Vermont in the Civil War

United States   U.S. Civil War    Vermont    Vermont Military    Vermont in the Civil War



Introduction
Vermont mustered in more than 28,100 men to serve in Vermont volunteer units plus an additional 5,000 Vermonters served in the units of other states, in the U.S. Army or in the U.S. Navy.. Vermont had "17 infantry regiments, 1 cavalry regiment, 3 light artillery batteries, 1 heavy artillery company, 3 companies of sharpshooters, and 2 companies of frontier cavalry." The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry included 66 Vermont blacks. An additional 100 black Vermonters also served.

St. Albans, Vermont saw the northernmost land action in the Civil War. On October 19, 1864, Confederates robbed three banks there. After escaping to Canada, they were caught and tried, but the Canadian courts decided not to extradite them to the United States since they were acting under military orders.

Vermont Military Units
Most units were numbered, however, some were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and unassigned companies.

The information in the lists of Vermont Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.

Vermont Units by Number or by Name Union Units 1st-17th A to Z Vermont Units by Type of Unit Union Units Infantry Cavalry Artillery Other

[[Image:Vermont Militia Personal Sketch DGS 4157018 4.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]Service and Pension Records
Service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. Indexes to service and pension records of Union Army soldiers are available on film at the National Archives and the Family History Library. For an index to compiled service records of Union soldiers, see:


 * United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organization from the State of Vermont. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0557. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1964. (Family History Library films .) See United States Military Records for further details.

State Roster
A state roster of soldiers is:


 * Vermont. Adjutant General’s Office. 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, Vermont: Watchman Publishing, 1892. (Family History Library .) This source is arranged by military unit and then by name, with rank, residence, date of enlistment, date of muster, and remarks. It includes an index.


 * Civil War Pension Index Cards - A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

Unit Histories
An important inventory for finding Civil War military histories is:


 * A Guide to the Microfiche Edition of Civil War Unit Histories: Regimental Histories and Personal Narratives. Part 2, The Union—New England. Bethesda, Maryland.: University Publications of America, 1993. (Family History Library book .) Vermont units are listed on pages 73–78. The library has the large microfiche collection described in this guide. Use the library catalog to find individual items. This may include correspondence, diaries, memoirs, and regimental histories published before 1920. The guide shows the unit name, counties where it was raised, author, title, publication information, number of pages, and source repository. This guide includes an author index and a major engagements index.

For regimental sketches, officers lists, and lists of soldiers killed in action, see:


 * Benedict, G. G. Vermont in the Civil War. 2 vols. Burlington, Vermont: Free Press Association, 1886–88. (on Google Books) (Family History Library film .) This source includes an index.

Internet sites

 * The Civil War Archive [database online]. N.p., 1998 [cited 11 August 1999]. Available at www.civilwararchive.com/unionvt.htm. This site includes histories and background information on Vermont regiments.


 * Vermont in the Civil War [database on-line]. N.p., 1999 [cited 11 August 1999]. Available at www.vermontcivilwar.org. This site includes the names of over 34,000 soldiers, sailors, and marines including their town, regiment, and company. It also includes unit histories and time lines of significant events in the Civil War relating to Vermonters.

State Old Soldiers Home
Vermont maintained a soldiers home for veterans in Burlington, Vermont. Reports of Vermont Old Soldiers Home began about 1890. The Vermont Department of Libraries has copies of these reports in:


 * Vermont. Old Soldiers Home. Reports. (State Library V362.8 V59re, not at Family History Library.) The reports include the soldier’s name, unit, disability, marital status, literacy, and present status such as discharged, furloughed, or deceased. By 1912 personal information was no longer included. The report content varies.