October 2026 Maine at War blog posts
During October, Maine at War readers joined the hard-fighting 12th Maine Infantry Regiment at Third Winchester as Jubal Early launched his surprise attack across the Shenandoah River. The Mainers suddenly found themselves on the opposite side of their earthworks and then withdrawing as Confederate troops pressed the attack. Then Phil Sheridan arrived, and a 12th Mainer described the reaction along the federal lines.
We also toured the lustrous autumn foliage on Virginia battlefields and checked out a late October 2026 Civil War event involving a historic Maine museum and a well-known Civil War reenactment group.
October 7, 2026: 12th Maine Infantry fights at Cedar Creek: part 1
Diverted from Petersburg with other Union regiments returning from Louisiana, the 12th Maine Infantry Regiment found itself on the wrong side of its earthworks when Confederates attacked at Cedar Creek. Combat veteran Gustavus Smith described the battle in a letter written afterwards.
October 14: 12th Maine Infantry fights at Cedar Creek: part 2
Jubal Early’s surprise attack at Cedar Creek split apart the Union lines and drove Union troops down the Valley. Gustavus Smith and the 12th Maine Infantry Regiment and many other federal units might have retreated farther, but up came Phil Sheridan after riding 20 miles from Winchester on his horse, Rienzi. Smith described what changed when Sheridan appeared.
October 21, 2026: Autumn beauty on Virginia battlefields
Leaf-peepers may not associate Civil War battlefields in Virginia with vibrant autumn foliage, but some of the prettiest foliage in the Tidewater and Piedmont can be found on preserved battlefields and historic sites — and we present the photographic evidence!
October 28, 2026: Co. A of the 3rd Maine and the Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth collaborate in two-day Civil War event
Re-enactors from Co. A, 3rd Maine Infantry Regiment collaborated with the historic Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth to stage a two-day Civil War Educational Outreach and Living History Days in late October. The event was a rousing success.
