The Maine bugle ... campaign; 1-5 Jan. 1894-Oct. 1898 - Maine.gov

BUGLE ECHOES. 291
comprised about half of the regiment. The first day we picketed against infantry, but
at evening they were relieved by cavalry, and in the morning we found in our front
the Fifth and Ninth Virginia and the F'ifth and Sixteenth North Carolina Cavalry,
The infantry annoyed us the first day by firing on our pickets, also the Sixteenth North
Carolina on the second day. The other regiments behaved like soldiers. They were
very eager for news from Washington as they expectetl that Early on his daring raid
would capture that city, and they were very willing to exchange j)apers with us, and in
other ways made themselves social and friendly. Towards evening of the second day
a Confederate came out towards our lines waving a paper and handed to one of our
men sent out to meet him a note, of which the following is a copy
Dear Sir—I understood that i^)ne of our infantry fired on your pickets yesterday.
Finally, it is positively against (jur orders to step up and shoot a picket, and no gentleman
will do it. I hope I shall not hear of the case again, especially among brothers
of the South. So mote it be. Amen.
(Signed) II. A. Bland, 5th N. C. Cav , Co. E.
The next day a captain of the Sixteenth North Carolina came out to the pickets of
the Pennsylvania regiment on our right and requested them to say to the officer in
command of the Maine Cavalry that three of his men who fired on mine the day before
were under arrest for so doing. We had no more trouble from them until Friday,
the 15th, at daylight, when about twenty men of the Sixteenth North Carolina Cavalry
made a dash on our line and captured one man of Co. G, Private James Burns, and
shot the horse of another man. Later in the morning we were relieved by the Fourth
Pennsylvania Cavalry and returned to our Division, which, ni our absence, had moved to
Warwick Swamps, l)ut at evening we were all relieved by the First Division and returned
to this ])lace where we are encamped in a nice, clean grove of pines." Poor Jimmy
Burns, our only lost picket, made an unwilling tour of the Confederacy, but he finally
effected his escape and joined Sherman's army on its march to the sea. He returned
to the regiment the latter part of January, '65, filled with feelings of resentment
towards the heartless Confederates for the inhuman treatment he had received at their
hands, but the brave boy was unable to be wholly avenged for the sufferings he
endured during his incarceration and escape, for he was mortally wounded at Dinwiddie.
ONLY ONE OF THE SEKCEANTS LEFT OF COMl'ANY F, 1 2th ME. INFANTRY.
Dr. Freeman H. Chase, of Bangor, Me., writes:
Company F, Twelfth Maine, was raised in the town of Urono, the town voting
money for that purpose and all uniting in the effort. It left Orono for Portland in the
fall of i86l, a full company of loo men. The officers had been commissioned by
Benjamin F. Butler by special authority of the President, for special duty, the taking
of New Orleans, as was also one regiment from each New England State. We left
Bangor on the old well remembered steamer, which was bought by the United States
Government, the City of Richmond. We were organized and mustered in at Portland.
Our captain, Seth Farringlcjn, was six feet four, handsome, and a fine officer, so fine
that he was generally detailed. The first lieutenant, Coan, a l)raver or l)etter officer
never drew sword than he. The second lieutenant proved wanting, and left the serv-
ice. I was elected first sergeant of the company and appointed l)y the captain, as were
the rest of the sergeants. While we were drilling in Lowell, Camp Chase, under General