Civil War

Little Round Top at Gettysburg Battleground National Park

“It happened so unexpectedly, so abruptly, that she forgot to scream. . . . Breathless, spellbound, she moved on tiptoe to the porch, one hand pressed trembling across her lips. The field of oats shimmered a moment before her eyes, then a blue mass swung into it and it melted away, sheered to the earth…

Civil War, Confederate Raiders

The United States’ Fort Sumpter in South Carolina fell to the Confederates on April 13, 1861, effectively initiating the Civil War. Four days later Confederate President Jefferson Davis authorized private vessels to capture or destroy Union commercial sailing vessels. This decision had a severe impact on Maine’s seafaring fleet and the coastal economy.  During the…

Connor, Selden

Selden Connor, governor

was a Civil War general, formerly a Colonel in the 19th Maine Volunteers, and governor from 1876 through 1879. He was born in Fairfield on January 25, 1839, attended local schools, and graduated from Tufts College in 1859. In 1861, as Civil War threatened the country, Connor joined the 1st Vermont Regiment. He rose through…

Gettysburg

Maine’s 20th Regiment, led by Joshua L. Chamberlain and assisted by his second in command Ellis Spear, played a major role in the victory of the Union forces on July 3, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This farming town with a wooded ridge was the scene of a pivotal battle of the American Civil War. The…