St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-01-03

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RWX or. Sheridan said
that when he appeared on the line halt
ed at the front. a row OF regimental
battlefags flashed up from the ground
to greet him. That occurred after the
incident which is here given from the
description Of Colonel Fl. Z. Hill. a
participant. The flags fought over were
among those that greeted Little Phil
Says Colonel Hill:
"In the morning fight the colors of
The Eighth Vermont passed through a
terrible ordeal and received a bloody
baptism. But for the heroic and loyal
aouls in that little band, who stood up
nobly against fearful odds on the men,
orable morning Of Dot. 10, 1864, the
regimental standard would never have
come out Of the battle triumphant. The
thrilling story of the fight over the
standards is no myth. 1t was a horrid,
desperate hand to hand encounter for
possession Of the flags; a fierce, excited
and daring foe on one side, loyal and
equally brave men on the other. Gener-
al Crooks corps, located on our left
(Emory's Nineteenth corps), and partial
ly in our front, had been surprised,
o%verborne and swept away. General
Thomas, after a furious ride, holly pur.
sued and barely escaping with his life
had arrived from the picket line, and by
direct verbal order Of General Emory
had let his brigade across the pike, a
mere handful Of men, to resist whole
divisions made up Of the flower Of the
southern army.
"By the fortune Of war the Eighth
Vermont, under Major Mead, occupied
the most exposed position of the brigade
as the enemy, with deafening yells,
were moving in swiftly from front and
flank. AS the great drops of rain pre-
cede the hurricane, so now the leaden
hail filled the air, seemingly from all
directions, while bursting shells from
the enemy's ANN on the opposite hill
created havoc on our only flank not yet
exposed to the Confederate infantry.
Regiment after regiment of the Eighth
corps had crurlhled away and gone past
to the rear. Our two companion regi-
ments, the Twelfth Connecticut and One
Hundred and Sixtieth New York, terri
bly, smitten, chung tenaciously to us.
Yet the sudden rush of the enemy from
every direction, in their yellowish suits,
breaking through the short intervals be-
tween the commands, forced each regi-
meDts to fight its own battle, and SO the
Eighth Vermont was practically alone
for a time. And who can count such
moments, as the swarming Confederates
broke upon it with resistless fury?
Suddenly a mass of enemies con-
fronted the flags and with hoarse shouts
demanded their surrender. Defiant
shouts went back Never Neverl' And
then, amid tremendous excitement,
commenced one of the most desperate
and ugly hand to hand conflicts over
the flags that has ever been recorded.
Men seemed more like demons than hu-
man beings as they struck fiercely at
each other with dubbed muskets and
bayonets. A Confederate of powerful
build attempted to bayonet Corporal
Worden of the color guard. Worden, a
tall, sinewy man, who had no bayonet
on his musket, parted his enemy's
thrusts until some one-I think Sergeant
Brown-shot the assailant dead. An.
other Confederate then leveled his mus
ket and shot Corporal Petre, who held
the colors, in the thigh, a terrible
wound, from which he died that night.
Petre held the regimental flag. He
cried out: Boys, leave mel Take care
of yourselves and the flagl' But in that
vortex of hell men did not forget the
colors, and as Petre crawled away to
die they were instantly seized and borne
aloft by Corporal Perham and were as
Instantly demanded again by an assail-
ant who attempted to grasp them. Ser
geant Shores Of the guard placed his
musket at the mans breast and fired,
instantly killing him. But now another
rife flash, and a bullet from the dead
southerner's companion killed Corporal
Perham, and the colors fell to the earth.
Once more, amid terrific yells, the col
ors went up, this time held by CORPORAL
Blanchard, and the carnage vent on.
Lieutenant Cooper was seen to raise
his arm in the air, and while shouting.
Give it to them, boysp he, too, was
stricken with a death wound, and his
white, sad, dead face is one Of the liy.
ing memories Of the spot. Lieutenant
Cooper's death was instantly avenged
by Sergeant Hill of Company A, who
shot the Confederate. Hill then turned
to assist a wounded companion at his
side, when IN excited Confederate made
a lunge at him, the bayonet gliding be.
tween body and arm. he sprang away,
and by a quick movement knocked his
bssailant down with a dubbed musket
and continued fighting until surrounded
and forced into the enemy's ranks. A
side shot tore away his belt and car
fridge box, tearing into the flesh to the
backbone and leaving him crippled on
the ground. When Gordon's Confeder.
ate division swept over the spot, some
OF his soldiers wearing blue coats, prob