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Vermont and the Civil War
Vermont and the Civil War
by Sen. Bill Doyle
Vermont’s resistance to the concept of slavery, from the constitution of 1777 to the formation of the Republican party, shaped the state’s commitment to the Civil War.
The depth of Vermont’s concern for abolition was no better expressed than in a report by a committee of the Vermont Senate in 1855: “Born of a resistance to arbitrary power – her first breath that of freedom – her first voice a declaration of equal rights of man – how could her people be otherwise than haters of slavery – how can they do less than sympathize with every human being and every community which asserts the rights of all men to blessings like their own?”
In the course of the war, Vermont had 34,328 men under arms, mostly volunteers. That was more than twice the number of Vermonters who fought in World War I. Vermont had a greater proportion of her men killed in battle than any other northern state. Her troops were the first to attack Confederate fortifications. This was an extraordinary record for a small, rural state.
An oft-quoted order by a Union general to “Put the Vermonters ahead and keep the column well closed up” seemed to summarize Vermont soldiers’ strength in battle. The order came during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. The New York Times wrote, two days later, “A Vermont brigade held the key of the position at Gettysburg and did more than any other body of men to gain the triumph which decided the fate of the Rebellion.”
Senator Bill Doyle serves on the Senate Education Committee and Senate Economic Affairs Committee, and is the Senate Minority Leader. He teaches government history at Johnson State College. He can be reached at 186 Murray Road, Montpelier, VT 05602; e-mail wdoyle@leg.state.vt.us; or call 223-2851.
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