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SIDNEY – Scouts from Troop 401 traveled to Virginia and Pennsylvania recently to soak up some Civil War history, including as it relates to Maine.
Scouts making the trip were Willie, Zack and Parker LeHay and Gabe Steinberger, from Oakland, and Dan and Issac Allarie, Dawson White, and Jeremy Croft from Sidney. They visited Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg, the James River Plantation, Fort McHenry and the home of former President Dwight D Eisenhower. They left on June 25 and returned July 2.
Scoutmaster Eric Handley said, “These Scout truly hiked through history.”
One highlight was learning about Maine’s role on July 2, 1863, a pivotal day in the Battle of Gettysburg. The Scouts visited Gettysburg National Military Park and learned how Maine soldiers held their ground on the left flank of the Union line, finally driving off their Confederate attackers with a bayonet charge. The regiment was 358 strong at the start of the fight – 38 were killed and 93 wounded before it was over. Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain and First Sgt. Andrew Tozier were awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroism.
Dawson White said he was surprised at the sheer size of the battlefield, and what it was like fighting in those conditions in wool uniforms. Parker LeHay said it was interesting to walk through the same places that the soldiers did.
One of the highlights was the visit to the 20th Maine Monument at Little Round Top, almost to the day when the action took place 159 years ago.
“It’s amazing how far the soldiers had to walk to get there in the heat and how many of them died,” Isaac Allaire said.
Zack LeHay was impressed with how long the battle lines were and how far they walked – particularly in Pickett’s Charge.
Scoutmaster Handley had made a similar trek when he was a Scout and proposed the idea to the troop in 2018. “Scouting is a youth-run program, so if the Scouts didn’t want to do this trip, we would have found something that they wanted to do. But they were very eager,” Handley said. “They worked hard with fundraisers and we were ready to go, but then COVID hit.”
Scouts sold coffee, tea and cocoa during Maine Maple Weekend at Bacon Farm and also sold BBQ lunch at the Sidney Town Office during Memorial Day. The community has also filled the two bottle bins in town, which helped raise money for the trip.
Handley said that the experience of learning about U.S. history in person was so exciting to the Scouts that they are already brainstorming for future Hikes through History.
PHOTOS: Top – Troop 401 Scouts at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, front row from left, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Allarie, Parker LeHay; back row, Jeremy Croft, Dawson White, Gabe Steinberger, Zachary LeHay. Below – Stopping at Dow’s 5th Maine Monument while hiking the Billy Yank Historic Trail, from left, Dawson White, Zachary LeHay, Parker LeHay, Gabe Steinberger, Isaac Allarie and Jeremy Croft. (Submitted photos)
