18th Regiment, Maine Infantry

Brief History
The regiment was organized at Bangor, Maine and mustered in August 21, 1862. The designation of the regiment was changed to the 1st Regiment, Maine Heavy Artillery on January 6, 1863.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 18th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 30 May 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment, (accessed 6 July 2012).

Companies in the Regiment with the County of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 4 men on its roster for this unit. Possibly this unit did not complete its organization, and the men went to other units. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Maine in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Maine in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Maine, and how to find them. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Shaw, Horace H.,The First Maine Heavy Artillery, 1862-1865: a History of its Part and Place in the War for the Union, with an Outline of Causes of War and its Results to Our Country, (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1991).  FHL fiche 6082974(6 fiche). Internet Archive


 * Stanley, Ruel H,. Eastern Maine and the Rebellion : being an account of the principal local events in eastern Maine during the war and brief histories of eastern Maine regiments. (Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, c2002),