The 8th Maine Infantry Regiment

   This information was provided to me by Dan Peters on 7-24-98 in answer to a question I had posted on the internet.

   Nathan Morrison, my ancestor, served in Co. B of the 8th Maine. He reportedly died on 8 June 1862 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. According to Dan he is mentioned in the source "Annual Report of the Adjutant General of The State of Maine for the Year Ending December 31, 1863" and would undoubtably be mentioned in the reports for 1861 and 1862 as well.

   The following organizational, service (campaign and battle) history is from: Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Dayton, OH: Morningside, 1979. Ref. pp. 1221-22

   This same information and information concerning other Civil War units for the State of Maine and other states can be found at THE CIVIL WAR ARCHIVE

8th Maine Infantry Regiment

1861

• Organized at Augusta and mustered In September 7, 1861.
• Left State for New York September 10, thence moved to Washington, D.C.
• Attached to Viele's 1st Brigade, Sherman's South Carolina Expeditionary Corps, October, 1861, to April, 1862.

1862

• 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Dept. of the South, to November, 1862.

1863

• District of Beaufort, S, C., 10th Corps, Dept. South, to April, 1863.
• District of Hilton Head, S.C., 10th Corps, Dept. South, to November, 1863.

1864

• District of Beaufort, S.C., 10th Corps, to April, 1864.
• 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 10th Army Corps, Army of the James, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina, to May, 1864.
• 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 10th Army Corps, to June,1864,
• 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Army Corps, to December, 1864.

1865

• 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 24th Army Corps., to May, 1865.
• 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 24th Corps, May, 1865.
• 2nd Brigade. 1st Division, 24th Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of Virginia to January, 1866.

SERVICE

1861

• Moved to Annapolis, Md., October 6, 1861.
• Expedition to Port Royal, S.C., October 21-November 7.
• Capture of Forts Walker and Beauregard, Port Royal Harbor November 7.
• Hilton Head November 8-9.

1862

• Duty at Hilton Head until February. 1862.
• Five companies ordered to Dafuskie Island, S.C., February 14.
• Siege operations against Fort Pulaski until April 11. Bombardment and capture of Fort Pulaski April 10-11.
• Duty at Hilton Head and Beaufort, S.C., until March, 1863.

1863

• Expedition to Jacksonville, Fla., March 18-23.
• Operations near Jacksonville March 23-31.
• Reconaissance toward Baldwin March 25.
• Skirmish near Jacksonville March 25.
• Moved to Beaufort, S.C., March 31- April 1.
• Expedition against Charleston April 3-12.
• Moved toHilton Head, S.C., April 16, and duty there until November 14.
• Moved to Beaufort, S.C., November 14, and duty there until April, 1864.

1864

• Veterans on furlough March and April.
• Moved to Fortress Monroe, Va., April 14.
• Butler's operations on south side of James River and against Petersburg and Richmond May 4-28.
• Occupation of City Point and Bermuda Hundred May 5.
• Port Walthall May 6-7.
• Swift Creek May 9-10.
• Arrow field Church, Chester Station, May 10.
• Operations against Fort Darling May 12-16.
• Drury's Bluff May 14-16.
• Bermuda Hundred front May 17-28.
• Moved to White House Landing May 28-June 1.
• Rapidan Campaign June 1-15.
• Cold Harbor June 1-12.
• Before Petersburg June 15-19.
• Siege of Petersburg and Richmond June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865.
• Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864 (Reserve).
• Non-Veterans left front September 4, 1864, and mustered out September 15, 1864.
• Chaffin's Farm September 28-30.
• Battle of Fair Oaks October 27-28.

1865

• Duty in trenches north of James River before Richmond until March 27, 1865.
• Moved to Hatcher's Run March 27-28.
• Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9.
• White Oak Road March 30-31.
• Assault and capture of Forts Gregg and Baldwin April 2.
• Fall of Petersburg April 2.
• Pursuit of Lee April 3-9.
• Rice's Station April 6.
• Appomattox C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army.
• Duty at Richmond, Va., until August;
• At Manchester till November,

1866

• At Fortress Monroe till January, 1866.
• Mustered out January 18, 1866.

The Regiment lost during service 6 Officers and 128 Enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 243 Enlisted men by disease. Total 381.

Bibliographical Items of the 8th Maine Infantry:

(All of these items are at the US Army Military History Institute (USAMHI), Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Phone: (717) 245-3611 for their reference section. The Institute maintains a public library for the reading of these histories.)

Many Maine units have a full-length history written soon after the war by a veteran of the unit or later by modern historians. Unfortunately there is no such story for the 8th Maine. But the following will help to piece togethera story of the unit's part in the war.

1. Doble, Erastus. "Reminiscences of Prison Life and Escape." Maine Bugle I (1894): pp. 105-15, 214-18 & 317-32 (23 photocopied pages). Call No.: E511.4M353.1894. (Doble served as a Private in Company B of the 8th Maine.)

2. Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Dayton, OH: Morningside, 1979. Ref. See pp. 1221-22 (2 photocopied pages) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.

3. Maine. AGO. Annual Report...for the Years 1864 and 1865. Augusta, ME: Stevens & Sayward, 1866. UA43M2.1864-1865. AppD. See pp. 306-37 (16 photocopied pages) for a roster of the regiment. Although regimental rosters appear in earlier Annual Reports, that found in this edition is the most complete for the unit's wartime service.

4. Pollard, Kendall. "Early Services of the Eighth Maine." Maine Bugle I (1894): pp. 23-26 (3 photocopied pages). E511.4M352.1894. [I think this particular work, as others may be, is available at the Maine State Library.]

5. Ulmer, George T. Adventures and Reminiscences of a Volunteer: Or, a Drummer Boy from Maine. Chicago: 1892. 77 p. E601U43.

6. Whitman, William W.S. Maine in the War for the Union: A History of the Part Borne by Maine Troops. Lexington, ME: Nelson Dingley, 1865. E511W61. See pp.192-208 (9 photocopied pages) for a brief history of the regiment.

7. Wright, J. E. M. "From Petersburg to Appomattox Court House." Maine Bugle I (1894): pp. 115-23 (6 photocopied pages). E511.4M352.1894.

8. The Photo Archive at the USAMHI includes images of individuals of this unit.

9. The following pertinent personal papers are in the USAMHI's Manuscript Archive:

• Hamlin, Joshua G. - CWMiscColl (Enlisted man's letters, Apr 15-Nov 18, 1863)
• Smith, Charles H. - CWMiscColl (Enlisted man's letters, Jun 7, 1862-Dec 1, 1864)

10. The Maine State Archives (in Augusta, Maine. Tel. 207-287-5795) has a lot on Maine units in the war.  They have tons of war photos.

ALPHABETICAL