12th Maine recruiting poster, 1861
Item 78965 info
Maine Historical Society
Answering the Call
When President Abraham Lincoln put out his call for 90-day troops in April 1861, Maine's quota was one infantry regiment – 1,000 men.
But the Maine Legislature authorized 10 regiments and two-year enlistments. By war's end, Maine had supplied more than 70,000 soldiers and sailors, one of the highest percentages per capita in the North.
Even as the war dragged on, Mainers continued to enlist.
The recruiting poster reflects the patriotic imagery and theme of much Civil War era printing: an eagle entwined with a ribbon.
This one reads "Our Motto: The Whole Country." The 12th Maine was raised in the fall of 1861 as part of Gen. Benjamin's Butler's New England Division.
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