Maine at War: October 2019

Here’s what our friend Brian Swartz was up to in October at his blog Maine at War:

October 2, 2019: 1st Maine Heavy Artillery survivor opens a Bar Harbor hotel

Shot twice during the ill-fated charge of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment on June 18, 1864, John H. Douglass returned home to Mount Desert Island to open a large hotel in Bar Harbor. When that hotel promptly burned, Douglass as promptly built its replacement.

October 16, 2019: Maine Supreme Court strikes down onerous draft-avoidance scheme

In some Maine towns where they were dominant, Copperheads passed laws to spend local taxes to buy the commutations for local draftees. Displeased with this measure, Governor Abner Coburn asked the Maine Supreme Court for its opinion.

October 23, 2019: Phil Sheridan conquers Maine, part 1

Invited by Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain to visit Maine in late October 1867, Major General Phil Sheridan discovers a friendly state more than willing to surrender to him.

October 27, 2019: Phil Sheridan conquers Maine, part 2

Major General Phil Sheridan arrives to a tumultuous welcome in Augusta, but he’s running behind schedule on his whirlwind tour of Maine. Can the units in the parade taking Sheridan to the State House move fast enough to make up the lost time?