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Questions? Email:Dana E. Edgecomb
© 1998-2002 Dana E. Edgecomb
In the days of the old state militia Gorham was full of the
martial spirit of the times that grew out of the "War of 1812".
The town had three companies that constituted a regiment which
was officered by some of the best known and most imposing looking
military men in the state and who took great pride in their
commands. The adjacent town of Standish was also famous for its
military spirit and also maintained three companies of which the
town took great pride.
There had long been a local jealousy between the two
regiments which culminated at Gorham corner about seventy years
ago at one of the general musters which came nearer being war
than anything that ever occurred in the usually peaceful town. In
those days the militia frequently met for the May and October
trainings, at Gorham village, where they would assemble on the
Portland road below the square and march up to the square and
then swing into South street and march down a quarter of a mile
and turn into a field to the right of the road.
When the two regiments came together in the morning there
was a dispute over which was entitled to head the march to the
muster field and return which precedence was determined by the
priority of their colonel's commission.
The Gorham regiment which was commanded by the late Colonel
Hugh D. McLellan were given the coveted honor after a lively
controversy and the regiment swung into line and to the soul
stirring music of fife and drum began their march in high spirit,
while the Standish troops could do no better than fall in behind
their rivals, which they did with no good grace, while their
audible mutterings and threatening bodied mischief before the day
was done.
A muster field in those days was a lively place and our
present country fairs are not to be compared to a general muster
for all sorts of "goings on" of the most stirring kind. Rude
booths and tents were pitched all about the training field and a
certain sort of gingerbread rolls, of which we have no
counterpart today, was sold in great numbers, and about every
country boy would be marching about like Ben Franklin on an
earlier occasion munching one roll, and with one in reserve
tucked under his arm, and every country boy was there, who could
get together a few pennies and reach the muster field by getting
up at 4 o'clock in the morning and walking there.
Rum was sold as openly and freely as lemonade is today and
by the time the liquor had time to get in its work all sorts of
mixups and fights were going on so much so that the first
question that was always asked of the men when they got home was
"who fit?"
Everything passed off smoothly on the field that day as far
as the evolutions of the militia were concerned, but when the
order came for the return march the Standish companies
immediately filed into the road and their colonel gave the
command to march without waiting for the Gorham companies to
precede them. Colonel Hugh was quick to see that the Standish
boys were determined to steal a march on his regiment and he gave
the command to the Gorham boys to "get to the corner as soon as
they could" and over the fences they went and "cut across lots"
in a wild rush to get into the main road ahead of their up
country rivals.
Then occurred a scene of the wildest excitement, for now
both regiments broke into a wild rush with the spectators at
their heels all shouting and yelling while the hoarse commands of
the officers urging the men forward added to the din.
The Gorham troops by cutting across lots had less distance
to travel and most of them reached the main road in advance of
the Standish men and on they came up to the village in a mad rush
to the greatest amazement of the villagers who were at a loss to
account for such unseemly conduct on the part of the militia that
marched out of the square but a few house since with such
measured and dignified steps.
The village was thronged with people through which the
enraged militia rushed without any regard to whom they trampled
down and to add to the confusion and terror of the spectators
some of the Standish troops began firing their muskets at the
Gorham men who returned the fire and soon a general fusillade was
going on, though of course the pieces were only loaded with blank
cartridges, yet it was charged by both factions that their rivals
shoved their ramrods into their guns and discharged them with
little regard to where their guns were pointed.
The old settlers in after years told wonderful stories of
the way the ramrods flew about and many holes were said to have
been pointed out in the old buildings that they claimed were made
by the ramrods of the enraged militiamen from Standish. The
Gorham Troops on reaching the square swung into the Portland road
and formed where they did in the morning but the Standish men
kept straight up the hill formed in front of the old Robie store
and nothing but the persistence of the officers of both regiments
prevented another clash.
A semblance of discipline was finally restored and the final
act in the drama took place which consisted in paying off the men
who in those days received the munificent sum of fifty cents for
their day's work, which was usually handed them in bright shining
half dollars which were generally obtained fresh from the mint
for these occasions and were looked upon in those times as little
short of princely remuneration.
Of all the multitude that assembled at Gorham village on
that May morning, over seventy years ago, probably but a single
one remains to tell the story of that noisy but bloodless
contention between the militia of these proud and rival towns.
Ex-Governor Robie was then a boy just old enough to be
trusted by his mother to follow the "sogers" and on that morning
his maternal parent probably slipped a few pennies into his
pocket after buttoning up his jacket and tying on his cap and
cautioning him to "look out and not get run over." However the
boy followed the troops to the training field and no doubt
exchanged his pennies for the toothsome and satisfying
gingerbread rolls and when the break was made for the "corner" if
he didn't get there as soon as the "sogers" it was only because
he couldn't run quite as fast.
But the boy was there in time to witness the frantic efforts
of the officers to quell the incipient war in the usually
peaceful streets of Gorham village which for many months
furnished a fruitful and animated topic of conversation about the
firesides of Gorham and Standish.