1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment

Military unit

The 1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment was a three years' cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater from November 1861 to August 1865, in the Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac.^[1]

History

The regiment was mustered into Federal service on November 19, 1861, at Burlington, Vermont. Its first commander was Colonel Lemuel B. Platt,^[2] and the first lieutenant colonel was George Bradley Kellogg.^[3] Platt's appointment was an honor sometimes afforded to an individual who aided in raising and equipping a regiment; subsequent commanders included Jonas P. Holliday, Charles Henry Tompkins, Edward B. Sawyer, Addison W. Preston, William Wells, and Josiah Hall.^[4]

It was engaged in, or present at 76 engagements during the course of the war, from Mount Jackson on April 16, 1862, to Appomattox Court House, on April 9, 1865, including the 1862 and 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaigns, the Gettysburg Campaign, the Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg,^[4] plus many skirmishes not connected to a particular campaign, such as the Skirmish at Miskel Farm.

The regiment most notably participated in BG Elon Farnsworth's unsuccessful attack on the Confederate right flank on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Maj William Wells led a battalion in that attack, with Farnsworth by his side. Lieut: Col Addison W. Preston commanded the regiment. The regiment's monument stands on the Slyder Field, near the site where BG Evander Law's brigade repelled the Union attack^[5]

The regiment lost during service: 112 killed and mortally wounded, 159 died in Confederate prisons, 7 died from accidents and 114 died by disease; total loss 392.^[4]>

The regiment mustered out of service on August 9, 1865.^[4]

The regiment's heritage continues to be celebrated to this day with a state legislative decree naming the Corps of Cadets at Norwich University, the Military College of Vermont, as members of the regiment. Members of the NUCC wear the crossed sabers on all of their uniforms and their insignia.

References

Citations

^ Benedict (1886), pp. 533–695.
^ Collea (2010), p. 3.
^ Hayes (1907), p. 691.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dyer (1908), pp. 1647–1648; Federal Publishing Company (1908), pp. 128–129.
^ Stone Sentinels, 1st Vermont Cavalry (2020).

Sources

Benedict, George Grenville (1886). "The First Cavalry Regiment" (pdf). 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. II. Burlington, VT: Free Press Association. pp. 533–695. LCCN 02015600. OCLC 301252961. Retrieved September 25, 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

Collea, Joseph D. (2010). The First Vermont Cavalry in the Civil War: A History (1st ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-7864-5719-9. LCCN 2009043824. OCLC 607553814. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 4, 45, 233, 274, 301, 309, 326, 351, 378, 409, 1647–1648. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. Retrieved August 8, 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Federal Publishing Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, And Delaware (PDF). 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. pp. 128–129. OCLC 694018100. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Hayes, Lyman Simpson (1907). History of the Town of Rockingham, Vermont (pdf). Bellows Falls, VT: The Town of Rockingham. p. 691. OCLC 2812034. Retrieved May 13, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"Monument to the 1st Vermont Volunteer Cavalry Regiment at Gettysburg". The Battle of Gettysburg. January 20, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2024.