St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-11-10

midst shine out the tender lines which
those who knew him best thought most
fitting to raise above the revered dead.
Vermont in the Rebellion.
The nineteenth annual reunion of
the Vermont officers in the rebellion
was held at Montpelier on Thursday
afternoon. The address was given by
Hon. @. G. Benedict of Burlington.
The story of the great civil war, said
the speaker, in which our society had
its origin, will in time be told, and that
more fully than the story of any great
war in human history. Covering more
land and water than any other modern
war; enlisting the services of over
three millions of soldiers, who faced
each other in nearly hundred import
ant battles, and in lesser engagements
without count seen by more eye-wit
nesses capable of describing its events
than any other war since the world
was made ; Il war about which more
was written and printed in the time of
it than any other war-the very abund-
ance of materials for the historian adds
w illt WI
his task. The five thousand solid
pages thus far issued of the official rec
Ords of the war by the government
barely cover the first nine months of
the war, and but one important battle.
The speaker mentioned some of the
points i'll the war record of Vermont
which had passed beyond serious dis
pute, and referred to the part taken by
Vermont troops in the war of the rev
olution. In many respects, he said,
Vermont was far less ready to answer
to the call to arms in 1861 than it was
in l775. The eighty years between the
revolution and the rebellion had not
made our state populOus and wealthy.
The time when every Nermonter was
as handy with the rifle us with the axe
had passed away. The military spirit
had become apparently extinct. There
was no active or efficient state militia,
and military service was not matter
of duty with our citizens. In response
to the first order to the captains of i'll
dependent companies of state militia
directing them to ascertain how many
men would respond to the call to arms
for the defence of Washington, Ht
men, armed and equipped, were re-
ported to be in readiness. The state
arsenal contained but 957 muslets
mostly smooth-borcS, and SOB Colts
pistols. But when the actual call to
arms came, you remember Vermont
rose with the great uprising of the
north. The proclamation of our gov
ernor cOnvening our Legislature t,
provide men and arms bore even dat,
! =, Dr.-,ln,,t I .r.A1,,f.
and antedated by at least Il day al
similar prOclamatiOns of other govern
Ors ; and our first regiment was ready
in time to make the first permanent
occupation of the soil of Virginia anG
to take Il hand in the first battle. Yer
mont furnished for the war, as credited
OH the books of the provost marsha
general of the United States, one il
ten of her population. The speaker
in referring to the native Vermonter
who fought i'll western regiments, salt
that statistics would doubtless shov
that as many men born in Vernon
were included in the rolls of Othe
states rs in our own.
NermOnt's first appropriation for wa
purposes was a million dollars. Gu
entire property of money for recruit
ing, equipment and pay of troops wa
nine millions. This amount was raise,
on IA total property and money valua
tiOn of about eighty-five millions. Tn
towns of Vermont also expended TO
war purposes over five millions, SI6.5
for each inhabitant. The speaker men
toned the following twelve impOrtan
campaigns and battles of the war: BuI
Run, because, as Mr.. SwintOn says,
showed that the war was to be wa
f and not sixty days riot Shiloh, "A
= the defeat of the first formidable az
, gressive campaign of the confederat
: armies ill the west the peninsular cam
f paign of 1862, memorable for rebt
successes Gettysburg, as the defeat G
. the greatest rebel invasion of the east
Vicksburg, because it opened the Miss
/ issippi to the Union; the Wilderness
\ which inaugurated the "hammerin
= OUT. of the confederacy Cedar Creel
I as the most romantic battle of the war
, Atlanta and the march to the Sc;
+ which showed that the cOnfederac
e was only shell Nashville, which al
initiated the rebellion at the west, an
= the capture of Petersburg, which wa
y the capture of Richmond and the co
g lapse of the cOnfedercy. In all br
n three of these contests Vermont trOOI
e rendered important service. Mr.. Ber
: edict graphically portrayed the gallan
n ry and valOr displayed on these battl
= tielis by Vermont troops and paid
d high tribute to the troops for their In,
v trOus achievements in so many cris,
of the war.
d The orator concluded his interestin
u address with the following brillial
:, peroratiOn: We claim, without fear
= successful contradiction, that the pc,
pie of Vermont were more nearly unal
= imOus in the support of the war for Il
+ Union than the people of any 9th
is state. We claim that in proportion
= her taxable wealth Vermont paid mo-
# for the support of the government thu
= the wealthiest state ,and more than mo
10 of the states. We can say that in pr
J. portion to population Vermont h;
more SONS in the army of the Uni'
,v and fewer in the rebel army than al
other state. We can say that our sta
was one of three, Massachusetts, al
New York being the others, who
troops fought from Big Bethel to A