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| 2nd Maine Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 2nd Maine Infantry Regiment |
| Dates | May 1861 – July 1864 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison | Portland, Maine |
| Battles | First Battle of Bull Run, Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Gaines's Mill, Seven Days Battles, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Overland Campaign, Battle of the Wilderness, Siege of Petersburg |
| Notable commanders | Orris S. Ferry; Hiram G. Berry; E. J. Bartlett |
2nd Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Maine for service in the Union during the American Civil War. Organized at Portland, Maine in May 1861, the regiment served in multiple theaters including the Eastern Theater and fought in major engagements from First Battle of Bull Run through the beginnings of the Siege of Petersburg. The unit's service intersected with prominent formations and leaders such as the Army of the Potomac, the Department of the Navy, and commanders like Ira Harris and George B. McClellan.
Mustered in at Portland, Maine under state authority during the aftermath of Fort Sumter and the call for volunteers by Abraham Lincoln, the regiment drew recruits from counties including Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, and Penobscot. Initial organization placed companies under captains commissioned by Maine Governor Israel Washburn Jr., and structure followed regular United States Army infantry regiment tables as prescribed by War Department regulations. Early attachments included service with Brigade elements and later assignment to divisions commanded by officers such as Irvin McDowell and George B. McClellan.
After training at Camp Lincoln (Springfield), the regiment moved to the front in time for the First Battle of Bull Run, where it experienced convoy and rear-guard operations associated with Washington, D.C. defenses. Subsequent reenlistment and reorganization placed the regiment in the Peninsula Campaign under the Army of the Potomac, participating in the Seven Days Battles during the command of George B. McClellan and actions alongside corps led by Winfield Scott Hancock and Philip Kearny. During the Maryland Campaign the unit fought under commanders including Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker and later took part in the Gettysburg Campaign as elements of corps commanded by Daniel Sickles and George G. Meade. In 1864 the regiment joined operations in the Overland Campaign under Ulysses S. Grant and experienced the transition to trench warfare preceding the Siege of Petersburg.
The regiment was engaged at early conflicts such as First Battle of Bull Run and later major battles including Battle of Gaines's Mill and Battle of Malvern Hill during the Seven Days Battles. It fought in the Battle of Antietam during the Maryland Campaign and stood in the lines at Battle of Fredericksburg under Ambrose Burnside's command. At Chancellorsville the regiment faced units of Army of Northern Virginia led by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. During the Gettysburg Campaign the 2nd Maine saw action on key days of Battle of Gettysburg and subsequently participated in pursuit operations against the retreating Army of Northern Virginia. In 1864 the regiment entered the Overland Campaign with engagements at Battle of the Wilderness and supported assaults that presaged the Siege of Petersburg.
Throughout its service the regiment sustained significant casualties from combat, disease, and attrition. Losses included killed and mortally wounded at First Battle of Bull Run, heavy casualties during the Peninsula Campaign and Antietam, and cumulative reductions through Gettysburg and the Overland Campaign. Disease common in Civil War camps—such as dysentery, typhoid fever, and pneumonia—contributed to non-combat deaths, reflecting broader patterns documented in records kept by the United States Army Medical Department. The regiment's mustering-out in 1864 followed the expiration of enlistments and consolidation with veterans and recruits transferred to other Maine units.
Commanding officers included colonels and field officers commissioned by Maine authorities and recognized by the United States War Department. Noteworthy leaders associated with the regiment included officers who later held higher commands or political office, interacting with figures such as Orris S. Ferry, Hiram G. Berry, E. J. Bartlett, and staff officers who coordinated with corps commanders like John Sedgwick and Henry J. Hunt. Enlisted men went on to prominence in civic life, serving in state government, veterans' organizations including the Grand Army of the Republic, and veterans' commemorations administered by state historical societies.
Uniforms followed United States Army patterns with regulation frock coats, sky-blue trousers, and forage caps reflecting federal issue items supplied through Quartermaster Department contracts and depot distribution networks in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Weapons commonly issued included Model 1855 Springfield rifled musket variants and later Springfield Model 1861 arms obtained through Ordnance Bureau allocations. Supply lines relied on railroad and riverine transport such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and James River conveyances during the Peninsula Campaign, with medical evacuations coordinated via United States Sanitary Commission efforts and field hospitals overseen by the United States Army Medical Department.
Postwar remembrance involved veterans' reunions, monument dedications, and entries in state regimental histories published by Maine Historical Society and authors connected with Civil War historiography like William H. Prescott-era scholars and later 19th-century chroniclers. Commemorative monuments and plaques were erected at battlefields including Gettysburg National Military Park and sites associated with the Peninsula Campaign, while archival materials survive in repositories such as the Library of Congress and National Archives and Records Administration. The regiment is remembered through Maine's contribution to Union victory and through its presence in broader studies of the Army of the Potomac, Civil War combat, and veteran memory.
Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Maine