First Maine Heavy Artillery Monument
History and Dedication
One of the few remaining physical tributes to The First Maine Heavy Artillery is the large stone Monument at Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia. The stone, and the bronze plates attached, are quite impressive and the land on which they reside is now a place full of tranquility. The stories of the battles that took place on this site are well known and documented and the losses, both North and South, have been well noted. But the story of how this Monument became a reality is not well known. The pages that are linked here are intended to tell the story of the purchase of the land, the placement and dedication of the Stone, and the ultimate transfer of ownership to US Government care. The materials for these pages have several sources. The original plat map and legislative resolutions are courtesy of the Maine State Archives. The brief story, The Most Sanguinary Acre in Virginia ? is a piece I wrote some time ago for another purpose. The dedication details and speeches have been provided by Andy MacIsaac and are duplicated on his weblog First Maine Forward |
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