Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-06-15
RUTLAND HERALD
SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1865.
Review Of the sixth Corps.

equaled by any other corps OF the Army
of the Potomac. And the glorious old
Vermont Brigade has record hardly
equaled by any other brigade of the
Sixth Corps. This corps was reviewed
in Washington on Thursday ofthis week,
and though composed of troops from
Maine, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin,
Maryland, Rhode Island Vermont and
Massachusetts,, correspondent Of a
Massachusetts, paper, 'Perley" Of the
Boston Journal, admits that in the re-
view the "Green Mountain Brigade bore
Off the PALM" All honor to the "Green
Mountain Boys"
The correspondent above named says
of the corps:
'Originally organized by Gen. Badly
Smith, the Sixth Corps did much hard
fighting under Gen. Franklin, and af-
terward under Gen. Sedgewick, who fell
while at its head, at Spottsylvania. Un-
der Gen. Wright it drove Breckenridge
from before this city, pursued Jubal
Early down the Valley of Virginia, and
then took an honorable part in Grants
Anal campaign. Gen. Meade has stated
officially that the decisive movement
which resulted in the overthrow of Lee
and the evacuation of Richmond was
made by the Sixth Corps on the morn
ing of the 9th Of April"
The corps was two hours in passing
the Capitol. "Perley" continues:
"The mounted officers appeared to ad-
vantage especially Brevet Major Gen.
erals Frank Wheaton, Ricketts, and L. s.
Grant, who were splendidly mounted
The Vermont Brigade, Brevet Brgadier
General George P. Foster, made the best
display, and received the highest COM
pliments. The brigade was nearly four
thousand strong, composed of the Sec
ond, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth,
and two battalions of the Fifteenth. az
Every officer and man of this Green
Mountain Brigade wore sprig of ever
green in his cap, and the tattered colors
were ornamented with green wreaths.
The Washington correspondent of the
New York Times says:
1.-THE last of the veterans have been
AOfiV"Sus luC Ndl-N1 OilI anu DdIIlG-
Scared Sixth Army Corps to-day
marched through Washington and ex-
hibited its tattered banners and admir-
able organization to thousands of spec
tators. The pageant was only less in
interest than that of two weeks ago,
because less in size, but there were
many hundreds of eager eyes that gazed
with satisfaction upon the battallions.
remembering that not quite year ago
1t was the Sixth corps which held the
enemy at bay before Washington, and
drove him defeated from the very sub
urbs of the city.
SO the presence Of this body of brave
men quickened the interest of certain
class OF Washington's own people who
have perhaps had too little of the patri-
otto fervor of the cause, but who still do
not forget the value of the service rem
dered, real estate being worth full as
much now as when Breckenridge and
Early pitched their tents on the borders
of the District
The dusty veterans Of the Sixth have
proud record. The colors are far too
small for the inscription of the names
ofall their battles, and there are hundreds
der fire q round hundred times. The
corps was first brought into existence by
Mcclellan, at Cumberland Landing,
on the Pamunky river in May, 1862,
when it was styled the Sixth Provisional
Army Corps, and Maj Gen. W. B. Frank
lin assigned to the command. The corps
has graduated some splendid soldiers,
foremost whom stand the lamented
Sedgewick, the indomitable Hancock
who was present to-day, and again
looked upon the fragments of the brig
ade that he 50 vigorously disciplined at
Camp Griffin, in the winter of 1862;
'Baldy" Smith, whose features were
once so inseperable with The corps, and
Davidson, whose Trans Mississippi cav
airy campaigns have been so success
full and Brooks, now out of the service,
but once pet of the Vermonters and a
gallant officer; young Vinton, badly
wounded at Fredericksburgh: Burnham
the gallant son of Maine, who fell at
Fort Harrison; Russell, killed in the
very hour of victory, at Cedar Creek in
the Valley; Bidwell, giving.up his life
just after receiving his hard earned
star; and many Others gone, now Gorev-
NhosS 10 iChS"SN ihoSb Wv
idly as the veterans of the Sixth pass
by. The term "Sheridans heavy caval-
ry,n was applied to the Sixth Corps by
some one who had a singularly correct
idea of its significance, for the most
brilliant victories of the valley were
those in which the "heavy cavalry came
vigorously to the support of the eight
cavalry" and which, on the 10Th of Oc-
tober under the inspiring presence OF
Sheridan himself, wrested victory from
the very jaws of defeat, and which again
in the final rout of Lee, overhauled, de-
feated and captured the rear guard OF
EWell, and sent to the rear ten thous-
and prisoners, innumerable flags and
cannon, and half a score of Major GEN
erals. Sc, if the Sixth corps marched
to-day with vigorous step and proud
spirit, they were entitled TO do so by all
that goes to make valiant and victori-
Gus soldiers.
Thus history is made. 1t is engraven
upon the face of time, and it cannot be
erased. There is glory enough for al,
and for none more than the bronzed,
xx,ootbar baotay yatarans IF fnur vaa re,