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First Regiment Cavalry FIRST REGIMENT CAVALRY. BY WILLIAM L. GREENLEAF, FIRST LIEUTENANT FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY. OF the two hundred fifty-eight regiments of cav- The following company officers were elected by the alry in the service of the United States during several companies and commissioned by the Governor: the War of the Rebellion, but few, if any, performed Company A — Captain, Frank A. Piatt ; First more arduous service, or took part in more engage- Lieutenant, Joel B. Erhardt ; Second Lieutenant, ments than did the First Vermont ; which', during Ellis B. Edwards. three years at the front, participated in seventy-five Company B—Captain, George P. Conger ; First battles and skirmishes—a brief account of which Lieutenant, William M. Beeman ; Second Lieuten- would far exceed the limits of this sketch — and ant, Jed P. Clark. achieved a reputation as one of the best fighting reg- Company C—Captain, William Wells ; First Lieu- iments in the army, standing fifth in the list of cav- tenant, H. M. Paige ; Second Lieutenant, Eli Holden. alry organizations suffering the greatest loss in killed Company D Captain, Addison W. Preston — ; First and mortally wounded. Lieutenant, John W. Bennett ; Second Lieutenant, The regiment was recruited by Lemuel B. Piatt, William G. Cummings. who had been specially commissioned by the Secre- Company E. —Captain, S. P. Rundlett ; First Lieu- tenant, tary of War for that purpose, and was the first full Andrew J. Grover ; Second Lieutenant, John regiment of cavalry raised in New England. The C. Holmes. : several companies were enlisted as follows —A, Chit- Company F—Captain, Josiah Hall ; First Lieuten- tenden county; B, Franklin county ;.C, Washington ant, Robert Scofield, Jr.; Second Lieutenant, Na- thaniel county ; D, Orange and Caledonia counties ; E, Wind- E. Haywood. sor county ; F, Windham county ; G, Bennington Company G Captain, — James A. Sheldon ; First county; H, Rutland county ; I, Lamoille and Orleans Lieutenant, George H. Bean ; Second Lieutenant, counties ; K, Addison county. In forty-two days D. M. Blackmer. from the time Colonel Piatt received his authority Company H—Captain, S. G. Perkins ; First Lieu- the regiment was in camp at Burlington uniformed tenant, F. T. Huntoon ; Second Lieutenant, Charles and mounted. The organization was then completed A. Adams. by the appointment of the following Field and Staff Company I—Captain, E. B. Sawyer ; First Lieu- officers : tenant, H. C. Flint; Second Lieutenant, Josiah Colonel—Lemuel B. Piatt. Grout, Jr. Lieutenant-Colonel—George B. Kellogg. Company K —Captain, Franklin Moore ; First Majors—William D, Collins and John D. Bartlett. Lieutenant, John S. Ward ; Second Lieutenant, Adjutant—Edgar Pitkin. John Williamson. Quartermaster—Archibald S. Dewey. The regiment was mustered into the service of the Surgeon—George S. Gale. United States November 19, 1861, and started for Assistant Surgeon—P. O'Meara Edson. Washington on the 14th of the next month, requiring Chaplain—John H. Woodward. for the journey 153 cars, made up into a train of five (214) FIRST REGIMENT CAVALRY. 215 sections. After passing through the experiences of Mosby near Broad Run and met with a serious re- common to all new regiments, besides losing one Col- pulse, in which Captain Flint, Lieut. C. A. Wood- onel by resignation and another by death, it met the bury and seven men were killed or mortally wounded, enemy for the first time April 16, 1862, in the valley 22 wounded, and 82 men and 95 horses captured, of the Shenandoah. In this engagement it charged was a serious blow to the regiment. This misfortune through the little village of Mount Jackson and drove was in a measure retrieved on May 30th, when Ashby's cavalry for more than a mile to the North Mosby, who had captured a supply train of ten cars Fork of the Shenandoah, where the enemy set fire to near Catlett's Station, was attacked by Lieutenant- the bridge hoping to cut off further pursuit. Find- Colonel Preston with about 125 of the Vermont Cav- ing the stream unfordable, part of the regiment dash- alry and pursued to Greenwich, where he attempted ed over the burning bridge after the flying Confeder- to make a stand, but was completely routed by a ates, while the remainder brought water from the charge led by Lieutenant Hazelton of company H, river in their feed-bags and extinguished the flames. and his one piece of artillery captured. The loss of The loss on this occasion was slight, but the regiment the regiment on this occasion was but one man killed displayed in its maiden effort, that dashing valor and and 7 wounded, and was its last encounter with this fertility of resource so essential to its success as a famous partisan leader. cavalry organization, and for which it was afterward Early in June, 1863, the scattered detachments of noted on fields of greater magnitude. the regiment assembled at Fairfax Court House, pre- On the 23d of May the regiment was joined by its paratory to joining the Army of the Potomac then on new colonel, Charles H. Tompkins of the Regular the march to Gettysburg. On the 28th of June it Army, who had already achieved a reputation as a was attached to the Cavalry Corps of that army and dashing cavalry officer, and under his leadership, in was afterward associated with it until the close the retreat down the valley under Banks, the regi- of the war. During the campaign of 1863 the ment had its full share of fighting, meeting the enemy regiment bore a conspicuous part in the brill- at McGaheysville, Middletown and Winchester. In iant operations which first brought the cavalry the campaign under Pope, which culminated in the into notice as a valuable arm of the service, second battle of Bull Run, the First Vermont was and won for itself fresh laurels on the field constantly on the move, and was engaged at Luray of Gettysburg where, under the lead of the gal- Court House, Culpeper Court House, Orange Court lant Farnsworth, it penetrated within the enemy's House, Kelley's Ford, Waterloo Bridge and Bull Run. lines for nearly a mile, encountering the fire of five At the close of this campaign the regiment, much regiments of infantry and two batteries, leaving its reduced in numbers by its arduous service, was as- leader on the field, the only general officer killed signed to duty in the defences of Washington. Its within the lines of the enemy. It also participated headquarters were established near Alexandria, and in the cavalry engagements at Hanover, Hunters- detachments were stationed at Annandale, Lewins- town, Hagerstown, Boonsborough, Falling Waters, Buckland Mills ville, Dranesville and other points. In September and many skirmishes of lesser Colonel Tompkins resigned and was succeeded by account. During Edward B. Sawyer, making the fourth colonel within the ensuing winter the regiment was station- ed at .Stevensburg one year. The regiment. had lost during its six engaged in picketing the line of the Rapidan. It formed a part of Kilpatrick's force in months of active service 319 men by death or dis- his famous raid on Richmond, and was selected to charge, but this loss was made good by the addition make an attempt to enter the city and release the of company L, which had been recruited by Capt. H. prisoners confined in Libby Prison Belle Chester Parsons in Franklin and Chittenden coun- and on Isle. A portion of the regiment was with the ill-fated ties, and company M, recruited by Capt. John W. Woodward, principally in Chittenden county. These, Dahlgren when he made the dash within the fortifi- with the addition of 200 recruits distributed among cations around the city which cost him his life. the ten original companies, raised the aggregate of In the reorganization of the Cavalry Corps previ- the regiment to 1,034. ous to the opening of the Wilderness campaign, the During the winter, portions of the regiment were regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade of the frequently engaged with Mosby and other guerrilla Third Division, and Colonel Sawyer having'resigned, leaders. These affairs were comparatively bloodless, Lieut.-Col. Addison W. Preston was commissioned his successor. crossed the but the oneof April 1, 1863, when Captain Flint-with as The regiment Rapidan a detachment of the regiment undertook the capture at Germanna Ford at daylight on the morning of 2l6 FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY. May 4, and moved forward to Parker's Store. Early On the 8th of August the Third Cavalry Division, on the morning of May 5, the Second Brigade, with including the First Vermont now under Col. William the First Vermont Cavalry in front, proceeded to Wells who had succeeded to the command after the Craig's Meeting House, where, at about eight o'clock, death of Colonel Preston, embarked for Washington the advance squadron encountered Rosser's brigade on its way to join General Sheridan in the Shenandoah of Hampton's cavalry, and the engagement which fol- Valley, arriving at Winchester on the 17th. General lowed was the opening fight of the battle of the Wil- Sheridan was at this time retiring down the Valley, derness. In this action the Union forces were large- and the regiment participated in the engagements ly outnumbered- and the regiment suffered a heavy which occurred at Winchester, Summit Point, loss in killed and prisoners. Charlestown and Kearneysville, crossing the Poto- The regiment was with Sheridan in his expedition mac with the rear guard at Harper's Ferry on the to Richmond, in May, 1864, and participated in the night of the 25th. On the following day Early began engagements at Yellow Tavern and Meadow Bridge falling back up the Valley followed by the Union which resulted in the death of General Stuart, the cavalry, and during the following week the First Ver- famous cavalry leader of the Confederates, and the mont took part in several reconnoissances and was in total rout of his forces.
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