5th Maine Light Artillery Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 5th Maine Battery was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on December 4, 1861.
The battery was attached to 2nd Division, Department of the Rappahannock, to June 1862. 2nd Division, III Corps, Army of Virginia, to September 1862. 2nd Division, I Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May 1863. Artillery Brigade, I Corps, to April 1864. Artillery Brigade, V Corps, to June 1864. Artillery Brigade, VI Corps, to December 1864. Artillery Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah, to July 1865.
The 5th Maine Battery mustered out of service July 6, 1865, at Augusta, Maine.
Duty at Augusta until March 10, 1862, and at Fort Preble, Portland, Me., until April 1. Moved to Washington, D.C., April 1âÂÂ3. Camp on Capitol Hill until May 19. Moved to Aquia Creek, then to Fredericksburg, Va., May 19âÂÂ22. Moved to Front Royal, Va., May 25, 1862, and to Manassas June 17. At Warrenton July 4âÂÂ22. March to Waterloo July 22, then to Culpeper August 4. Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9. Pope's Campaign in northern Virginia August 16-September 2. Fords of the Rappahannock August 20âÂÂ23. Thoroughfare Gap August 28. Battle of Groveton August 29, and Second Bull Run August 30. Ordered to Washington September 7, to refit, and duty there until October 24. Moved to Berlin October 24, and then to Lovettsville October 30. Reconnaissance from Bolivar Heights to Rippen, W. Va., November 9. Battle of Fredericksburg December 12âÂÂ15. "Mud March" January 20âÂÂ24, 1863. At Fletcher's Chapel until April 28. Chancellorsville Campaign April 28-May 6. Operations at Fitzhugh's Crossing April 29-May 2. Battle of Chancellorsville May 2âÂÂ5. Battle of Gettysburg, July 1âÂÂ3. Bristoe Campaign October 9âÂÂ22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7âÂÂ8. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Rapidan Campaign May 4-June 15, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5âÂÂ7. Spotsylvania May 8âÂÂ12. Ny River May 10. Spotsylvania Court House May 12âÂÂ21. North Anna River May 23âÂÂ26. Line of the Pamunkey May 26âÂÂ28. Totopotomoy May 28âÂÂ31. Cold Harbor June 1âÂÂ12. Before Petersburg June 17âÂÂ19. Siege of Petersburg June 17-July 9, 1864. Ordered to Washington, D.C. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Battle of Opequon, Winchester, September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty at Strasburg until November 10. Near Winchester until December 28, and at Stevenson's Depot until January 10, 1865. At Frederick, Md., until April 4. At Winchester until June 21. Ordered to Augusta, Me., June 21.
The battery lost a total of 33 men during service; 2 officers and 16 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 15 enlisted men died of disease.
Two infantrymen of the Fifth Maine Battery are highlighted in the third chapter of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville" (1955).