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12th Maine
Regiment Infantry
in the Civil War
| Regimental History |
| Twelfth Infantry. — Cols., George F. Shepley, William K. Kimball;
Lieut. -Cols., William K. Kimball, Edwin Illsley; Majs., David R. Hastings, Gideon A.
Hastings. This regiment was organized at Portland, Nov. 16, 1861, to serve for three
years, and was mustered out of service at the same place, Dec. 7, 1864, the recruits and
reenlisted men, however, being organized into a battalion of four companies and remaining
in the field. This battalion was afterwards ordered to Savannah, Ga., and was raised to a
full regiment by the assignment of the 10th, 11th, 15th, 18th, and 16th, companies of
unassigned infantry, organized at Augusta, Me., in the early part of 1865, to serve, one,
two and three years, and which were assigned as Companies E, F, G, H, I and K,
respectively. The regiment was intended from the outset to form a part of Gen. Butler's
New England division, designed for the capture of New Orleans. It left the state for
Lowell Mass., on Nov. 24, 1861, and after a delay of several weeks at Lowell and Fortress
Monroe, finally disembarked at Ship island, Miss. On May 4, 1862, the regiment went to New
Orleans, which city had fallen into Union hands, and where Col. Shepley, now commanding
the 3d brigade of Gen. Butler's army was appointed military commandant of the city. The
regiment saw much exciting and arduous service in the South before it finally returned to
the battlefields of Virginia, on July 20, 1864. Col. Kimball, who succeeded Col. Shepley
in command of the regiment, aided by a gunboat, performed brilliant service at Manchac
pass, where he captured two Confederate batteries of six 32-pounders, with a stand of
colors, a large amount of stores, and $8,000 of Confederate currency. The achievement was
eulogized by the war department, which ordered the captured colors to be kept in the
possession of the 12th and they were subsequently added to the trophies of the state. The
12th, during this period, also took an important part in the reduction of Port Hudson,
accompanied the expedition of Gen. Grover up Grand lake, and engaged the enemy at
Donaldsonville, La. On March 12, 1864, two-thirds of the regiment reenlisted as veterans,
and went back to Maine on a short furlough. They rejoined the regiment at New Orleans on
June 16. On the arrival of the regiment at Fortress Monroe on July 20, 1864, it reported
to Gen. Butler at Bermuda Hundred. From this time until the muster out it was engaged in
an almost incessant conflict. It participated in the battle of Winchester, where it lost
113 officers and men; at Cedar creek it lost 82 officers and men, and was in many smaller
engagements. On Nov. 19, 1864, the term of service of about 80 of the officers and men
having expired, they returned to Maine and were mustered out. The recruits and reenlisted
men, augmented by unassigned infantry, as above detailed, remained in the field to form a
new regiment. The two and three years' men remained on duty, together with the battalion
of veterans, at Savannah, Ga., until April 18, 1866, when the whole battalion was mustered
out of service at that place. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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