Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-03-23
A Gun from Vermont.


Under this caption the Boston Journal prints
the following letter from Colonel s. NJ Pingree Of
Hartford, Vermont, called out by statement
copied into the journal from the army and Navy
Journal asserting that Maine is the only state
which never lost flag by capture during the
rebellion
1.-THE army and Nary Journal processes TO be
an exponent Of matters military and naval and
ought to be careful not to asperse the history or
besmirch the glory Of any state which furnished
troops to save the Union 1t ought to be enough
for that organ to award to the odd Pine Tree
State her due need Of honor land her record Is a
noble one without marrng or attempting TO draw
comparison, at once invidious az well AZ untrue,
and for this reason | now contradict IL and can
prove 1t false.
vermont sent into service in the Union armies
a,23S men from population only little rising
100000. They consisted Of seventeen regiments
Of infantry, one regiment Of cavalry, three bat
teries and two companies OF sharp-shooters--
ing Of men furnished one in nine Of her popuia-
ton The larger part of these troops served in the
Army Of the Potomac, and seven regiments in the
Old Sixth Corps side by side with Names
Sixth and Seventh Regiments, and in the same
division. The cavalry and one battery also served
in that army. Two regiments Of infantry and
two batteries were in the Department Of the Gulf
and three regiments of nine months infantry
were actively engaged in the hottest OF the fight
at Gettysburg.
mo rebel hand ever touched the colors OF any
one OF these twenty-one organizations, The Sec
ond Vermont regiment lost heavily at Bull Run
in July, 1861, and fred the last voley at Lees
troops in May 1865 The Fourth Vermont reg.
iment captured the flag Of the Sixteenth Virginia
regiment at South Mountain, September IA, 1862
Three Vermont regiments were in the column OF
twelve regiments under the gallant Emory Upton
in the capture at The angle Of General Edward
johnson and over 5000 prisoners, and one was in
the front line, the first to enter the works and the
last to leave, In that engagement nine flags were
taken, none lost. The First Vermont cavalry in
the Shenandoah Valley in one campaign under
Sheridan), captured three flags and twenty-four
cannon, and yet they kept their own banner.
vermont sent larger per cent Of her inhab-
itants lost larger per cent of her troops in battle
and lost smaller per cent by desertion, than
Maine''
lows ave are obliged to Colonel Pingree for his
Journal which we had not seen till we found it
quoted by Colonel Pngree. Among the treasures
in the rebel war department, taken when Rich
mond fell, was a collection Of trophies OF southern
valor, including the Union flags, which had fallen
into the enemy's hands These were sent to
Washington, and are now preserved in the flag
room Of the war department The list of them
includes the flags OF every northern state but
| three-vz. Maryland (which was hardly north
| ern state, though compelled to take the Union
side in the war;; Delaware, which had but a
dozen regiments in the Union army; and distant
| California, which also sent comparatively few men
| into the United States service, and those saw
comparatively little fighting. The single Vermont
| flag among the number is that OF the Ninth Yer
| montana that was not captured in action The
ninth regiment formed part of the garrison o
Harpers Ferry which was surrendered by the
treachery of General Miles, in spite of the earnes
protest of Colonel Stannard commanding the
ninth. General Stannard informs us that til,
colors Of the regiment were cut from the staff
and secreted by the color sergeant or some mem
bers of the color guard when the fact Of the sur
render became known to our men. The state FLAG
| of the ninth, however, appears to have been dis
| covered by the enemy and to have fallen int
their hands. How the flag or flags of Maine regi
ments found in Richmond came to be there W,
do not know But the rebels never had chanc,
| to glory over flag OF a Vermont regimen
| captured in action.
"To the captured rebel flags mentioned by Colone
Pingree, may be added those of the Twelfth Nortl
Carolina, taken by the First Vermont cavalry;
flag taken by the Fourth Vermont at Champion
Pass, battle flag taken by the Fifth Vermont
and one by the Eleventh Vermont. These are nov
among the trophies in the Ordnance office a
Washington
"The proportion Of deaths in action and fror
wounds to the thousand, as given in the report @
the provost marshal of the army. was for Maine
i4.37; for Vermont, 5s %, almost third moro 70
Vermont. Yet the Maine men were brave fight
ers and did a good deal Of fighting and their los
in action was above the average Of the Unoi
army"