The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-03
rhe FIrat Vermont RrIaada


The suggestion made to the Jour
nal by veteran soldier that there
should be held at some suitable place
within the next few months a reunion
OF the members OF the First Brigade,
famous for It's gallant service In the
Civil War, on the occasion of the If
tieth anniversary of its organization,
Is an excellent one, and ought TO be
acted upon favorably and promptly.
II should be, not only reunion OF
the few surviving members Of the bril-
gade but II should be also patrlo-
tic tribute on the part OF the citizens
OF our state to the men who fought
so bravely and sacrificed their lives
30 nobly in the days of that desperate
conflict which long ago passed into
history This fftieth anniversary of
the outbreak OF the Civil War ought
not to pass in Vermont without some
public recognition OF the event and no
more suitable occasion can be found
than the organization OF the First
Vermont Brigade.
The brigade was organized In the
fall OF 1861 by Gen. w. +. (Baldy)
Smith. II was composed OF the Sec
! ond, third, Fourth. Fifth and Sixth
( Vermont regiments, and later the
Eleventh formed part for year. II
was not customary to organize bri-
gade from single state. but Gen.
Smiths acquaintance with General
Mcclellan made this possible.
According to that invaluable history
vermont in the Civil War" written
by Hon. G. G.. Benedict, the I'VE orig.
inal regiments OF this brigade entered
the service with 4747 officers and men.
To these were added 1910 men during
the war in order to keep the ranks
full, making total OF Asl7 officers
and men. o. this number 578 were
killed in battle, and 3G5 died OF
wounds, a totakof 973 Out Of every
thousand men, 10 were killed or fat.
ally wounded. From this brigade. IA
died OF diGease in Union hospitals, 1876
died in Confederate prisons and the
total number OF wounded was 1928.
War department records show
that the proportion Of soldiers of the
Union armies killed In action was
2.SS and those dying of wounds was
l1.S5. The percentage OF Vermonters
in the First Brigade killed was 6.55
and those dying o: wounds was 4.48.
The percentage of Vermonters killed
In action. 3.65 was the highest Of that
OF any state. hut that OF the brigade
was nearly double the record Of Yer
mont as state.
One third OF the Vermonters serv.
ling In the Civil War were IN the Old
First, and more than a fourth of It's
membership gave their lives for their
country. Tho brigade. in whole or In
part, was engaged In thirty battles
and engagements and their marches
in Maryland and Virginia exceeded
1000 miles In aggregate length. Not
once did any portion of the brigade
lose its colors.
ade "As ,narchers they were unsur
passed, and as fighters they were as
good as the best, II not little bet
ter. General Sheridan. in this city
in 1867, said II have never commanded
troops in whom ! had more confidence
than had in the Vermont troops, and
do not know but | can say that
never commanded troops In whom
had as much confidence as those Of
this gallant state" General Sedg
wick's chief OF staff. General McMa
hon, said of the First Vermont Brig
ade: mo body of troops in or out Of
the old Sixth Corps had a better re
cord. No body of troops In or out Of
the army Of the Potomac. made theil
record more calamity, sustained 4
more heroically, or wore their honori
more modestly The Vermont Brig
ade were. the model and type Of tht
volunteer soldier"
BY all means let the fftieth anniv
ersary of the organization Of the reg
iments OF this gallant brigade he At
tingly celebrated. and there is M
more appropriate place for such eel
ebration than Montpelier, the capita
| nf the etata -M0ntnaliar Journal