4th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Vermont

The 4th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 150 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 279 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War, 60 of whom died in Confederate prisons. It is honored on the Old Vermont Brigade monument at Antietam, the 1st Vermont Brigade monument at Gettysburg, and the Vermont Brigade monument at The Wilderness.

1861
Organized at Brattleboro
September 21 Mustered in under Colonel Edwin H. Stoughton (USMA 1859). Stoughton was 23 years old.
September 21-23 Moved to Washington, D.C.
October Joined with the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Vermont Regiments to form Brooks’ Brigade, Smith’s Division, Army of the Potomac
October 19 Reconnoissance to Vienna, Va.
November Duty in the Defences of Washington at Camp Griffin.
1862
February 25 Captain Charles Stoughton (the colonel’s younger brother) was promoted to major
March 10 Moved to Alexandria, attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 23-24 Moved by ship to the Virginia Peninsula, landing near Fort Monroe and moving to Newport News.
March 27-28 Reconnoissance to Big Bethel
March 30 Reconnoissance to Warwick
April 2 Began the march up the Peninsula.
April 4 Young’s Mills
April 5-May 4 Siege of Yorktown
April 16 Lee’s Mills
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg
May 13 The 4th Vermont was attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. It would remain with this organization until the end of the war.
May 19 Marched from White House Landing to the Chickahominy River, going into camp at Golding’s Farm
June 25-July 1
Seven days before Richmond
June 27
Garnett’s Farm
June 29
Savage Station
June 30
White Oak Swamp Bridge
July 1
Malvern Hill
July-August At Harrison’s Landing
July 17 Major Stoughton was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain George P. Foster of Company G was promoted to major
August 16-24 Moved to Fortress Monroe, then to Alexandria
August 30 Reached the Bull Run battlefield on the evening after the fighting.
September 1 Ordered back to Chantilly
September-October Maryland Campaign
September 14
Crampton’s Pass, South Mountain

First Lieutenant George Hooker earned the Medal of Honor by singlehandedly capturing a Confederate major and over 100 men, as well as their regiment’s colors. His story and photograph is on the Medal of Honor Recipients wayside marker at Crampton’s Gap.
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Stoughton. The regiment was not heavily engaged at Antietam and suffered only light losses.

From the War Department marker for Brooks’ brigade on the Antietam battlefield:

Brooks’ Brigade left its camp in Pleasant Valley at 6 A.M. of the 17th, crossed the Antietam at Pry’s Ford and reached the field about noon. It was ordered to the support of Sedgwick’s Division, Second Corps, on the Union right but, before getting into position, was ordered to the support of French’s Division and formed in Mumma’s Cornfield, on ground vacated by the 14th Connecticut, its left connecting with French, its right resting on Mumma’s Lane, facing south parallel to and about 170 yards from the Bloody Lane.

It was subjected to a galling fire of both Artillery and Sharpshooters, causing some loss.

It remained in this position until the morning of the 19th.
September 26-October 29 At Hagerstown, Md.
October 29-November 19 Movement to Falmouth
November 5 Colonel Stoughton was promoted to brigadier general. Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Stoughton was promoted to colonel and Major Foster was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 54 men.
1863
January 20-24 Burnside’s Second Campaign, “Mud March”
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Franklin’s Crossing
May 3
Maryes Heights. Fredericksburg
May 3-4 Salem Heights
May 4 Banks’ Ford
June 5-13 Franklin’s Crossing
July 2-4
Battle of Gettysburg

Commanded by Colonel Charles B. Stoughton. It brought 437 men to the field and suffered one wounded.

From the Vermont Brigade monument on the Gettysburg battlefield:

Reaching this field by a forced march of thirty two miles in the evening of July 2, the brigade took position on the left Union flank near this point in anticipation of an attack by the enemy and held the same July 3d and 4th.
July 10-13
Battle of Funkstown

Colonel Stoughton was badly wounded, losing his right eye.
August 14-September 16 Detached for duty at New York
September 16-23 Moved to Alexandria, then to Fairfax Court House, Va., and to Culpeper Court House
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to the Rappahannock
November 7 Rappahannock Station
November 26-December 2 Mine Run Campaign
1864
February 2 Colonel Stoughton resigned due to is wound from Funkstown. Lieutenant Colonel George P. Foster was promoted to colonel.
May-June Campaign from the Rapidan to the James
May 5-6
Battle of the Wilderness

Colonel Foster was badly wounded in the thigh. Out of 551 men engaged seven officers were killed and eleven wounded, one mortally, 41 enlisted men were killed and 223 wounded, 43 mortally, and four enlisted men were missing. This was the greatest casualties suffered y any Vermont regiment in a single battle, and one of the highest casualty rates for a single battle suffered by any Union regiment in the war.
May 8-21
Spotsylvania Court House
May 12 Assault on the Salient, Spotsylvania
May 23-26
North Anna River
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31 Totopotomoy
June 1-12
Cold Harbor
June 18-19 Before Petersburg
June 22-23 Jerusalem Plank Road
June 24 – July 9 Siege of Petersburg
July 9-11 Moved to Washington, D.C.
July 11-12 Repulse of Early’s attack on Fort Stevens
August 7-
November 28		 Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
August 21-22 Near Charlestown
September 13 Gilbert’s Ford, Opequan River
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester (Opequan)

Colonel Foster commanded the brigade.
September 22
Fisher’s Hill
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek
September 30 Duty at Strasburg. Nonveterans mustered out
November 9 At Kernstown
December 9-12 Moved to Petersburg, Va.; Siege of Petersburg begins
1865
March 25 Colonel Foster was brevetted brigadier general “for gallant and meritorious service before Richmond and in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia” to date from August 1, 1864.
March 25 Fort Fisher, before Petersburg
March 28-April 9 Appomattox Campaign
April 2 Assault on and fall of Petersburg
April 6 Sailor’s Creek
April 9
Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 10 – 28 At Farmville and Burkesville Junction
April 23-27 March to Danville
May 18 Moved to Manchester
May 24-June 3 March to Washington
June 8 Corps Review
July 13 Mustered out