6th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Vermont

The 6th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 191 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 212 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. 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 Montpelier
October 15 Mustered in under 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.
1862
March Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 10 Moved to Alexandria
March 23-24 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
May 5
Battle of Williamsburg

Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Army 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
June 29 Savage Station
June 30 White Oak Swamp Bridge
July 1 Malvern Hill
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.
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

Commanded by Major Oscar S. Tuttle. 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 19 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 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, 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 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
May 5-6
Battle of the Wilderness

Colonel Barney was mortally wounded in the head. Lieutenant Sumner H. Lincoln was wounded in the knee.
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
June 18-19 Before Petersburg; Siege of Petersburg begins.
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
September 13 Gilbert’s Ford, Opequan Creek
September 19
Third Battle of Winchester (Opequan)
September 22
Fisher’s Hill
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Lieutenant Sumner Lincoln was wounded in the head.
October 20 At Strasburg. Lieutenant Sumner Lincoln was promoted to major.
November 9 At Kernstown
December 9-12 Moved to Petersburg, continuing Siege of Petersburg
1865
Januar 7 Major Lincloln was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
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 – 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 Lincoln was promoted to colonel.
June 8 Corps Review
June 26 Mustered out