Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-23
THE OLD VERMONT BRIGADE.
Gen. McNahon's Famous Tribute-He
Called 1t the Best Brig ade in the
Army OF the Potomac.


| tribute to the old First Vermont brigade.
1t was first printed soon after the close
| of the civil War, and was entitled The
| First Vermont Brigade-by one who did
| not belong to 1t, and who was never in
| Vermont" Its authorship was not known
| for some time: but finally was discovered
| and acknowledged by its author. This
vas General Martin T. Mcmahon, who
| was chief of staff of the Sixth Army
| Corps, under Uncle John Sedgwick,
and had ample opportunity to see the
| Fern onters in camp on the march and
| IN battle He has been United States
marshal i'll New York, United States min
lister to Paraguay, and held other inn
| portant offices He is now judge of the
| court of general sessions in New York
city; and he takes back nothing OF his
old high opinion of the Vermont troops.
They were honest farmers turned vaga-
bonds They were simple countrymcn
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 9TH
er things They swept the daries ana
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
neighhorins camps were silent through
fatigue. They We're ill-disciplined and
familiar with their officers. They swag-
a X
ed down with a patronzng Yankee cool
ness upon all regiments that were better
drilled, and upon that part Of the army
generally that did not belong to the Yer
mont brigade They We're strangely
proud, not Of themselves individually bat
of the brigade collectively tor thev knew
perfectly well they were the best lighters
in the known world. They We're long OF
| limb ard could outmarch the army They
were individually self-reliant and skill
full in the use of arms, and they honestly
believed that the Vermont brigade could
not be beaten b. the combined armies of
the rebellion.
They were veterans in fighting quail
tiles almost from their first skirmish.
This was at Lees Mills. They crossed a
narrow dam under q 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 incorrigibe irregular,
noisy set of rascals. They were much
sworn at during their four years of ser
vice, vet they were at all times a pet
brigade, There were but two things they
could do-march and fight; and these they
did in a manner peculiarly their own.
They had a long, slow, swinging stride
on the march. which distanced every
thing that followed them. They had
quiet, attentive, earnest, individual way
Of fighting that made them terrific in bat
tie, Each man knew that his neiphbor in
the ranks was not going to run away
and he knew also. that he himself intend
e' to remain where he was. Accordingly
none Of the attention of the line was d.
reoted from the important duty of load
ing 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 neighe1
like horses they beloved like bulls, they
barkcd like dogs, and they counterfeited
with excellent effect the indescribable
| music of the mule When, perchance, they
| held a picket lire in "A forest ii seemed
as If Noah's ark had gone to pieces there.
| In every engagement in which this brig
ade took part it was cOmplimerted for
gallant co1duct. One Of the most re-
mdrkable OF its performances, however
| has never appeared in print, nor has It
! been noticed in it's reports. After the bat
| tie of Gettysburg, when Lees army was
in the vicinity II Hagarstown and the
| Antietam. the Vermont brigade was
| deployed as skirmish line cover
| ing n front of nearly three miles. The
enemy were In force in front near Beaver
| creek. The Sixth corps was held in read
| mess In rear Of the skirmish line, antici-
! pating a general engagement. The enemy
! had evidently determined to attack. At
| last his line of battle came forward. The
! batteries opened at Cnce and the skirm-
ishers delivered their fires. Our troops
We're on the alert and stood watching for
! the skirmishers to come in, and waiting
to receive the coming assault Rut the
| skiImiShcrs would not come In and when
the fire died away it appeared that the
| NcrmontCrs thus dcployed as n skirmish
| line had actually repulsed a fun line of
! battle attacks. Twice afterward the en-
envy advanced to carry the position and
were each time driven back by this per-
verse skirmlsh line. The Vernonters It
is true, were strongly posted in the woods,
and each man fired from behind a tree.
But then, everybody knows that etiquette
| in such matters is for the skirmish line
to come In as soon as they are satisfied
the enemy means business These simple
minded patriots from the Green Noun
tairs, however, adopted rule of their
own on this occasion, and the enemy, dis
gusted with this stupidity, retired across
| Heavier creek.
When the Vermonters led the column
| ON a march their quick movements had
| to he regulated from corps or division
| headquarters to avoid gaps in the column
| as it followed them. If a rapid forced
| march were required, II was a common
| thing for Sedgewick to say with II quiet
| smile, Put the Vermonters at the head
| of the column to-day and keep everything
| we'll closed up"
After the riots In New York, when It
| was found necessary to send troops to the
| city to prevent recurrence OF the outbreak,
| the Vermont brigade was especially nam