crowds, variously esti- mated at from 5000 to 8000, testified the general regret of the city and whole community, which was well expressed by his fellow citizen, Z. Pope Vose, Esq., in a requiem, the sec- ond and last stanzas only of which our space allows us to give.
"Toll! bells, in sadness, toll ! Your solemn anthem roll ! City that gave him. weep ! Claiming this mournful trust, Take back his lifeless dust, Safely to guard and keep. When Sumter's cannon spoke, And at that summons woke
* This is a private cemetery, laid out on the estate of the late Michael Achorn, first used on the death of his daughter, 1842.
5*
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
Thousands to Freedom's call, He went to win or fall,
Where treason's fire outbroke : Toll! toll !" Speak from each iron tongue Grief that our hearts has wrung, - Toll ! bells, in sadness, toll !
Write ! pen of History, write !
In words of burning light, Deeds of this mighty day : And to the brave and free,
Saviors of Liberty, Millions shall praises pay.
Tell how the wrong assailed ;
Tell how the Right prevailed ;
And on thy deathless page,
Bright'ning from age to age,
Be its defenders hailed ! Write ! write ! High on the roll of fame
Blazon our hero's name ! Write! pen of History, write !
The colors of the Fourth regiment, rent, marked with bul- let holes, and stained with the smoke of battle, but never with disgrace, were received in this city on the same day, May 9th, with the remains of the gallant General who nobly led it forth and so faithfully watched over its welfare. Beneath these banners, the regiment had fought in no less than 15 encounters with the rebels, from that of Bull Run to Chan- cellorsville ; till, worn and shattered like many of those who followed them, they were sent home as proud trophies of the bravery and endurance of our citizen soldiers. Since then, the Fourth has continued to show a bright and untarnished record. At Gettysburg it was in the thickest of the fight on the right and front, going in with 299 men and coming out with only 211 men, Capt. Libby taking command after the colonel and major were successively wounded. At Rappahannock Station it fought with its accustomed bravery in Ward's brig- ade; and in 1864 it shared and severely suffered in all the battles of Grant's army from the Rapidan to the James, till the 15th of June, - when its war-worn remnant was ordered out of the line, 217 of its unflinching re-enlisted veterans and later recruits were transferred to the 19th Maine, and the remainder, numbering 13 officers and 132 privates, returned to this city " without a stain upon their banner and with a history that will never die." Here a public reception, heart- felt and appropriate, was tendered them by the city fathers ; a procession of the Rockland Band, State Guards, Fire De- partment, and City Council, under direction of Gen. Titcomb, escorted them to a bountiful collation at Atlantic Hall, - after
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
a few hearty words of welcome from Hon. N. A. Farwell, salutes from the batteries, and rejoicings mingled with tears of the assembled crowds as they welcomed the brave boys back. The regiment was mustered out, here, July 19th, - having, out of its whole number, viz., 1525, lost 153 officers and privates killed in battle or died of wounds, and 114 who perished by disease.
These gallant soldiers of the 4th regiment, as well as their suffering companions in arms, have never been forgotten by the humane and generous ladies of Rockland. Their hands have been untiring, and their exertions almost uninterrupted. Besides their labors already noted, and the addition of three boxes containing 624 garments sent on to the Sanitary Com- mission, they, in July, 1862, transmitted four large boxes of hospital clothing, bedding, soap, sponges, spices, corn starch, farina, &c .; with two boxes of wines and jellies, to the State Relief Society. The city was at the same time canvassed in the several wards and $500 contributed to aid the Sanitary Commission. In answer to the appeal of the Surgeon-general for aid in mitigating the sufferings of the wounded in the bat- tles which so mournfully closed the month of August, 1862, the ladies, misses, and children of this city set themselves promptly at work preparing lint and bandages, gathering every evening at various places, whilst the members of the Universalist Sewing Circle and the children of Miss Eaton's school devoted their Wednesday afternoon to the same pur- pose ; so that on the evening of that day, Sept. 3d, two large dry-goods boxes were forwarded, and the work still went on. Mrs. C. N. Germaine of this city, associate manager of the Commission, herself alone, from the time the 4th regiment left Rockland till July, 1863, cut, rolled, and put up in pack- ages for hospital use, 3824 yards of bandages. During the winter of 1862-3, the Rockland ladies, having formed a Sol- dier's Aid Society, supplied their peculiar charge, the soldiers of the 4th regiment, with 165 pairs of woolen stockings; and, by April 6th, had finished and forwarded in response to the appeal of the New England Women's Association for sick and wounded soldiers, 30 cotton shirts, 15 flannel ditto, eight cotton flannel ditto, 16 pairs cotton flannel drawers, 12 bed-sacks, two sheets, two towels, six pillows, eleven pairs socks, seven pairs slippers, eight quilts, besides lint, bandages, reading matter, &c. On the 11th July, another box, contain- ing $100 worth of bedding, with stockings, dried apples, pickles, corn starch, sugar, tea, &c., purchased with money collected by Mrs. Germaine from the business men of the
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
place, was added. A barrel also of supplies was sent on to Mrs. Mayhew by the same society in Sept., 1863, which, through her ministering hands, supplied to many of the wounded cavalry soldiers a most timely relief. Beyond this, our information does not extend ; but it is presumed that the louder calls in 1864 from bloodier battle fields, have not been unheeded. In June the city was canvassed by a committee, and several hundred dollars collected in answer to the appeal of the Christian Commission.
The two companies of Home Guards under Capts. Wm. H. Luce and Wm. Farrow, Jr., formed in August, 1862, having declined with the apprehensions of danger from Southern pri- vateers of that season, a company of State Guards (100 men) was formed in 1863, under F. Cobb, captain, O. J. Conant (since O. P. Mitchell) and E. E. Wortman, lieutenants. Ri- fles, &c., were supplied by the State. The same season, gov- ernment also caused the harbor to be defended by two bat- teries, -one on Jameson's Point, and the other at Half-way Point, on the opposite side towards Owl's Head, the distance between them being three miles. These were completed in 1864, supplied with five 32 and 24 pound guns, each, and garrisoned with a lieutenant and 25 soldiers.
The commerce and navigation of this place has suffered far less than might have been anticipated. Early in 1861, the barkantine Ocean Eagle, of this port, Capt. William H. Luce, bound to New Orleans with a cargo of lime, was taken at the Balize by a rebel steamer, being the first vessel cap- tured on the Mississippi. The captain, however, having been released on parole, returned home, and, in full confidence of regaining the vessel, valued at $12,000, the property of his widowed mother, watched the course of events, and on the occupation of New Orleans, April 25, 1862, by our forces, was there almost as soon, found his barque safe among the only three Northern vessels saved from the flames, which, with such articles of property taken from him and sold as could be looked up, being restored by Gen. Butler's order, he was soon on his way to New York, with a fine freight of sugar, at $13 a hogshead. The ship Chas. A. Farwell, at the time of her capture valued at $40,000, mostly owned in this city, and supposed to have been destroyed with the other . shipping by order of the rebels, was also found safe, on the occupation of New Orleans, and Capt. Amsbury was immedi- ately sent out for her recovery. She had been purchased and was then claimed by a British merchant, who, at first, treated Amsbury's demand, as well as a subsequent order from
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
Gov. Shepley, with supercilious contempt ; but a file of sol- diers with an order from Butler to deliver her up, together with everything belonging to her and to bring the merchant before the Governor for nis conduct, had its immediate effect, and everything was restored except an anchor and cable which had been taken away for a rebel gunboat. On the 3d of June, 1861, the brig Joseph, of 170 tons and valued at $4000, owned by S. N. Hatch, John and Geo. F. Cables, R. Sherer, and Joseph Ingraham, and commanded by Capt. N. Myers, on her passage from Cardenas, with a cargo of sugar, was captured by the rebel privateer Savannah, sent into Georgetown, S. C., condemned by the confederate court at Charleston, June 21st, and her cargo ordered to be sold. And, among the many vessels that have fallen a prey to the piratical steamer Alabama, were the ship Bethia Thayer, owned by Hon. Wm. McLoon of this city, which was cap- tured in the spring of 1863, when bound for Nantes, with a cargo of guano, and allowed to go on her way on giving a bond for $40,000 ; and the Louisa Hatch, Capt. Grant, loaded with coal, captured April 4th, taken to the convict island near Pernambuco, and burnt.
Not content with her contribution to the Fourth, Rockland was not slow to aid in the formation of other corps. Of the First Regiment Cavalry, this city furnished the following : Samuel C. Lovejoy, hospital steward. In Co. A, Edgar F. Comstock, discharged for disability Nov. 25, 1862. In Co. B, Joshua A. Fessenden, sergeant, promoted to lieutenant in U. S. army ; Edmund C. Grafton, musician, died July 30, 1862, from injury on railroad ; Jos. McAllister ; John Mc- Loud, wounded June 17, 1863; Wm. J. Philbrook, died on his way to hospital, March 1, 1863 ; Burnham C. Sleeper ; and Ezekiel Winslow, detached to quartermaster's department. In Co. D, Clarence D. Ulmer, promoted to quartermaster March 9, 1863. In Co. E, Antoine Schouton, bugler, cap- tured June 9, 1863, exchanged. In Co. F, Ephraim Hewett, left the service in Camp Penobscot, Feb. 14, 1862; and Frank Pacott. In Co. I, Levi Crowell, farrier ; and Co. L, Charles B. Clarkson.
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