Colonel Charles J. Tilden: The Overlooked Leader of Maine’s 16th Regiment

Although Joshua Chamberlain may be a more familiar name to Civil War enthusiasts, the story of Colonel Charles J. Tilden is just as captivating. Tilden led Maine’s 16th Regiment during the Civil War, yet his heroic leadership and role in battles leading up to and including Gettysburg is often overshadowed by Chamberlain’s more well-known leadership of Maine’s 20th Regiment. And yet, Tilden’s story is just as intriguing. He commanded a unit of 275 men and was twice taken prisoner by—and twice escaped from—the Confederate Army.

Tilden’s background was impressive. He was the son of a wealthy codfish merchant and mariner, born in 1832 on Main Street in Castine, which was the “mother of all maritime communities” on the Penobscot Bay. In fact, there were more colonels and captains in the Maine Civil War military from this area than from all of Maine. As a boy, Tilden and Chamberlain shared the experience of working a team of oxen, which helped form their hands-on leadership style. This early command of animals provided a lesson in humility and required a sharp mind to keep the team in line. Both men attended Bowdoin College, and although Tilden was not a scholar by habit or mind, he was fascinated by the military history of Castine and Penobscot.

Tilden’s military career began in 1857 when he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Castine Light Infantry. Unfortunately, in the same year, his father suffered financial ruin due to the “global economic panic.” By 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected and southern states made their bids to secede from the Union, Tilden wrote, in one of two of his surviving letters, “We shall have volunteers in our company in case of a war.” Although we don't know his true stance on slavery, Tilden and the Castine Light Infantry joined the Bangor regiment in 1861 when Lincoln called up the militia, and Tilden fought his first battle at Bull Run, demonstrating his courage by volunteering to retrieve fallen soldiers amid Confederate sniper bullets.

Tilden understood that men could not be led simply by someone who told them what to do. He could fight, he could lead, and he would lead his men from the front, not the back. After the Battle of Bull Run, Tilden was sent back to Maine to raise the 16th regiment, which was derided by other regiments as the “Blanket Brigade” because of their lack of adequate supplies and poverty.

On July 1, 1863, at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg, Tilden was given orders to “blunt the attack” by the Confederate soldiers, who were coming in from Harrisburg. Amidst tremendous chaos and confusion, most Union commanders died or were wounded, and no field report was ever written about this part of the battle. As the Confederate army advanced, the 16th regiment was ordered to hold its position to allow the withdrawal of other Union regiments. Surrounded by four Confederate regiments, Tilden had to explain to his men that “they were given a suicide mission, with no support or reinforcements.”

For twenty minutes, the 16th regiment was thrown into a bloody sea of gray, standing in two lines, the front kneeling and shooting, the rear loading their rifles. They fought on as friends and comrades dropped to the ground while the Union regiments successfully withdrew. Ordering his men, who were still able, to flee, Tilden refused to surrender, thrusting his sword into the ground and breaking it before he could be captured. They fought on as friends and comrades dropped to the ground, holding their position to allow the withdrawal of other Union regiments.

In a further, desperate act--and to prevent the Confederate forces from capturing their regimental flag--the soldiers of the 16th Maine took a drastic step. As they were surrounded and facing certain defeat, the soldiers cut up their colors into small pieces, ensuring that the flag would not fall into enemy hands. Despite being taken as prisoners of war, the soldiers held onto those pieces of their flag as a symbol of their regiment's valor and sacrifice.

Some of those pieces have survived to this day and are displayed as a testament to the bravery of the men of the 16th Maine.

By the end, out of the 275 soldiers under his command, only 46 survived. Tilden was twice taken prisoner by—and twice escaped from—the Confederate Army, a testament to his strength and resilience.

Although Tilden’s story may not be as well-known as Chamberlain’s, it is one that is just as harrowing and inspiring. Tilden's leadership made a crucial difference--not only during the Battle of Gettysburg--but throughout the Civil War.