Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-05-19
Sneers Not Arguments.

nuisance and small men VINO nave
no facts to use, and little ability to
discuss questions, are often ready to
sneer down what they can not over
| throw otherwise.
The Lyndonville Journal in arecent
issue had the following:
sit may make difference whether
a man was tanning rebels or calf
| skins from 1861 to 1863"
This squib from the Journal was
intended to be a sneer on one of the
gubernatorial candidates. 1t says by
| inference that one of the two leading
candidates was in the army during
the years 1861-'65, "tanning reb-
els.'' while the other was at home
''tanning calf skins Now we are
more than willing that Col. Wood
bury should have every particle OF
credit due him for his army services
yes, more; we wish that this need OF
credit might be doubled; but when it
comes to this, that respectable, pat
riotic citizens, who, for any reason
other than cowardice and copperhead-
ism, were at home tanning calf skins,
running shops, working farms, or do
ing any other honest business during
the years 1861-'65 have to be de-
famed by men who have no more of
a patriotic record than has the editor
of the Journal, the MONITOR is ready
to shove out its guns in their defense.
In 1861 there were two young men
in Lamoille county, each with a good
reputation. One was a student In
Burlington Medical college; the 9th
er, a student in Morrisville academy
and a clerk in his fathers counting
room. Urban A. Woodbury. was %
years of age. Carroll S. Page was
IS years of age. Both wanted to en-
list; the former did enlist; the latter
obeyed the wishes, probably the COM
mands of his father, and renamed at
home. Young Woodbury. joined the
second regiment, went to Washing
ton and shortly to the front in the
| Bull Run campaign. His first battle
and his first exposure to the fire of
the enemy was in Bull Run battle,
where, during the first half hour of
the fight, he was wounded in the arm
by bursting shell. He was left on
| the field when the regiment was fore
ed from the field, fell into the rebels
hands, his arm requiring amputation,
and was taken to Richmond prisoner,
to be exchanged a few months later.
He suffered all the pain incident to
SO severe a wound, and has suffered
the inconvenience of the loss of the
limb ever since. Fortunately his
health was not impaired, and after
returning home, working for time
in matters of his own, he assisted IN
recruiting a portion of the 18th Regt.
He was made Captain of Co. d in
that regiment, and went to Wash
ington again in 1868. His regiment
was put into the defenses of Wash
ington where it remained until the
early spring Of 1864, when it was call
ed to the front and did active and
brilliant work ever afterward. Capt.
Woodbury., however, had been trans
ferred to the Invalid Corps, in which
he remained, we suppose, till the
close of the war.
If we refer to the matter of "tan-
ming rebels" again, it will only be to
say that Capt. Woodbury. never met
the rebels in battle but once. Hence
to carry the idea that he was Etan-
ming rebels" for three to five years is
a great mistake. He met the enemy,
was wounded, returned to do what
service he could afterwards but
his service, as compared with those
who took the danger of a three or
four years campaign was, indeed,
small in risk and smaller in real hard
ships.
For the loss he sustained in leav-
ing an arm on the field, there has
been no small compensation. His
wound, bad as it was, took him out
of the terrible danger of three years
service in regiment where about one
out of four was killed. a very large
number wounded, and many broken
down in health to suffer from wounds
or disabilities all their lives. During
the years of his service in the 18th
regiment and in the Invalid Corps,
the brave Captain was drawing a
monthly stipend of from $50 to $50.
afterwards, when pensions were estab-
lished, he fell into that class which
were very generously rewarded. Real
ly, in dollars and cents, Capt. Wood
bury has received thousands for his
Ills army 1OSS anu CA ApCllOAOO'
1t can not be denied but that the
loss of his arm has been all the while
a source of respect and a means of
helping him to places of business,
honor and preferment. In this can
vass it is worth much more than all
things else in his behalf. Let it be
so; let it go for all that in the best
sense it is worth; but let no one say,
meanwhile, that other men, fortunate
or unfortunate in not having been in
the army service, who have lived hon
orable, patriotic, clean lives: are en-
titled to no honor, as compar-
ed to those who served their country
in another sphere. Let no man sneer
at any reputable Vermonter because