Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-10-20
LIE VERMONT BRIGADE.

quiet townsmen that had become rovers.
They stole ancient horses and bony COWS
on the march. They pilaged moderate
| ly IN other things. They swept the
diaries and they stripped the orchards
for miles where they travelled. They
chased rabbits when they went into
camp after long mar hes, and they yelled
like wild Indians when neighbOrng
camps were silent through fatigue.
They were Ill disciplined and familiar
with their officers. They staggered in
a cool, impudent way and looked down
with a patronizing Yankee GOODNESS up
on all regiments that were better drilled,
and upon that part of the army gener-
ally that did not belong to the Vermont
brigade. They were strangely proud,
not of themselves individually, but of
the brigade collectively; for they knew
perfectly well they we're the best fight
ers in the known world. They were
long of limb and could outmarch the
army. They were individually self-reli-
ant and skillful in the use of arms, and
they honestly believed that the Vermont
brigade could not be beaten by all the
combined armies of the rebellion.
''They were veterans in fighting quail
ties almost from their first skirmish.
This was at Lees Mills. They crossed
a narrow dam under Il hot fire, made the
attack they were instructed to make.
and came back wadng deep in the water
with steadness that surprised the
army. They were an incorrigible, irreg-
ular, noisy set of rascals. They were
much sworn at during their four years
of service; yet they were at all times a
pet brigade. There were but two things
they would do-march and fight; and
these they did in manner peculiarly
their own. They had long, slow,
swinging stride on the march which dis
tanced everything that followed them.
They had a quiet, attentive, earnest in
dividual way of lighting that made them
terrific in battle. Each man knew that
his neighbor in the ranks was not going
to run away. and he knew also that he
himself intended to remain where he
was. Accordingly none of the attention
of the line was distracted from the i'm
portant duty of loading and firing, rapidly
and carefully. When moving into action
and while hotly engaged they made
queer. quaint sounds, and enjoyed them
greatly They crowed like cocks, they
ba-a-ed like sheep, they neighed like
horses, they beloved like bulls, they
parked like dogs, and they counterfeted
with excellent effect the indescri-
bable music of the mule. When, per-
chance they held picket line in forest
it seemed as if Noah's ark had gone to
pieces there.
''In every engagement in which this
brigade took part it was complimented
for gallant conduct. One of the most
remarkable of its performances, however,
has never appeared in print, nor has il
been noticed in reports. After the
battle of Gettysburgh, when Lees army
was in the vicinity of Hagerstown and
!. the Antietam, the Vermont brigade was
) deployed as "A skirmish line, covering q
front of nearly three miles. The enemy
were in force in front, near Beaver
Creek. The Sixth corps was held il
readiness in the rear of the skirmish line
s anticipating general engagement. The
{ enemy mad evidently determined tC
d attack. At last his line of battle camt
' forward. The batteries opened at once
Il and the skirmishers delivered their fire
Our troops were on the alert, and stooC
watching for the skirmishers to come IL
and waiting to receive the coming as
sault. But the skirmishers would no
come in, and when the firing died away
it appeared that the Vermonters thus de
ployed as skirmish line had actually
repulsed full NEGOTIABLE attack
Thrice afterward the enemy advanced t.
carry the position and were each time
! again driven back by this preverse Skin
mish line.
1.-The Vermonters, it is true, wer'
strongly posted in a wood, and each maI
fired from behind tree. But thel
everybody knows that the etiquette II
such matters is for skirmish line t,
come in so soon AS they are satisfied tn
enemy means business. These simple
minded patriots from the Green Noun
I tains, however. adopted rule of thei
! own on this occasion, and the enemy
disgusted with such stupidity, retired
across Beaver Creek.
"When the Vermonters led the column
] on a march. their quick movements haC
! to he regulated from corps or division
headquarters, to avoid gaps in the col
umns as it followed them. If rapid o
forced march were required, it was
common thing for Sedgwick to say will
] quiet smile, Put the Vermonters IA
the head of the column to-day and keel
everything well closed up