3rd Vermont Infantry
Encyclopedia
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the VI Corps
VI Corps (ACW)
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...
, Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, from July 1861 to July 1865. It was a member of the Vermont Brigade.
History
In July 1861, the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
to call out 500,000 men, to serve for three years unless sooner discharged. The 3rd Vermont Infantry was the second of the three years regiments from the state placed in the field as a result of this call. It was organized from militia companies from Springfield
Springfield, Vermont
Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,373 at the 2010 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was chartered on August 20, 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth and awarded to Gideon Lyman and 61 others...
, Coventry
Coventry, Vermont
Coventry is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,014 at the 2000 census.-Local government:A waste system company paid the town about $800,000 in "tipping fees" in 2009. This allows the town property tax rate to be zero...
, Newbury (Wells River)
Newbury, Vermont
Newbury could be either of the following places in the U.S. state of Vermont:*Newbury , Vermont*Newbury , Vermont...
, Charleston
Charleston, Vermont
Charleston is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 895 at the 2000 census. The town contains three unincorporated villages: Charleston, East Charleston and West Charleston.-Town:* Selectman - Tom Jensen...
, Johnson, Hartford
Hartford, Vermont
Hartford is a town in Windsor County in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White River and the Connecticut River; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town...
, St.Johnsbury
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, St. Albans
St. Albans (city), Vermont
St. Albans is a city in and the shire town of Franklin County, Vermont, in the United States. At the 2000 census, the city population was 7,650. St Albans City is completely surrounded by St. Albans town, which is incorporated separately from the city of St. Albans...
, Guidhall
Guildhall, Vermont
-External links:* http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/sets/72157624844998996/with/4943890976/...
, and East Montpelier
East Montpelier, Vermont
East Montpelier is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,578 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.1 square miles , of which 32.0 square miles is land and 0.1 square mile is...
and Calais
Calais, Vermont
Calais is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,529 at the 2000 census. Calais is pronounced similarly to palace, not chalet...
.
Governor Erastus Fairbanks
Erastus Fairbanks
Erastus Fairbanks was an American manufacturer and Whig politician.He studied law but abandoned it for mercantile pursuits, finally settling in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where in 1824 he formed a partnership with his brother Thaddeus for the manufacture of scales, stoves and plows...
' first choices to command the regiment were Colonel John W. Phelps
John W. Phelps
John Wolcott Phelps , was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, an author, an ardent abolitionist and presidential candidate.-Soldier and abolitionist:...
, soon to relinquish his command of the 1st Vermont Infantry
1st Vermont Infantry
The 1st Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry was a three months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, in and around Fortress Monroe, Virginia.-History:...
, Captain Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour was an a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. He commanded the Union troops at the Battle of Olustee, the largest Civil War battle fought in Florida.-Early life and career:Seymour...
, 4th U.S. Artillery, a native Vermonter who had been present at the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
, and Captain A. V. Colburn, U.S. Army, who later became Assistant Adjutant General of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
under General George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
. Phelps, however, was serving as commandant of the post at Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, and the offers to Seymour and Colburn were declined.
The regiment rendezvoused at St. Johnsbury, on the ground of the Caledonia County Agricultural Society at "Camp Baxter," named in honor of Adjutant and Inspector General H. Henry Baxter. The regiment mustered into United States service on July 16, 1861, and departed for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on July 24, under the temporary command of Lieutenant Colonel Breed N. Hyde. At Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, the regiment's commander, Colonel William Farrar Smith
William Farrar Smith
William Farrar Smith , was a civil engineer, a member of the New York City police commission, and Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, joined them.
The regiment arrived in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 1861, and on July 27, marched up the Potomac to the Chain Bridge, where they built "Camp Lyon." They joined at that site the Sixth Maine Infantry, Mott's Battery and a company of cavalry. By August 12, the 2nd Vermont Infantry
2nd Vermont Infantry
The 2nd Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry was a three year' 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...
and the 33rd New York Infantry had joined them.
Major Walter W. Cochran, of Bellows Falls, resigned his commission on August 6 due to a severe attack of fever and ague. Captain Wheelock G. Veazey
Wheelock G. Veazey
Wheelock Graves Veazey was an American attorney, judge, and government official. Veazey served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission...
, of Company A, replaced him. On August 13, Colonel Smith was appointed brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
of volunteers, and Hyde replaced him, now as a full colonel. Veazey was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Captain Thomas O. Seaver
Thomas O. Seaver
Thomas Orville Seaver rose to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration, for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House...
, of Company F, was promoted to major. It was also here that Private William Scott
William Scott (The Sleeping Sentinel)
William Scott was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He was the "Sleeping Sentinel" who was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln and memorialized by a poem and then a 1914 silent film.-Biography:...
, known to history as the Sleeping Sentinel
The Sleeping Sentinel
The Sleeping Sentinel is a 1914 American black-and-white silent film that depicted President Abraham Lincoln pardoning a military sentry who had been sentenced to die for sleeping while on duty....
, was found asleep at his post on August 31, court-martialed, and sentenced to be executed.
On September 3, the units crossed the Chain Bridge, and occupied "Camp Advance," 1 miles (1.6 km) in advance of the bridge. On September 9, Private Scott was scheduled to be executed, but during the proceedings, after the death sentence had been read, a pardon was read, sparing his life. In 1997, the original court-martial and pardon papers were discovered, and authenticated, bringing to an end the controversy over whether President Lincoln had personally signed the pardon, which it turned out he did. Scott served faithfully with his regiment until the Battle at Lee's Mills, where he was mortally wounded, and was buried in the national cemetery at Yorktown
Colonial National Historical Park
Colonial National Historical Park is located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is operated by the National Park Service of the United States government...
.
On September 11, the regiment participated in a reconnaissance to and beyond Lewinsville, Virginia
Lewinsville, Virginia
Lewinsville is an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. Traditionally, the center of Lewinsville has been located at the crossroads of Lewinsville and Chain Bridge Roads. Together with Langley, Lewinsville forms the census-designated place of McLean....
, where it engaged Confederate skirmishers. Returning to the camp, the regiment came under fire from Rosser's battery. A shell fell within the ranks of Company C, killing Private Amos Meserve, mortally wounding William H. Colburn, and injuring five others. On September 25, the regiment participated in another reconnaissance to Lewinsville, but suffered no casualties. Quartermaster Redfield Proctor
Redfield Proctor
Redfield Proctor was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th Governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 1891 to 1908....
resigned from the regiment on this date to accept appointment as Major of the 5th Vermont Infantry
5th Vermont Infantry
The 5th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry 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 September 1861 to June 1865. It was a member of the Vermont Brigade.The...
.
During the next two weeks, the 4th and 5th Vermont regiments joined Smith's division. On October 9, the Vermont regiments moved to Camp Griffin, about four miles from Chain Bridge. Here, on October 24, the 6th Vermont Infantry arrived, completing the initial organization of the "Old Vermont Brigade."
The history of the regiment from this point on is essentially that of the Vermont Brigade.
The original members of the regiment, who did not reenlist, were mustered out of the service on July 27, 1864. Veterans and recruits were consolidated into six companies, July 25, 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 11.
Medal of Honor
Six members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
- Alexander M. Beattie, Captain, Co. F, " removed, under a hot fire, a wounded member of his command to a place of safety," at the Battle of Cold HarborBattle of Cold HarborThe Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, June 5, 1864. - Gardner C. Hawkins, 1st Lieutenant, Co. E, "when the lines were wavering from the well-directed fire of the enemy, this officer, acting adjutant of the regiment, sprang forward, and with encouraging words cheered the soldiers on and, although dangerously wounded, refused to leave the field until the enemy's works were taken," at the Battle of Petersburg, on April 2, 1865.
- Willie JohnstonWillie Johnston (Medal of Honor recipient)William "Willie" Johnston , from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was a drummer boy in Company D of the 3rd Vermont Infantry. His service during the Seven Days retreat in the Peninsula Campaign was exemplary. He was the only drummer in his division to come away with his instrument, by no means a trivial...
, Musician Company D, 3rd Vermont Infantry The second Medal of Honor ever awarded. - Samuel E. Pingree, Captain, Co. F, "gallantly led his Co. across a wide, deep creek, drove the enemy from the rifle pits, which were within 2 yards of the farther bank, and remained at the head of his men until a second time severely wounded," at the Battle at Lee's Mills, April 16, 1862.
- Julian A. ScottJulian ScottJulian A. Scott , he was born in Johnson, Vermont, and served as a Union Army drummer during the American Civil War where he received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Lee's Mills; he was also an American painter and Civil War...
, Drummer, Co. E, "crossed the creek under a terrific fire of musketry several times to assist in bringing off the wounded," at the Battle at Lee's Mills, April 16, 1862. - Thomas O. SeaverThomas O. SeaverThomas Orville Seaver rose to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration, for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House...
, Colonel, while "at the head of 3 regiments and under a most galling fire, attacked and occupied the enemy's works," at the Battle of Spotsylvania, May 10, 1864.
Engagements
| ENGAGEMENTS | |
|---|---|
| Battle of Lewinsville | September 11, 1861 |
| Battle at Lee's Mills | April 16, 1862 |
| Battle of Williamsburg Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War... |
May 5, 1862 |
| Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm Battle of Garnett's & Golding's Farm The Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farms took place June 27–28, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. While battle raged north of the Chickahominy River at Gaines's Mill on June 27, Confederate Brig. Gen. John B... |
June 26, 1862 |
| Battle of Savage's Station Battle of Savage's Station The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. The main body of the Union Army of the Potomac began a general withdrawal toward the James River. Confederate Brig. Gen. John B. Magruder pursued... |
June 29, 1862 |
| Battle of White Oak Swamp Battle of White Oak Swamp The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30, 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. As the Union Army of the Potomac retreated southeast toward the James River, its rearguard under Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin stopped Maj. Gen. Thomas J... |
June 30, 1862 |
| Battle of Crampton's Gap Battle of Crampton's Gap The Battle of Crampton's Gap or Battle of Burkittsville was a battle fought between forces under Confederate Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb and Union Maj. Gen. William B... |
September 14, 1862 |
| Battle of Antietam Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000... |
September 17, 1862 |
| Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside... |
December 13, 1862 |
| Battle of Marye's Heights Battle of Fredericksburg II -References:** Catton, Bruce. Glory Road. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1952. ISBN 0-385-04167-5.* * -External links:* *... |
May 3, 1863 |
| Battle of Salem Church Battle of Salem Church The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford, took place on May 3–4, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War.... |
May 4, 1863 |
| Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside... |
June 5, 1863 |
| Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac... |
July 3, 1863 |
| Battle of Funkstown | July 10, 1863 |
| Battle of Rappahannock Station | November 7, 1863 |
| Battle of the Wilderness Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by... |
May 5–10, 1864 |
| Battle of Spotsylvania | May 10-18, 1864 |
| Battle of Cold Harbor Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles... |
June 1-12, 1864 |
| Battle of Petersburg | June 18, 1864 |
| Battle of Reams' Station | June 29, 1864 |
| Fort Stevens (Washington, D.C.) Fort Stevens (Washington, D.C.) Fort Stevens was part of the extensive fortifications built around Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. It was constructed in 1861 as "Fort Massachusetts" and later enlarged by the Union Army and renamed "Fort Stevens" after Brig. Gen... |
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 Battle of Fisher's Hill The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Fisher's Hill is located near Strasburg, Virginia.... |
September 21-22, 1864 |
| Battle of Cedar Creek Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended... |
October 19, 1864 |
| Battle of Petersburg | March 25, 1865 |
| Battle of Petersburg | March 25, 1865 |
| Battle of Petersburg | April 2, 1865 |
Final Statement
| FINAL STATEMENT | |
|---|---|
| Original members | 881 |
| Gain (recruits and transferes) | 928 |
| --- Aggregate | 1809 |
| --- Losses --- | |
| Killed in action | 131 |
| Died of wounds | 65 |
| Died of disease | 152 |
| Died in Confederate prisons | 11 |
| Died from accident | 3 |
| Total of Deaths | 362 |
| Promoted to other regiments | 11 |
| Honorably discharged | 474 |
| Dishonorably discharged | 12 |
| Deserted | 261 |
| Finally unaccounted for | 9 |
| Transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps and other organizations | 101 |
| --- Total Losses | 868 |
| Mustered out at various times | 579 |
| Total wounded | 428 |
| Total taken prisoner | 78 |
Further reading
- Allen, Richard Sanders "The Sleeping Sentinel: Most Famous Private of the War" Vermont Life XV:3:51-2 Spring 61
- Chittenden, Lucius Eugene, Lincoln and the Sleeping Sentinel - The True Story. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1909.
- Coffin, Howard, Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War. Woodstock, VT.: Countryman Press, 1995.
- -----, The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal during Grant's Overland Campaign. Woodstock, VT.: Countryman Press, 2002.
- Dyer, Frederick Henry, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1908. 3 vol.
- Glover, Waldo, Abraham Lincoln and the Sleeping Sentinel of Vermont. Montpelier, Vt.: The Vermont Historical Society, 1936.
- Jeffrey, Nellie T., The Story of William Scott the Sleeping Sentinel. Groton, Vermont: Public Library, 1959.
- Poirier, Robert G., By the Blood of our Alumni: Norwich University Citizen-Soldiers in the Army of the Potomac. Mason City, IA: Savas Publishing Co., 1999.
- -----, They Could Not HAve Done Better, Col. Thomas O. Seaver and the 3rd Reg of Vt. Vols., Newport, VT: Vermont Civil War Enterprises, 2006.
- Rosenblatt, Emil and Ruth Rosenblatt, editors, Hard Marching Every Day: The Civil War Letters of Private Wilbur Fisk, 1861-1865. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1983.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 70 volumes in 4 series. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
- Zeller, Paul G., The Second Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1861-1865. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2002.