Somerset County in the World War
Lewiston, Maine: Journal printshop and bindery, 1920. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 330 pages. Illustrations. Cover has some wear and soiling. Ink notation at the bottom of page 330, adding in a name meriting recognition. Contents include: History of Company E, Biography, Overseas Experiences, Our Fallen Heroes, and Tabulation. Our Fallen Heroes contains a short history of every boy in Somerset County who gave his life on the battlefield, who died of disease while in the service, or died at home from effects of disease contracted in army life. Tabulation contains a brief alphabetical biography of the war records of the soldiers from ever town and plantation in Somerset County. Company E was part of the Maine National Guard, which consisted of the Second Maine Infantry Regiment and 13 Coast Artillery batteries. The Second Maine served on the Mexican Border, was released from Federal Service only to be reactivated in 1917 after the U.S. entered the First World War. Lessons from the Mexican Border experience were usefully applied on the Western Front. After being 'called up', the regiment was redesignated the 103d Infantry Regiment and became a part of the 26th “Yankee” Division, so named as all of its units were from New England. To bring the 103d to full strength of 3,500 men, soldiers from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island National Guard units were brought into the regiment. With barely enough time to incorporate the new men into the regiment, the 103d was on its way “over there.”. The 15 companies of the 2nd Maine began recruiting to wartime strength in towns across the state. On July 5, 1917, the companies began to assemble at Camp Keyes in Augusta. Who were the men who made up this 2,002-man organization? More than 50 percent were traditional National Guardsmen who had been with the regiment since they were mobilized to the U.S.-Mexican border in 1916 and before. Men signed on eagerly to serve with “the Old Second.”. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Skowhegan, Mexican Border, Xivray Raid, Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel, Argonne-Meuse, Laura Carpenter, William Ingalls, Howard Crosby, Donald Philbrick, Leon Symons, Fred Wilson, Camp Life
[Book #80348]
Price: $175.00