2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment
The 2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three years' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the VI Corps, Army of the Potomac, from June 1861 to July 1865. It was a member of the famous Vermont Brigade.
| 2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
Flag of Vermont, 1837–1923 | |
| Active | June 20, 1861 to July 15, 1865 |
| Disbanded | July 15, 1865 |
| Allegiance | United States Union |
| Branch | United States Army Union Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1,811 |
| Engagements | First Battle of Bull Run Battle of Williamsburg Battle of Savage's Station Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Salem Church Battle of Gettysburg Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Battle of Cold Harbor Third Battle of Winchester Battle of Cedar Creek |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel | Henry Whiting |
| Insignia | |
| 2nd Brigade (Vermont Brigade), 2nd Division, VI Corps (Union Army), Army of the Potomac/Army of the Shenandoah (Union) | |
History edit
In July 1861, the United States Congress authorized President Abraham Lincoln to call out 500,000 men, to serve for three years unless sooner discharged. The 2nd Vermont Infantry was the first of the three years regiments from the state placed in the field as a result of this call, and it served longer in the service than all but one other Vermont unit, the 7th Vermont Infantry. It was organized from militia companies from Brattleboro, Burlington, Castleton, Fletcher, Ludlow, Montpelier, Tunbridge, Vergennes and Waterbury.[1]
The colonelcy of the regiment was initially offered to Israel B. Richardson, a native of Vermont, but he had just accepted command of the 1st Michigan Infantry. Richardson recommended a classmate from the United States Military Academy, Henry H. Whiting, and he was commissioned by Governor Erastus Fairbanks on June 6, 1861.[1] George J. Stannard, of St. Albans, was appointed lieutenant colonel, and Charles H. Joyce, a young lawyer from Northfield, was appointed major.
The regiment rendezvoused at Burlington,[2] and was mustered into United States service on June 20.[1] Four days later, the regiment left for Washington, D.C., arriving on June 26. It was initially brigaded with three Maine regiments under command of Colonel Oliver O. Howard. On July 21, the brigade participated in the First Battle of Bull Run.[3] The regiment suffered 68 casualties: 2 killed, 35 wounded and 31 missing.[4]
August 12, 1861, the regiment transferred to Chain Bridge,[5] where it went into camp with the 3rd Vermont Infantry, 6th Maine Infantry and 33rd New York Infantry. In September, the 4th, 5th and 6th Vermont regiments joined with the 2nd and 3rd to form the famous "Old Vermont Brigade," under the command of newly promoted Brigadier General William Farrar Smith, previously commander of the 3rd Vermont Infantry.[6] Smith was soon assigned command of the division of which the Vermont Brigade was a part, and William T. H. Brooks, a native of Ohio, but the son of a Vermonter, assumed command.[7]
The history of the regiment from this point on is essentially that of the Vermont Brigade, except for numerous personnel changes.
Colonel Whiting resigned on February 9, 1863, and was replaced by James H. Walbridge, who commanded the regiment until he resigned on April 1, 1864.[8] He was replaced by Newton Stone, who was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness, on May 5, 1864. His replacement, John S. Tyler, had been wounded on May 5, and died of his wounds on May 23. Amasa Tracy, his replacement, commanded the regiment until it was disbanded.[2]
Lieutenant Colonel George J. Stannard was promoted to the colonelcy of the 9th Vermont Infantry on May 21, 1862, and later commanded the 2nd Vermont Brigade, which garnered honors for its participation in the repulse of Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.[2]
The original members of the regiment, who did not reenlist, were mustered out of the service on June 29, 1864. One year recruits and others whose term of service was due to expire prior to October 1, 1865, were mustered out on June 19, 1865. The remaining officers and men mustered out of service on July 15.[2]
Medal of Honor edit
Five members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor.[9][10]
- Captain Dayton P. Clarke, Company F, was credited with "distinguished conduct in a desperate hand-to-hand fight while commanding the regiment," at the Battle of Spotsylvania, on May 12, 1864.
- Sergeant Ephraim W. Harrington, Company G, "carried the colors to the top of the heights and almost to the muzzle of the enemy's guns," at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, on May 3, 1863.
- Private William W. Noyes, Company F, "standing upon the top of the breastworks, [he] deliberately took aim and fired no less than 15 shots into the enemy's lines, but a few yards away," at Spotsylvania, on May 12, 1864.
- 2nd Lieutenant Augustus J. Robbins, Company B, "while voluntarily serving as a staff officer successfully withdrew a regiment across and around a severely exposed position to the rest of the command; was severely wounded," at Spotsylvania, on May 12, 1864.[11]
- Lieutenant Colonel Amasa S. Tracy, serving with Lieutenant H. E. Farrel "took command of and led the brigade in the assault on the enemy's works," at the Battle of Cedar Creek, on October 19, 1864.
Engagements edit
| ENGAGEMENTS | |
|---|---|
| Battle of First Bull Run | July 21, 1861 |
| Battle of Warwick Creek | April 6, 1862 |
| Battle at Lee's Mills | April 16, 1862 |
| Battle of Williamsburg[12] | May 5, 1862 |
| Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm | June 26, 1862 |
| Battle of Savage's Station[6] | June 29, 1862 |
| Battle of White Oak Swamp | June 30, 1862 |
| Battle of Crampton's Gap | September 14, 1862 |
| Battle of Antietam | September 17, 1862 |
| Battle of Fredericksburg | December 13, 1862 |
| Battle of Marye's Heights[6] | May 3, 1863 |
| Battle of Salem Church | May 4, 1863 |
| Second Battle of Fredericksburg[13] | June 5, 1863 |
| Battle of Gettysburg[14] | July 3, 1863 |
| Battle of Funkstown[14] | July 10, 1863 |
| Battle of Rappahannock Station | November 7, 1863 |
| Battle of the Wilderness[15] | May 5–10, 1864 |
| Battle of Spotsylvania | May 10–18, 1864 |
| Battle of Cold Harbor | June 1–12, 1864 |
| Second Battle of Petersburg | June 18, 1864 |
| Battle of Reams' Station | June 29, 1864 |
| Fort Stevens (Washington, D.C.) | July 11, 1864 |
| Battle of Charlestown | August 21, 1864 |
| Battle of Opequon (Gilbert's Ford) | September 13, 1864 |
| Battle of Winchester (Opequon) | September 19, 1864 |
| Battle of Fisher's Hill | September 21–22, 1864 |
| Battle of Cedar Creek | October 19, 1864 |
| Siege of Petersburg | March 25, 1865 |
| Third Battle of Petersburg | April 2, 1865 |
| Battle of Sailor's Creek | April 6, 1865 |
Final Statement edit
| FINAL STATEMENT[16] | |
|---|---|
| Original members | 866 |
| Gain (recruits and transfers) | 992 |
| --- Aggregate | 1858 |
| --- Losses --- | |
| Killed in action | 139 |
| Died of wounds | 84[17] |
| Died of disease | 136 |
| Died in Confederate prisons | 22 |
| Died from accident | 3 |
| Executed | 1 |
| Total of Deaths | 385 |
| Promoted to other regiments | 8 |
| Honorably discharged | 446 |
| Dishonorably discharged | 24 |
| Deserted | 170 |
| Finally unaccounted for | 5 |
| Transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps and other organizations | 120 |
| --- Total Losses | 773 |
| Mustered out at various times | 700 |
| Total wounded | 692 |
| Total taken prisoner | 129 |
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ a b c Adjutant General (1892), p. 27.
- ^ a b c d Dyer (1908), p. 233.
- ^ Benedict (1886), p. 69-72, Vol. I.
- ^ War Department (1888), p. 208, Vol. II-VIX.
- ^ Crockett (1921), p. 514, Vol. III.
- ^ a b c Crockett (1921), p. 510-512, Vol. III.
- ^ Dyer 1908, p. 233. Benedict 1886, pp. 69–72, Vol. I
- ^ Benedict (1886), p. 105-106, Vol. I.
- ^ "Congressional Medal of Honor Society". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ . Victoria Cross, the Men Behind the Medals. VCOnline. 2020. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ Zeller (2002), p. 193.
- ^ War Department (1884a), p. 157, Vol. XI-XXIII-I.
- ^ Benedict (1886), p. 142-143, Vol. I.
- ^ a b Benedict (1886), p. 144, Vol. I.
- ^ Coffin (2002), p. 104.
- ^ Adjutant General 1892, p. 66, Vol. VI. Fox 1889, p. 147
- ^ Fox (1889), p. 116.
References edit
- Adjutant General, Vermont (1892). Theodore S. Peck, BGEN (ed.). Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and lists of Vermonters Who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, 1861-66. Montpelier, VT: Press of the Watchman Publishing Co. p. 886. OCLC 302368404.
- Benedict, George Grenville (1886). Vermont in the Civil War, Chapter I - XX. Vermont in the Civil War. A History of the part taken by the Vermont Soldiers And Sailors in the War For The Union, 1861-5. Vol. I. Burlington, VT: Free Press Association. p. 674. OCLC 2209277.
- Coffin, Howard (2002). The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal during Grant's Overland Campaign: from the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of Virginia. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press. ISBN 9780881504873. OCLC 1147748752.
- Coffin, Howard (1995). Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press. p. 376. ISBN 9780881503494. OCLC 42706499.
- Crockett, Walter Hill (1921). Vermont The Green Mountain State, Chapter XXX-XXXIV. Vermont The Green Mountain State. Vol. III. New York, NY: The Century History Company, Inc. OCLC 9412165.
- Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q.
- Federal Publishing, Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, And Delaware. The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65 -- Records of the Regiments in the Union army -- Cyclopedia of battles -- Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Vol. I. Madison, WI: Federal Publishing Company. p. 555. OCLC 694018100.
- Fisk, Wilbur (1983). Emil Rosenblatt; Ruth Rosenblatt (eds.). Hard Marching Every Day: The Civil War Letters of Private Wilbur Fisk, 1861-1865. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 9780700605293. OCLC 25131397.
- Fox, William F (1889). Regimental Losses In The American Civil War 1861-1865. Albany, NY: Albany Publishing Company. p. 595. OCLC 950982386.
- Poirier, Robert G. (1999). By the Blood of our Alumni: Norwich University Citizen-Soldiers in the Army of the Potomac. Mason City, IA: Savas Pub. Co. ISBN 9781940669083. OCLC 1132347426.
- War Department, U.S. (1880). Operations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Apr 16-Jul 31, 1861. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. II–VIX. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1881). Operations in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and West Virginia. Aug. 1, 1861-Mar 17, 1862. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. V–XIV. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1884a). The Peninsular Campaign, Virginia. Mar 17-Sep. 2, 1862 - Reports, Mar 17-Jun 24. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XI-XXIII-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1884b). The Peninsular Campaign, Virginia. Mar 17-Sep. 2, 1862 - Reports, Jun 25-Sep 2 - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XI-XXIII-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1884c). The Peninsular Campaign, Virginia. Mar 17-Sep. 2, 1862 - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XI-XXIII-III. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1887). Operations in Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. September 3-November 14, 1862. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XIX-XXXI-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1887). Reports, September 20-November 14, 1862; Correspondence, etc., Sept 3-Nov. 14, 1862. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XIX-XXXI-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- Scott, Robert N.; Lazelle, Henry M. (1884a). Operations in Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. November 15, 1862 - January 25, 1863. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXI–XXXIII. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1884b). Operations in Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. January 26-June 3, 1863 - Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXI-XXXVIII-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1888). Operations in Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. January 26-June 3, 1863 - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXI-XXXVIII-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1889). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Department of the East. June 3-August 3, 1863 - Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXVII-XXXIX-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1889). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Department of the East. June 3-August 3, 1863 - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXVII-XXXIX-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1889). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Department of the East. June 3-August 3, 1863 - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXVII-XXXIX-III. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1890). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. August 4-December 31, 1863, - Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXIX-XLI-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1890). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. August 4-December 31, 1863, - Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXIX-XLI-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1891). Operations in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. January 1-April 30, 1864. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXXIII–XLV. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1891). Operations in Northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. May 1-August 3, 1864 - Reports, Union and Confederate Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXXVII-XLIX-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1891). Operations in Northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. May 1-August 3, 1864 - Union and Confederate Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXXVII-XLIX-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1893). Operations in Northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. August 4-December 31, 1864. - Reports, Union and Confederate Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XLIII-LV-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1893). Operations in Northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. August 4-December 31, 1864. - Union and Confederate Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XLIII-LV-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- War Department, U.S. (1894). Operations in Northern and Southeastern Virginia, North Carolina (January 1-31), West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. January 1-June 30, 1865. Section 1 - Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XLVI-LVIII-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- Zeller, Paul G. (2002). The Second Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1861-1865. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. OCLC 606854619.
External links edit
- Vermont in the Civil War
- Vermont Military Records Project, Vermont Public Records Division