Portland Harbor Battle Background

• The Battle of Portland Harbor was triggered by the actions of a Confederate sea vessel captained by Second Lt. Charles W. Read. On June 26th, 1863, Read and his crew were heading towards Portland Harbor on the Archer of Southport, a fishing schooner they'd captured from Union forces and disguised as a merchant vessel. Read had gained intelligence from local fishermen that indicated that the harbor was home to a number of steamships that he intended to steal. There were also two gunboats there that were under construction, which he planned to destroy. The Archer arrived in the harbor on the night of the 26th, and Read and his crew boarded a docked cutter, the Caleb Cushing, without a struggle. They towed this vessel out to sea. Seven hours later, on June 27th, a customs collector at Portland Harbor, Jebediah Jewett, was informed that the Caleb Cushing had left the vicinity without orders to do so.
  
  

Portland Harbor Battle Action

• Two Union vessels in the harbor, the Forest City and the Chesapeake (both steamers) were soon hot on the heels of the Caleb Cushing, but the Union crews were concerned they'd be bested in a firefight, since the Cushing was better equipped. However, Read and his crew were unable to find much of the Cushing's supply of shot and powder, since Lt. Davenport, the Union officer still on board the stolen Cushing, would not reveal its location. Battle was soon joined, but the Cushing began to run out of ammunition. Ultimately, Read ordered the vessel to be set on fire while he and his men escaped in rowboats.
  
  

Portland Harbor Battle Result

• The Caleb Cushing finally exploded at around 2:15 p.m. that afternoon. The Union vessels in the area soon captured Read and his crew, as well as the stolen Archer, and the Confederate seafarers ended up in a Boston prison.
  
  

Maine's Role in the Larger Conflict

• Volunteers from the state of Maine joined the Civil War in its early stages, following an appeal for troops from President Abraham Lincoln. Many of Maine's soldiers were trained at one of the three camps that were based in what is now South Portland. Camps such as Camp Lincoln trained Maine residents from all over the state. Maine soldiers participated in some of the most infamous battles of the war, despite the fact that only one battle occurred on their territory. Maine troops saw action at the Battle of Gettysburg, and it was there that renowned officer Joshua Chamberlain and his 20th Maine regiment held the Union flank on Little Round Top. Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and later became the governor of Maine. Overall, around 80,000 Maine men enlisted for the Union during the course of the conflict.