Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-07-05
THE OLD VERMONT BRIGADE.

[By one who did not belong to it, and
who was never in Vermont-Gen.
NJ. T. McMahon.l
They we're honest farmers turned
vagabonds. They were simple coun-
trymen changed into heroes. They
were quiet townsmen that had become
rovers. They stole ancient horses
and bony cows on the march. They
pillaged moderately in other things.
They swept the dairies and stripped
the orchards for miles where they
Travelled. They chased rabbits when
they went into camp after long
marches, and they yelled like wild
Indians when neighboring camps were
| silent through fatigue. They were i'll
! disciplined and familiar with their Off
! GERS. They staggered in a cool, i'm
| pudent way, and looked down with a
| patronizing Yankee GOODNESS upon all
regiments that were better drilled
and upon that part of the army gen
! orally that did not belong to the Yer
mont brigade. They were strangely
proud, not of themselves individually
but of the brigade collectively, for
| they knew perfectly well they were
the best fighters in the known world.
| They we're long of limb and could out
march the army. They were indl-
yidually self-reliant and skilful in the
| use of arms, and they honestly be-
lieved that the Vermont brigade could
not be beaten by the combined armies
of the rebellion.
They were veterans in fighting quail
tiles almost from their first skirmish.
This was at Lees Mills. They cross
ed a narrow dam under a hot fire,
made the attack they were instructed
to make and came back. wading deep
in the water with a steadiness that
surprised the army. They were an
incorrigible, irregular, noisy set of ras-
Gals. They were much sworn at dur
ing their four years of service, yet
they were at all times a pet brigade.
There were but two things they could
do-march and fight and these they
did in manner peculiarly their own.
They had a long, slow, swinging stride
on the march. which distanced every
thing that followed them. They had
a quiet, attentive. earnest, individual
way of fighting that made them ter
rife in battle. Each man knew that
his neighbor in the ranks was not go
ing 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 directed
from the important duty of loading
or firing rapidly and carefully. When
moving into action and while hotly en-
gagged, they made queer, quaint jokes
and enjoyed them greatly. They
crowed like cocks, they ba-ed like
sheep, they neighed like horses, they
beloved like bulls, they barked like
dogs, and they counterfeited with eX-
cellent effect the indescribable music
of the mule. When, perchance, they
held picket line in a forest, it seem
ed 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, how
ever, has never appeared in print, nor
has it been noticed in Its reports. At
ter the battle of Gettysburg, when
Lees army was in the vicinity of Hag-
arstown and the Antietam, the Yer
mont brigade was deployed as a skir-
mish line covering a front of nearly
three miles. The enemy were in force
in front near Beaver creek. The
Sixth corps was held in readiness in
rear of the skirmish line, anticipating
a general engagement. The enemy
had evidently determined 10 attack.
At last his line of battle came for
ward. The batteries opened at once
and the skirmishers delivered their
fires. Our troops were on the alert
and stood watching for the skirmish-
ers to come in, and waiting to receive
A. lii.
mishers would not come in and when
the fire died away it appeared that
the Vermonters thus deployed as a
skirmish line, had actually repulsed
a full line of battle attack. Twice
afterward the enemy advanced to car
ry the position and were each time
driven back by this perverse skirmish
line. The Vermonters, it is true, were
strongly posted in the woods, and
each man fired from behind a tree.
But then, everybody knows that eti-
quette in such matters is for the skir-
mish line to come in as soon as they
are satisfied the enemy means busi-
ness. These simple minded patriots
from the Green Mountains, however,
adopted a rule of their own on this oc-
casion, and the enemy, disgusted with
this stupidity, retired across Beaver
creek.
When the Vermonters led the col
umn on a march their quick move.
ments had to be regulated from corps
or division headquarters to avoid gaps
in the column as it followed them.
If a rapid forced march were required,
it W a common thing for Sedgewick
to / .y, with quiet smile, Put the
Ver.nonters at the head of the colmun
today and keep everything well closed
up"
After the riots in New York, when
it was found necessary to send troops
70 the city to prevent recurrence of
the outbreak, the Vermont brigade
was especially named by the war de-
partment for this duty. Within two
hours from receiving the despatch the
command was en- route to the city.
They occupied the public squares here
for sometime and enjoyed themselves
not wisely nor yet virtuously and re-
turned to the army of the Potomac
sadly demoralized in all but the two
great essential qualities, of fighting
and marching. 1t was a fortunate
thing for the New York mob that ii
avoided conflict with New England
troops at this time.
Upon the return of the brigade TO
the field they quietly held on their
own routine of life and maintained to