2nd Maine Infantry Regiment

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The 2nd Maine Infantry Regiment, also known as the Second Maine Regiment or The Bangor Regiment, was a Union Army unit in the Civil War. It was raised in Bangor, Maine, for two years and served from May 28, 1861, to June 9, 1863. Five of its ten companies came from Bangor, with other companies from Castine, Milo, and Old Town. The regiment was the first from Maine to march out of the state to the front.

It left Maine in May 1861 and fought in eleven major actions, including the First and Second Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. The soldiers earned a reputation for bravery and endurance, and they never received a censure for their conduct.

Commanders included Col. Charles D. Jameson (the first colonel in the field, later promoted to brigadier general), Lt. Col. Charles W. Roberts, and Col. George Varney. The Ex-Tigers, a volunteer unit from Bangor, were led by Capt. Daniel Sargent. Some men who had enlisted for three years were transferred to the 20th Maine, while others with shorter enlistments stayed with the regiment.

The 2nd Maine began with 1,228 men. By the time it was discharged, 275 had completed their service, and 120 additional three-year enlistees had been transferred to the 20th Maine. The regiment suffered significant losses: 69 men killed or died of wounds and 70 died of disease.

The unit was mustered out in Bangor in June 1863. When it left Maine, crowds cheered, and a ceremony was held in Norumbega Hall. After the war, some soldiers’ legacies continued in monuments and stories from Maine.