| Notes |
- Republican, Odd Fellow and member of G. A. R. Film #M543 Roll 15.
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WILBER FISK MOWER
Wilber Mower was the fourth child of Oliver and Harriet Mower and was born in Greene , Maine on December 23, 1841. He lived in the family home on the Quaker Ridge Road which was built in mid 1800’s. His grandfather, John Mower, served in the American Revolution.
Wilber attended Auburn Academy in Auburn, Maine and was both a teacher and a farmer. His wife Esther Longley , who was also from Greene worked in the shoe shops in Lewiston and taught school. They were married September 7, 1878. They had four children of which two lived to adulthood. Wilber was a Republican, a Baptist, a member of the Odd Fellows and the G.A.R. He died in Greene November 28, 1892 and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Greene on Route 202.
In May of 1862 the Federal Government issued a call for 300, 000 volunteers to help defeat the South. Maine in the same month authorized the raising of the 16th Maine Volunteer Regiment to consist of about 1000 men and to serve for three years. They were to get their initial training at Camp Jamison in Augusta. On July 21, 1862, Wilber Mower enlisted as a private in Company I in the 16th Maine which became part of the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac. At enlistment he was single, light complexion,
gray eyes, brown hair, occupation farmer and stood 5’ 10 1/2” tall. At his height, he was taller than the typical Civil War soldier who stood only about 5’8”.The men from his company were from Kennebec and Androscoggin Counties. Other members of the 16th represented all parts of the State of Maine. They served in the Army of the Potomac from Antietam in September of 1862 to Appomattox in April of 1865. They actually did not actively take part in the Antietam campaign but were marching to the battle as it was in progress. They participated in every major battle that the Army of the Potomac fought during that time span after Antietam. Wilber apparently did get to see Abraham Lincoln as he reviewed the troops after the battle at Antietam.
They were formerly mustered in at Augusta on August 14, 1862. about 1000 strong. This number would be reduced considerably as the war and disease took their. This was typical of all veteran regiments who saw extended battle field service. They traveled to Washington DC by way of Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Wilber?s time in the army was filled with many adventures and many heroic deeds. He rose from Private
to Color Sergeant and finally on January 28, 1865 Second Lieutenant. Wilber carried the National Flag and of course was always a conspicuous target for the Southern soldiers. Perhaps his finest moment occurred on the first day at the battle of Gettysburg . The town of Gettysburg was being defended by Union Cavalry under General John Buford. Two Confederate Corps under Lt. General A.P. Hill and Lt. General Richard Ewell were approaching from the northwest side of the town and Buford wisely called for help. The First
Corps of the Union Army under Major General John Reynolds responded along
with the Eleventh Corps under Major General Oliver Otis Howard. The 16th Maine was part of the Second Division and the First Brigade of the First Corps. Their Brigade acted as a critical link between the First Corps and the Eleventh Corps as they fought against the larger number of Confederates. General Reynolds was killed early in the action and the command of the First Corps fell the Major General Abner Doubleday. As the day progressed the Confederates drove the Union soldiers back toward the town and it looked
like a possible Union disaster . The 16th Maine(all 300 strong) was asked to hold to buy time in its position as rear guard against the enemy pursuit. Their commander Colonel Tilden protested but he was told to hold at any cost. The men drew up in an inverted V so that they could face both
Confederate Corps and allow Union soldiers to retreat through the town. Wilber Mower was stationed at the apex of the V with the National Flag. along with the color bearer of the regimental flag. Wilber was conspicuous by his gallantry in keeping the flag proudly waving to rally the men. They
were forced back and eventually surrounded. At this point it became every man for himself. Facing imminent capture , the officers and men of the 16th were more concerned about the fate of their flags than they were with their own welfare. At this point the staffs of both flags were broken and the silk torn into small pieces which were hastily concealed on the persons of the Maine men. These were safeguarded by the men during their time in various prisons. Wilber was captured and eventually ended up in Libby Prison in Richmond. Wilber was successful in keeping his piece of the flag safe during his time in prison and I have had the pleasure and honor of seeing this sacred remnant which my good friend Gary Reed ( great grandson of Wilber) has in his possession. Only 39 men and 4 officers made it back to the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge where a defensive line had been drawn up . The 16th Maine had done its job and prevented a worse rout of the Union Army that day. Wilber was eventually exchanged and returned to his old regiment in June of 1864. In that some month during the Petersburg campaign , Wilber was wounded in the shoulder by a sniper while reporting to the Regimental
Headquarters in the rear of their defensive position. This was to affect him in the usage of that arm for the rest of his life.I do have a copy of a letter from a Doctor Silvester Oakes from Auburn dated September 19th , 1864 in which he requests an additional twenty days of furlough time for Wilber so that he would be completely over the effects of the wound and states that he could not do any military duty at that time. He did return to his regiment and was color sergeant for a time but when promoted to 2nd
Lieutenant in January of 1865 was relieved of that duty. He eventually was discharged on May 15, 1865. He participated in the final Appomattox campaign which led to Lee?s surrender. He did receive a pension of $ 6.00 a month beginning the day he was discharged. He was active in regimental reunions up the time of his death in November 1892. His family records do not indicate if his prison stay or his wound may have affected his dying at a fairly young age. Just before he died, he did speak at a regimental reunion and said the following
“When the individual soldier enters the service, he is required to sign papers which place him under the laws and rules of an almost absolute despotism and this is necessary for an army to be effective and to be wielded like a machine. The quicker a soldier consigns his own opinions to the shades and brings himself as nearly as possible into the condition of a nonthinking human machine, so much the quicker and easier will he become an effective soldier. He promises to serve so long faithfully and obey the laws of the President and all in authority and conform to the rules and regulations of war. The first lesson that a soldier is taught is to obey orders and that lesson must be indelibly fixed in the mind and heeded on all occasions and under all circumstances and betide the luckless soldier who forgets this lesson.”
Wilber also mentions the woolen uniform which might or might not fit and all the equipment that they were issued by the army some of which they would discard as they became veterans. He also mentions the endless drill both in units and individually. He also dwells upon the problem of body lice and how hard they were to get rid of even when you boiled your uniform in hot water. There would be some survivors. He also talked about the lack of food and the crowded conditions at Libby Prison while he was there. In closing his speech Wilber says “The Flag that we followed and fought for and worshiped, yea, almost idolized is doubly dear to us for it is truly, what is claimed , the true emblem of the best, freest, noblest, most favored government on Earth”. Wilber lived out his life after the war in Greene on the family homestead where he married and raised his family and probably taught school as well as farmed. Wilber Mower was a staunch patriot, a very brave man and a Christian gentleman.
The regiment had about 1900 men on the rolls including replacements. 181 died, 578 were wounded, 259 died of disease and 76 were in prison. Checking our records, I found some information for you.
In the 1890 Civil War Veterans Census, it lists any disabilities they received due to their service. Wilbur F. Mower mentions he was wounded in the left shoulder.
I checked his death certificate and did not find it. I checked under the spelling Moore and found Wilbur F. Moore died in Augusta, Maine on Nov. 27, 1892, age 51, of melancholia. Checking the AMHI admission records, I found that Wilbur F. Mower of Greene was admitted to AMHI on Jan. 26, 1892, was discharged March 5, 1892, was back at AMHI July 30, 1892 and died there on Nov. 27, 1892.
I went back to the 1880 Census of Defectives and did not find him listed in Greene suffering from melancholia at that time. Whether his problems came on later, or it was must more manageable until 1892, I can't tell from the records.
Hope that helps.
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Jeffrey Brown phone 207-287-5778
Archivist III jeffrey.brown@maine.gov
Maine State Archives
84 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0084
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1841 - 1892 (50 years)
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