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17th Maine
Regiment Infantry
in the Civil War
| Regimental History |
| Seventeenth Infantry. — Cols., Thomas A. Roberts, George W. West,
Charles P. Mattocks; Lieut.-Cols., Charles B. Merrill, William Hobson; Majs., George W.
West, Charles P. Mattocks. This regiment was recruited chiefly from the counties of York,
Cumberland, Androscoggin and Oxford, and was mustered into the U. S. service at Camp King,
Cape Elizabeth, Aug. 18, 1862, to serve for three years. On June 4, 1864, 129 of the
recruits of the 3d Me., whose term of service had not expired on the date of the
muster-out of that command, were transferred to the 17th. The war department also directed
on Feb. 1, 1865, the transfer to this regiment of Co. D, 2nd U. S. sharpshooters. The
members of the regiment whose term of service expired prior to Oct. 1, 1865, were mustered
out at Bailey's cross-roads, June 4, 1865, and the remaining men were transferred to the
1st Me. heavy artillery. The 17th left the state for Washington Aug. 21, 1862, and
occupied the line of forts on the east side of the Anacosta and north side of the Potomac
rivers, until Oct. 7, engaged in both heavy artillery and infantry drill and garrison
duty. It then joined the 3d brigade (Berry's), 1st division (Bimey's), 3d corps, at
Upton's hill, Va. On Dec. 13, 1862, it participated in the battle of Fredericksburg,
losing 2 men killed and 19 wounded, and was complimented by Gen. Berry for the steadiness
of the men, who were under fire for the first time. The regiment remained encamped at
Falmouth, Va., until May 1, 1863, when it took part in the Chancellorsville campaign,
being hotly engaged at Chancellorsville on May 2-3, losing 113 men in killed, wounded and
missing out of about 625 men in the action. The regiment was next engaged at Gettysburg,
during the last two days of the battle, where it lost 132 in killed, wounded and missing.
On Nov. 27, it took a prominent part in the battle of Orange Grove, losing 52 men. It
wintered at Brandy Station until March 25, 1864, during which time its ranks were filled
by returned convalescents and recruits, and numbered about 500 men for the spring
campaign. It was now assigned to the 2nd brigade, 3d division, 2nd army corps, and
participated in the battle of the Wilderness, losing 24 men killed, 147 wounded and 12
missing. On the 12th, the corps made its famous charge upon the enemy's lines at the Po
river, where the regiment lost 53 men, and on the 23d, in the charge which drove the enemy
across the North Anna river, it lost 23 men. It was under fire at Cold Harbor, and in two
assaults on the enemy's works at Petersburg it lost 84 men. Subsequently it encamped near
Fort Sedgwick, where it remained until Feb. 5, 1865, having meanwhile taken part in the
attack on the Weldon railroad under Gen. Warren. They subsequently participated in all the
movements of the 2nd corps in the vicinity of Hatcher's run, until March 29, 1865. On May
1, it left Burkesville, Va., for Washington, where it was mustered out on June 4. Its
aggregate losses during the years 1862, 1863 and 1864 were 745. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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