Our Civil War Legacy

On this Memorial Day in America, we Maine people, wherever we may presently reside, recognize the 150^th anniversary of the 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment and honor their memories. I felt it appropriate to revisit the history of the Civil War and what that war’s legacy is to these United States of America. I will also make some parallels to present day wartime eras and to the prevailing thoughts on the subject then and now.

As I write this story, Company B 20th Maine Infantry Regiment has already held its annual Encampment and battle Re-enactment up in Washington, originally called Putnam. These folks are all volunteers and have a passion for Civil War history. During the year, they participate in clearing and cleaning Civil War battlefield sites in and around Gettysburg.

I expect, that here in the South, other re-enactments are taking place. Knowing that you will most always come out a loser in these exercises must be a real downer for Southerners. By the way, some “true” Southerners insist on calling the Civil War, the “War Between the States” and even others are still squabbling about that war and why it happened. More about that later.

First of all, let’s examine Memorial Day and why we celebrate it as a national holiday. Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day, was enacted after the Civil War to honor the soldiers who fought in that war. It was extended after World War I to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. We have come to see the day as a time to remember and honor the memory of all those we loved. It is a time to visit grave sites and decorate them with flowers and with flags if they are a veteran.

Of course we also use that long holiday, occurring on a Monday, as a long weekend to be with family, cook out, maybe watch a parade or even the Indianapolis 500 auto race on TV. Somehow I don’t see this as a bad thing. After all, didn’t our veterans fight so that we could enjoy times like this with our families?

The 4^th Maine Infantry, which we honor today, was formed on April 23, 1861. A meeting was called by A.H. Kimball and other prominent citizens, at the court house, to sign up volunteers for the Civil War in the South. There were 23 men there who signed up for possible enlistment into the army.. Capt. C.F. Hodgdon threw a $20 gold piece onto the floor and declared that it was for the first man to volunteer for the military.

Stephen H. Chapman picked it up and became the first man to enlist in the 4^th Maine. Then Elijah Walker volunteered and 25 firemen of the Dirigo Engine Company.

On April 24, a recruiting office was opened in the Kimball Block in Rockland and later that day the 1^st Rockland Company elected its officers: Captain Elijah Walker, 1^st Lieutenant; O.P. Mitchell, 2^nd Lieutenant; J.B. Litchfield, title unknown. The men of the 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment sailed off to civil war in June of that year.

Not everyone in the area agreed with our participation in a “Southern” war. James Skoglund will give a talk today, as I write this piece, about the effect of the Civil War on St. George. Here is where some of that war’s legacy comes into view.

A sea captain, writing home in the early part of the war wrote, “Lincoln is a Pumpkin Head. If he had half wit he would have made peace long ago.” Have we not heard similar opinions in all the wars that followed? Did we not wish to be isolationists at times? Haven’t you heard such expressions directed towards our present President Obama about bringing home our troops presently in Afghanistan?

The tradition of hiring mercenaries to replace you as a draftee in the Civil War was a common practice at that time. St George hired many of them so that local boys wouldn’t have to go fight in the South. Let’s look at that fact during the Vietnam war. While your substitute was not actually hired to replace you, if you were in college and stayed there, you could be deferred for years. I remember my fellow college students hoping that the war would be over before they graduated so they wouldn’t have to go to Vietnam.

If you looked on the front lines, which changed from day to day in Vietnam, what kind of faces did you see on the TV coverage for that day (the first war fought on TV, some say)? Black faces, black men from the poorest neighborhoods in the U.S. These were the men who couldn’t afford to go to college; who volunteered to get away from the ghetto; or were given the choice of enlisting or jail. Different wars, same principle.

There were others who felt as though they were ostracized because they supported the reasons for the Civil War and the North’s participation in it. Another quote from Skoglund’s presentation comes from Governor Washburn on this subject, “…the present state of affairs is depressing to Union men, who are silent only to be slandered, and speak only to be insulted, browbeat and abused…”

R.W. Wall, who served draft notices in St. George, wrote to the Adjutant General, “…I am surrounded with Copperheads, or Traitors, that are opposed to me putting in a single man, and would be glad if I should lose everyone I put on the quota.”

This statement reminds me of how our Vietnam soldiers, in particular, were treated when they returned home. They were cursed at, spit upon, and generally treated like second-class citizens. They got no welcoming parade, no congratulatory speeches from their Congressmen.

My Master’s Theses touched on these times, focusing on the anti-war music of that time and the ensuing anti-war rallies where they were most often sung. It was a volatile time and not one I would want to see repeated in this country.

So why is it that we went to war with the Confederate States of America anyway? It is my opinion, as well as the opinion of many historians and political experts, that the war was about one thing, Slavery.  As much as some want to put the blame on other things, the fact remains that a good many of the people residing in our country were living under the thumb of one slave owner or another.

What did this mean to those of us who lived way up in Maine, a heck of a long way from all this conflict? We were isolated then. Transportation was by train or horse and buggy. The trip by sea was not much quicker. How many Maine people had ever seen or would ever see a black person in their lifetime? Can you begin to see then why some of us would stick to an isolationist view?

Believe it or not, however, Maine did have a part in the Underground Railroad activities. We provided safe houses and safe places for our black friends to stay until they could reach a place of safety and live in freedom in Canada. Our activities were in direct opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a year before our participation in the war.

If you are interested in this subject, go to a talk by Mark Alan Leslie at the Union Historical Society at the old Town House on Town House Road on June 1 at 7:30 p.m.

To wrap this up I realized that I have lived, at age 70, through several foreign conflicts that the United States of America participated in. These wars had a significant effect on the course of my life, even though I’m not always aware of them. The wars in which I was alive include World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, Desert Storm, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I’m sure I’m not listing all the conflicts we’ve been involved in over the years. As part of the United Nations, we are usually the first nation called upon to help.

One more thing I would like to mention is the fact that the most viscious conflicts in history are those that are fought because of religion or a social disagreement, like slavery. Think back to the Crusades, a holy war; or an Islamic Jihad; or the conflicts that made political gypsies out of Jewish people. We need to finally learn from these terrible mistakes in our history. Bigotry in whatever form it takes should not be tolerated; whether it stems from religion; societal reasons; or even prejudice towards the color of your skin or handicap or sexual preference. All of these categories of people have seen suffering. We need to find a way to settle disputes without war. War is Hell. There’s no question about it. However, I respect and honor those who have fought for our freedom.

Thanks for listening.

(For pictures of a few of our Union Soldiers; flags of both the north and the south during the Civil War, and President Lincoln’s role in the war, please see the separate blog, “Honoring our Civil War Heroes.”)