Beginning in 1861, six of the seven batteries of mounted light artillery raised by the State of Maine were mustered into service and trained in Augusta. They encamped on high ground immediately southwest of the State House, and the men complained about the difficulty of getting horses up and down the incline to the nearby stream, now Kennedy Brook. The 2nd Maine and 4th Maine Batteries fought in numerous battles with the Army of the Potomac and distinguished themselves at the Battle of Gettysburg. When the war ended, the six batteries were ordered to Augusta and were discharged there in June 1865.