St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-11-19
LAST CALL TROOPS.
A VERMONT COMRADE TELLS WHAT HIS
REGIMENT DID FOR THE COUNTRY.

REGIMENT DID FOR THE COUNTRY.
The following, written at Wash
ington for the National Tribune by
Capt. E. ]. Hartshorn of Co. 6, 18th
Vermont, will be of interest generally:
The editorial in your issue of Sept.
10 giving the statistics of losses
sustained and the services rendered
by several regiments that went into
the service in the spring of 1864, was
most timely and just. Having served
in the 18th VT, one of the regiments
mentioned in said article, l was
naturally interested in what you had
to say regarding its record and
service.
Of that regiment you say: "The
18th Vt. left the state April 10, 1864,
and two weeks later was charging
the rebel breastworks at. Spottsyl-
yania. From that time its fighting
was almost continuous until it was
in the front line in the final charge
on Petersburg. 1t took 1,131 men
from the state, of whom one in every
- was killed, and one in every four
wounded 1t lost LAT killed, 229
wounded, and % died in rebel prisons
and 81 of disease, making a total
loss of 1913, or nearly every other
man in the regiment
have no doubt of the correctness
of YOUR statistics, but can state facts
with rela ton to that regiment which
will show that our loss was much
greater in proportion to the number
he
during it's fighting period than your
article would indicate. And in the
first place let me correct you as to
the per cent of killed to total mem
bership, as shown by the figures you
give. You say lone in 12," but 147
is more than one in eight of 1 ,131.
Again, of the 1 ,131 men shown by
the records to have belonged to our
regiment altogether, less than 600
left the state with US in April, 1864.
Our regiment was recruited in the
winter Of 1868 and spring of 1864 as
a veteran regiment, being largely
composed in its membership of men
who had hitherto seen service. The
officers all had been out before. The
companies were organized with S3
men each, the minimum number re-
ouired. and we were hurried out of
the state when but seven companies
had been organized, Co. 6, of which
the writer was captain, being the
last one to organize before leaving
the state We joined the Ninth
Corps (Gen. Burnside's), which had
lust returned from Knoxville, Tenn,
and were ushered into the battle of
the Wilderness May 6, never having
had but two battalion drills. Co.
H, came to us just after the battle of
SDottsvlvania We were at Cold
Harbor and in the first struggles be-
fore Petersburg on arriving there
about the middle of June, as we'll as
the minor battles and skirmishes
prior thereto between the Wilderness
and Petersburg. And we were in the
terrible slaughter at the Mine" on
Iulv 80, before Co. /, came to US.
Co. K, did not come until late in the
fall, when the campaign for the
season was virtually over.
Besides this, 800 men of said ,131
came to US as recruits the following
winter, and they, with Co. K, saw
no fighting except the last charge on
Petersburg, April 2, 1865. Here.
then, are about 400 men who should
not be taken into account in a COM
parative statement of losses sustain
ed to the number in the regiment.
Deducting those killed and wounded
in the last charge april 2, 1865,
from the total casualties, and we
have fully $50 lost, while we had a
total membership of not over 700,
which included musicians, teamsters,
and many detailed men who were
not in the engagements making a
loss of about two out ofevery three up
to that time belonging to the regi-
ment. After the first two or three
battles we never had more than $50
to 200 men to go into engagement,
companies oftentimes being in com
mand of sergeants, and frequently
came out with only go to 70 men