2nd Maine Regiment, 1861-04-01 - 1867-08-09
Scope and Contents
This material primarily consists of incoming correspondence from officers of the various Maine units, addressed to either the Adjutant General of Maine or the three Governors who held office during the Civil War. While much of it deals with the mechanical routines of running a regiment, the material can give researchers a unique insight into how the volunteer regiments worked – or, in some cases, failed to work. Often beset by regimental politics as well as civilian political interest, most of these units nevertheless matured into formidable fighting forces in the end.
Throughout the war, the Adjutant General and the Governors employed special agents to investigate and report on specific problems or conditions. For instance, after Antietam, General McClellan granted wholesale furloughs to weary participants who took themselves home immediately. The Army had a dreadful time getting them back. Eventually, in Maine, agents were sent through each county to find these men, determine whether they were able to go back, and send them on their way. At other times agents were sent as far afield as Florida to check on conditions among Maine troops.
Also within this category is correspondence from the numerous branches of the U.S. War Department and from the Executive Department, and various commands of the U.S. Army. The material is arranged chronologically within each series or subheading. A very large series of letters comes from the numerous suppliers of every conceivable type of material from tin cups to silk flags. This material provides extremely useful economic information, containing evidence of who was manufacturing what and where. It is filed chronologically by State and then individually by city within the State.
Includes cartes de visite (CdV) photographs of Maine’s regimental officers as requested by Adjutant General John Hodsdon.
Dates
- 1861-04-01 - 1867-08-09
Creator
Biographical / Historical
The 2nd Maine Regiment was mustered in on May 28, 1861 and mustered out on June 9, 1863. The regiment was comprised of Company A - Bangor Light Infantry, Company B-Castine Light Infantry, Company C-Brewer Artillery, Company D - Milo Artillery, Companies E & F - Bangor Company, Company G - Bangor Tigers, Company H - Gymnasium Company, Company I - Grattan Guards, and Company K - Old Town Company.
They served in the following engagements:
First Manassas (First Bull Run) - July 21, 1861
Yorktown, VA - April 5- May 4, 1862
Hanover Court House, VA - May 27, 1862
Gaines Mill, VA - June 27-28, 1862
Malvern Hill, VA - July 1, 1862
Second Manassas (Second Bull Run) - August 29-30, 1862
Antietam, MD - September 17, 1862
Fredericksburg, VA - December 13, 1862
Chancellorsville, VA - May 1-4, 1863
By the time the regiment mustered out, there were 69 killed or dead of wounds, 70 dead from disease, and 15 mutineers.
Extent
From the Schedule/Series: 33.1 Linear Feet (72 Containers)
Language of Materials
From the Record Group: English
- Civil War -- 1861-1865 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army. Maine Infantry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1863) Subject Source: Naco Authority File
Repository Details
Part of the Maine State Archives Repository