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

REVEILLE. 83
off the list as not wounded. I have also accounted for nearly one-half of my list of
" Not accounted for." Now let ever>' meml>er of the First Maine Hea\y, or any
other person who has any knowledge of the facts, write me supplying any omissions
or corrections that should be made in the list, and in the April number of the Bi'glf
I will have all the new names and changes published.
Yours in F., C. & L.,
Ch.\kles J. HorsE,
Historian of First Maine Hea\"s- .\rtillerv.
Mv Dear General,
Gloucester, M.\ss., December 22d, 1893.
Your kind letter, also its contents from Comrade Parsons of Dwight, 111., together
with a part of the Blgle for January next, has just been received and tinds me sick
and under the doctor's care; yet comrade Brown's article rouses me all up. He is in
error, T think, about Col. Chaplin leading his regiment. Col. Chaplin wsis in command
of the brigade, Gen. Mott in command of the division, and Gen. Birney in
command of the Second Corps. I don't remember of seeing Col. Chaplin at the time
of the charge. Lt.-Col. Talbot was away sick. The regiment as I recollect it was
in command of Maj. R. B. Sheppard. The order came from Gen. Mott for the charge
to be made, and was given by his assistant inspector, Capt. Isaac ^V. Starbird, Nine-
teenth Maine Regiment, who went into the charge with us. Only Birney "s division.
Third Division, Second Corps, was there, consisting of the three brigades. Our
brigade was in the center, massed into column of regiments, but our regiment being
so ver)- large was massed in three lines of four companies each. The tirst line was
commanded by Maj. R. B. Sheppard, second by Capt. Whitney S. Clark, Co. E, and
the third line by Capt. Christopher V. Grossman, Co. D. The other two brigades were
on our right and left one hundred and tifty or two hundred yards away. The brigade
containing the First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery was at or near the O. P. Hare
house, where afterwarils was built Fort Steadman. Now Gen. Mott writes me that
his intention was to have our brigade make the charge, led by the First Maine Heavy
.\rtillery, which was a new regiment, had not seen the tiger nor felt its claws, therefore
unmindful of its danger, and might possibly go through the rebel lines. ** Then
it w'.s my duty," says he, " to have the old tried regiments ready to profit by any
advantage we might gain." When I came off the lield, probably ten minutes from
the time the charge was ordered and started, I saw Col. Chaplin coming towards our
brigade, still massed in the road, consisting, I am informed by Gen. Starbird, of the
First Maine Heavy Artillery, Sixteenth Massachusetts Infantry, One Hundred and
Fifty-second New York Infantry, Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh New Jersey Infantry.
He, Col. Chaplin, was riding towards us from our left, I think coming from Gen.
Mott's position near the O. P. Hare house. I went towards him aiid met him about
seventy-five yards from the brigade. He sai.1, " L