Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-01-04
A FAMILY Of PATRIOTS.
The Vespers of Rova,to, ",

A Washington special to the New York
Tribune says a case of inherited patriot
ism and sacrifice Of tho men of family
for thelr country's defence has come be.
fore the war department for considera ton
Of a crippled veteran, whosefather, grand
father and great-grandfather gave their
lives, two to preserve the Union and one
to secure American independence, and
who has now given the lives of his two
sons, his sole means Of support to free
Cuba and achieve the destiny of the Uni
ted States. The record OF facts is as fol-
lows.
Ow on II. Vesper, is years old, enlisted in
May, 1861, as a private in Company f, Sd
Vermont infantry. In September of the
same year his aged father enlisted as n
recruit in the same company to I've with
his only son. In 1862, while the regiment
was in the Chickahominy swamps, near
Richmond, the father succumbed to the
vCisstudes of the campaign and died at
Harrisons Landing, Just after the Seven
Days battles. The boy became one of the
best soldiers in the regiment, SERVING;
through the Antictlin and Fredericksburg
campaigns Burnside's mud marcn, the
Chancellorsville and Gettysburg cam
raiSns, and back through Virginia to Rap
pahannocl station. Vcrper was always
conspicuous in the celebrated Sd VT, which
went into service In 1861 with over one
Thousand of the hardest Green Mountain
men, and after receiving three thousand
recruits during the war was mustered
out in July, 1866. with total strength
of th~ee hundred and nifty, of whom only
forty-nve left home with the command at
Lincoln's first call.
There was not n soldier in the regiment
whose services were not distinguished
meritorious, and heroism was such a COM
monplace matter with the Ncrmonters
that officers were not called upon to be
T..
quarters of conspicuous instances. Nesper
re-enlisted as veteran volunteer. and on
May 5. 1854 at the Wilderness. he lost his
right arm above the elbow in action, and
in consequence was transferred to the
veteran Reserve Corps and served until
the close Of the war. on his rctrn home
he married. and two sons were horn Ia
him. With the assistance of his devoted
wife, and in spite of his own iufrmity, by
dint of diligence night and day he edu
Gated the boys, and just as they reached
manhood and were becoming the sole de-
pendcnCe of their parents. the Spanish
war began. The old martial spirit, irans-
mit.cd from the grandfather and father
asserted itself, and they joined the ID
Massachusetts. going through the battles
AT Santiago with that regiment There the
younger, Paul, died in the infected camps
on August 10, and his elder brother. Lieut.
Harry j. Nesper. died on the transport
Mobile on the way home, only two days
out from Montauk Point. and was buried
at sea.
Thus has family of patriots been an
INFLATED in their countrys service
owen Nesper's grtat-grdndfather was
n soldier of the Revolution UNI
der Washington. His grand tn
or a soldier of tho war of 1872 was
taken prisoner by the British, and died
upon release. His father in the civil war
was buried at Harrispn's Landing. He
gave his own right arm at the Wilderness
and then gave his two sons in the Span
ISL war.
Some of the figures given in the above
statement are not quite correct The
Third Vermont went out with SSl ofiiC ers
and men. and received not 5000, but 92S re-
cruits during its period of service. II
was mustered out with ISL officers and
men. Otherwise the facts stated are in
the main correct. The name of the elder
Nesper was Oramcl II. The Vespers en-
listed from Royalton, VT.