Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-06-05

1864 until the surrender Of Lee at Appomat-
tox in April following. 1t was a sad but glo.
rious day for Vermont, that 9TH day OF May
when the Old Brigade was assigned to hold
the Brock road-the key OF the situation at
the Wilderness and l think [ may safely
say that at no time or place have her sons
ever shown more indubitable evidence OF the
steadiness, reliability and courage OF our
state folk than on that fatefu aud moment
Gus occasion. How grievously they suffered
and how manfully they fought, aye, and died,
too, in fulfilling the confidence reposed in
their bravery, is attested by their terrible
losses. Regiments were reduced TO skele.
tons, officers and men-''thick M leaves of
Vallambrosa" before the pitiless mus.
kerry fre in that dense and tangled thicket
Of wood and underbrush. II was there that
the valiant John s. Tyler received his death
wound, and there the unassuming but cour-
ageous Donnie w. Farr was shot dead. They
were brave boys, both OF them, AZ we're the
MANY others who fought and fell in that des.
perato encounter.
"They passed amid the crash Of arms
Beyond the farthest sun Of suns,
Those galltnt souls, to God"
From that time on, until the final collapse
of the rebellion, it was the fats Of all our
soldiers serving under Gen. Grant to be en-
gagged almost continuously day and night in
are unparalleled in the annals Of war To
say that they did their duty is but to state an
historic truth. That they did even more
than their strict duty we may easily believe
IL we look simply at their list Of casualties
At the Wilderness alone our losses aggregRt.
ed 80, 737, and in one month aud a half from
the time Of crossing the Rapidan nntil Just
after Cold Harbor, the army of the Potomac
alone lost & 400 good men and true. Then
followed the brilliant battles in the Shenan.
doah valley where our Vermont troops gain
cd still greater distinction, aud in the se.
we're conflicts before and around Petersburg
none achieved greater success and none won
more imperi,habie honor. Among those
who fell ut the very fore front of battle Ia
these latter operations was our heroic towns.
man, Col. Chas. Cummings. l should be
glad would time admit TO speak OF that tried
and excellent soldier Lieut.. Col Addison
Brown, jr., aud OF the other brave officers
and men from Brattleboro who fell, but
must pass to other matters and only pause TO
say no, garland is too bright wherewith to
deck their honored graves While thus re-
ferring TO the part taken by our soldiers iu
the Virginia campaigns | am not unmindful
Of the service rendered by the regiments and
batteries not attached to one or the other Of
our two brigades. They were so unfortunate
a. 10 be assigned TO brighdes from other
states, aud in some instances to duty IN fields
remote from the main theatre Of war, aud
for that reason acquired less general conspic.
uity than they would had they been assocat-
ed exclusively with troops from their own
state. Notwithstanding these drawbacks,
however, the part which they performed in
suppressing the rebellion was no less praise.
worthy and heroic. While some of these Or
ganizatons may not be able TO point to a.
many engagements in which they participated
as the regiments comprising the Old Brigade,
yet IL should not be forgotten that ~ oppor.
tunity offered they fought with all the yalor
characteristic OF Yermonters, aud that in nu.
merous instances they were called upon
to endure trials and hardshps which,
although different in character from actual
fighting, called for as high order Of met
tie and fortitude as to face rebel shot and
shell on the field OF battle. recall one iu-
stance in my own experience which, | think,
demonstrates the truth of this assertion.
refer to the ill-stArred Vicksburg campaign,
where in iess than a fortnight out OF 500
men in the 7lh regiment, over 700 we're pros
trated with fevers and other forms OF dis.
ease incident to exposure in the malarious
lowlands of Louisiana and Mississippi, and
from the effects OF which in less than one
year we buried aud discharged with shatter.
ed constitutions over one half Of that gallant
regiment At Port Hudson the sth regiment
and the LIST and "a light batteries, although
displaying great courage and efficiency, found
themselves heavily weighted with r constant
ly increasing sick list, concomitaut upon their
exposure in such pesiilential locality. In
deed, so great were the losses of Gen. Banks's
army from sickness alone during the siege,
that his force mustered barely one-third for
duty at the surrender Of the rebel garrison,
which bad appeared on the rolls two months
before. BY far the largest proportion of
those who died during war were the victims
OF disease incurred from exposure and eli
matte changes. Many a brave boy who, il
death were to come, craved that be might
die on the field of battle, lsnguishod and
finally yielded up his life in the hospital, or
perchanoe in a rebel prison pen.
"They, the young and strong, who cherished
Noble longings for the strife,
BY the roadside fell and perished
Weary with the march Of life
How many of them, alas wasted and died
before our very eyes, who in their illness
dreamed that, could they but be transported
to the clear, crisp air OF their native hills,
they would renew their strength like the ca
gle." But We were pOwerless to snccor or
aid them, and so. unhapply, their patriotic
mission among us ended, and they departed
TO muster ON that more resplendent camp
ground where our comrades in large ma ajority
already are, and where at last we all hope to
rally with them on truer and better align
ment than any we ever formed here.
Vermont was intensely in earnest 10 do her
full duty in supporting and sustaining the
government at all times, from the beginning
TO the close of the war. She was among the
first to furnish her quota of troops, which she
kept more than full aud the 7th regiment, |
believe, was among the very last Of the vol
unteer soldiery OF the army to be mustered
out not being formally dsbanded until April,
1866. The losses sustained by our state
troops reached higher percentage than those
met with by any other Of the Union states,
with the single exception Of Kansas. Amid
all the political interferences with army move
ments with cabals and trickery at times pre-
vailing in high military councils, followed by
the rise aud downfall of this and that gene
raj with reverses occurring, and defeat and
disgrace oft times staring us in the face, the
government could ever turn with confidence
TO the sturdy patriotism and loyalty of its sol
diers and sailors. They were ever true to
their flag and TO duty, aud never faltered or
grew lukewarm in the cause. This was emi-
nently true of our Vermont toys. Wherever
placed, they we're faithful to the trust reposed
in them, and, from the highest to the lowest
in rank, served without 'variableness or
shadow of turning"
We are 30 much accustomed, on these oe-
casons, to think and speak only of what the
army accomplished, that We frequently lose
sight Of the navy altogether. Aud yet, be-
sides revolutionizing naval architecture and
the methods Of naval warfare the world over,
il fought battles and won victories we'll worthy
TO be ranked among the foremost in history.
II was my privilege TO witness some Of Farra-
CUTS memorable achievements in running
batteries on the Mississippi, of which l might
speak but will detain you only to briefly
call attention to another and different contest,
which in some respects was one Of the great
est naval conflicts ever fought, and that was
the engagement in Hampton Roads, March
Sth, 1862, between the rebel ironclad Mesri-
mac and the United States wooden fleet. fol
lowed the next day by the engagement with
the Monitor-or 'fhe Yankee eheese-box, as
the enemy saw ft TO style her. We are told
that in this battle ''old things passed away,
and the experience of a thousand years of
battle aud breeze was forgotten. Line of
battle ships, those huge, overgrown craft,
we're condemned AZ out of date. Rams and
irOnolads we're in future TO decide all naval
warfare" Ali maritime nations lost no time
in devising plans TO reconstruct and rebuild
their navies But II was our own navy, be it
not forgotten, which in the crucial test Of
| battle first monstrated the utility and AdVan-