Tag Archives: 9th Maine Infantry

Meet the Heroes of Evergreen Cemetery: Part I

  Nowhere else in Maine can people meet so many Civil War veterans than at Evergreen Cemetery, located at 672 Stevens Ave., in Portland — — and through its well-organized docent tours, the Friends of Evergreen are anxious to make the introductions. Through the mid-19th century, burials gradually filled Eastern Cemetery and Western Cemetery in […]

A deserter’s fate, Part II: A firing squad delivered the verdict

  After deserter Albert H. Lunt of the 9th Maine Infantry Regiment was convicted of various crimes by a court martial convened at St. Augustine, Fla., he was sentenced to death. President Abraham Lincoln upheld the sentence in mid-November 1862; Army officers scheduled the execution for Dec. 1. Lunt was transferred to Hilton Head, S.C., […]

A deserter’s fate, Part I: Even the Confederates didn’t want him

  Bad boy Albert H. Lunt could do no good, so 12 Union soldiers shot him dead at Hilton Head on Monday, Dec. 1, 1862. And in case they missed, another dozen armed soldiers waited to use Lunt for target practice. Assigned to Co. I, 9th Maine Infantry Regiment, Lunt seemed destined to pay for […]

A brave Union soldier wins the Medal of Honor at Fort Wagner: Part II

For the brave Union soldier who won the Medal of Honor at Fort Wagner, the day started off with a bang on Saturday, July 18, 1863. Charles E. Smith and his companions from the 9th Maine Infantry Regiment listened all day as land- and sea-based Union artillery shelled Wagner to damage its walls, unseat its […]

A brave Union soldier wins the Medal of Honor at Fort Wagner – Part I

For his incredible bravery during the “Glory” assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, S.C., a Union foot soldier later won the Medal of Honor. And when he died at age 72 on Thursday, Aug. 8, 1912 — more than 49 years after 10 Federal regiments attacked the Confederate fort blocking access to Charleston Harbor — […]

Charleston at mid-war

Charleston, early summer 1863: The hot and humid weather surely matches the surly mood among senior Union officers attempting to capture this port where the Civil War began … at least where the actual shooting began some 26 months ago. Like moths drawn to the Charlestonian flame, Federal authorities cannot resist Charleston, a haven for […]

Northern blood in Southern soil

They’re not supposed to be here. So why are they? Red brick walls surround the manicured Wilmington (N.C.) National Cemetery, a lovely greensward that abuts the four-lane Daytona International Speedway known locally as Market Street. Forget turning left when exiting the cemetery’s single access gate: That hand-crafted brick wall blocks views of inbound traffic, so […]