St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-03-12
The Late Colonel Randall.
THE FUNER AL.

/ Randall was largely attended at North
! field on Thursday afternoon in the
Universalist church. People were turn
| ed away bv scores from the doors. The
cadets of Norwich university and Co.
| F. of the State militia, together with
Mortified cornet band, escorted the
remains from the residence to the
! church, where they were met by MEM
| beers of the Grand Army to the number
of 100. an equal number of the Masonic
. fraternity, large delegation from the
Washington county bar, and large
number of citizens.
At the church the services were con
Quoted by the Rev. f. c. Cewper, rec
tor of ST. Mary's church at Mortified.
An able and impressive address was
delivered by Chaplain n. F. Hill of
the First Vermont, and the services of
the G.. A. X. and the Masonic fraterni-
ty were impressively rendered. Dele
cations were present from many parts
of the state.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
The late Francis Y. Randall was a
native of Braintree, Vt, the son of
Gurdon +. Randall. His father was Il
millwright, ahd a man of considerable
reading, who named three sons after
the famous French infidels and scep-
ties, Francis VOltaire, Jean Jacques
Rousseau, and Constantine Francois
VOlney. He had nine children, three
of whom are still living, j. j. Il.
Randall, the architect, of Rutland !;
Mrs. Charles II. Joyce of Washington,
ID. c., and Rev. Edward II. Randall,
rector of ST. Johns Episcopal church
of Poultney. f. V. Randall was the
second son. His father moved to North
field during his bOyhOOd, and he was
there educated, studied law in the office
of Hon. Heman Carpenter, and was ad-
mitted to the bar. Removing to ROX-
bury, VT, he represented that town i'll
the legislatures of 1857 -56- SO, and was
states attorney of Washington county.
In 1860 he moved to Montpelier, and
was in successful practice of his pro-
fession, when the war broke ont. He
recruited company for the first three
years regiment raised in this state,
the Second Vt. Vols, was chosen its
captain, and served with the regiment
till September, 1862, when npon the
organization of the Second Vermont
Brigade, of nine months troops, he
was appointed colonel of the Thir-
1
ular colonel; won high distinction at
Gettysburg and for II few days COM
manded the Second Vermont Brigade,
after the wounding of Gen. Stannard
in that battle Col. Randall returned
to Vermont with the Thirteenth, at
the expiration of the term of service,
and after Il short interval was in Feb.
1864, appointed colonel of the last in
tantry regiment raised III the state -
the Seventeenth Vt. Vols.
HIS BRILLIANT CONDUCT AT GETTYS-
BURG.
The Boston Evening Record contains
the following account of the part taken
by the late Colonel Randall at the head
of the Thirteenth Vermont at Gettys
burg and afterward as commander of
the Seventeeth. Presumably it was
written by Colonel Albert Clarke, us
the Record is the evening issue of the
Daily Advertiser and Col. Clarke is on
the Advertiser staff, and was in com
mand of company i'll the Thirteenth
at Gettysburg:
At Gettysburg. on the second day of
the battle, when the second corps had
been badly cut and been obliged to
abandon Il battery, Colonel Randall
with five companies, was ordered to
the scene. Colonel, can You re- take
those guns ?" asked General Hancock.
Gwen do it or die trying" swas the
quick response, and the gallant little
band dashed down the slope towards
the Emmettsburg road against ten
times their. numbers, not knowing
whether they were supported OF not.
They had scarcely started when Col.
Randall's horse was shot under him.
Extricating himself from the saddle he
ran and overlook his line, and putting
himself ahead of the cOlOrs, hatless,
limping and waving his sword, he led
his men to the very muzzles of the
guns, which had been turned upon
them, before the enemy broke. The
guns were drawn to the rear, the line
was reformed and another charge was
made, which resulted in the capture of
50 SharpShOOterS from a small house,
the smoking ruins of which are shown
in the great cyclOrama now on eXhlbi
ton in this city. The next day Col.
Randall distinguished himself in the
brilliant flank movement of STANDARDS
brigade, which is also shown in the
cyclorama, though not with perfect ac
curacy. He held the right of the brig
AIDE, and in the din of the conflict was
obliged TO rush from officer to officer to
have his orders understood. His en-
tire line was within two rods of Pick
ett's column, where the fight was thick |
est, and a portion of it was hand to
hand conflict. As soon as the rebels
began to throw down their arms, Col. |
Randall ordered his men to cease firing
and alone dashed in among the enemy
and pulled 243 of them within his line /
as prisoners. Ills son, only Is years |
old. was second lieutenant of one of
the companies, and with fathers |
heart. Col. Randall ordered the com
mander of that company to surround |
the prisoners and take them to the I
rear. Later in the war, as commander /
of the Seventeenth Vermont, Colonel |
Randall was in nearly all the hardest !
fought battles Of Grants campaigns |
against Richmond. In fact, his hastily /
gathered detachment went into battle !
before the regiment had ever had al
battalion drill, and before the cam
paign was over he bad lost more than !
half his men But he passed through |
all these perils without receiving any /
injury except a sprain when his horse
fell. His son. above alluded to, fell Il |
victim to the infected clothing las it |
was supposedly that the infamous DR..
Blackburn caused to be sent TO the |
army, and died from the effects of
smallpox.
Alexander Watkins, prominent
Westminster farmer, has failed ); esti-
mated liabilities 100000.