19th Maine Infantry Regt.

The 19th Maine Infantry Regiment was mustered into service on Aug 25th 1862 for a three year enlistment. The unit was made up of men from Bath and surrounding communities. Attached to the Army of the Potomac they participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Reams's Station, Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Road and Appomattox.

The regiments was originally commanded by Col Seldon Connor with Colonels Francis Heath and Isaac Starbird to follow.

The Maine boys began their march to Gettysburg on July 1st 1863 moving along Taneytown Rd, they bivouacked around 11 PM and slept a few hours. At 3 AM the next morning they marched the 2 to 3 miles to Gettysburg and fell into line on Cemetery Ridge facing west. At this time Col. Heath had taken command of the regiment. In a writing later Col. Heath stated that " From our position we watched with much interest as Maj. General Dan Sickles abandoned his defensive position and moved his 3rd Corp to the southwest and west to the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield and Devils Den."

Shortly after Sickles had his men in position the Confederate divisions struck. Close order fighting spread from left to right as more confederate units joined the fray along the 3rd Corps thin line.. The salient the maneuver had created was not protected on its flanks and it was obvious things would not end well for Sickles.

The 19th Maine's line was shifted to the right to protect the 5th US Battery which was now vulnerable. The 1st Minnesota was posted to the left about 1000 ft away. Col. Heath saw the Confederate launch a vigorous attach against the right flank of the 3rd Corp breaking the regiments posted along Emmitsburg Rd and the Peach Orchard. The broken units were running directly toward the position where the 19th Maine stood. Fearing he would lose men to cannon and musket fire being hurled at the retreating union men, he ordered his men to lay down. As the retreating Union troops ran through the prone Mainers a General officer rode up to Heath and ordered him to make his men stand up and stop his men from running. Heath refused to do so.

The Mainers listened as the irate General rode along the line shouting at the men to stand up as Heath rode close behind, also irate, ordering his men to stay down. Heath said, "the retreating men ran over the regiment and I saw them no more." The Colonel watched as the confederate continued charging across the field to his position and noticed there was a color bearer leading the charge. At the right time Heath ordered his men to their feet and they stood their ground for a moment and watched. Heath looked to a man close to him and said "Shoot the Color Bearer". The soldier raised his musket and fired and the regiment watched the brave color bearer go down. The Mainers then began firing by battalion which caused the rebels to stop. They returned fire and many a good Maine boy fell.

The rebels began to form a line along their left flank. Capt Issac Starbird of Company F alerted Col. Heath of this development and Heath refused the left flank of his regiment. The left flank opened fire and the confederates retired. Battle confusion caused Heath to withdraw his troops who were joined by the 1st Minnesota, 7th Michigan and the 59th New York. The 4 regiments continued a steady fire into the rebel forces until according to Sgt. George Studley of Camden we heard the unmistakable order from the Colonel to "Fix Bayonets". Then the order to charge was given and the Mainers started across the field joined by the 1st Minnesota who were destined to lose a lot of men in this charge.

The confederates were driven back nearly to the Emmitsburg Rd. The Mainers brought back 4 Confederate cannons, some caissons, prisoners and enemy regimental colors. Heath counted his men and of the 440 unfed men who took the field that morning, 130 no longer stood with the unit. After tending to their wounded and burying their dead the Mainers retreated to the safety of Cemetery Ridge but their experience in Gettysburg was not over. The next morning they had a date to keep with a fine Confederate General called George Pickett.

JULY 3RD 1863

The steamy summer morning of July 3rd found the remaining battered and still unfed men of the 19th Maine deployed along the Union line along Cemetery ridge. At dawn Capt. William Folger took about 4 undermanned companies as skirmishers along Emmitsburg Rd. Around 1 PM the regiment was forced to endure the longest and worst cannonade ever performed in the western hemisphere, a record that stands today. The unit had little to do but hug the ground and pray during this time. They were deployed about 200 yards north of their position the day before.

Around 2:30 PM the confederate guns fell silent and the Mainers looked up to see what is still considered the most magnificent spectacle displayed by any Army. Out of the tree line along Seminary ridge stepped 15,000 rebel troops led by Maj. General George Pickett. Pickett's division had not participated in the fighting on July 2nd so were fresh to the field therefore his division was chosen to lead the charge. The union artillery started pounding the advancing rebels and when within 300 to 400 yards the 19th Maine began peppering them.

The confederates shying away from the heavy damage being inflicted on their right began to move to the left which moved them diagonally in front of the Maine boys. The Maine regiment offered substantial damage. Notwithstanding the rebels were able to reach the stone wall opposite the Copse of Trees and the federals gave way under the alarm. The Mainers quickly moved to fill the gap and were now fighting hand to hand beside the Copse of Trees. It was impossible for Heath to get the boys in order but the veteran troops were well able to organize themselves. Heath said, " We went in more as a mob than a disciplined force."

As Col. Heath reached the Copse of Trees he was struck by a shell fragment and Lt. Col. Henry Cunningham took command of the regiment. Cunningham moved his troops back to the west of the Copse where the original union line had been and the fighting continued hand to hand until the rebels were overcome by shear strength of numbers.

In the 2 days of fighting at Gettysburg the unit lost 53% of its force.