Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-21
"REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR


Among the first NermOnters to enlist
and to enroll others for the war for the
Union was George w. Doty of Morrisville.
In 1851, 10 years before Sumter was fired
on, young Doty, then a lad of 10 years, Or
gained a juvenile military company,
which was provided with uniforms, flag
and accepted numerous invitations to
parade at Fourth of July celebrations.
The company having only wooden guns,
Captain Doty applied to Gov. Erastus
Fairbanks, then serving his first term as
governor, for muskets for the company.
The application was not granted and the
boys were much laughed at by their
townsmen for their presumption in ask
ing for them. Time passed on and in
1857 young Doty went with other Yer.
monters young and old, to Kansas. He
there joined the free state boys so-called
and followed Capt. Balm, and afterwards
Col. James Montgomery, who was asso-
ciated with John Brown, was one of the
followers Of Jim Lane when he dispersed
the Lecompton bogus legislature, and
shared the fortunes of these men and of
bleeding Kansas" till he saw her free
1860. having been himself driven out of
Columbus, johnson county, Missouri as
'd--n abolition Yankee" barely escaping
with his life he came back to Vermont
fully convinced of the reasonable inten-
tons of the southerners. LAS my old
boy company" says Mr.. Doty, were
grown up and glad to see me back, we
signed an agreement that we would again
organize as ali independent company and
offer ourselves to the governor who as it
happened was the same to whom we had
applied as boys for arms. In Feb. 1861
accordingly wrote to Gov. Fairbanks,
that we had now in fact become able to
raised and it would soon be full and asked
for arms. We did not get them for the
| state had not enough for its militia. How
ever, | kept on gathering recruits and by
| the first of April had 60 men enrolled,
who afterwards went into the field as
about to elect officers. some patriots with
large souls full OF love for country and
more love for the offices appeared and
went in for the commissions, whereupon
and others who had done the most to-
wards recruiting the company withdrew
we did not do all this work for the honor
of the offices, we went our several ways,
and enlisted on the 18th of April. Two of
those young men went to Fletcher and
enlisted as privates in Co. IL, I'd VT, while
l went to Montpelier, enlisted in Co. f.
I'd, became u member of the color guard
with Sergeant Harrington, the tall color
bearer Of the Second and followed the for
tunes Of the Second every day till wound
ed at Fredericksburg. One OF those who
went to Fletcher and enlisted rs a private
WAS immediately promoted to sergeant
and had the honor to lose the first right
arm that was lost from the I'd Vermont
at the first Bull Run. July 1861. He af-
forwards raised a company and went out
as its captain and filed various positions
until the close of the war. The sergeant
of Co II, Is now mayor of the city Of Bur
lipRton. As for myself. after being
disabled by = wound received at Freder.
icksburg. was transferred to the invalid
corps. my last service being in the Pro
vost Msrshals once at Burlington. /
think / was among the first to enlist sol
oilers for the war, though claiming moth
ing only a heart full Of patriotic love for
my native state and country and for the
brave old boys who fought with me-" -
: ALLOW ME to add" says Mr.. Doty, that
am for Edmunds first last and all the
time. We cannot spare such men. l
have always been Republican. In the
strongest sense Of the word and believe
in holding on to those We know are solid"