John Day Smith (1845–1933)

Excellent history of the 19th Maine by a veteran of the regiment. Goes into detail of not only the actions of the regiment during the Civil War, but the biographies of some of the men, and what life in the regiment was like. This regiment, known as "The Frying Pan Regiment" after an unfortunate experience with cooking on top of artillery shells, were also known as the worst theives in the Union Army. Some of the men proclaimed that the only time they ever went hungry was after Appomattox, when they realized the farmers of Virginia were not US citizens, and for once were not pillaged as the troop marched past their farms.
In spite of their reputation for foraging, this was one of the 300 fighting regiments of the union Army, and often were in the lead going into battle, and were often the last ones to leave the battlefield.… (meer)