The winter quarters is upon us. So, lets start a worthy discussion about the top 5 fighting regiments from the grand state of Maine.

My picks are:
1.) 4th Maine
Casualties
1,440 Enrollment
170 Killed or Died of Wounds
443 Woudned
137 Died of Disease
40 in Confederate Prisons

2) 17th Maine
Casualties
1,371 Enrollment
207 killed
552 wounded
163 died of disease
31 in Confederate Prisons
The 17th Maine Regiment sustained the heaviest battle losses of any Maine Infantry Regiment.

3.) 19th Maine
Casualties
1,441 Enrollment
192 killed or died of wounds
13.3% casualties
501 wounded
184 died of disease
47 in Confederate Prisons

4.) 6th Maine
Casualties
1213 Enrollment
153 Killed or Died of Wounds
366 Wounded
102 Died of Disease

and,
5.) 7th Maine
Casualties
1,505 Enrollment
152 Killed or Died of Wounds
403 Wounded
212 Died of Disease
19 In Confederate Prisons

so, what do you think? What about the top five confederate Regiments or Brigades?

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

what about the 31st Maine Regiment? this regiment is described by Pete and Cynthia Dalton as "the regiment that fought itself to death". Not so bad for a regiment composed almost entirely of draftees.
Casualties
1,595 Enrollment
183 killed or died of wounds
491 wounded
176 died of disease
34 in Confederate prisons
18 Officers killed or died of wounds

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

let me read about this and study it for awhile. You know a few years back alot of us reenactors would get on line and play a civil war quiz game it was alot of fun and full of info. What do ya all think CopperHeadAnnie

http://www.historyteacher.net/USProjects/USQuizzes/CivilWar2.htm

I'll have to get back to you as well but the 1st Me HA still stands as the greatest losses of any US Regiment in history. I will recite by memory but...At Petersburg around June 16, it lost 618 of 800 men in 15 minutes. During the advance to Petersburg it had already lost some 450 men. Doubt it was effective afterwards but nothing touches the emotions of seeing the photographs of the men killed that day and then visiting the graves of these men around Bangor.

Some other outstanding regiments were the 9th Maine fighting at Wagner and the 16th Maine. There was also the 1st Maine DC Cav. But I don't have stats right on hand. Maine's role in the war seems almost dis-porportional in it role when compared to other Federal states. Without her support, the war probably would have lasted longer or ended sooner with a new Southern nation. I am not one to draw into spectulation. We should also remember there were Confederates from Maine.

Top Confederate units are hard because so many of them accomplished such remarkable feats defending the homeland. Under the command of (then)Col. D.H. Hill, the 13th NCST held off a brigade attempting to land near Yorktown in 1861. The result was heavy Federal causalities and a dismal failure of the assault.

In 1862, unknown volunteers scaled the Mountain passes in route to Manassas to dislodge a strong Federal force defending the pass, thus allowing Gen.Lee's army to pass and win another decisive victory at Bull Run.

Note that many Regiments went unnotice while the Commanders recieved the praise and laurels of their commands achivements. This not to take away from any of the great men who lead these fine troops but it is sad that often times it the common soldiers fullfilling their duties that tend to be forgotten. Example with the 29th GVI at Chattanooga, when the rest it's brigade and Division broke and retreated the unit stayed on the field with Gen. Cleburne and resisted the Federal assaults which resulted in helping save the Army of Tennessee from complete distruction.

We should also note that the average Confederate Regiment fare much worse than the Typical Federal Regiment. It was not uncommon for Confederate Regiments to be under 75 men at the surrenders in 1865. Remember this is not to take away from the Federal side, simply a note to remember and as fellow americans...appreciate and respect.

Will

I, like everyone else, wish I had time to check some research and write up my response. Maybe next week. But for a quick list here I go.

1. 1st Maine Cav.
2. 16th Maine Inf.
3. 17th Maine Inf.
4. 19th Maine Inf.
5. 1st Maine Heavy Art.

I don't have the statistics in front of me. My list is based on emotional ties more than any other factor. The stories and feats connected with these units are legendary.

As to the 31st Maine and the 32nd for that matter. They certainly made up for lost time and are worthy of further examination. But just don't make my top five.

If anyone writes an article about a particular Maine unit and wouldn't mind sharing it then I will post it to the unit histories.
http://mainemilitia.com/content/unit_histories

--
Michael Johnson

the following is a list of Maine Militia units that served in the civil war. Can anyone direct me to a history of Maine Militia Units?

1st Maine Infantry
Militia Units:
* Company A - Portland Light Infantry
* Company B - Portland Mechanic Blues
* Company C - Portland Light Guards
* Company D - Portland Rifle Corps
* Company E - Portland Rifle Guards
* Company F - Lewiston Light Infantry
* Company G - Norway Light Infantry
* Company H - Auburn Artillery
* Company I - Portland Rifle Guards
* Company K - Lewiston Zouaves

2nd Maine Infantry
Militia Units:
* Company A - Bangor Light Infantry
* Company B - Castine Light Infantry
* Company C - Brewer Artillery
* Company D - Milo Artillery
* Company E - Bangor Company
* Company F - Bangor Company
* Company G - Bangor Tigers
* Company H - Gymnasium Company
* Company I - Grattan Guards
* Company K - Old Town Company

3rd Maine Infantry
Militia Units:
Company A - Bath City Grays

I was thought that maine Militia units made up one or more companys of the first ten regiments from Maine. Check this web site:
< www.maine.gov/sos/arc/archives/military/civilwar/reghis.htm >

I can find only the first three regiments contained MMUs.

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

You missed the 4th Maine Inf. from the Maine State Archives site you listed.

4th Maine Inf.
Company A - Belfast Artillery
Company F - Brooks Light Infantry
Company K - Belfast City Grays
http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/archives/military/civilwar/4meinf.htm

--
Michael Johnson

Check this web site out:

The Price in Blood!
Casualties in the Civil War
< www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm >

        At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some experts say the toll reached 700,000. The number that is most often quoted is 620,000. At any rate, these casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the Revolution through Vietnam.

The Union armies had from 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men. Their losses, by the best estimates:
Battle deaths: 110,070
Disease, etc.: 250,152
Total 360,222

The Confederate strength, known less accurately because of missing records, was from 750,000 to 1,250,000. Its estimated losses:
Battle deaths: 94,000
Disease, etc.: 164,000
Total 258,000

The leading authority on casualties of the war, Thomas L. Livermore, admitting the handicap of poor records in some cases, studied 48 of the war's battles and concluded:
        Of every 1,000 Federals in battle, 112 were wounded.
        Of every 1,000 Confederates, 150 were hit.
Mortality was greater among Confederate wounded, because of inferior medical service.

Greetings,
It appears that the Union boys were better shots. Another civil war myth put into the light of truth. 

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

Greetings,
You may find this interesting. This information is from
< www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm >
enjoy,
Craig

The Ten Costliest Battles of the Civil War.

Some of the great blood baths of the war came as Grant drove on Richmond in the spring of 1864- Confederate casualties are missing for this campaign, but were enormous.

The Federal toll:
The Wilderness, May 5-7: 17,666
Spotsylvania, May 10 and 12: 10,920
Drewry's Bluff, May 12-16 4,160
Cold Harbor, June 1-3: 12,000
Petersburg, June 15-30 16,569
These total 61,315, with rolls of the missing incomplete.

        The Appomattox campaign, about ten days of running battles ending April 9, 1865, cost the Union about 11,000 casualties, and ended in the surrender of Lee's remnant of 26,765. Confederate dead and wounded in the meantime were about 6,500.

        Lesser battles are famous for their casualties. At Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864, General Hood's Confederates lost over 6,000 of 21,000 effectives -most of them in about two hours. Six Confederate generals died there.

        Hood lost about 8,ooo men in his assault before Atlanta, July 22, 1864; Sherman's Union forces lost about 3,800.

        The small battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861, was typical of the savagery of much of the war's fighting. The Union force Of 5,400 men lost over 1,200; the Confederates, over 11,000 strong, lost about the same number.

        The first battle of Manassas/Bull Run, though famous as the first large engagement, was relatively light in cost: 2,708 for the Union, 1,981 for the Confederates.

        The casualty rolls struck home to families and regiments.
        The Confederate General, John B. Gordon, cited the case of the Christian family, of Christiansburg, Virginia, which suffered eighteen dead in the war.

        The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, in a charge at Petersburg, Virginia, 18 June, 1864, sustained a "record" loss of the war-635 of its 9oo men within seven minutes.

        Another challenger is the 26th North Carolina, which lost 714, of its 800 men at Gettysburg-in numbers and percentage the war's greatest losses. On the first day this regiment lost 584 dead and wounded, and when roll was called the next morning for G Company, one man answered, and he had been knocked unconscious by a shell burst the day before. This roll was called by a sergeant who lay on a stretcher with a severe leg wound.

        The 24th Michigan, a gallant Federal regiment which was in front of the North Carolinians on the first day, lost 362 of its 496 men.

        A brigade from Vermont lost 1,645 Of its 2,100 men during a week of fighting in the Wilderness.

        The Irish Brigade, Union, had a total muster Of 7,000 during the war, and returned to New York in '65 with 1,000. One company was down to seven men. The 69th New York of this brigade lost 16 of 19 officers, and had 75 per cent casualties among enlisted men.

        In the Irish Brigade, Confederate, from Louisiana, Company A dwindled from 90 men to 3 men and an officer in March, '65. Company B went from 100 men to 2.

        Experts have pointed out that the famed Light Brigade at Balaklava lost only 36.7 per cent of its men, and that at least 63 Union regiments lost as much as 50 per cent in single battles. At Gettysburg 23 Federal regiments suffered losses of more than half their strength, including the well-known Iron Brigade (886 of 1,538 engaged).

        Many terrible casualty tolls were incurred in single engagements, like that of the Polish Regiment of Louisiana at Frayser's Farm during the Seven Days, where the outfit was cut to pieces and had to be consolidated with the 20th Louisiana. In this action one company of the Poles lost 33 of 42 men.

        One authority reports that Of 3,530 Indians who fought for the Union, 1,018 were killed, a phenomenally high rate. Of 178,975 Negro Union troops, this expert says, over 36,000 died.

        Some regimental losses in battle:
Regiment Battle Strength Per Cent
1st Texas, CSA Antietam 226 82.3
1st Minnesota, US Gettysburg 262 82
21st Georgia, CSA Manassas 242 76
141st Pennsylvania, US Gettysburg 198 75.7
101st New York, US Manassas 168 73.8
6th Mississippi, CSA Shiloh 425 70.5
25th Massachusetts, US Cold Harbor 310 70
36th Wisconsin, US Bethesda Church 240 69
20th Massachusetts, US Fredericksburg 238 68.4
8th Tennessee, CSA Stone's River 444 68.7
10th Tennessee, CSA Chickamauga 328 68
8th Vermont, US Cedar Creek 156 67.9
Palmetto Sharpshooters, CSA Frayser's Farm 215 67.7
81st Pennsylvania, US Fredericksburg 261 67.4

        Scores of other regiments on both sides registered losses in single engagements of above 50 per cent.
        Confederate losses by states, in dead and wounded only, and with many records missing (especially those of Alabama):

North Carolina 20,602
Virginia 6,947
Mississippi 6,807
South Carolina 4,760
Arkansas 3,782
Georgia 3,702
Tennessee 3,425
Louisiana 3,059
Texas 1,260
Florida 1,047
Alabama 724

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

"It appears that the Union boys were better shots. Another civil war myth put into the light of truth."

With an estimated 2-3 times the number of men than the Confederates had, I'd hope that there would be better ratios than 150/1000 for "hit" Confederates.

So, maybe not so much of a myth... :-)

Craig, that is some excellent information. I too have found the same information concerning my Confederate brethern...

Total casualties in Confederate Armed forces
combat 74,524 other 124,000 wounded 137,000 total 335,524
31.5% of the Confederate Armed forces suffered casualties

The 26th North Carolina entered Pennsylvania with over 800 men. On July 4th it had less than 80.

At Gaines's Mill the First South Carolina Rifles, Gregg's Brigade, A. P. Hill's Division, charged a battery which was supported by the Duryée Zouaves. The Carolina regiment lost, 81 killed, 234 wounded, and 4 missing; total, 319, out of 537 engaged.

1st Texas Antietam Hood's 226 were present 45 were killed and 141 were wounded.

15th Alabama Of 1633 on the rolls, over 260 fell in battle, 440 died in the service during the war.

CONFEDERATE GENERALS KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED IN BATTLE.
General Albert Sydney Johnston Killed at Shiloh.

CORPS COMMANDERS

Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Jackson Killed at Chancellorsville.
Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk , Killed at Pine Mountain.
Lieutenant-General Ambrose P. Hill, Killed at Fall of Petersburg

DIVISION COMMANDERS

Major-General William D. Pender Killed at Gettysburg.
Major-General J. E. B. Stewart, Killed at Yellow Tavern.
Major-General W. H. Walker, Killed at Atlanta.
Major-General Robert E. Rodes, Killed at Opequon.
Major-General Stephen D. Ramseur, Killed at Cedar Creek.
Major-General Patrick R. Cleburne, Killed at Franklin.
Brigadier-General John Pegram, Killed at Hatcher's Run.

BRIGADE COMMANDERS

Brigadier-General Robert S. Garnett Killed at Cheat Mountain.
Brigadier-General Barnard E. Bee, Killed at First Bull Run.
Brigadier-General Francis S. Bartow, Killed at First Bull Run.
Brigadier-General Felix K. Zollicoffer, Killed at Mill Springs.
Brigadier-General Ben. McCulloch, Killed at Pea Ridge.
Brigadier-General James Mcintosh, Killed at Pea Ridge
Brigadier-General William Y. Slack, Killed at Pea Ridge.
Brigadier-General Adley H. Gladden, Killed at Shiloh.
Brigadier-General Robert Hatton, Killed at Fair Oaks.
Brigadier-General Turner Ashby, Killed at Harrisonburg.
Brigadier-General Richard Griffith, Killed at Savage Station.
Brigadier-General Charles S. Winder, Killed at Cedar Mountain.
Brigadier-General Samuel Garland, Jr, Killed at South Mountain.
Brigadier-General George B. Anderson, Killed at Antietam.
Brigadier-General L. O'B. Branch, Killed at Antietam.
Brigadier-General William E. Starke, Killed at Antietam.
Brigadier-General Henry Little, Killed at Iuka.
Brigadier-General Thomas R. Cobb, Killed at Fredericksburg.
Brigadier-General Maxcy Gregg, Killed at Fredericksburg.
Brigadier-General James E. Rains, Killed at Stone's River.
Brigadier-General Roger W. Hanson, Killed at Stone's River.
Brigadier-General E. D. Tracy, Killed at Port Gibson.
Brigadier-General E. F. Paxton, Killed at Chancellorsville.
Brigadier-General Lloyd Tilghman, Killed at Champion's Hill.
Brigadier-General Martin E. Green, Killed at Vicksburg.
Brigadier-General William Barksdale, Killed at Gettysburg.
Brigadier-General Lewis Armistead, Killed at Gettysburg.
Brigadier-General Richard B. Garnett, Killed at Gettysburg.
Brigadier-General Paul J. Semmes, Killed at Gettysburg.
Brigadier-General J. J. Pettigrew, Killed at Falling Waters.
Brigadier-General Preston Smith , Killed at Chickamauga.
Brigadier-General Benjamin H. Helm, Killed at Chickamauga.
Brigadier-General James Deshler, Killed at Chickamauga.
Brigadier-General Carnot Posey, Killed at Bristoe Station.
Brigadier-General Alfred Mouton, Killed at Sabine Cross Roads.
Brigadier. General Thomas Green, Killed at Pleasant Hill.
Brigadier-General W. R. Scurry, Killed at Jenkins Ferry.
Brigadier-General John M. Jones, Killed at Wilderness.
Brigadier-General Micah Jenkins, Killed at Wilderness.
Brigadier-General L. A. Stafford, Killed at Wilderness.
Brigadier-General Abner Perrin, Killed at Spotsylvania.
Brigadier-General Julius Daniel, Killed at Spotsylvania.
Brigadier-General James B. Gordon, Killed at Yellow Tavern.
Brigadier-General George Doles, Killed at Bethesda Church.
Brigadier-General W. E. Jones, Killed at Piedmont.
Brigadier-General C. H. Stevens, Killed at Peach Tree Creek.
Brigadier-General Samuel Benton, Killed at Ezra Church.
Brigadier-General John R. Chambliss, Jr, Killed at Deep Bottom.
Brigadier-General J. C. Saunders, Killed at Weldon Railroad.
Brigadier-General Robert H. Anderson, Killed at Jonesboro.
Brigadier-General John Morgan, Killed at Greenville, Tenn.
Brigadier-General Archibald C. Godwin, Killed at Opequon.
Brigadier-General John Dunnovant, Killed at Vaughn Road.
Brigadier-General John Gregg " Darbytown Road.
Brigadier-General Stephen Elliott, Jr., Killed at Petersburg.
Brigadier-General Victor J. Girardey, Killed at Petersburg.
Brigadier-General Archibald Gracie, Jr. Killed at Petersb'g Trenches.
Brigadier-General John Adams, Killed at Franklin.
Brigadier-General Oscar F. Strahl, Killed at Franklin.
Brigadier-General S. R. Gist, Killed at Franklin.
Brigadier-General H. B. Granberry, Killed at Franklin.
Brigadier-General James Dearing, Killed at High Bridge.

Marc Stated what I was going to post but beat me to it....only I have a little more to add.
As far as 48 battles go if you analyze the situation of the 48 battles you might find one or more where the south was attacking an entrenched union force and the like situation plus in the early war the confederates were using smoothbore muskets a lot more than say the union army who even with the militia units brought people around to a more standardized army quicker than the confederate forces...though in later times the confederate army were using quite a few enfields....in a modern test for an article about confederate sharpshooters in a grouping of 20 shots the 1861 springfield hit the mark 15 of 20 the enfiled hit 18 of twenty and the whitworth hit 20 of 20. so if you factor in ratio of men, weapons used, and the type of ground and battles it comes down that the idea either side were better shots comes up lacking.

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

Reviewing the list of Confederate general officers killed in the war, I understand that it is much greater than that of the Union's side. However, there are several variables we must consider. First, there were three Confederate generals that I know of who were accidentally killed by their own men. (I know this doesn't help the idea of Confederate marksmanship much.) But most importantly, Confederate general officers were more common to be too near the front that it was a wonder more weren't killed. Stuart's recklessness at Yellow Tavern, Cleburne's, Garnett's, Barksdale's, Jackson's, and Granbury's suicidal positions ahead of their men had cost the Confederacy one of its greatest edges. This could be owed to the desperation of the Confederacy. In fact Longstreet was wounded being too far ahead of his men, A.S. Johnston was in the thick of it and Lee had some close calls at the Wilderness. We won't get into what happened to General Van Dorn.
I believe that both sides were of equal marksmanship. Sedgwick's and Reynolds deaths prove this.
Other considerations should be made while estimating who was the deadlier enemy.
The North usually had three times the men on the field, thus creating greater fire power.
The North usually had more reliable weapons.
The South fought on the defensive in most cases.
Men from the more rural south had more able marksmanship as it was not only a sport for them but also a means to eat.
The Northern cavalry started carrying repeaters.
Southern artillery with the exception of Stuart's horse artillery was not as capable as the northern artillery.

These variables and the new weapons being used to fight in old fashion combat turned many peaceful fields into slaughter plains, shredded banners that were hardly intact enough to preserve, and turned brigades into the size of companies by the end of the war. Any unit who saw the elephant in that war automatically became a "top fighting regiment" in my book.

I was thinking about another measurement. How about the number of engagements each unit participated in? I wasn't sure of the best way to count this. In the end I decided to use the list from the Maine State Archives Civil War Regimental List.

http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/archives/military/civilwar/reghis.htm

The first colunm is the number of engagements and the second colunm is the unit.

57 1st Regiment Maine Cavalry
9 2nd Regiment Maine Cavalry

14 1st Regiment Maine Heavy Artillery

9 1st Battery Maine Light Artillery
14 2nd Battery Maine Light Artillery
1 3rd Battery Maine Light Artillery
12 4th Battery Maine Light Artillery
14 5th Battery Maine Light Artillery
14 6th Battery Maine Light Artillery
6 7th Battery Maine Light Artillery

0 1st Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
9 2nd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
22 3rd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
21 4th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
17 5th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
14 6th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
16 7th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
11 8th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
11 9th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
3 10th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
21 11th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
6 12th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
4 13th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
6 14th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
6 15th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
18 16th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
24 17th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
19 19th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
24 20th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
1 21st Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
2 22nd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
1 23rd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
1 24th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
1 25th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
2 26th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
1 27th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
2 28th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
6 29th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
3 30th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
11 31st Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
7 32nd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry

Top five then become:

57 - 1st Regiment Maine Cavalry
24 - 20th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
24 - 17th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
22 - 3rd Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
21 - 4th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry
21 - 11th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry

I don't think it's worth much. It doesn't prove anything anyways. Just another way to look at things.

--
Michael Johnson

20-15th Alabama infantry
16-4th Texas cavalry
27-16th Mississippi infantry
15-37th Mississippi infantry
24-29th Georgia infantry (correct me if I am wrong, Will)
27-41st North Carolina infantry
44-3rd Arkansas infantry
24-17th Virginia infantry
8-3rd Missouri infantry
12-1st Kentucky,CS cavalry
12-1st Louisiana zouaves infantry
23-16th South Carolina infantry
9-12th Tennessee infantry
13-9th Florida infantry
Bear with me, this information is only as accurate as their original sources. Mike, you never told me how hard it is finding unit lists of battles! hehe
Finding the battle lists (in most cases they wern't in fact lists but names of battles plucked from very long unit history's) of these fourteen Confederate units has been a four hour labor of love. But my Gettysburg and Gods and Generals Soundtracks got me through it. Ah! Good night!

the other day, to kill some time i stopped at the north farmington cemetary at the foot of the hill from where I work. and wrote down the names of veterans of both the revolution and the civil war to do reasearch in the future, this morning I can tell you that the maine state archives online is about worthless....So any way one of my first targets was a stone marked COL. Solomon H. Odell 1st Maine cav. going on the first me cav.org website brought me a roster of the troopers from Maine....quite a few of them are from the farmington wilton, franklin county region.
Also there was a one Charles D. Smith who was with the 15th Mass infantry and died of wounds, sept 27,1862 smoketown maryland.
the davis brothers,one survived the war thats Hiriam, and his brother William, who wasa captured at the Battle of cedar creek and died in NC at salisbury prison.
This is a small Cemetary...and the history in it is potentially huge.
a big huzzah to the cogs in the machine...the small town people who keep things going!

Seamus

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

Greetings,
As a Union man, I have always felt that North Carolina provide the South with many of its best regiments. One that comes to mind is the 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment :).

This unit was organized with 1,100 men, lost fifty-seven percent of the 396 engaged during the Seven Days' Battles, and reported 14 casualties at Cedar Mountain and 12 at Second Manassas . There were 13 killed and 77 wounded at Fredericksburg and 30 killed and 96 wounded at Chancellorsville . Of the 346 in action at Gettysburg , about twenty-five percent were disabled. At Appomattox, It surrendered 12 officers and 81 men.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Mustered into service August 20, 1861, at Camp Wyatt, near Wilmington, North Carolina, and assigned to the Department of North Carolina

Renamed the 18th Infantry November 14, 1861 and reassigned to the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and stationed at Camp Stephens, midway between Charleston and Savannah.

Assigned in March 1862 to General L. O'B. Branch's Brigade in the Department of North Carolina.

After Hanover Court House, the brigade was assigned to General A. P. Hill's Division in the Army of Northern Virginia.

In June, Hill's Division was assigned to 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

From July 1862 to May 1863, General Hill's Division, with Branch's, later Lane's Brigade, was assigned to General T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson's 2nd Corps, Army of N. V.

After Chancellorsville, General Lane's Brigade was assigned to Pender's Division of A. P. Hill's 3rd Corps.

After Gettysburg the remains of the division were merged into General Heth's Division.

* BATTLES:

Hanover Court House - May 27, 1862
Seven Days' Battles - June 23 - July 2, 1862
Gaines Mills
Cedar Mountain - August 9, 1862
Second Manassas.
Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville.
Gettysburg - Jul 1 - 3, 1863
Cold Harbor - May 31 - June 12, 1864
Petersburg
Appomattox - April 9, 1885

Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."

As a Southern independence man, I too have a particular respect for a regiment from the other side.
I am very interested in is the 16th Maine. When you visit the Maine State museum and see a fragment of its original flag and read the story behind it, then you too will be drawn to its fame. It's marker at Gettysburg also shares the sad tale of how the little regiment was sacrificed to stall the Confederate advance on the 1st day. After hundreds of casualties and everything hopeless the men tore apart their regimental flag lest one thread be taken by the Confederates. The fragments were hidden in the uniforms of the men, most of whom would be sent south to Southern POW camps.
The story is much like the story of my ancestor's regiment, the 14th Mississippi (I had two relatives in Company D of this unit). Instead of surrendering the beautiful regimental colors to the yankees at Fort Donelson, Ensign Paine, of the 14th cut the flag from its staff and put it into his coat. He kept it with him in prison and was able to bring it safely back to Mississippi. The flag is one of the most beautiful regimental colors of the Civil War. On it is portrayed Goddess Liberty holding a portrait of Jefferson Davis on a blue field.
The care and honor the 16th Maine and 14th Mississippi gave their colors says so much glory about who these men were.