Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-03-19
COMMUNICATIONS.
FROM A SOLDIER OF THE FIRST
VERMONT CAVALRY.

THE Register is pleased to have the
following communication from Mr..
Lewis LaVake, soldier of the First
Vermont Cavalry and former resident
of Addison County. The clipping re-
ferred to tells of the receipt by Mr.. La
Wake of memorial volume of Major
General William Wells of the First
Cavalry. This book has been published
by the Wells. Family and is being sent
to all the surviving members of the
famous regiment. The Lieutenant
Higey referred to is doubtless Professor
Edwin,H. Higley, formerly of Middle
bury College, and now of Groton,
Mass. Editor
Editor Middlebury Register:
For the benefit and pleasure of the
few remaining comrades of the First
Vermont Calvary l enclose clip
ping. The war was long time ago,
but there are many yet living in Yer
mont who will remember Lew LaVake,
who in early winter 1862 ran away from
Massillon, Ohio, and went to Shoreham,
VT My mother was a Wicker, and
Mrs. Calendar was my aunt. | lived
with her and her daughters, and they
made me good home. My grand
mother was sister of B. F. Haskell of
West Cornwall, and l had many Wicker
relations in various parts of Addison
County. In Massillon, Ohio, my
brothers Will and James LaVake had
quit school and gone into the 10Th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, and later my
father, great singer, helped raise the
1l5th Ohio and was made its Major. He
lost his life in the summer of '63
| was sent to school at North Ferris
burg, and one day at recess seventeen
of us boys left school, went to the rail
road, walked to Burlington and enlisted.
| got into the first Vermont Cavalry and
was mustered in at BrattlebOro, Joined
the regiment on the Rapidan and was
with Uric Dahlgreen on Kilpatrick' 5
Raid on Richmond to liberate the
prisoners. There was one horse be-
tween Dahlgreen and me when he was
killed, and | was taken prisoner. There
are but few of those Dahlgreen men
left. This volume Just received from
the Wells family gives the names of the
survivors. Bill Pecu is one. Myron
Fales is another, but most of them are
gone. | mention these things to waken
the memories of the old times. am
only survivor of the four LaVake's of
this family who were in the war. The
Vermont boys were good soldiers and
the State may well be proud of them.
One thing is very certain, | am very
proud that | was member of the
First Vermont Cavalry.
1t was after the battle of Waynes-
boro and Cedar Creek when | was de-
tailed to take the boat at White House
Landing and go to City Point to draw
horses for our regiment that | met
President Lincoln, in his high hat. |
was only a boy but walked up to him
and said Excuse me, sir, but is this
L ANoINCiN l-lllNOlll. ne TtDlleu, eS,
sir. " Well, | would like to shake hands
with you. "Why, are you soldier?
What regimant?" My answer was
eyes, sir, belong to Co. X, First Yer
mont Regiment" He smiled and
grasped my hand at once, and said
Young man, you belong to a good
regiment, know it well. ="
General Grant told me the same
years afterward, at Elgin, Ill. Shouldn't
| be proud of the fact. | have a bronze
monument on the lot where my two
boys lie, and there the crossed swords
and "Co. K, LIST Vt. Cavalry" are
waiting for Lew LaVake's remains.
Charles Youtt, Lieut.. Higley, Myron
Fales, William Pecu-I write this so to
get word from you personally, and from
any of my Vermont relatives and old
time friends in Addison County. | see
the Middlebury Register every week.
l.. LAVAKE,
Co. X, LIST VT Cavalry.
MOntOur Iowa