Maine Memory Network
Maine's Online Museum

Title: Josiah Remick, 17th Maine, ca. 1862

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society

Date: 1862

Location: Saco

Media: Photograph, carte de visite

Title: Sparrow 17th Maine medal, ca. 1866

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society

Date: circa 1866

Location: Portland

Media: Metal

Title: Grenville Sparrow, 17th Maine Volunteers, ca. 1863

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society

Date: circa 1863

Media: Tintype

The Sanitary Commission: Meeting Needs of Soldiers, Families

The Sanitary Commission, formed soon after the Civil War began in the spring of 1861, dealt with the health, relief needs, and morale of soldiers and their families. The Maine Agency helped families and soldiers with everything from furloughs to getting new socks.

Capt. Grenville F. Sparrow, 17th Maine

Grenville F. Sparrow of Portland was 25 when he answered Lincoln's call for more troops to fight the Confederates. He enlisted in Co. A of Maine's 17th Volunteer Infantry regiment. He fought in 30 battles between 1862 and the war's end in 1865.

Meshach P. Larry: Civil War Letters

Meshach P. Larry, a Windham blacksmith, joined Maine's 17th Regiment Company H on August 18, 1862. Larry and his sister, Phebe, wrote to each other frequently during the Civil War, and his letters paint a vivid picture of the life of a soldier.

Strong, a Mussul Unsquit village

The history of a small western Maine community north of Farmington as told by a team consisting of Strong Historical Society, Strong Elementary School, and Strong Public Library. Exhibit topics include Strong's prominence in the wood products industry (it was once the "Toothpick Capital of the World"), the "Bridge that Changed the Map," schools and educational history, clubs and organizations, "Fly Rod" Crosby, the first Maine guide, and a rich student section related to the Civil War and post-Civil War era in the town.