The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-29
VERMONT AT GETTYSBURG
Col. Albert Clarke Sees That Gen.
stannard 10 Given His Due

Col Albert Clarke, who was a lieu
tenant In the Thirteenth Vermont In
fantry, ". S. ", and now secretary
of the Home Market Club OF Boston,
has an interesting article in The Jour.
nal OF The Military Service Institution
for March and April on Hancock and
the Vermont Brigade" The article
says:
The pen notes by General Hancock
on the margins OF General Double
days Charlottesville and Gettys-
burg reproduced In facsimile In the
January.February number of the Jour
nal Of the Military Service lnstitut.
ion, concerning certain movements In
the Battle OF Gettysburg, are Of great
interest and in the main should be ac-
cepted as corrections OF errors made
by General Doubleday on misinforma-
ton have been asked, an error, or
to elucdate the incident in the prin-
clpal note on page 1T of the maya
zine.
This relates to STANDARDS flank at
tack upon Pickett and to Hancock's
personal advance 10 Stannard's line
Doubeday's account is:
Before the first line of rebels
reached the fence, it was obliged to
pass a demibrigade under Colonel
Theodore b. Gates OF the Twentieth
New York state militia, and Yer
mont brigade under General Stannard
both belonging to my command and
holding my front line, parallel to
that of the enemy and some distance
below the crest, in advance OF the
main line of battle"
Hancock's note in the margin is:
THE Vermont brigade was not in
front of the main line. The other
command was close behind It, or
dered IT,"
Tn penmanship is blind and blurred
and may not have read 1t correctly.
but If have IT, IL must be that the or
der referred to Colonel Gates com
mand only. Hancock's had been near
the right of Gibbons division, in the
rear of the line OF batteries and when
Pickett was advancing Honcock rode
down the Taneytown road until he
reached the left of that division and
then turned to the right, passing
through the line of batteries and
down the gentle slope across the in
fantry line until he reached General
Stannard at the left OF the Thirteenth
Vermont, which was the right regi-
ment Of the brigade, and which, I'M
der STANDARDS order, had already adj
yanced fifteen rods to some rails
which we had placed in line. Before
this advance, STANDARDS men were
part of the main line as Hancock
says.
When Pickett reached the crest of
Seminary ridge and his men were adj
vancing into the valley he saw that
he was further to the right than he
had aimed to be and so he ordered a
movement to the left. Wilcox on his
right, did not conform TO this and
thus a gap was opened in the line in
front of Stannard. Stannard prompt.
ly advanced his brigade forty-fve
yards toward it and opened right
oblique fire on Pickett's men In the
valley, who were crowding to the left
until his front was cleared. 1t was at
this time that Hancock reached Stan
nard, but he Immediately fell, pain
fully wounded and was helped from
his saddle by STANDARDS aides
Stannard, seeing that his front was
cleared, ordered his right regiment
to charge front forward on FIRST com
pany, which after a run OF 200 yards
brought us into close quarters with
Pickett's right flank, and there we
were joined by the Sixteenth Vermont
To reach that position we had NOV
ed in front of the main line from
which we had advanced but portion
of that line soon pressed TO the right
after Halls brigade had moved to the
aid of Webbs. still further to the
right 1t is quite possible that Han
cock, in crossing the line, had ordered
a movement to the right, such as
Stannard was already executing.
In the second volume of Vermont
in the Civil War" page 50, the follow
ing paragraph sheds light on Han
cocks report
1T was with much surprise that
General Stannard and those of his
| command familiar with the facts
found when General Hancock's reporr
appeared, several months after the
battle, that he claimed that he direct
ed General Stannard to strike Pickett
In an interview with Gen Hancock
in his room at Wizards hotel il
Washington, before he had fully re
covered from his wound, Lieutenant
Benedict, of General STANDARDS staff
called General Hancock's attention (
this statement. He (Hancock) sale
that the statement was not made from
his own knowledge-his own recollec
ton OF events just at that point o
I the battle having, as he frankly ad
mitted, been much confused by hii
wound, but was based on the state
ment of members Of his staff Fo
his own part all he remembered h,
said was that he saw a chance TO
such a flank attack and that he rod
down to STANDARDS brigade with al
/ idea of ordering It, Before the inter
/ view was over General Stannard eX
/ pressed himself satisfied, from mat
ters recalled to his memory, and es
/ pecially from the circumstance (Which
he distinctly recollected) that one o
I the Vermont regiments was in motion
! to the right when he rode TO Stan
nards side, that the order to move OF
Pickett's flank must have been al
ready given to at least a portion 0
the Vermont Brigade before he go
there; and he promised to append Il