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32nd Maine
Regiment Infantry
in the Civil War
| Regimental History |
| Thirty-second Infantry.— Col., Mark F. Wentworth; Lieut-Cols., John
M. Brown, James L. Hunt; Maj., Arthur Deering. This regiment was raised in the counties of
Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Lincoln, Oxford, Sagadahoc and York, and was mustered
in at Augusta, from March 3 to May 6, 1864, to serve for three years. Such was the urgent
demand for troops in the field, that six companies which had completed their organization
left the state on April 20 for Washington, under the command of Maj. Deering. A few days
later they were assigned to the 2nd brigade, 2nd division, 9th corps, and at once hurried
to the front. They overtook their corps, which had preceded them by three days, on May 6,
and were continuously under fire during the battle of the Wilderness, while engaged in
building fortifications and changing position. At Spottsylvania Court House, they were
under fire for eight days and rendered most effective service throughout the whole action,
holding an exposed part of the line and making numerous charges, losing heavily in men and
officers. On the 25th they crossed the North Anna river under fire, and on the 26th were
joined by the remaining four companies of the regiment, which had completed their
organization on May 6th, and left for the front on the 11th. The following is a list of
battles in which this regiment, or a portion of it, bore an honorable part: Spottsylvania
Court House, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, June 17 to July 30; Weldon railroad,
Poplar Spring Church, Pegram farm and Hatcher's run. The regiment charged most gallantly
on July 30, when the Confederate works in their immediate front were blown up by
Burnside's mine, and was one of the first to enter the works. It came out of this
sanguinary fight with but 27 men under Adjt. Hayes, the only officer left, the loss in
this engagement being 11 officers and about 100 men killed, wounded and captured. It again
met with fearful loss when it sharply engaged the enemy near the Pegram house on Sept. 30.
The regiment remained at the Pegram house from Oct. 28 to Nov. 30, and then moved to near
Fort Hayes, where it remained until Dec. 12, where, under orders from the war department,
15 of its officers and 470 enlisted men were consolidated with the 31st Me., on account of
the reduced state of both regiments, and all surplus officers of the 32nd were mustered
out. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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