Canadian Medal of  

          Honor.com

  • Sunday evening's blogs
  • graves, memorials and medals
  • About the Author
  • contact the Author
  • Home

Abe's Pets, Paper Collars and Band Box Soldiers!

4/8/2018

0 Comments

 
Daniel was born in 1820 and raised in the small town of some 3,000 called Bridgton Maine. But chances are, you've  probably never heard of him.

Like many kids of the day, he probably grew up listening to old stories of how grandpa possibly fought at Bunker Hill and Ticonderoga during  the Revolutionary War. But rather than soldiering he'd learn the trade of a clerk. By age 21 he'd moved to Bangor Maine and was developing quite a good reputation for his clerking talents in the Shipbuilding industry. 

Picture
By 1846  Daniel was living in  Glenburn, about a dozen miles North West of Bangor, and was married there that year. Over the next dozen years they would have 5 children, one girl and four boys. But sadly the girl died before her second birthday and a brother died at about age 6.

In 1861 Daniel heard the call for soldiers to sign up  to defend their country in the War Against the States.(US Civil War)  Was it the call, the excitement of friends and co-workers, the echoes of old stories from Grandpa, or the need for money or just excitement!   Who Knows?

But whatever it was,  it found him heading off to Bangor and trading his civilian clothes for that of a Private in F Company of the 2nd Maine Volunteer  Infantry. It was  28 May 1861, and he was now Pvt Chaplin, and obligated to serve for 3 years come hell or high water. He's get both... and much more.

On enlistment he was an old man, if you will. While most were in late teens or early twenties, he was a whopping 41. No doubt this had much to do with his immediately being voted in by the rest of his company to be their leader... their Captain. Instead  of a few kids, he now had about 100.

Within months his unit would be fighting  at the Battle of  Manassis. (First Bull Run) His performance must have been exceptional as he was promoted to Major less than 2 months later.

It was less than a year later at the Battle  of Hanover Courthouse where Major Chaplin would again show his leadership and bravery for the cause. He had seen  a near-bye Union Regiment of Artillery being driven off and their guns captured, He immediately rallied his own troops and made an attempt to rescue them. He failed. Whilst about to take a second run at the enemy, the artillery officer who lost the guns, a major by the name of Hamlin, saw that Chaplin was in trouble. A bullet damaged his scabbard and he could not withdraw his sword to rally the troops for a 2nd run at the Confederates.  Hamlin raced out and offered Chaplin his own sword. Chaplin then made a move on the enemy, drove them off and rescued Hamlin's cannons.

You might recognize the name. His father was the Vice President of the United States!

Upon return Chaplin tried to return the sword but Hamlin, out of respect, insisted that the sword was now his to keep.

About 6 weeks later Chaplin was promoted to Colonel and sent back to Bangor to raise a new regiment, that would become the 18th Maine Volunteer Heavy Artillery, "the Heavies," as they became known to  most. He would command this regiment for the next  6 months and  then the unit would then be renamed the First Maine Heavy Artillery, with him still at the helm for about the next 16 months. (No pun meant for the navy readers.)

Picture
In less than 14 months Daniel Chaplin, shown above, had risen well over a dozen ranks from Private to a full Colonel.

For about the next 18 months Chaplin's Heavies spent their days marching and patrolling as part of the garrison defense force at Washington DC. When they finally got the call, the older vets in the area thought little of the Heavies as their service, though not their Colonel's, was limited to non combatant rolls and had yet to see the elephant. A military term for those yet christening on the fields of battle.)

The vets would tease them and call them  Abe's Pets,  Paper Collars, Band Box Soldiers and the like.

But soon they would quickly withdraw any criticism for the First Maine Heavy Artillery. A unit full of pride and  destined to show the old boys what they were really made of.

And that would become evident about 900 miles south of the old enlistment stations of Bangor Maine.

This will come to you next weekend,  as other duties are pressing today. 

You do not want to miss the incredible follow-up!

Hope you will join me then.

Bart

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author;
     
    Bart Armstrong

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly