St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-06-10

Ompany scouting parties Oh troops vi
other commands. He was with the
men of the I'd in every march and
skirmish, until the latter part of May,
1862, when he was offered, and accept
ed, the colonelcy of the 9th VT. Vols,
and i'm August he took his regiment
into the Shenandoah valley, and was
stationed at Winchester. On the adj
vance of Stonewall jackson, in Sep
TENDER, 1862, the u. S. forces at Win
chester were withdrawn to Harper's
Ferry, which was soon invested by the
enemy, and on the 18th of September
was surrendered, with its garrison by
Col. d. P. Miles (of infamous memory
commanding the post. Against this
traitOrous surrender Col. Stannard
earnestly protested, but without avail.
Our troops were at once paroled by
their captors, who hurried thence to
ioin Gen. Lee in Maryland. To this
release upon parole Col. Stannard also
refused to be party, urging the con-
sideration, that the care of III 600 prls-
oners must erfbarass the enemy at that
juncture. He refused to sign any pa
role for himself or his regiment, and
they were released upon parole CIV
en- by some one higher in command.
The 9th was ordered into parole camp
at Chicago, where it remained until
exchanged on the 1st of January, 1868.
On the l1th of March, 1868, Col.
STANDARD was appointed by President
Lincoln, -brigadier general of VOLS,
and was confirmed by the senate on
the same day. Reporting at Washing
ton he was at once assigned to the
command of the I'd VT. brigade, con-
sistiug of the 18th, 18th, 18th, 10Th and
10th Vt. regiments, then stationed on
the Occouuan river and Bull Run. The
brigade was employed in guarding the
lines below Washington and the
Orange and Alexandria railroad, from
Bull Run to the RappahannOck until
June 20, 1868, when, upon the north
ern march of the army of the Potomac
under Gen. Hooker, to resist Lees
second invasion of Maryland, Gen.
Stannard was ordered to report to Gen.
Reynolds, commanding the LIST army
corps. The brigade held the line of
the Occoquan till the army had passed
and then marched to join the lst corps
which led the advance. Marching hard
and gaining steadily on the corps,
Stannard Joined it with his command,
on Cemetery Hill, at the close of the
first days fight at Gettysburg. The
corps had lost its brave commander,
Gen. Reynolds, and half of its men In
the bloody and disastrous fighting of
the day, and gladly welcomed the re-
enforcement. Gen. Stannard was at
once placed in positions of RESPONSE
bility. On the second day he was for
a while in charge of the position Occu-
pied by our batteries on the left brow
of Cemetery Hill. In the latter part
of the afternoon he was ordered to the
left and front to resist the assault with
which Gen. Longstreet followed up
the rout of the Sd corps. His COM
mand pressed eagerly into the gap In
our lines, saved two batteries from in
slant capture, re-tOOk another from
the hands of the enemy. and captured
two rebel guns and some prisoners. On
the third and great day of the battle,
Stannard held with his brigade (reduc-
ed for the time being to three regi
ments, the 18th and 18th having been
detached for other service) the portion
of the front line on the left centre,
thus re-established by him the night
before. Occupying a position in ad-
vance of any other in that part OF the
field. his command was the first to
meet the final great assault of the enc
nv on Friday afternoon, and it was
subsequently, thrown by Gen. Stannard
upon the flank of Pickett's division, as
it rushed upon the guns of the I'd corps.
The movement was decisive of the re-
suit of that tremendous rebel assault,
on the fate of which the final issue of
the battle, and of the rebellion, turned.
The right of the rebel lines melted
away, under the deadly fire of the Yer
monters, delivered at half pistol range,
and of the survivors 1000 marched
within our lines as prisoners. The
supporting rebel brigade under Gen.
Wilcox was next attacked i'll flank, in
most gallant bayOnet charge, and
captured in body, by the 10th Yer
mont, under Col. Veazey, and the bat
tie was won.
During the final cannOnade with
which LOngstreet strOve to cover the
rebel route, Gen. Stannard was struck
by an iron shrapnell ball, which pass
ed for three inches into the muscles OF
the right thigh. Though thus serious
lv wounded, he refused to leave his
command, even when urged to do so
by the division commander; but sent
for a surgeon, by whom the ball was
removed on the field. Nor did Gen.
Stannard yield to the pain and loss of
blood, till it was settled that the enc
nv was beaten-till his own wounded
men were collected and removed, and
until his brigade was relieved from
duty in the front line. He was a con-
slant mark for sharp shooters during
the day, and several bullets passed
through his hat and clothes. He great
ly distinguished himself by his cool
ness and personal galantry. No troops
of Gen. Meade's army were steadier
under tremendous artillery tire-did
more important work with greater
promptness, or took more prisoners,
than did STANDARDS brigade. His or
der for the flank attack was the most
fortunate inspiration, and the crown
ing glory of his life his name is for
ever associated with the brightest page
of the history of that Waterloo of the
war for the Union.
AS soon as he was sufficiently recOv
cred from his wound for light duty,
Gen. Stannard was assigned to the
command of the troops garrisOning the
forts in New York harbor. He remain
ed in that position until May, 1864,
when, upon the final advance of Gen
eral Grant upon Richmond, by the
way of the Wilderness, he again joined
the army in the field, being assigned
to the 10th army corps. He was soon
after placed in command of the LIST
brigade of the I'd division of the 18th
corps, whose commander, Maj. Gen.
VIM. F. Smith, Vermonter himself,
was well acquainted with STANDARDS
fighting qualities. The brigade con-
sisting of Massachusetts, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania troops, had made a