Over Memorial Day weekend the Windham
Historical Society was home to approximately 26 Civil War reenactors from the
Third Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry. With canvas tents, blankets and
uniforms appropriate for the early 1860s, the regiment set up camp and invited
the public to come visit them and experience what it might have been like for a
soldier fighting in the Civil War.
Reenactors remained in character while
visitors asked questions about food, guns, living conditions and the types of
things the surgeon would do.
Dave Gowen, a local business man in
Windham, has been a part of the Third Maine for 20 years. He served as captain
for 10 years in the elected position and then last year when the previous
captain stepped down, he was elected as the captain again.
Three women made up the Sanitary
Commission, a civilian group that went around to different companies to make
sure they were following basic sanitary rules. Carolyn Lawson, from Auburn and
an adjunct professor at Bates College gave a presentation on Saturday about
what her role would be been as someone on the Sanitary Commission. They also
became a central gathering group for donations from community members. They
collected everything from shirts to underwear, towels, soap, sewing kits,
newspapers and more. “Anything you would send to a soldier in Afghanistan now,”
said Tracy Williams. “Soldiers away from home still want home.”
Red flannel “drawers” were believed to
help prevent diarrhea, so people donated those.
The Sanitary Commission also helped to
standardize sizes and produced patterns for local women. They showed a hospital
gown that opened on both sides, instead of up the back like today's gowns. Also,
if the gown got soiled on one side, it was easy to remove the side and put on a
clean one.
One soldier sitting around the fire was
a woman dressed in the wool uniform. Melissa Milligan, 27, of Portland, played
the part of a woman who enlisted at 16 along with her brother and father. There
were instances where it was estimated that 400 women were in the Army, but
history has proved it was more like 700, according to Milligan. Her character
died in Gettysburg and her father died before that, but her brother survived. .
On most of the encampments Rick Bray is
the company cook. The menus, he said, are determined by what is available. Beef
is kept in barrels and salt pork is a staple. The company drinks mostly water
and coffee, he said. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes,
strawberries, watermelon, grapes and coffee. Lunch on Saturday consisted of
pulled pork and baked beans that had cooked over the wood fire all day.
“Baked beans are a strong staple of the
Army,” said Bray, who has been the cook for the Third Maine for 10 years.
Twelve-year-old Tyi Williams and his
brother 14-year-old Garrett Williams were inspired by their grandparents to be
a part of the Third Maine.
“You learn something, have new
experiences and get to meet new people,” said Tyi.
“I like the history and learning how
they live,” said Garrett. One of the things they had to get used to was the
camping.
“It’s cold and it kept waking me up. The
symphony of people kept me awake,” said Tyi. He acknowledged that having beans
for lunch had made sleeping at night a bit more difficult.
“Snoring, the same thing,” said Garrett.
Having backstories makes the actors come
alive to the people who visit the encampment. Tyi played the role of a
14-year-old and his brother played an 18-year-old. Questions are asked of each
member of the regiment. Common questions, according to Gowen are “Did you
really sleep here?” “Is that a real fire?” “Do you really eat here?”
“All of the questions imply that it’s
for show,” said Gowen. He assured the public that they do eat, sleep and work
in the encampment.
The Third Maine is made up of close to
50 volunteers from the southern Maine region. They do not all attend every
event. They have an encampment usually once a month, along with a few day
events. Last year the regiment went to Gettysburg to commemorate the 150th
anniversary.
The regiment is always looking for new
recruits. For more about Maine in the Civil War, visit www.thirdmaine.org.
