The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-02
Vermont Boys at Gettysburg.

The great celebration the last Fourth
was at Gettysburg, where a national
monument was dedicated, with an ORA
ton from Maj. Gen. Howard, who took
so important a part in winning the vic.
tory there two years previous. In the
account of this celebration, Carleton
revives considerable of the history of
| the battle. After recounting the posi-
tions of different brigades and divisions
| of the Union army on that notable Sd
day Of July, 1868, he thus speaks of the
| part acted by the
GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS.
| "Now leaving this line of men in
| blue, and walking directly from the last
oak trees mentioned west, six or eight
rods toward Cohorts house, we find a
| shallow ditch, yet remaining partly con-
cealed by small scrub oaks. There were
| the nine month Vermont boys, under
Stannard. All through the second day
| they lay i'm reserve in the rear of the ce-
metery, where the shells rained upon
them from right and left and front. /
saw them lying flat on their faces; but
on the third day they were lying here,
in advance Of all others, the right men
in the right place. Their muskets We're
of sufficient range to fire deadly volleys
the moment the rebels crossed the road
and began to advance from COHORTS
house.
At that moment the rebels began to
feel the peltings of such storm as they
never felt before, from the batteries al
ready enumerated, taking them in front
| and on the right flank. To escape that
storm on their right from the sixty-fourr
guns, they DETECTED toward the north,
or rather obeying the orders of Longstreet
to close by the left This threw them
past STANDARDS right flank. The blood
of the Vermont boys wasup. They were
ready fora charge. He had but to give
| the word, and two regiments, the Thir-
| tenth and Fourteenth, sprang to their
| feet They had faced southwest. They
swung round toward the northwest, and
moved forward into the rear of KEN
per's Brigade of Virginians, five regi-
ments. Nov is your time, boys" said
Hancock, and Harrow's men also sprang
to their feet, and pushed upon the flank
of Kemper.
At this moment the scene was of in
tense interest, for Garnett's and Armi-
stead's troops had reached the fence by
the thicket, and Halls and Hayes
troops were obliged to fall back ant
stand behind the guns. Some of the
men of the 18th Virginia and some O
the 18th rushed upon the guns and were
blown to pieces. There were desperate
hand-to-hand fights, bayonet thrusts and
sabre strokes. When / walked along
the lines, after the rebels were repuIsed,
while the killed and wounded were ly-
ing where they fell, saw men in gray
and men In blue, side by side, their
blood flowing from CHASTITY wounds, and
mingling in one stream. That was the
only place where the rebels reached oul
|, lines. That is the highest flow of tide
It was high water only for a moment
: for the Vermont boys were in the real
! of the rebels, pouring their volleys into
l their backs. Hayes men sprang GU
from above the grove and penned them
how many | do not remember. Very
few of Garnett's and Kemper's men re-
crossed the Emmetsburg road.
WiIcox's division, which was behind
Kemper's, was. broken by the terrible fire
of the batteries and the other two Yer.
mont regiments, gathered up large
number of stragglers. The Green Noun
tain State won for herself on that day
laurel which will never fade.
O, how it stirs ones blood to stand
upon this spot, to recall that scene, walk
over the ground, trace the yet visible
outlines of the conflict, and read the
historic record - that there the hopes
and expectations of the Confederacy be-
gan to wane--that there the future o.
our country began to brighten!