Calvert traces history of First Maine Cavalry

THE FIRST MAINE CAVALRY, by Mary Calvert, published by Monmouth Press, Monmouth, 325 pages, $25 hardcover.

In April 1861, when newly elected president Abraham Lincoln called for men throughout the North to join forces to protect the property and interests of the United States, thousands of Mainers responded readily to his call. These men were drawn from Presque Isle, Eastport, Portland and all points between. They came from farms, rural towns and cities. They were single men and married men with families. Many were barely more than boys.

In her newly released book, Mary Renier Calvert gives a thorough depiction of what it was like for these patriots in “The First Maine Cavalry.” Forming the cavalry, squads of volunteer men from counties around the state joined in Augusta beginning in September 1861.

For several months they trained on what was then the agricultural fairgrounds located between the Capitol and the Kennebec River. They slept on straw filled with ticks on the frozen ground, suffered from the frigid winter weather and cared for their horses, which for the most part lived better than the men. In March, the regiment finally received orders to move four companies of the First Maine south to Washington. There the men would join the Army of the Potomac.

The men of the First Maine fought in 29 battles, not including the many skirmishes and minor exchanges of gunfire that occurred throughout their participation in the Civil War. Some battles found the First Maine engaged in heavy fire, with surprisingly few losses. In other battles the regiment was pressed under constant bombardment of shells and bullets or fought directly at the points of the enemy’s drawn saber. In some battles the regiment suffered horrendous losses, the men experiencing painful and drawn-out deaths.

The men of the First Maine endured great suffering during their service. The story of one soldier captured by rebels makes painfully clear the extent of that suffering. Sgt. Alanson M. Warren of Company M kept a diary during his capture. He wrote of marching with thousands of other prisoners — more than 20 miles some days with no food or water, except that which could be gleaned from puddles in the road.

For the First Maine, enduring the war meant foraging for food for themselves and their horses between battles, sleeping without cover in mud and rain, marching barefoot through bitter cold and snow, and marching miles without food or drink. A reader is faced with the question: Would I do this to protect the freedom of another American?

To give perspective on experiences of the First Maine, Calvert uses writings, quotations and letters from some of the men who served. These bits of information help illustrate how the First Maine developed a reputation for being bold and brave fighters, preserving their army on many occasions from seemingly inevitable losses, especially in their final display of heroism at Appomattox Court House in 1865. There the First Maine was the sole force responsible for preventing Robert E. Lee’s notorious Confederate army from escaping the advance of the Union army.

Calvert’s “The First Maine Cavalry” is recommended reading for those who enjoy the history of Maine. Illustrated with numerous photographs and maps, this historical book sheds a great deal of humanity on the most deadly of all American wars. It helps generate a feeling of patriotism and pride among those who are proud to call this state home and gives a sense of connection to the past, at a time when a great deal of us are far removed from the kind of suffering these men endured for our freedom.