Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-06-11
A Military History.
LFrom the portIand OregonIan.


In 1873 "A joint resolution was passed by
the Vermont legislature "authorizing
and instructing the governor to appoint
suitable person as state historian, whose
duty it shall be, in a reasonable time, to
collect and compile, ready for publication,
a history of the part taken by the Yer
mont soldiers and sailors in the war of
the rebellion. Governor Proctor appoint
ed for this work Hon q. G.. Benedict, edi-
tor and proprietor Of the Burlington, tNt)
FREE PRESS the leading daily paper of
the state. Mr.. Benedict brought to this
work the training of scholar, a Journal
list, legislator and a soldier. He was on
the staff of Major-Gen. George j. Stan
nard at Gettysburg and was conspicuous
for gallantry during the whole Of that ter
rible battle. 1t was the flank attack of
Gen. STANDARDS brigade that contributed
so much to the repulSe of Pickett Cele-
brated charge on Hancock ; lines at Gene
terry ridge the afternoon of the third day.
Mr. Benedict brought the patriotic pride
of a soldier and the pen of an accurate,
clear, vigorous, painstaking and Vvacious
journalist to his work, the first volume of
which, under the name of vermont in
the Civil War; now lies upon our table.
knowing that there are a number of Yer
mouters on the Pacific coast, and not
| few veterans among them, we take pleas
ure in commencing Mr.. Benedict's book
to their attention as an exceedingly inter-
| esting and valuable narrative of the part
taken by the Vermont soldiers in the war
| for the Union from 1S6l-65. The materials
drawn upon have been regmental histo-
| ries, the official reports of the adjutant-
| general of the state during the war the
official records of the civil war at Wash
ingtOu personal recOllectiOnS army let
| tiers soldiers diaries the war cores
| of rlr of
| of neighboring states ; the official reports
and records of both Union and Conteder-
ate officers, and the war histories and au-
| thentic historical memoranda published
on both sides since the war. Out of all
| these bits and shredS and patches, which
have been laboriously examined and care
! fully compared, Mr. Benedict has woven
! a clear and connected story OF lne>tlma-
! bic historical value to his state, since it
/ has been done during the lifetime of many
/ of the participants in the great struggle
| for the Union. 1t is the story of a small,
! inland, rural commonwealth OF but $780,
| 600 people, drained of able bodied men by
emigration. without large towns or float
| ing population, that sent to the war ten
| men out of every hundred of her pOp,lla-
ton, and out of a total enrolment of 81
| 600 men liable to do military duty stood
! credited at the last with nearly "a 900 vol
| unteers. In every great battle of the arDly
of the Potomac "the Vermont brigade"
whose history is told in Mr.. Benedict's
! first volume, took an honorable part
! They We're part of the rear guard of Nc
I Clellans retreatlng army on the peninsu-
| la, repulsng Magruder at Savage station
| they formed part of SedgWick's column
that with fearful loss stOrmed Marye's
| heights in Hooker's disastrous campaign
they lost in killed and wounded 200 out
| of $500 men at the Wilderness they We're
| in Cpton's famous charge of u picked re-
! giments ut Spottsylvania that broke Lees
| lines ; they We're with Sheridan at Win
| chester and Cedar creek they led the
storming column of the Sixth corps that
charged over Lees earthworks before
| Petersburg the morning of April ,, 1864
they fired the last shot of the Sixth corps
upon the ranks of rebellion at Sailors
creek, the evening of April g. lS65 they
never lost a color they took as many
colors rs any other state they had a
/ larger per cent of men killed in battle
than any other northern state, and gave
more lives lost from all causes TO the
! Union than any other state.