Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Haskell-Marston Camp#56

Haskell-Marston Camp#56, sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, was officially instituted on February 12, 1997, in Yarmouth, Maine. Two former camps had existed, John A Logan #56, which surrendered its charter in 1905, and John A Logan #85. The exact date of discontinuance of the latter cap is presently unknown.

The current camp is named for two of Yarmouth's residents who served in the Civil War. William L Haskell and Charles Levi Martson.

William L Haskell, for whom Yarmouth's G.A.R Post#108 was also named, was a native of Poland, Maine, and a graduate of North Yarmouth Academy and Bowdoin, College. It was while a student at Bowdoin that he became known to the residents of Yarmouth as a teacher, earning money to continue his studies at Bowdoin. He became a resident of Yarmouth and a member of the Baptist Church, being married in the "Olde Meeting House on the Hill", which was the Baptist Church at that time. He is also buried immediately behind the church.

He enlisted in the 7th Maine Infantry in August of 1861 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant.

At the battle of Antietam, as a First LT and Adjutant of the regiment, he was wounded in both knees while advancing with the regiment at Piper's Farm. He was removed from the field by a comrade Capt., Jones and lay in a field hospital for three days before he died on October 18th. It was not until after the battle that he received the news that he had been promoted to Captain.

The regiment was so small at this time that it was sent home to recruit and so able to he present at his funeral service in Yarmouth.

Charles Levi Marston was born in North Yarmouth, graduating from North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth and was a student at Kent's Hill Seminary when he enlisted in the 1st Maine Cavalry in 1864. He rose to the rank of sergeant by the time of his discharge in 1865, in the meantime being captured by and escaping from the rebels at the Battle of

Sycamore Church.

Returning to Yarmouth to live after completing his studies and working in Boston for several years he became a trustee of North Yarmouth Academy and a member of Haskell Post #108, G.A.R. As the last surviving member of that Post and Yarmouth's oldest citizen, he attended the 75th Gettysburg Reunion in 1938 and marched in the 1940 New York City Memorial Day parade as one of five surviving veterans able to march. He was elected as delegate to the National Encampment of the G.A.R in 1941 but did not attend. He died in 1942 at the age of 96.