The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-06-04

surrendered. Some were killed and
wounded, but the most fled back in
confusion. We followed them into and
through the woods to the rise from
where they had come, taking over 260
prisoners, one being colonel. There
were men from six different regiments
among the prisoners, mostly being
Louisiana men, "the Louisiana tigers"
This was the incest thing saw dur
ing my three years of service--a little
regiment, reduced to about $50 men,
making such charge during battle,
for no other regiment charged. Sedg-
wick corps was saved and it got all
the honors in that Inflated Chancellors-
vile campaign by saving itself, with
the loss of over $500 men.
On the forced march to Gettysburg,
General Sedgwick gave the order to
put the Vermonters ahead and to keep
the column well closed up. At the
battle of Gettysburg, three regiments
of the I'd Vermont brigade, nine
months men. who had never before
been in battle, made a furious charge
on Pickett's charging column, struck
their flank and helped to roll back the
wave which there rose to the high
water mark of the Rebellion.
At Funston, Md, line of skirmish-
ers from the old Vermont brigade
drove back several charges made by
regiments in line of battle, something
very unusual AT the battle of the
Wilderness. General Grant gave orders
to General Sedgwick to send the old
Vermont brigade with the largest part
of Getty's division TO hold the place
where the Brook road crossed the Or
ange plank road at all hazards. Getty
had two other brigades and his men
of less than 1000 opened the battle
there and held back Hills rebel divi-
sion for hours before being reinforced
by General Hancock's corps, but with
fearful loss to the Nermonters. II
ID said that our brigade lost 1000 men
killed and wounded that afternoon,
The point was held and General
Grants army not cut in two, and Gen
eral Grants confidence in the YER
monters not misplaced
Thirty-fve thousand men went into
the ranks during the Civil war. Not
one of the flags which they marched
under, state or national, was ever cap
tured from them in battle.
In the Spanish. American war, Dew.
ey was in command of the American
feet at Manila bay, and Capt. Clark
brought the battleship Oregon around
Cape Horn TO the wonder of naval Off
GERS of the world--both Vermonters.
They might have told us that last
year, by the government report, Yer
mont raised more corn to the acre than
any other state in the Union; that in
all principal crops, such as wheat, bar
ley, oats, potatoes and hay, the av.
erage per acre was away above the
average of all states. of the Union. l
myself have seen a yield of potatoes
at the rate of 400 bushels TO the acre
and have raised 100 bushels OF oats on
an acre of land in Vermont.
One speaker, who was introduced as
live wire Il think he came from
Michigan, hit Vermont slap by tell
ing an old story, new vamped over for
the occasion, about boy who was
digging potatoes on a steep hillside in
Vermont A man coming along the
road stopped and asked the boy how
many potatoes he got TO the acre. The
boy said he did not know, but guessed
about Is bushels. The man said, That
is a pretty poor yield. The ground Is
pretty poor and | guess you are all
pretty poor" The boy Strengthened
himself up and said, I'VE are not so
darned poor rs you might think we
was, for we don't own a foot of IL.
It will take nothing from the laur.
els Of the Golden state, the land of
sunshine, fruits, flowers and all its
varied products and great future posi-
bilities TO give Vermont her due, the
beautiful Green Mountain state, with
her mountains, hills, valleys, lakes and
rivers, her happy homes and farms
nestled on hillside and vale, her vii
lagos in the valleys all clothed in vari.
GUS shades of green, the pride OF all
her loyal sons and daughters-The
Switzerland of America.
f. L. Smith.
Iona, Colo, May "a, 1921.