Maine 31st Infantry Regiment
HISTORICAL NOTES:
The 31st Maine Regiment was organized at Augusta, Maine, in March and April 1864 and mustered into service on April 17, 1864, for a three-year enlistment. The regiment left Maine for Washington, D.C. on April 18, 1864, and was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, IX Corps, Army of the Potomac, in which it remained for the remainder of the war. The 31st commenced active campaigning on May 4, 1864, and took its first battle casualties two days later in the Battle of the Wilderness, where it suffered heavy losses. The regiment fought again at Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, again taking heavy casualties: 12 killed, 75 wounded and 108 missing in action.
The regiment fought in engagements at Totopotomoy Creek on May 31 and June 1. Between the 4th and 12 June, the regiment was before the Confederate works at Cold Harbor, then crossed the James River and fought in the Battle of Petersburg and then remained there for the remainder of the siege. In the July 30 Battle of the Crater, it was the first regiment into the Confederate works and lost heavily in the failed assault. The Battle of the Crater is portrayed in the film Cold Mountain (2003).
The 31st was in support during the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, followed by the Battle of Poplar Springs Church on September 30. October 1864 was spent on picket duty and drill where it absorbed the 4th and 6th Companies of Maine Unassigned Infantry as companies L and M. On October 27, it was assigned to Fort Fisher, where they remained until the end of November when it was reassigned as the garrison of Fort Davis. The 31st Maine absorbed the 32nd Maine Regiment on December 12, 1864, adding 15 officers and 470 enlisted men to its ranks. The regiment remained in reserve from February 11, 1865, until the early morning of April 2, when it was chosen to provide the initial storming party of three companies for the assault on Fort Mahone. The regiment suffered heavy losses in the attack. It participated in the occupation of Petersburg and spent the rest of the campaign gathering up prisoners and escorting them to the rear.
On April 29, the regiment marched to City Point, Virginia and sailed to Alexandria, Virginia, arriving at that city on the 27th.
The regiment participated in the Grand Review of the Armies on May 23, 1865, and was mustered out of service on July 15, 1865.
OFFICERS:
Cols., Thomas Hight, Daniel White;
Lieut. Cols., Thomas Hight, Stephen C. Talbot, Edward L. Getchell
Majors., Stephen C. Talbot, Daniel White, George A. Bolton.
ASSIGNMENTS:
2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac.
SERVICE:
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River, Va., May 3-June 15, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7. Spotsylvania May 8-12. Spotsylvania C. H. May 12-21. North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Bethesda Church June 1-3. Before Petersburg June 16-19. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864. Weldon R. R. August 18-21. Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run, October 27-28. Fort Steadman March 25, 1865. Assault on Fort Davis April 1. Assault on Fort Mahone April 2. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Occupation of Petersburg April 3-20. Moved to Alexandria April 20-27. Grand Review May 23. Mustered out July 15, 1865.
ROSTERS:
The composite rosters of this unit contain the names of 2366 men.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998. Ref. See p. 1222 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.
Edwards, Abial H. "Dear Friend Anna": The Civil War Letters of a Common Soldier From Maine. Orono, ME: U ME, 1992. 161 p. E601E38.
Maine. AGO. Annual Report...for the Years 1864 and 1865. Augusta, ME: Stevens & Sayward, 1866. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 2010. UA43M2.1864-1865.AppD. See pp. 379-86 (5 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.
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. Powder Springs, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 2010. E511W61. See pp. 225-60 (19 photocopied pages) for a brief history of the regiment.
REFERENCES:
Dyer, Frederick H. - A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
The Union Army by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 1
The regiment fought in engagements at Totopotomoy Creek on May 31 and June 1. Between the 4th and 12 June, the regiment was before the Confederate works at Cold Harbor, then crossed the James River and fought in the Battle of Petersburg and then remained there for the remainder of the siege. In the July 30 Battle of the Crater, it was the first regiment into the Confederate works and lost heavily in the failed assault. The Battle of the Crater is portrayed in the film Cold Mountain (2003).
The 31st was in support during the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, followed by the Battle of Poplar Springs Church on September 30. October 1864 was spent on picket duty and drill where it absorbed the 4th and 6th Companies of Maine Unassigned Infantry as companies L and M. On October 27, it was assigned to Fort Fisher, where they remained until the end of November when it was reassigned as the garrison of Fort Davis. The 31st Maine absorbed the 32nd Maine Regiment on December 12, 1864, adding 15 officers and 470 enlisted men to its ranks. The regiment remained in reserve from February 11, 1865, until the early morning of April 2, when it was chosen to provide the initial storming party of three companies for the assault on Fort Mahone. The regiment suffered heavy losses in the attack. It participated in the occupation of Petersburg and spent the rest of the campaign gathering up prisoners and escorting them to the rear.
On April 29, the regiment marched to City Point, Virginia and sailed to Alexandria, Virginia, arriving at that city on the 27th. The regiment participated in the Grand Review of the Armies on May 23, 1865, and was mustered out of service on July 15, 1865.
Lieut. Cols., Thomas Hight, Stephen C. Talbot, Edward L. Getchell
Majors., Stephen C. Talbot, Daniel White, George A. Bolton.
Edwards, Abial H. "Dear Friend Anna": The Civil War Letters of a Common Soldier From Maine. Orono, ME: U ME, 1992. 161 p. E601E38.
Maine. AGO. Annual Report...for the Years 1864 and 1865. Augusta, ME: Stevens & Sayward, 1866. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 2010. UA43M2.1864-1865.AppD. See pp. 379-86 (5 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.
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. Powder Springs, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 2010. E511W61. See pp. 225-60 (19 photocopied pages) for a brief history of the regiment.
The Union Army by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 1