At Belfast,
Maine, in the month of December, 1863, I first entered the service,
as private in Company M. 1st Maine Heavy Artillery. During service
my rank was still the same and at the close, my rank was that of
a private.
It was
on the twenty fourth day of April, 1865 at Augusta, Maine that I
was finally discharged from service on account of my disability.
On May
19th, 1864, I first experienced in a battle at Spottsylvania, Va.
My second engagement was at North Anna R. on May 23rd. 3rd at Totopotomy,
4th at Petersburg on May 16th. 5th engagement Petersburg on June
17th – sixth engagement Petersburg on May 8th, 1865.
I was
confined in the following hospitals: Field Hospital, Petersburg,
Va., Field Hospital at City Point, Va. June 1865. Lincoln Hospital,
Washington, D. C., Blackwell’s Island, N.Y., Camp Barrey Hospital,
Augusta, Maine where I was finally discharged.
Among
my most intimate comrades were John Grover, William Knowlton and
Abner B. Knight
What I
deem to be the most important event was the charge at Petersburg,
Va. on June 17th, 1864.
The 1st
Me. H. A. Regiment built Fort Sumner, seven miles from Washington
on Maryland side of Potomac River. We were there eighteen (18) months
– started to serve at the front as Infantry early in May 1864
with 1850 men, our first active engagement was at Spottsylvania,
Va. where we lost 475 men, killed and wounded and we lost more or
less men in all of the other engagements that we participated in.
On June 18th, we charged on the Confederate earthworks on the 6
Flair form (later on, Fort Stedman) with 900 men and came out with
only 274 and many of those that came out were more or less wounded.
This so says history, the heaviest loss sustained by any regiment.
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