This group of items belonged to William E. Leighton, who served in the 28^th Maine for 9 months as a 1^st and then 2^nd Sergeant. He later served as a 1^st Lieutenant and Captain in Company A, 1^st Battalion Maine Infantry.

The group contains the following:

Officer’s sword belt. Belt is made of leather 1.50 inches wide with an upper & lower sewn border. Both sword drops are present with all hardware. Plate is regulation officer’s sword belt plate with eagle and wreath. Back has mid-sized tongue and is inscribed with the initials “W.E.L.”  Surfaces of the leather show wear but the belt is in overall excellent condition.

1855 Pocket Testament. Front signature is split otherwise the binding is good. Inside front cover is inscribed “MISS MARY A. HATCH, JUNE 7, 1861.” Under this is “WM. E. LEIGHTON.” Page edges are gilt. Someone has scribbled in pencil around the inscriptions. At this time there is no information on who Mary Hatch was or her relation to the soldier.

Sixth plate tintype in brass hinged gutta-percha case. Case has floral design but has a chip out of each side where one of the hinge anchor screws passes through it. Chips are minor and do not really detract. The tintype inside the case is just a tad on the dark side. Image is a full standing view of three officers and a 1^st Sergeant. It would seem obvious that the men pictured are the Captain, 1^st Lieutenant, 2^nd Lieutenant and 1^st Sergeant of Leighton’s Company but which Company and which man is Leighton? From magnification the officer second from the right APPEARS to have a two-digit number in the bugle of his cap. If that is the case then one would assume the men pictured to be from the 28^th Maine as Leighton’s later unit would only have had a single number designation. If this assumption is correct, Leighton would be the 1^st Sergeant in the photo. However, Leighton was 6 feet tall and the 1^st Sergeant appears to be of average height. We may never know the answer for sure.

Diary with lock of hair. Typical pocket diary. Binding has come loose. It starts in September of 1862 and runs through to June of 1863. The diary is full of entries in pencil. Leighton writes about daily things, weather, drill, troop movements etc… The diary ends just before the regiment was involved in the assaults on Port Hudson. Tucked in the back of the diary is a letter written after the attack at Port Hudson. It is difficult to read because the pencil script has faded. In the letter he is discussing his time in the rifle pits. Inside the back pocket is a small folded piece of paper that has “TO WILL” written on the front. When unfolded a small lock of hair is revealed. Written on the paper is “THERE IS THE LITTLE LOCK, KEEP IT FOR JOSIE’S SAKE. I KISSED IT WHEN I PLACED IT HERE. FROM YOUR WIFE JOSIE, WITH LOVE.” This lock is kept in the back pocket of the diary.

Small bound book called “THE MARRIAGE RING” with a small newspaper clipping inside announcing William’s marriage to Josephine M. Leavitt. The book was presented to Mr. & Mrs. Leighton on their marriage by the Rev. E. Dewhurst who preformed their wedding ceremony. Book runs approx. 128 pages with gilt edged pages and is in good condition.

Another small diary like notebook with entries concerning the Company like a roster, Guard listings and some diary type entries. Book is in good condition with Leighton’s initials inside front cover.

White metal match safe with flip top and scrollwork design on the outside. Nicely engraved on the side “UNCLE WILL FROM LOLLIE.”

Post-war CDV of Mrs. Josephine Leighton. This is a bust view in very good condition by C. G. Carleton, of Waterville, Me. Ink inscription on back reads “MRS. LEIGHTON.”

Four GAR Ribbons. 1.) Large black ribbon with stamped white metal top bar with “GAR” on the face and pin on back. Ribbon has silver lettering that reads “I.C. CAMPBELL POST NO.1, PEMBROKE, MAINE.” Blow this the ribbon is white with gold lettering that reads “IN MEMORIAM” with a multicolored embroidered GAR badge. Beneath this the ribbon is black again with silver lettering that reads “HONOR THE NOBLE DEAD.” Pinned to the ribbon over the top of the central design is another badge that reads “GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC” across its face with a white ribbon bearing two full color crossed US flags and a lithographed button showing soldiers around a campfire. 2.) Red, white and blue ribbon with a stamped brass eagle at top and pin on back. Gold lettering on face reads “14^TH REUNION 6^TH MAINE VETERAN ASSOCIATION MACHIAS, AUG. 22, 1894.”  Lower section has full color US flag. Bottom edge where date is located is folded over. 3.) Plain black ribbon with gold fringe and tassels along bottom edge. Silver lettering near base reads “BAILEY POST NO. 67, NORTH TROY, VT.” 4.) Large red ribbon with printed gold fringe and gold lettering that reads “THIRTEENTH RE-UNION SECOND MAINE CAVALRY” next is a circle that appears to have the Maine State Seal at center surrounded by “14^TH, 21^ST, 22^ND, 23^RD, 24^TH, 28^TH and below this “31^ST INFANTRY ASSOCIATION.” All of the ribbons are in good condition.

Too numerous to list here is a stack of approx. 75 or more documents related to Leighton’s later service with the 1^st Maine Battalion. There are some Company clothing roasters, numerous blank ordnance forms, personal papers, General Orders etc… There are even Patent documents for a foghorn designed by Leighton.

William E. Leighton was born May 20, 1840. He enlisted into Company E, 28^th Maine Volunteers on September 10, 1862 for 9 months. He was 1^st Sergeant till December 25, 1862 when he was reduced to 2^nd Sergeant at his own request. Leighton served with this regiment at Port Hudson, La. He was mustered out on August 31, 1863. He enlisted again on March 29, 1865 as a 1^st Lieutenant in Captain Brown’s Company A, 1^st Battalion Maine Infantry. During his time with this unit he did occupation duty in South Carolina. He was promoted Captain on October 8, 1865 and was finally mustered out April 5, 1866.

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