Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-01-11
VERMONT IN THE CIVIL WAR.


| nave seen only Scanty mention of the sec
| ond volume of vermont in the Civil War;
/ 10y g. G.. Benedict, our appointed State
! historian. If this book stood. as to Yer
monters ON no other ground than its merits
rs a historical production, it would be diff
cult to find its superior in American publ
cations of the past year. I'm point of inter
est TO the people OF this state and those who
/ have gone from us TO other States, men and
women. old and young. 10 work. recent or
! old. can approach il. I'm arrangement and
style the author. in the second and last vol
/ lme, has followed and fully sustained the
| high quality as n historical military writer,
! which was everywhere accorded to him upon
/ the publication of the first volume. The not
uncommon feeling that the reading of his
| tory paItakes of the nature of task will
! quickly disappear when any page of this
work is read. The reader who ordinarily
, indsplcuSure. only in fiction will find here that
/ truth Is not only stranger, but more interest
. ing than fiction. Beginning with the history of
/ the 9TH regiment this volume completes the
record OF all the subsequent regiments and
OF the three companies of Sharpshooters and
the three batteries that served in the war of
the rebellion from this State. In the pre-
face The author explains how he was almost
overwhelmed with historical material in the
embarrassed for nck OF ii in the first vol
mnc. This account. for II larger personal
allusion in presenting the record of the sew
ela regiments comprised in this volume.
which, in that respect. affords an addition
al interest over the previous volume.
refer to personal incidents Of peculiar hard
snip. peril and q ape. Enough of these are
given to Illustrate the thousands of others of
liko character that occurred. The account
Of the service OF these regiments. in the hun
dr. ds of engagements in which they pnrtici-
pated. nece ssarily involved somewhat of q
general description Of these engagements so
tnat the work in large measure is a history of
all the battles, campaigns and armies with
which the Vermont troops were connected
~ general. indeed almost universal
rule, no two persons see the same thing Elk
actly alike. This is especially true in mat
tiers of the magnitude and rapidly of mill
tary operations ant battles. The historian
can only deducc conclusions from all the
conflicting accounts. Therefore it will not
ne strange if many of the living witnesses of
the events described by Ny. Benedict should
find his description differing from their con
ception of the faci,;-Lut Just mon cannot
fail to be impressed with the spirit of fair
ness and the internal evidence of painstak-
ing inquiry that pervades the whole work.
In addition to the history of Vermont or
CARNATIONS this volume gives "A briet record
of Nelmonters not connected with such or
CARNATIONS, who served ON the staff and in
the navy. This is by no means the least
interesting part of the work. and this is The
first time these facts have been brought to-
gether and presented i'll connected compre-
hensivc form. 1t will be seen that many of
the most distinguished staff officers and
holding the highest rank We're Nermonters
! There is not space to mention their names
and positions here. SO in other than Yer
mont organizations Mir. Benedict shows that
there were six native Nermonters who held
the full rank OF majo general: - brgadier
generals, seven 0lS whom held the brevet
/ rank of ma jur general; 21 colonies, eight of
whom held the brevet rank OF brigadicr
general; ID majors and 206 captains and
lirutonants. Among these are several OF
the most brilliant names OF the way.
The total number of Nermonters in the
navy was small, nut it appears from thi.
history that there were several officers of
high rank ard great distinction, three of
. whom were commodores, three captains, six
I heutcnants and very many of lower grades
and ON stan duty
Under the head of losses of the Yer
mont troops appears the magnificent rec
ord that settles forever tie superb lighting
quality of Vermont soldiers The tables
giving the total loss OF life and the loss in
comparison with that Of other States i'll pro-
portion to numbers. form monument to
their valor that time can never corrode. Ii
there appears that one in every 10 OF the en-
tire population of Vermont enlisted, and
that Of the able bodied men of military age
every other one shouidered hi mllsket and
went to fight for his country. single
quotation will illustrate the thrilling elo
quenCe of style into which the author seemed
to unconsciousy drop in the statement OF
simple facts:
THE brilliancy and value of the ser
vice rendered by the Vermont troops
Is denied by no student. OF the
history OF the war; and impartial Judges ad-
NIT it to be remarkable that the troops of
one of the smallest Of the states who con
stiruted but an eiShtleth part OF the army,
should have had such n leading part in so
many OF the most decisive campaigns and
battles OF the war that in SO many crises of
the strife the result should have SO largely
rested ON their Nalor, steadfastness and skill:
and that in not one of these did they fail
through any fault of theirs.
Ii is not only "A general history of the
war, to the extent indicated and as a de
tailed history of what Vermont did therein
that this work is interesting and valuable:
it il also in its incidental enforcement OF
the lofty principle of patriotism, In the
closing paragraph, the history is submitted
in the trust that the children ot the
patriots who thus bore the stress of the sup
port OF the government in our great civil
soife, will i'll time of need exhibit in lofty
exercise, as did their fathers and fore
fathers, the passion which makes it sweet
and honorable to die for country
OF all secular works this history should
hold the first place i'll every family in the
State, and the opening and closing chapters
especially should be read as "A public exercise
in every school,
Then whatever may be the crisis which
may fall upon the generations to come, there
viii be ever found ON mountain slope and in
valley thin ing bayonets, ''manly com-
age, devotion to duty and patriotic
service W. q. NEAzEY.
ESSEX.
The young son OF Rev. VI. p, Bel, pastor of
the Methodist church, had narrow escape
I.i no