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
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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
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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 MountainFirst 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 AntietamCommanded 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 FredericksburgThe regiment lost 54 men. |
1863
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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 GettysburgCommanded 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 FunkstownColonel 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
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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 WildernessColonel 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
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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 HouseSurrender 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 |