8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Vermont

The 8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 4 officers and 115 Enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 7 officers and 241 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument on the Cedar Creek battlefield, near Middletown, Virginia and in the Winchester National Cemetery at Winchester, Virginia.

1862
Organized at Brattleboro under the command of Colonel Stephen Thomas.
February 18 Mustered in
March 14 Left State for New York
March 19 Sailed for Ship Island, Miss.
April 6 Arrived Ship Island and attached to Phelps’ 1st Brigade, Dept. of the Gulf
May 7-8 Moved from Ship Island to New Orleans
May-September Duty at New Orleans and at Algiers and guarding Opelousas Railroad
June 20 and 22 Bayou des Allemands
June 22 Raceland Station
August 29 St. Charles Station (Companies A and C)
September 4 Bote Station (Company K)
October 24-
November 6		 Operations in La-Fourche District attached to Weitzel’s Reserve Brigade, Dept. of the Gulf
October 27 Georgia Landing, near Labadieville
November 1-December 8 Repair railroad to Brashear City
December At Brashear City
1863
January Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf
January 14 Action with Steamer Cotten on Bayou Teche
January-March At Camp Stevens, Bayou Boeuf, and at Brashear City
February 12-28 Operations on Bayou Plaquemine, Black and Atchafalaya Rivers
March 7-27 Operations against Port Hudson
April 9-May 14 Operations in Western Louisiana
April 11-20 Teche Campaign
April 12-13 Fort Bisland, near Centreville
April 14 Jeanerette
May 5-17 Expedition to Alexandria on Red River
May 17-25 Moved from Alexandria to Port Hudson
May 25-July 9 Siege of Port Hudson
May 27 Assault on Port Hudson
June 14 Second assault on Port Hudson
July 9 Surrender of Port Hudson
July 31-September 1 Duty at Thibodeaux
September 3-11 Sabine Pass Expedition
October 3-
November 30		 Western Louisiana (“Teche”) Campaign
December At New Iberia
1864
January 6 March to Franklin and duty there assigned to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Army Corps
January 28 Regiment Veteranized
February Assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Army Corps
March 8 Moved to Algiers
April 7 to June 3 Regiment on furlough. Non-Veterans at Algiers.
May 6 Non-Veterans moved to Thibodeaux
June 5 Non-Veterans left for home
June 22 Non-Veterans mustered out
May 25-June 3 Veterans moved from home to Dept. of the Gulf
June 8-11 Moved to Alexandria
June 19-21 Expedition to Tunica Bend
July 2 Moved to Algiers
July 5-12 Sailed to Fortress Monroe, Va.
July 12-13 To Washington, D.C. Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Army Corps, Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division
July 14-21 Pursuit of Early to Snicker’s Gap
August 7-
November 28		 Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
September 19
Battle of Opequan, or Third Battle of Winchester
September 22
Fisher’s Hill
October 19
Battle of Cedar Creek

Colonel Thomas was awarded the Medal of Honor for “distinguished conduct in a desperate hand-to-hand encounter, in which the advance of the enemy was checked.”

Major John B. Meade was shot in his right side.

From the monument at Cedar Creek:

The 8th Vermont Vols, Genl. Stephen Thomas Commanding Brigade advanced across the Pike the morning of Oct. 19, 1864. Engaged the enemy near and beyond this point, and before sunrise lost in killed and wounded 110 men. Three color bearers were shot down and 13 out of 16 commissioned officers. Whole number of men engaged 164.
October 20 At Newtown
November 24 Major John Meade was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
December 20 At Summit Point
1865
February 1 Colonel Thomas was promoted to brigadier general.
March 4 Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Shenandoah. Lieutenant Colonel John B. Meade was promoted to colonel.
April 4-15 Hancock’s operations in the Valley. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Provisional Division, Army of the Shenandoah.
April 21 Moved to Washington and attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Defences of Washington, 22nd Corps
May 23-24 Grand Review
June 28 Mustered out