6th Vermont Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Vermont > 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment

The 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment originally mustered 966 men, adding 715 recruits and transferrs during the American Civil War. It lost 11 officers and 191 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 212 enlisted men to disease.  Twenty men died in Confederate prisons of the 132 men who were taken prisoner and 449 were wounded.

The regiment 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
The 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment was organized at Montpelier.

Organization of the Regiment
  • Company A – Addison county – Captain George Parker, Jr.
  • Company B – Caledonia, Windsor and Orange counties – Captain A. B. Hutchinson
  • Company C – Windsor county – Captain J. C. Spaulding
  • Company D – Orleans county – Captain Oscar A., Hale
  • Company E – Caledonia and Windsor counties – Captain Edwin W., Barker
  • Company F – Rutland, Washington and Chittenden counties – Captain E. F. Reynolds
  • Company G – Washington county – Captain William H. H. Hall
  • Company H – Washington county – Captain D. B. Davenport
  • Company I – Chittenden county – Captain Wesley Hazelton
  • Company K – Franklin county – Captain Elisha L. Barney
October 15 Mustered in under the command of Colonel Nathan Lord, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel Asa P. Blunt and Major Oscar S. Tuttle.
October 21 Joined with the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Vermont Regiments to form Brooks’ Brigade, Smith’s Division, Army of the Potomac
November Duty in the Defences of Washington at Camp Griffin.  During the winter there were 278 cases of typhoid fever, 330 of measles, 90 of diphtheria and 180 of mumps. More than 50 men died of disease.
1862
March Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 10 Moved to Alexandria
March 23-24

Peninsula Campaign

Moved by ship to the Virginia Peninsula, landing near Fort Monroe and moving to Newport News.
March 30 Reconnoissance to Warwick River
April 2 Began the march up the Peninsula.
April 5-May 4

Siege of Yorktown
April 16

Lee’s Mills

In the regiment’s first fight it lost 23 men killed or mortally wounded and 57 men wounded.
May 5

Battle of Williamsburg

Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac
May 13 The 6th 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

The regiment lost one man killed and six wounded.
June 29

Savage Station

The regiment lost 21 killed and 54 wounded or missing.
June 30

White Oak Swamp Bridge
July 1

Malvern Hill

The regiment was not engaged.
July – August At Harrison’s Landing
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, Maryland (South Mountain)

Captain Elisha L. Barney of Company K was wounded in the head and two enlisted men wounded..
September 16-17

Battle of Antietam

Commanded by Major Oscar S. Tuttle. The regiment was not heavily engaged at Antietam and suffered only eight men wounded.

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 19 Lieutenant Colonel Asa Blunt transferred to the 12th Vermont Infantry Regiment to become its Colonel. Major Tuttle was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
October 15 Captain Elisha L. Barney of Company K was promoted to major.
October 29 At Hagerstown, Md.
October 29-
November 19		 Movement to Falmouth, Va.
December 12-15

Battle of Fredericksburg
December 18 Colonel Nathan Lord resigned for disability due to chronic dysentery. Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Tuttle was promoted to colonel and Major Barney was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
1863
January 20-24
Burnside’s Second Campaign, “Mud March”
March 18 Colonel Tuttle was discharged for disability due to persistant stomach illness. Lieutenant Colonel Elisha L. Barney was promoted to colonel.
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Franklin’s Crossing
May 3

Maryes Heights, “Second Fredericksburg”

The regiment stormed Maryland Heights.
May 3-4

Salem Heights
May 4

Banks’ Ford

The regiment captured 250 prisoners.
June 5-13

Franklin’s Crossing
July 2-4

Battle of Gettysburg

Commanded by Colonel Elisha L. Barney. It brought 362 men to the field and had no casualties.

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

Funkstown, Md.
August 14-
September 16		 Detached for duty in New York
September 23 Rejoined Army at Culpeper Court House
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 7

Rappahannock Station
November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign
1864
May-June

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James

Of the 441 men who began the campaign 69 were killed and 127 wounded.
May 5-6

Battle of the Wilderness

From the Vermont Brigade monument on the Wilderness battlefield:

In these woods, during the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5 and 6, 1864, Vermont’s “Old Brigade” suffered 1,234 casualties while defending the Brock Road and Orange Plank Road intersection.

Colonel Barney was mortally wounded in the head. Lieutenant Sumner H. Lincoln was wounded in the knee.

Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Hale took command of the regiment.
May 8-21

Spotsylvania Court House
May 10 Colonel Barney died of his wound in Fredericksburg.
May 12

Assault on the Salient, Spottsylvania Court House
May 23-26

North Anna River
May 26-28 Line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31

Totopotomoy
June 1-12

Cold Harbor

Major Richard Crandall was mortally wounded.
June 18-19

Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg
June 18

Siege of Petersburg
June 22-23

Jerusalem Plank Road
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

The regiment lost 10 men killed and mortally wounded, 29 wounded, and one missing. Major Dwinell was mortally wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hale, Captain B.D. Fabyan, and Captain F. G. Butterfield were badly wounded. Captain M. Warner Davis took command.
September 13 Gilbert’s Ford, Opequan Creek
September 19

Third Battle of Winchester (Opequan)
September 22

Fisher’s Hill
October 16 At Strasburg. The regiment, with Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Hale, left for Vermont to muster out. It left a battalion of 320 Veterans and enlistees. Captain Frank G. Butterfield of Company I was promoted to lieutenant colonel but did not muster as he was still recovering from his wounds, and Adjutant Sumner Lincoln was promoted to major.
October 19

Battle of Cedar Creek

Adjutant Sumner Lincoln was wounded in the head. Captain E.R. Kinney took command until he was wounded, and Captain William J. Sperry took over.
October 28 Captain Frank G. Butterfield of Company I resigned due to his wounds from Charlestown.
November 9 At Kernstown
December 9-12

Siege of Petersburg

Returned to siege at Petersburg. Went into winter quarters near Squirrel Level Road.
1865
Januar 7 Major Sumner Lincloln was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
March 25

Fort Fisher, before Petersburg
March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign
April 2

Fall of Petersburg
April 6

Sailor’s Creek
April 9

Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 10 – 23 At Farmville and Burkesville Station
April 23 – 27 March to Danville
May 18 Moved to Manchester
May 24-June 3 March to Washington, D.C.
June 4 Lieutenant Colonel Sumner Lincoln was promoted to colonel.
June 8 Corps Review
June 26 The 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment mustered out under the command of Colonel Sumner Lincoln.