St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-01-24
A Family of Patriots.
How the vespers of Vermont Gave thei
Lives for Their Country.


Lives for Their Country.
The New York Sun has an interesting
account OF the patriotism OF o. R. Vesper,
now of Springfield, Mass. Mr.. Vesper
travels through Vermont for the Brooks
Oil Co. and is frequent and regular
visitor to St. Johnsbury. His many
friends will be interested in the account
of his war record and the inherited pa
triotism of his family. The Sun says:
"Asingular case OF inherited patriotism
and sacrifice of the men of family for
their countrv's defense has come before
the War Department for consideration,
which emphasizes a notable defeat in the
laws intended to reward heroism and
devotion to duty. 1t is case that ap-
peals strongly to the authorities, who re-
cognize the high moral obligation of a
crippled veteran whose father, grand
father and great grand father 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, sole means of support, to free
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United States. The simple record of facts
as presented to the War Department. is as
follows: Owen r. Vesper, 10 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 a recruit in the same
company to be with his only son. In
1862, while the regiment was in the
Chickahominy swampS, near Richmond,
the father succumbed to the vicissitudes
of the arduous campaign and died at
Harrison's landing, just after the Seven
Days battles. The boy became one OF
the best soldiers in the regiment, serving
through the Antietam and Fredericks-
burg campaigns, Burnside's mud march,
and Charlottesville and Gettysburg
campaigns, and back through Virginia
to Rappahannock Station. Vesper was
always CONSPICUOUS in the celebrated Sd
Vermont, 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, 1865,
with a total strength of three hundred
and fifty, of whom over iorty.6ve left
home with the command at Lincoln's
first call.
There was not soldier 10 the regi-
ment whose services were not dstln-
guished and mertorous, and heroiSm
was such a common place matter with
the Vermonters that officers were not
called upon to be continually sending in
reports to headquarters of CONSPICUOUS
inst Na,,Na- at,l,cta1
eran volunteer and on May 5, 1864 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 return home he married and
two sons were born to him. With the
assistance of his devoted wife, and in
spite of his own infirmity, by dint of dill
gence night and day, he educated the
boys, and just as they reached manhood
and were becoming the sole dependence of
their parents, the Spanish War began.
The old martial spirit transmitted from
the grandfather and father asserted itself,
and they Joined the I'd Massachusetts,
going through the battles at Santiago
with the regiment. There the younger,
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August 10, and his elder brother, Lieut..
Harry !. Vesper, died on the transport
Mobile on the way home, only two days
out from Montauk Point, and was
buried at sea.
Thus has a family of patriots been
annihilated in their country's service.
Owen Vesper's great grandfather was
soldier OF the Revelation under Wash
ington. His grandfather a soldier OF the
War of 1912, was taken prisoner by the
British, and died upon release. His
father in the Civil War was buried at
Harrisons Landing. He gave his own
right arm at the Wilderness, and thed
gave his two sons in the Spanish War