The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-23

village Colonel StannarG called for 50
volunteers to go ahead push through
the town and make for the Confederate
pontoon bridge which lay across the
Potomac river into Maryland. He de-
termined TO risk the fire Of the Con1ed-
crate batteries on Maryland and Loudon
heights, hoping that once across inc
bridge by bold dash we could make
our way to McClellan's line. A. +.
Hills troops, however, had advanced,
and the regiment was missed by the
Confederate general, to whom all the
other Union troops had surrendered
! His line of battle occupied our camp he
fore we got to the village, and when
we were missed from the line he sent
staff officers to intercept and bring us
back. They caught tho regiment as 1t
was entering the head Of the pontoon
bridge At first Stunnard refused to
obey the order 40 march up and stack
arms on Bolivar heights, but upon be-
ing impressed with the punishment that
would be inflicted upon his men and the
other troops upon his attempt to violate
tho command he yielded with a heavy
heart. AS the regiment about faced ana
marched up the rocky road 1t was
sight to behold. Soldiers were smashing
their muskets, officers breaking their
swords, and the national colors were re-
moved from the staff and replaced by
their black coverings, which no doubt
caused the enemy to think the haSs
were beneath As the command APP
preached Bolivar heights every man,
from the colonel to the youngest drum
mer boy in the ranks, was crying. Each
side of the road was filled with Confed-
crate soldiers looking at the regiment
that had caused them so much trouble
and had been trying to cut its way out
for two hours after the garrison had sur
rendered.
shortly after this the men tried TO
stack what arms there We're left, but
these had been so badly abused coming
up the rocky road that it was impossible
to make it, and the arms were thrown
on to the ground The rebels put a
guard over the regiment, and then the
was understood that the commanding /
officer of each regiment should sign the /
parole of his command, but Colonel I
Stannard said he could not be RESPONSE /
BILE for each member of his regiment and /
declined TO sign. This brought ON new
and the Confederates be-
lieved that ,Sannard was doing this to
IL. 81 ht hn Z
could keep them busy with subtertuges,
etc, that Mcclellan must relieve us be-
fore the next day. About shutdown the
authorities told him that if
he did not sign this parole for his regi-
ment they would all be sent to the
southern prison pens. This caused the
gallant commander Of the Ninth regi-
nent TO sign the parole The next morn
NJ the troops were marched across the
100 miles to Maryland. In Jan
lary the Ninth regiment was exchanged,
md its colonel made Il bliSadier general /
If volunteers for his conspicuous gal
antry and efficient service at Miles
surrender Of Harper's Ferry =
After the surrender the gallant Green
Mountain boys passed through varied .
experiences, first lying i'll parole camp
It Chicago for months and afterward
dining the small army i'll southwestern {
Iiroinia and the peninsula.
In 1864 the regiment, 700 strong,
oined the Army Of the James, in front :
{ Richmond Its gallant colonel had
0ng since been promoted to Il general
hip and commanded division in the
eighteenth corps. The Ninth served in
hat corps also, but not, much TO the re- q
ret OF the men, under Stannard How e
they would have followed
lcir old leader was shown mt the storm o
u of Fort Harrison, Sept. rs. Stan ). 5
ards division led the attack. and Rip
,y's brigade (of Heckman's division),
'hich included the Ninth Vermont, was
edered To follow But just as Stan :,
ard ) line mounted the walls of Harri- r
III Ripley was ordered to storm an out !,
ing battery north of it. In the course f,
the charge the line became entangled al
/ n swamp and being under fire part Il
it came TO Il standstill, but the Green ST
-ountain boys pushed ahead until they io
ached open ground in view of Stan