Tag Archives: Abner R. Small

Sumter’s 9/11 aftermath: A shell explodes in central Maine

Few Confederates shelling Fort Sumter into submission probably thought about the war that their idiocy had started. As with Pearl Harbor and 9/11, there quickly came a military response to an attack on Americans and American property. “When the rebels fired on Fort Sumter, their shells traveled remarkable distances; one flew north and exploded under […]

Readfield father threatens to turn recruiter into dead hero

Sgt. Maj. Abner R. Small of Waterville enjoyed a snug recruiting gig at the State House in Augusta as Stonewall Jackson and his hard-marching infantry battered three Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley in May 1862. Confident of victory in the Valley and on the Peninsula, the War Department had halted recruiting efforts in April. […]