St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-05-27
THE EIGHTH VERMONT.

| One of the most prominent features
of the history of the 9th Vermont reg
iment is Col Herbert E. Hills descrip
ton of the battle of Cedar Greek. From
this account are taken the following
paragraphs: "Gen. Thomas after flu.
rious ride, holly pursued and barely
escaping with his life, had arrived
from the picket line, and by direct
verbal order of Mai Emory, had
led his brigade forward across the
pike, a mere handful of men, to meet
and resist whole divisions made up of
the flower Of the rebel army. By the
fortune of war the 9Th Vermont under
Mai Mead, occupied the most exposed
position in the brigade, as the enemy,
with deafening yells, were moving
swiftly in from the front flank.
Suddenly mass of rebels confront
ed the flags, and with hOarse shouts
demanded their surrender. Defiant
shouts went back: Never! Never =
And then, amid tremendous excite
ment, commenced one of the most des-
perate and ugly hand to-hand conflicts
over the flags that has ever been re-
corded. Men seemed more like de-
mons than human beings as they
struck fercely at each other with club
bed muskets and bayOnets. A rebel
of powerful build, but short in stature,
attempted to bayOnet Corp. Worden of
the color guard. Worden, a tall, sim
envy man, who had no bayOnet on his
musket, parried his enemy's thrusts
until some one, | think Sergt. Brown,
shot the rebel dead. A rebel soldier
then levelled his musket and shot
Corp. Petre, who held the colOrs, in
the thigh "a terrible wound, from
which he died that night. He cried
out: Boys, leave me; take care of
yourselves and the flag = II
Lieut.. Cooper was seen to raise his
arm in the air and shouting Give it
to them, boysr he, too, was stricken
with death wound, and his white,
sad, dead face is one of the living
memories of the spot. Lieut.. COOper's
death was Instantly avenged, however,
by Sergt. Hill of company A, who shot
the rebel. Hill then turned to assist a
wounded companion who had fallen at
his side, when an excited enemy made
lunge at him, his bayOnet gliding be-
tween the body and arm. He sprang
quickly away, and by an adrOit move
ment knocked the rebel down with
dubbed musket, and continued fight
ing until surrounded and forced into
the enemy's ranks. But AS
the enemy crowded Oh, a hundred reb
els took the place of the dozen grasp
ing for the flags. Sergt. Lamb, a
noble, generous fellow, was shot
through the lungs and taken prisoner,
but later he fell into our hands again,
and then died in great agony. Capt.
Howard was twice wounded while
Il. r. l. IL 81
most in the centre of the savage melee,
but he managed TO hObbIe away when
the regiment was swept back. Capt.
Hall, honest and fearless, whose MEM
DRY is sacred, gave his last order as he
yielded to a deadly wound.
Capt. Ford was shot through both
legs by bullets coming from opposite
directions, and fell fiat on his face, but
refused to surrender, struggled to his
feet, and escaped in the excitement.
Capt. Smith, who SO coOlly led the
skirmish line at Winchester, swells the
bloody list. Mai. Mead, afterwards
colonel, while fearlessly facing the en-
envy, was badly wounded in the side,
and shortly turned the command over
to Capt. Mcfarland.
All the long morning the cry was
heard on every side, where's Sheri-
dam where's Sheridan |? but no re-
ply came through the clenched lips,
until finally, at 9.45 o'clock, Sheridan,
mounted on his black horse Winches-
ter, which was covered with foam,
swept up from the pike, amid great
cheering, into the midst of his broken
regiments great light in a dark val
ley. The despair of the mornings aw-
fuI strupOle was now soon to give Way
to the ecstacy of victory