Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-06-18

The Crossing Of the Rarushap..cL


Col. Grant, commanding the LIST Yer
mont Brigade, has forwarded to Adjutant
and Inspector General Washburn, the fol
lowing report of the crossing of the Rap
pahannook by his command. We have
Published accounts of il from the CORE
spondence of New York papers but the
following official report may be relied up
on as more accurate, of course, and there.
fore we lay II also before our readers.
Acorrect list of the casualties sustained
at the time of the crossing by the 5th reg
ment, and also in subsequent skirmishing
by the tb,sent us by Lieut.. and A, A. G.
Forbes, we publish elsewhere:
HEADQUARTERS lsT VI BRIGADE
SOUTH SIDE THE RApPAHANNocK,
Saturday Morning, june 6, 1868.
PETER 7. WAsHBvRN,
Adjutant and Inspector General,
SIR The Vermont Brigade has again
crossed the Rappahannock at the old point
about IL miles below fredericksburg.
1t is the first Brigade across, and so far as
my knowledge extends, it is the only one
yet over.
We left camp yesterday soon after noon
and marched to the river, distance of
about five miles, The pontoons were on
the ground ready to be taken down the
bank and thrown across the river. The
rebels had constructed rife pits IN front of
and commanding the point where the
bridges were to be placed. These rife
pits were occupied by rebel infantry. As
soon as the artillery could be got into po-
stion 1t opened a terrible fire on the rife
pits. II had but little effect, however, ex-
cept TO keep back reinforcements that
were coming to the assistance of those al
ready in the rifle pits. But very few of
those IN the rife pits were injured by the
artillery FIRE. They managed to keep up
a calling musketry fire upon the engineers
who attempted to construct the bridges
1t was determined TO drive the rebels from
the rife pits. The 9Th Vermont, 1t. Col.
Lewis, and Goth New Jersey, Lit. Col.
Martindale, were ordered forward for that
purpose. They rushed gallantly down the
bank, and with the assistance of the en-
gineers, and under CALLING fire from the
rife pits, they launched the pontoon boats
into the stream, and jumping into them
rowed across and landed upon the south
bank.
But few companies of the 5th had
crossed when they sprung up the bank
and withssshouts charged the rifle pits, driv-
ing the enemy before them in great confu-
sion, taking many of them prisoners The
Goth New Jersey came CALAMITY to the
support of the 9th, and did we'll, but it is
believed the 9th cleared the rife pits. The
Sd Vt, COL Seayer, and tho 4th Vt, Col,
Stoughtoa, and the I'd VT, Col. Wal
bridge, also crossed in boats and CALAMITY
supported the regiments across. The reb-
els were driven across the plain into the
woods. One bridge was soon completed
and the 9th VT, Col. Barney, also crossed.
Our positions were taken and are still
held.
II is impossible at this time to give par
ticulaT instances of dashing gallantry,
though there were many. 1t was quick
work and splendidly executed.
The number of prisoners taken is not at
this time known, but it is believed to be
between one and two hundred. Captain
Davenport sent in two officers and "a en-
listed men who surrendered to him after
dark, and over Deep Creek where Capt.
Davenport Of the 9Th, and Capt Bontin Of
the 4th, had been sent on picket