The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-09-15

break, and that not by chance, but because
the name accumulated significance and
was never played out. The first three
years. volunteers to leave Vermont for the
front constituted this bodyiof troops, and
the size of the little commonwealth per-
haps suggested that this installment of five
regiments was the one only contribution
of Green Mountain boys that could reach
the seat ofwar in time to put in an oar.
So it was at first 'those Vermonters, !"
then "the Vermont men, and finally "the
Vermont brigade" There are more than
enough good words to say in praise Of the
brigade to make q book am writing
about fifth part Of it only and simply
throw out hint that my heroes held up
their end of a big task The brigade lost
more men in battle than any other in the
Union army. It fought in every cam
paign of the Army of the Potomac from A
to Z-from Yorktown to Appomattox.
Each of its five regiments re-enlisted when
it's term expired in 1864, and each Of the
old flags, with of course but scant rem
nants of the original defenders to rally on
them, was in at the death
The men of the Fifth Vermont were of
the class that took second thought on the
war question and went to the field to STAY.
When the news of Bull Run reached the
green northern hills the governor of Yer
mont told the young men to get into war
harness-the nation would need them.
Two regiments were already in their
camps and material for two more, with
some to spare, rushed to the recruiting Of
fees, and when the official call from Wash
ington reached Montpelier the volunteers
asked for were actually under arms.
The Fifth was formed in August, 1851,
from companies that fell into line at q ven
ture on hearing from Bull Run. The men
hailed from the narrow strip west of the
mountains. Lieut.. H. A. Smalley, of the
regular army, was appointed colonel He
was Vermonter, and when the regiment
reached the Potomac it fell into the hands
of other Vermont regulars. Gen. w. T.
Smith, Familiarity known as ''Baldy''
Smith, with some difficulty got the Fifth
and it's companion regiments, the Second,
Third, Fourth and Sixth, united in one
brigade and assigned to a division then
forming under his lead.
Gen. w. T. H. Brooks, nicknamed by
his followers ''Bully'' Brooks, became
brigadier. Both Smith and Brooks were
Vermonters and had been appointed from
the regular army to colonelcies in regis
ments from their states, With two West
Point generals and West Pointer for
colonel, the Fifth had no lack of school
masters at the outset.
Passing over the months of drill when
the men were learning how to fight and how
not to run away, the story of dead earnest
work begins with the first actual battle
between the two great eastern armies,
Lees Mills, in the Yorktown siege, April
l6, 1862. The Vermont brigade answered
for the Army of the Potomac in that Ettle
affair, the beginning of the days when it
was heard from in fight The Fifth fur
nished the sharpshooters and skirmishers
to open the ball and also the first victims
of the campaign in an infantry attack.
The sharpshooting silenced noted Con-
federate battery and cleared the way for
an assault by the brigade In this way
the first battle overwhelmingly awaited
at that stage of the contest-heraMed
abroad the name of the Vermont brigade.
After that there was fighting enough for
each regiment in the command to go it
alone in record making. The Fifth bore
off the palm in the next important action.
1t was the desperate Sunday evening en-
counter at Savage Station in the s'Seven
Days." The rear guard of the army, COM
posed of General Summers Second corps,
was fighting to cover the passage of the
trains over White Oak swamp.