Tag Archives: 1st Maine Infantry

The Baltimore incident, part 2

When news reached the 10th Maine Infantry Regiment on Monday, April 27, 1863 that all two-year enlistees would go home (except for those willing to stay in the army), joy exploded across the regiment’s Stafford County, Va. camp. Men kicked over barrel chimneys here and tossed “cartridges down them” there, said 1st Lt. John Mead […]

The Baltimore incident, part 1

While passing through Baltimore during the war, the 10th Maine Infantry Regiment developed close friendships with particular Unionists. One such friendship sparked two incidents not forgotten by the regiment’s survivors. The first incident involved Reuben Viele. Born in St. Francis, Province of Quebec, he migrated to Lewiston sometime before the war. Gray-eyed and black-haired, he […]

Illsley and his ilk met their match in Jackson

Shoulder-strap desire met gubernatorial reality on Monday, Sept. 9, 1861 at the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment camp near Washington, D.C. — and the “shoulder straps” led the subsequent mutiny. Known as the “Forest City Regiment,” the 5th Maine mustered into federal service at Portland (the “Forest City”) on Monday, June 24, 1861. Exactly a month […]