The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-07-30
The Battles Before Richmond.


We nave been requested to publish the FOL
lowing extracts from private letter, written by
an officer who was first and foremost IN The
fight of the 29th OF June at Savage's Station.
The Vermont Brigade has done nobly, and we
are fully as anxious the several regiments aud
their officers can be that due credit shall be
given to each of them.
Capt. Rand, has published a letter in which
he takes the credit for the I'd regiment as the
one which did all the fighting for the Brigade,
and one would think that the Captains compa
ny did all the fighting for the Regiment.
Now the truth s the 81 Regiment was not
properly in the fight at all. Two companies of
the I'd were deployed as skirmishers, but our
Regiment (the 5th) passed the n, going about
300 yards before making our final stand. Col,
Whiting himself told me that he was ordered to
support our Regiment, and that as he g diu not
fnd US he thought we were further to the
right" Col. Whiting also informed me that he
marched his regiment through the woods I" 10
column and that i: was not dtpLoyed in line Of
battle at aN Other officers of the I'd have told
me the same thing. The % was " in column of
division left in 'front.' The two left compa
MES 18th division) were advanced rs skirmish
srs. That loft the 4th division in front, and as
Capt. Randall's company was the color compa
ny be belonged in the third DIVISION, and ii he
kept his place he would have been in the rear of
the 4th division all the time. The 5th Regiment
was at the extreme right of the Brigade and the
9th was depoyed little to the left of it, and
understand from Capt -, who WAS there
nd Rop
another, got his company out of place and mix
ed up with the right of the 9th and our left,
ard that is the way the principal loss of his
over the 9th, which was in front OF the I'd, and
by flank fire which passed entrel y in our rear.
The story about the 2d's charging on bate
bayonet charge was made by the 5th when it
charged upon an infantry force down i'd a ra
y.ne, or gorge, and well protected. :" Oar
charge scattered the Rebel Regiment in every
direction and then two other Regiments beyond
opened upon US, and another from the edge of
the woods cross-fred upon US. The battery
which played upon US was further down the road
say 300 yards from where we took our final
stand,-and | do positively know that no Regl
ment charged upon it, for we were in the open
Dtlu anu CouIu pldiulJ STE tWO 1sopcl heElufulS
and the battery oelch forth it's fire and do
know that no Regiment went In front or beyond
the 9th. The battery was slenctd by two of our
companies Cd and F) directing their fire straigh
down the road and full upon it. These two
companies stood directly across tho road. We
fought against whole Brigade and battery,
and after driving one Regiment at the point of
the bayonet, we silenced their battery and stood
our ground against the fire of three othor Regl-
ments and never left the field until the euemy's
fire had entirely ceased, when We were ordered
from the field, retiring in good order.
The story about our getting stuck in swamp
ia all " bosh." We were in an open field on
good hard ground. After making the charge
We took the best position the nature of the
ground would admit Of our left being protected
by few scattering trees, and our centre and
right by few trees and u swell of ground in
front; and it was from this position that we 81
fenced the battery and fred into the infantry in
front and lett. Here most of our men fell fight
Ing like heroes. Some fired away their six Y
rounds of cartridges, and took more from their
dead and wounded comrades
Our loss, killed, wounded and missing, was
POI, but in that fight 20l.
After suffering go much, think the Rcgi-
ment is entitled to some credit. Ii receives al
here, and [ want i, should also receive its full
quota OF credit in Vermont.