The 27th Maine Volunteers
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Company L of the 2nd Maine Cavalry

7/27/2020

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The President's call of October 17, 1863 called for 300,000 volunteers. For Maine's part in this fulfillment, 7,581 men needed to be raised [App. A, pg 17, 1863 Rep't]. Two new regiments of infantry (the 29th and 30th) and one of cavalry (the 2nd) were to be formed, while remaining recruits were needed to join the old organizations already in the field.
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The above advertisement, which ran in York County newspapers (the above clipped from the Maine Democrat on Dec 1st, 1863) called for veterans who had previously served nine months (they had been mustered out in July) to reenlist and claim a $502 bounty. $402 of this was federal money, while the state paid out $100. This was in addition to the bounties being paid out by the towns or cities, which was around $200-300. When mustered into service, $175. of the bounty would be paid in advance [see General Order No. 22 in Appendix A, of the 1863 Maine Adjutant General's Report].

George H. Ward, previously the captain of Co. A, 27th Maine, apparently was being considered to again be captain at the time of this ad. By the end of the year, however, his name had been removed from print.

From 30 Nov to the first week of Jan. '64, the twelve companies of the Second Cavalry were mustered into service. The majority of Company L was mustered in on the 24th of Dec, 1863. Samuel H. Libby, formerly 1st Lieut. of Co. A, 27th Maine, was commissioned as captain. Under him, his former comrades from the 27th Maine filled the majority of the officer positions. They were:
2nd Lieut. William H Moody of Kennebunk
Com. Sgt. William M Staples of Lyman
1st Sgt. Elisha E Clark of Limerick
2nd Sgt. James E Moody of Kennebunk
3rd Sgt. Moses T Sampson of Biddeford
Cpl. Charles F McKenney of Limington
Cpl. George W Oakes of Kennebunk
Cpl. Adam McCulloch of Kennebunk (later transferred to the Navy)
Cpl. George W Wakefield of Kennebunk
Cpl Orrin F Ham of Saco
Bugler Charles E York of Biddeford
​Wagoner Albra Garland of Kennebunk

There were also 27th Maine veterans who served as privates (there were a few others who served in other companies within the 2nd Cavalry):
James H Brown of Alfred (later transferred to the Navy)
Charles H Clough of Biddeford
Charles Cobb of Limerick
John Conner of Limerick
​Almon C Durgin of Biddeford (promoted corporal)
Edward Lord of Parsonsfield
Edwin R Manson of Limerick
​Alonzo P Moulton of Parsonsfield
James W Palmer of Hollis
Chandler Peavey of Lyman
Lewis G Stone of Parsonsfield
Horace Taylor of Kennebunk
The regiment was mustered into federal service on 12 Jan 1864 and left the state on 15 March, and were shipped straight to the Department of the Gulf and stationed in Louisiana. They later served in Florida and Alabama. Sickness overtook many of them, where 334 died of disease [ME State Archives; 1865 Adj Rep't shows 325], compared to the 10 killed or mortally wounded [Archives; Adj Rep't lists 6] in the few engagements they participated in. They were mustered out of service on 6 Dec 1865.
Of the 27th Maine veterans in Co. L, Orrin Ham and Adam McCulloch did not survive the war.
Links:
Muster-In Roll of Company L, Second Maine Cavalry: on Family Search
Muster-out Roll of Co. L, 2nd Maine Cavalry: on Family Search​
Second Maine Cavalry page on: Maine State Archives
Digital Maine Depository: CDV of William H Moody
Digital Maine Depository: CDV of Samuel H Libby
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Fort Albany, Arlington Heights, Virginia

11/11/2019

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FORT ALBANY was located on Arlington Heights, southwest of the Long Bridge that led into Washington, DC. The land to the rear of this earthwork structure was used as a parade ground for the frequent review of the thousands of soldiers encamped nearby (at Camp Seward and Camp Chase). 

Below is an 1861 drawing, printed in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on 31 August 1861, while it was still being constructed. The Arlington House is in the background, on the left, while the Potomac River and the White House are in the distance on the right side of image. 
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Fort Albany, looking north - Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 8/31/1861
Below is another image of Fort Albany, this time facing south and looking at the main gate. This was also from 1861, with New York troops encamped outside. It was built to overlook the Columbia Turnpike, which is the road running horizontally through image (it turns south after passing the western view of the fort). 
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Edited and cropped image of Fort Albany at Arlington Heights (1861) - Library of Congress
To the east of the fort (left side of above picture from this view) is the Roach (or Roche) farm, which can be seen on the 1862 map seen below. As Seth Bryant mentioned in his journal (Nov 11th entry), the troop review was on the flat back of Fort Albany, which would have been below the Heights. On that day, he says that after the review they marched on to the road and, instead of taking a left back towards Camp (Seward), they turned right towards the Long Bridge, and marched down to the flat marshy ground by the river. The location of Gen. Casey's gathering would have been somewhere in the location marked with the red circle.  
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1862 Map of N. Eastern Virginia and vicinity of Washington
Fort Albany no longer exists, as the earthworks and hillside was completely eliminated for the highway system, with Rt. 395 now runs through its former location. A historical marker stands in Prospect Hill Park (1025 S Arlington Ridge Rd, Arlington, VA 22202) to mark the nearby spot.
Links:
1862 Map of N. Eastern Virginia and vicinity of Washington -[LoC or Rumsey]
Defenses of Washington Marker Series [Fort Albany on Flickr]
Fort Albany at Arlington Heights, 1861 (E.F.Ruhl, Publisher - LoC site)
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 31 Aug 1861 [Vol. XII, pg. 253]
The Historical Marker Database: Fort Albany 
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March 15 1863 (a Gooch Letter)

3/15/2019

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​During his time with the 27th Maine, Private Charles W. Gooch, of Company I, wrote over fifty letters to his wife Julia, back home in Kennebunk, Maine. The following is a letter he wrote to her on the 15th of March, 1863. I've transcribed it as written, with lack of punctuation and spelling errors included.
Note:clicking on images will enlarge them for better viewing/reading
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Camp Genl Casey Vir March 15 63
                                My Dear wife
with pleasure I improve these few
moments to inform you that I am
well and hope you enjoy the same blessing
                 to day has been A busier day
with us we packed napsacks and put on
our best cloths and blacked our boots
this morning for A general inspection
and review and was in the harness
tell past M martching and counter
martching but kno one come while
we were out but after we come in
some of the dignitaries come from
Washington and we have got to come
out again at 2 1/2 oclock PM
but it looks very mutch like rain
and I do not care mutch if it does
for they have no business here
Sunday haveing A grand mele at
our expence they had better do
as the people of niniver did than
to have so mutch horse raseing
and hilarritee sunday
I have not any thing new that I
can write but I thought I would
write and let you kno that I was
well (yet) and not so mutch demoralise
yet as to approve of sutch unnessary
work sunday but I do not kno
as it makes mutch differance for
they might as well be hung for An old
sheep as A lamb the drum beets I must go
        one hour later we was in line
at the hour dessignated and there
was two wortheys there from washington
one was John M Goodwin from Me
the other I do not kno who he was
some of the boys said he was agent
for northern lights but I cannot
voutch for the truth of the assertion
it commenced to storm as soon as we
got in line so we had dress perrade
​and come to our quarters
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Picture
I received A letter from you
friday with some stamps I was
verry mutch oblidge to you for the
letter and stamps also I think
you are A well wisher to me and
I hope I shall be plased in cirum
stances again where I can repay you
as I ought
I enclose A steeletto whitch I made
for you (I did not kno but whad
you might want to make some holes
in some little things) you must excuse
for you kno that I love to joke
some times
our pay master has not come yet
and I do not think there is mutch
signs of it yet but I wish he
would not on my part but I should
like to send the money to you
when we was payed off before I kept
$12 dol and sent $10 to you I have
$5 now and have lent one so I 
do not think I have don bad

some of the rest of them sent
home 15 and $20 and some kept
the whole of theirs and about all
in the company have had any
quantity of suttlers tickets and
ben out of money for more than
​two months
but I do not kno as the financial
department of the company will be
interesting to you and I will stop
you wanted to kno if G Wakefield
was sick you hear all the news see
he has ben sick with the yellows
and pain in side and back but
he is about well now I think if
he was at home he would be at work
every day in your next please tell
me if there is any suspissious storys
going on about Mrs G.W. and Mr
A.C. I hear some news out hear
there I guess you will say what A letter
this time but it is made up of
odds and ends but me love for you
has not odds or ends and I hope to
manifest it to you by my good deeds
so hopeing soon to meet you I close
from your affectionate husband C W G
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NOTES:
(pg 1) Charles Gooch was a religious man, and this letter seems to show his disapproval for all the maneuvers taking place on a Sunday
(pg 2) "people of niniver" - likely a reference to Ninevah, from the Biblical Book of Jonah, whose residents had to fast and repent for their sins to avoid their city from being destroyed by God
        - the "worthey" (ie worthy, slang for someone important) John M. Goodwin from Maine was probably the Biddeford lawyer.
   - "agent for northern lights" - other than the steamship "Northern Light", and a company of Wisconsin soldiers, I did not find sources for what he meant by this phrase
(pg 4) "G Wakefield" is George W. of Kennebunk. While he was serving in the 27th ME, letters sent from home told of "suspissious storys" between his wife and a "Mr A.C.". They separated soon after his return in '63, and he filed for divorce in 1864 (while on furlough from the 2nd Maine Cav), approved in Jan of '65. ALSO in court at this time was Olive B Clark, who was divorcing Abner Clark (aka Mr A.C.) [SJC Vol 22 pg 108], who had deserted her the same day George's wife Emma left home. Many years later, this same Olive (Littlefield) Clark would marry, as his 2nd wife, Charles W Gooch, writer of this above letter (his wife Julia died in 1882).
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A Medal Found

2/25/2019

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Bangor Daily Whig, August 5th, 1890
In The Portland Daily Press, on the 4th of August, 1890 [link: Chronicling America] the above notice was printed [and copied by the Daily Whig on the following day]. A Medal of Honor, which was inscribed to Philip Banfield of Company E, 27th Maine, had been found on a beach in Wells, Maine, and the former soldier was being sought out for its return.

​At the time of this publication, Philip Banfield was an inmate in the Soldiers Home out in Milwaukee [1890 Vet. Sch: NW Branch Nat'l Home, pg 85], living there since March 1884. He had been transferred there from the Hampton, Virginia (Southern) Branch, first admitted into the system in Sept 1881. He returned to Maine in July of 1891, when he was transferred over to Togus. There were no furloughs mentioned in the paperwork from the earlier facilities, which may have shown him traveling to Maine, or in the vicinity of.

..."a reward for his patriotism in remaining behind in Washington"
However, Pvt Banfield was NOT on the list of those men who stayed behind in Washington, so this medal would have been one of the 500+ extras not distributed by Col. Mark Wentworth. As mentioned in "A Shower of Stars" [pgs 129-130: Erastus Moulton's 1904 letter], the undistributed medals were returned to Augusta, Maine, where they sat in City Hall, until the building was remodeled, and the medals were sent back to Wentworth in Kittery. 
​
It has been stated that (as Moulton's letter continued), while having a 27th Maine Regimental Reunion in Kittery, some of the attendees went into the Colonel's stable and grabbed some of the medals, later offering them to those whose names were written on them (though many did not accept them). The date of this incident was most likely either 12 Sept 1888 or 27 Aug '89, as Wentworth berated many of the men who showed up "at a reunion in Biddeford" [the 27th of Aug 1891 being the only time a reunion was held there] wearing these unearned medals.

How did this medal end up on a beach in Wells?
​Was Banfield's medal one of those stolen from Wentworth's stable and, since this soldier was probably not in attendance at the reunion (him being in the Milwaukee Soldiers Home in 1888-1889), his medal was just discarded? It is even possible, considering the inscription is on the back side of the medal, that someone else had been wearing his medal and tossed it out after one of the Kittery reunions.

There was never a follow-up article about this in the newspaper. "Joseph Fountain of Great Falls, NH", himself a Civil War veteran (with the 6th NH Inf), died in 1895. I wonder what ever became of this medal.

More about:
Philip Banfield (his bio page)  
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Jan 15 1863 (a Gooch Letter)

1/15/2019

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During his time with the 27th Maine, Private Charles Gooch, of Company I, wrote over fifty letters to his wife Julia, back home in Kennebunk, Maine. The following is a letter he wrote to her on the 15th of January 1863. I've transcribed it as written, with lack of punctuation and spelling errors included.
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           Camp Genl Casey Vir Jan 15 63
                       My Dear wife
It is with plasure that I take this
oppertunity to inform you that
I am well and hope you are the same
I received A letter from Theodore to
day he said you was into his house
that day so I suppose you are better
or you would not be out
I expected A letter from you to day
but I did not get one
I should have written to you yesterday
but I was out on picket and had no
convinience to write I went out monday
and was releived this morning we had
first rate weather our picket line has
ben changed so it does not take (all)
so many men as it did before and we
only stay out 3 days now and then
we shall not have to go out Again
​for 2 or 3 weeks
my post was near a house occupied
by A irishman the talk there
was that he was secesh but he
used to talk with me like A union
man I went up around the house
when he was out around it he appeared
very friendly indeed he invited me
to go in but I did not his wife
came out he told her she was at
liberty to give me A sup of milk
to put in my coffee (fath) but I
told them I had ben to coffee
that morning and did not want
it (fath)
​In your last you enclosed a extract
from the watchman and reflector the first
part of it was correct as far as I kno
the last part of it is not as far as I kno
as regards liquor among privates I
have not seen one drop of liquor
sence I came into virginia they do
not allow it sold in alexandria
​and what there is got has to be
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Picture
smuggled from washington one
day when we was over to Camp
Seward there was two soldiers
from Ft albany they came up to me
and asked me if I wanted to buy
some good liquor they told me they
had some that come from washington in 
bottles in their pockets I told them
I did not they went down through
the lines and sold some to two
men in one of the lower companys
they got intoxicated and one case beside
this is all the efects of rum that I
have seen sence I came in vir but
if they have rum in Ft Albany they
do not have in the 27 Me
I have ben puzzelling my brain to try
and think of something to write that
will interest you but I cannot
and so I shall have to close
I wish I could think of enough
​to fill up the sheet but I cannot
so hopeing soon to see you and
and be with you and enjoy
your society whitch I prize
above all other I close
your affectionate hus
                                C W Gooch

PS you wanted to know if I
and Isaac stopped to geather we
do not when we lived in tents
we had 4 syblie and 7 A tents
he is ordely sargent he and 2 other
sargents had one A tent and
there was 3 other tents between
him and me and they claimed
the first partment I come in
the next so there is room
​to go over the top of that
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Notes:
(pg 1) "Theodore" is Theodore Gooch, a cousin of Charles W Gooch, who also lived in Kennebunk. His full name is mentioned in an earlier letter.
(pg 2) The Christian Watchman and Reflector was a Baptist newspaper style weekly periodical, printed in Boston, MA. The article mentioned by Charles was likely from the Dec 25th issue (viewable on Genealogy Bank w/ subscription), which included a letter written by a soldier at Fort Albany, describing the 27th Maine (and other units) marching onto the grounds.
   (fath) = perhaps he meant "faith"? As he wrote this word on both ends of the sentence where he declined the offer of milk, was he fibbing about already having coffee that morning? Charles was a religious man, so perhaps he felt bad about lying to the Irishman and wife, so called that out in his letter.
(pg 4) "Isaac" is Sgt Isaac Emery of Kennebunk, who was the brother of Charles' wife Julia.
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2018 - a Project Review

12/31/2018

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It is the final day of 2018, and I shall soon be entering my 14th year of having an online presence for my 27th Maine research. 
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October 2007
I started this project in 2004, as I wanted to know more about the men who had enlisted from York County, Maine, as my 3rd Great-Grandfather did in 1862, into what would become the Twenty-Seventh Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry. The following year, I registered the27thMaine.com domain name, and began building a website. An early version is seen (at left) from a 2007 screen shot.
The design has changed several times over the years, due to changes with the host servers, but the information provided and the tabbed pages have generally remained the same.

The screen shot at right is from a 2010 version of the website, which I used until moving over to the Weebly site builder in 2013, where this site currently resides.  
Picture
December 2010
My original goal of finding more about the soldiers of the 27th Maine Infantry is nearly complete, if such a word can ever be used with any kind of genealogical work. I have researched every man in the regiment and, while there are a few that have completely stumped me, the overall mission was a success. Of the 946 (or 949, as was officially reported) men in the regiment, I have been able to find the burial places for 890 of them. 842 of these have memorials created on Find a Grave (578 of them under my management), and I have personally visited 639 of them, in order to photograph the stones and/or the plots (for those with no stones).

I hope that, in this coming new year, I will be able to make more trips to the cemeteries located out of state, and continue recording these burial sites. With many newspapers now being scanned and uploaded online, especially those from the New England states, finding more information about the 27th Maine and its volunteers is getting a bit easier. Lets hope that it leads to solving a few of these "dead ends" I have.

Here's to 2019!

Steve 
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A No-Show for Sunday Service

10/20/2018

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Camp Abraham Lincoln, Cape Elizabeth
The 25th Maine had already marched out on Thursday, the 16th of October, 1862, followed two days later by the 23rd Maine, who were escorted into Portland by the men of the 27th Reg't and the Portland Band. The Seventh Maine Infantry, who had returned from the war front for furlough and recruiting, took over the quarters that formerly housed the 25th Maine.

This would be the last weekend in Maine for the 27th Infantry, as they had received their marching orders - they'd be leaving on Monday morning. Rumor had it that they would be heading to New Orleans. The First Baptist Society, with a church on Federal Street, invited the men from the Twenty-Seventh to attend their Sunday service at 10:30 in the morning, the Rev Dr. [William Hosmer] Shailer to "preach a sermon appropriate for the occasion" [Portland Daily Press, 10/18/62].

Sunday morning came, and a crowd gathered at the church to watch the men march in for the service. They never showed, so the congregation was admitted inside their church.
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Portland Daily Press, 20 Oct 1862
It was later learned that an incident occurred at Camp Lincoln on Saturday night, where troops had lit the sutler's tent on fire. As reported in the Portland Daily Press on Monday, the 20th, there had been word of the upcoming torching, so the goods stored there had been removed.
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Portland Daily Press 10/20/1862
Seth Bryant, captain of Company I, wrote in his diary about Oct 18th:
The soldiers were noisy and troublesome. About 8 o'clock they set the sutlers shanty on fire, and soon after started to serve the 25th sutler the same, but I managed to stop and turn them back again.
With extra guards put on duty, the restless troops got quiet and went to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

It is not known if the soldiers were restricted from leaving camp on Sunday due to the fire, or perhaps it was due to all of the last minute packing that needed to be done before the 3 a.m. reveille on Monday morning would send them off on their nine month tour of duty in Virginia.

Notes:
Capt Bryant, in his diary, said the troops had attempted to set the sutler tent of the 25th on fire as well. As this regiment had already left two days prior to this, had their sutler not joined them in their trek southward? Maybe he was still in the process of packing up his goods, and would meet up with them later. The Portland Daily Press, on 10/17/62, did mention in their news article about the 25th 's departure, that some 70 men were left behind, as some were still out on furlough, and others were sick. The sutler likely had remained behind, and would take the train with the remaining troops.

In 1862, the First Baptist Church on Federal Street was located where the rear side of the Portland Fire Station on Congress St now stands. It would have been a 2.4 mile march had the 27th Maine Volunteers gone to the Sunday service.
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Google maps
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First Loss

10/8/2018

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JOSEPH PORTER was the first man of the Twenty-Seventh Maine to die, succumbing to a "congestion of the lungs" on Tuesday, October 7th, 1862, in the hospital at Camp Abraham Lincoln in Cape Elizabeth. 
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Other reports would list his death date as the 8th, so perhaps he passed away some time during the night. He was buried in Portland in the afternoon on the 8th, with his company in attendance.  ​But, where was he buried?

The Portland city records were checked, and the following entry for Joseph Porter was found [Vol. 6, pg 17-18]:
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The date of death written into the book was "November 5", with a burial on 7 Nov 1862. The cause of death was correct, though his age here was listed as "27 years" (the news article had said 'aged about 30', while his enlistments papers claim he was 24 years of age). This entry may be a reinterment from another burial place, thus the differing dates. The only one of his name in the books, I don't believe this is a different person, just errors in recording the event.

Sadly, his burial plot in the Forest City Cemetery was "No. 22, S. Ground". This was the Strangers Ground*, where those without families or friends to claim them or purchase their plot were laid to rest. Though the strangers ground is marked on a map* of the cemetery, the actual plots inside this section are not, and the cemetery does not have records as to where this particular plot #22 would have been located. 

​JOSEPH PORTER was a sailor, and was from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (the Descriptive Roll says New Brunswick), enlisting on behalf of the quota of the town of York, Maine. It is not known if he enlisted while in town, or may have signed up later in Portland when town agents needed to fill their quotas (there were several sailors from the area outside of York County who ended up in Company D). As the 27th ME was raised without there being a draft, the above news article erred in saying Mr Porter was a sub was a drafted man. He MAY have subbed for someone that was rejected from the company enlistment or, most likely, accepted a town bounty and just signed up. There were a few of this name in the Yarmouth area in the 1851 and 1861 Canada censuses, and it is not possible (at this time) to determine which one, if any, might be him.

​An unknown soldier, in an unmarked grave.

Notes:
​*In later entries, the "Soldiers Lot" or "S. Lot", would at times be called the "Soldiers Ground" (or S. Ground), but the burials in this plot were numbered in order of their burials, so #22 would not have been used in 1862.
* The map of the cemetery was done during the WPA of the 1930's (they can be found here: WPA Maps), with the strangers ground being on the eastern side of the cemetery.  

Sources for images:
Portland, ME Records of Deaths: Vol 6, pg 19 (on Family Search)
Portland Daily Press, 9 Oct 1862 (on Chronicling America)
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Friend Julia

10/1/2018

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I present here a letter from Eben N. Higley, formerly of the 27th Maine, and now in the US Navy, stationed in Portsmouth Harbor during September of 1864. He writes the following to his "friend" Julia:
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                     Sept 23rd 1864
On board U S Ship Colorado,                            Portsmouth N.H.
Friend Julia
                        Permit me to
call you by the name of friend
as it is a long time since
you refused to let me call
you by a name which was
far dearer. But I will not
say any thing about what
has been. As I am in the 
Navy for one year I thought
I would like to open
correspondence with some
one and for that purpose
have written to you. I will
not write any more this time
but will wait an answer
from you to know weather
my request is granted or
not. My health is good and 
Picture
Picture
I have a very good position
being in the Engineers dept.
Please write me who Anna
West married and his trade
and so I will close with
many well wishes. Yours truely
Eben N. Higley
(Direct your letters)

Eben N. Higley
U.S.Ship Colorado
​Portsmouth N.H.

Below is a clipping from the 1860 South Berwick, Maine census (pg 23), showing Ebenezer (Eben) Higley in the household of Walter Abbott. At the time, he was a 17-year old cordwainer. Also here is mill operative "Annie West", age 18, who is probably the person Eben was asking about in his letter to Julia. As the letter mentions she had been married, she may be the Annie W. West who married Nahum G Tripp on 15 May 1864 in Kennebunkport [they were divorced in 1866]
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In this same census year for So. Berwick, there is a Julia Bennett, age 14, living in hh of Robert Fernald with several mill operatives. This household, numbered 155/175, is only four homes away from the above record, so it seems probable these two women are the ones in Eben's letter. Julia may have been the one who married George Bragdon in North Berwick in 1871, both of them from Wells [Annie W (West) Tripp, at the time of her divorce, was also in town] . 
Eben (or Ebenezer) Higley had served in the Navy as a landsman in 1861, enlisting on 1 June for one year, and served until 9 July 1862. After his time in the 27th Maine, he reenlisted into the Navy, serving from 30 Aug 1864 to 6 July 1865. He was listed as a coal heaver. After the war, he became a machinist and an inventor, and lived in Somersworth, NH, where he died in 1920. He had a wife and three daughters (1 died young).
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Of the age of eighteen years

9/22/2018

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"Of the age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years" was part of the law by which all* able-bodied white male citizens were required to enroll in their state militias. The President called forth this militia on the 4th of August, 1862, ordering the members in each community to gather and draft enough men needed to fill the quota required of them. In lieu of this, volunteers were allowed to enlist, to avoid any draft from being needed.  

One of those volunteers, enlisting for the quota of Lebanon, Maine, was Millett Blaisdell, who signed off as being 18 years of age. His father said otherwise.
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from the Portland Daily Press, 21 Oct 1862
Thomas Blaisdell, with attorney William Emery, Esq. of Lebanon, petitioned the court for the discharge of his son Millett from the 27th Maine, as he was underage at the time of his enlistment. The case won on the 20th of Oct, Millett was sent home, while the regiment marched out of camp to board the trains for the south. 
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He turned 18 six days later.  

Private Blaisdell was not the only underage volunteer in the 27th Maine, just the only one that was caught and discharged. Among the others:
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William Bail [Co. C], born 1846 [on grave]
Richard W (aka Whitney R) Carpenter [Co. B], born Oct 1847 (age 15 in Sept '62)
William H Carpenter [Co. B], born July 1845 (age 17)
John W Center [Co. K], b. ca Dec 1846 [Soldiers Home file; 1900 census]
John W Earl [Co. B], died 18 Oct 1862, aged 16 yrs, 9 mos, 21 das [grave]
Walter A Gowen [Co. F], b. 17 Apr 1846 (aged 16 1/2 when enlisted)
​Charles Guilford [Co. C], b. 4 Oct 1845
Anthony Jackson [Co. I], b. 18 Jan 1845 (17 1/2 in Sept '62)
Roscoe Jewell [Co. H], b. ca 4 Dec 1846 [calc from age at death; census recs]
Frank Mildram [Co. D], b. 18 Nov 1845 [grave; Nov '46 on 1900 census]
Robert Philbrick [Co. E], b. ca 30 Dec 1846, based on age at death (15 in '62)
Charles T Smith [Co. F], b. 7 Apr 1846 (age 16 at enlistment)
Horace Taylor [Co. I], b. 1846 [grave] or Mar 1848 [1900 census, prob error]
Frederick L Willey [Co. G], b. ca Jan 1846 (died Mar 1867, aged 21 yrs, 3 mos)

[There are likely others that I have yet to record, so this list may need to be amended in the future]

Note:
*There were exemptions to the militia enrollment, including those in positions within the government and the courts, religious preachers and followers (shakers and quakers), and men who held key occupations that ran the communities (such as postal workers and ferryman). See the book Militia Laws of the State of Maine (Google Books)
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