The men of the 19th Maine mostly came from Waldo County and the town of Belfast. The regiment, known as "The Frying Pan Regiment" due to an accident of cooking bacon over a fire, with the skillet held up with live artillery rounds, had a large number of college educated soldiers in the ranks. As part of the First Brigade of the Second Division of the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac, the 19th Maine was present at Gettysburg, PA, arriving at dawn on the second day of battle, July 2, 1863. After the retreat of the Third Corps, Col. Heath kept the 19th Maine in line on Cemetery Ridge to repel the Confederate advance of Perry's Brigade of Florida infantry, and to protect the center of the Union line. They also were near the center of the line the next day to repel Pickett's Charge. During the two days of battle, the 19th Maine lost 53% of their troops. After the battle, they recovered 1,740 Confederate muskets in front of their line, rifles dropped by the dead or wounded Confederates who tried to overcome the 440 men of the small regiment.