6th Maine Infantry Regiment
| 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 15, 1861 to August 15, 1864 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Engagements | Siege of Yorktown Battle of Williamsburg Seven Days Battles Battle of Gaines' Mill Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm Battle of Savage's Station Battle of White Oak Swamp Battle of Malvern Hill Battle of South Mountain Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Gettysburg Bristoe Campaign Second Battle of Rappahannock Station Mine Run Campaign Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Court House |
The 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
The 6th Maine Infantry was organized in Portland, Maine and mustered in for a three year enlistment on July 15, 1861.
The regiment was attached to W. F. Smith's Brigade, Division of the Potomac, to October 1861. 2nd Brigade, Smith's Division, Army of the Potomac, to March 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VI Corps, to February 1863. Light Division, VI Corps, to May 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, VI Corps, to August 1864.
The 6th Maine Infantry mustered out of service August 15, 1864. Veterans and recruits were transferred to the 7th Maine Infantry and soon consolidated to become the 1st Maine Veteran Infantry.
Detailed service
Left Maine for Washington, D.C., July 17. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., until March 1862. Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10-15, 1862. Ordered to the Peninsula March 16. Advance toward Yorktown April 4-5. Siege of Yorktown April 5-May 4. Reconnaissance toward Yorktown April 6. Reconnaissance toward Lee's Mills April 28. Battle of Williamsburg May 5. Duty at White House until May 18. Duty near Richmond until June 6 and picket on the Chickahominy until June 25. Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Gaines' Mill June 26. Gold-Inn's Farm June 27. Savage Station June 29. White Oak Swamp Bridge June 30. Malvern Hill July 1. Duty at Harrison's Landing until August 15. Retreat from the Peninsula and movement to Centreville August 15-27. In works at Centreville August 27-31. Assist in checking Pope's rout at Bull Run August 30, and cover retreat to Fairfax C. H. September 1. Maryland Campaign September-October. Sugar Loaf Mountain, Md., September 11-12. Crampton's Pass, South Mountain, September 14. Battle of Antietam September 16-17. Duty in Maryland until October 29. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 19. Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15. "Mud March" January 20-24, 1863. At Falmouth until April. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Operations at Franklin's Crossing April 29-May 2. Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg, May 3. Salem Heights May 3-4. Banks' Ford May 4. Operations about Franklin's Crossing or Deep Run Ravine June 5-13. Brandy Station and Beverly Ford June 9. Battle of Gettysburg, July 2-4. Near Funkstown, Md., July 10-13. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Rappahannock Station November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Mine Run November 28-30. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River May 3 to June 15, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Spotsylvania May 8-12; Spotsylvania C. H. May 12-21. "Bloody Angle," assault on the Salient, May 12. North Anna May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Before Petersburg June 17-July 10. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23. Destruction of Weldon Railroad June 30. Ordered to rear for muster out July 10. Volunteered for 30 days' service in defense of Washington. Repulse of Early's attack on Washington July 12-13.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 255 men during service; 12 officers and 141 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 100 enlisted men died of disease.
Commanding officers
- Colonel Hiram Burnham
- Colonel Benjamin F. Harris
Notable members
- First Lieutenant Charles A. Clark, adjutant - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Brooks Ford, Virginia, May 4, 1863
- Sergeant Otis O. Roberts, Company H - Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station
See also
References
- Ambler, Isaac W. Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: The Life of Sergeant I. W. Ambler (Boston, MA: Lee and Shepard), 1873.
- Clark, Charles Amory. Campaigning With the Sixth Maine: A Paper Read Before the Iowa Commandery Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (Des Moines, IA: Kenyon Press), 1897.
- Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
- Forsyth, William. A Sprig of Myrtle for the "Old Sixth Maine" (S.l.: s.n.), 1901.
- Morong, Frederic W.. Mr. Frederic W. Morong, 6th Me. Reg't. Co. A, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Corps: His Book (Madbury, NH: Dana M. Morong), 1993.
- Mundy, James H. No Rich Men's Sons: The Sixth Maine Volunteer Infantry (Cape Elizabeth, ME: Harp Publications), 1994. ISBN 0-9626389-3-5
- Sixth Maine Regiment Association. Fiftieth Anniversary, Sixth Maine Regiment Association (Ellsworth, ME: Hancock Hall), 1911.
- Attribution
This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.
