Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-11-08
The Service of the First Vermont Cavalry.

THE FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY, AT MONT
TELLER, Get, 30TH, 1873, EY LILuT. II. 0
WHEELER, OF BURLINGTON.
Mr.. President and Comrades:
The war cloud which had been gathering
for years, and threatening more dangerous
" than We then knew, to deluge oul
country. had already broker, and the
tempest had been raging fer months, wher
the First Vermont Cavalry, on bleak
November day, II years ago, was mustered
into the service OF tho United States.
We had come from the hills and the
valleys of cur State from the farm. the
office, the shop, tn, school. the store, and
the college from every position of labor
and OF duty, We had tnrncd our backs upon
oar homes, and, inspired by common I'M
pulse of patriotism, had rallied round the
flag, and for its protection had pledged our
best service, the sacrifice of our dearest
earthly interests, and, if need be. our lives.
| Daring the few weeks passed in Camp
Ethan Allen, We learned to march with
tolcrable precision. and with consiisra bic
alacrity to the soup house. and had
learned. after more difficulty. to relish what
seemed then not the most inviting fare, but
which afterwards wOnld have been regarded
by IL - simply Injurious We bad per-
formed guard duty armed with clubs. the
] Atinut %. W LltN Nb.Nt lGthatS@ tllitfl- lt.u
painfully ieit, a. they arXinu,ly tested the
vigilance and iathiulncs1 uf the scntInI1 ;
We had learned to call Justify tor the
corporal of the guard when any mental
service was required. such As the catching
| and fastening OF some loose horse, and thus
carly in our service had we gained some
knowledge Of the dignity ard Importance
! Of the oflice of corporal
We had dotted our motley citizens glrb,
and had dOnned in part the army blue. but
/ not in full, Tor our CvcrcOats were OF a dull
dun color, no. far removed from the con-
| itderato gray orr shoulders gli-tened with
| braz,n scales, one might almost say shields,
and our upturnei stiff hats shJne with
| brazan eagles. We had our sabres, and our
self cooking rcvolvcrs which proved more
dangerous to ourselves than to our enemy.
We had Vermont horses, with now and then
an animal suggestive OF Canada, and We
had our companies OF chestnut. OF bay and
Of brown, of gray and o! black. and we
were. men and horses. of Vermont stock, a
regimen: christening IT. first camp alter an
early hero i'll the history of our State,
"a regiment from which deeds Of yAlor
could not but be expected, it. indeed, there
should ever be an opportunity for such
deeds, in a war whose speedy termination
was confidently predicted.
We had paraded in the streets o. Bur
lIngton with uncertain and changing step,
our horses now slowly walking, and then
dsshing at full speed in desperate endeavOr
to close up: and had exhibited to an ad
miring and wondering people such feats
of hOrsemanship a. they had never witness
cd before.
And thus, as 1t now seems 10 Us, IN rather
ludicrous exhibitions OF ourselves, and ID
part serious and in part comic prepars-
ton for the stern work before Us, our camp
life in Vermont passed until the middle OF
December. when We were ordered 10 Wash
ington. As We broke camp and went to the
depot, where we were packed IN freight
cars, men and horses together a. We babe
our friends last goodbye, and cluug to
the ou.stretched hands till the moving train
broke our grasp ; as We kept cur lingering
gaze upon the dear ones until they were en-
tlrely out of view. and still looked fondly in
the direction OF those whOp We had left,
and then settled down upon our blankets
and our saddles with our horses, VIC began
10 realize something of the significance OF
the separation which had Just taken place.
A dag and a night OF railroad travel
brought US to New York, and We found
quarters not in the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
but in the stables and barns OF a street car
company. How that Sabbath day and night
were spent by Us, those Of you who were
there can remember but it Is safe to yrI-
ture the statement that the congregations in
the churches were not perceptibly increased
by the presence in the city of the FRI Yer
mont Cavalry.
On the perils of the march through New
York, on the following Monday morning,
to the ferry, over the smooth and slippery
pavements, and on the journey through New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, where
the functions oil conductor. engineer, fire.
man and brakeman were usurped by the reck-
less soldier passengers, We need not linger !.
neither need We stop long over our ex
perence in Washington, here We were set
down in muddy. dismal, deserted ceme-
terry. filed with pitfalls of yawnIng SraSes.
But our stay there was short, and on Christ
mas day We found ourselves upon our
first march. with Annapolis Tor our
destination. Our appearance on that march
must have been picturesque Every man
was supplied with an outli. for housekeep |
ing. Nothing thai thoughtful love could |
suggest had been forgotten. ln addition to |
our regular equipments If sabre, pistol, |
haver>ack, canteer, lIriat ropes and pin, |
feed bag and blanket, We had cups, knives. |
forks, plates. frying pans, coffee pots,
shawls mattresses, pillows, valses, satchels, |
brushes for horses, hair and boots, and |
other things too numerous to mention here,
and all these things were in some unac-
way attached to our horses and
ourselyel. so that We had when mounted
a position gained only by deyterity and
agility formidable breast works in our
front, and towering bulwarks in our rear
We were, in appearance, a caravan. With
our horses unused to marching, our riders
unused IN irIvIpn and OtIpprs unuSet |
to everything in the service, We went much
oil the vs. at pace little short of the
charge. The little .iarylsnd village at
which we stopped that night did not eAtenu
10 US an enthusiastic welcome. We were
tired and lame, sore aid hungry; the slaves
we're INDUCING in holiday. and the sulky
whites were neither willing nor able to do
lny.hing for our comfort. This was not to
Is merry Christmas, and through all the
of our subsequent army life
here were few marches that seemed more
evere than this first march.
The next day We reached Annapolis.
: there we went into winter quarters. We
low came down to camp discipline under
len. Hatch, and, a. We came down, our
lOrsts went up in importance. The winter
'assed mono.Onously away. without events
4 great interest or excitement. During the
NiiAti bui ms tuIIi Nbl. |
. Il. Platt, alter securing sd3cessOr who
;as believed to be cminently qualified to
Fad and command the regiment. resigned
Is position. and left us. Col Platt dis
hargcd the duties which nc undertook with
larked ability. With the energy and en-
rrpriSe characteristic OF the man, he, in q |
eT; short time, raised and organized the
egimcnt saw 1t well armt d and equipped.
nd Ia hne condition Tor service, aud then
pprtciatIng the importance and rc-pOnsl a
iltV OF the position, be wisely retired in |
lyor OF one who BY education. training and /
xperience, could wOrthily fill the place i
reat credit Is due Col. Plat, and to him
II honor tor the service be rendered. When a
ul Holiday assumed command. We be- |,
ime more truly military organization I
ie looked up to him with that strange n
,mblnatiOn OF respect, reverence and alice i
On, which chaTacterEcs soldier re- h
ard iDr trusted commander. The h
,ascn Tor active operations was approach h
ig, and about the middle of March we were n
-dered to Poolsyillc. Nd. Among the I
ci1cnts OF the march to louisville, was h
ls capture, by slave-hunttrs. mounted and h
Imct. and with hounds, of some slaves, n
he, strangely prcterrlng freedom to silveTy, II
ok refuge with u, and sccrcttd them K
Ives IN oar baggage wagons. II some OF n,
did not test the steel OF our sibres i.nd .,
lie virtue Of our rcyo!ver+ upon those hui h
An hounds, it was not bccaus, We did not s.
l-h to. M
lsecOllectiJns of PO1lsville are neither m
ca-ant nor >ayory. Dirt and filth were I,
most prominent charactcriltics. and a,
hen We received orders to move forward to n,
{ Shenandoah valley, We gladly prepar- n,
to quit this place Our last day at
IJ!svIlle was spent in the work Of grind vi
z our sahros. News Of the recent battle n,
Winchester had reached US. and Gen f.,
ie!i-' victory cheertd aud encouraged Us
/ onr march to Virginia We passed III
Rough llarper'S Ferry, already rendered IN
Store as the scene OF the heroic but rash vi
Tempt II grand old John Brown to FREQ "
&c from bondage. We saw the little ma
ilding- which he converted into iOrtiiica- A
ns,-saw tho marks Of the bullets and cy
her relies OF the conflict there wagci ia m
interest OF freedom. and as we after nc
rdS passed the place memorable ~ the an
l.. i. /