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| 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment |
| Dates | June–August 1861 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison | Burlington, Vermont |
| Battles | American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run (support/defensive) |
| Notable commanders | Merritt Jewett, Peter T. Washburn, William T. H. Brooks |
1st Vermont Infantry Regiment
The 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three-month volunteer regiment raised in Vermont for service with the Union Army during the opening months of the American Civil War. Mustered in during June 1861 and mustered out in August 1861, the regiment served in the defenses around Washington, D.C. and took part in movements associated with the First Battle of Bull Run campaign. The formation drew recruits from towns such as Burlington, Vermont, Montpelier, Vermont, and Brattleboro, Vermont, and included officers who later served in other Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment formations and state government.
The regiment was organized under authority of President Abraham Lincoln and Vermont state officials including Erastus Fairbanks and J. Gregory Smith. Recruitment followed appeals by Governor Joseph B. Smith and Adjutant General Peter T. Washburn, with companies raised in counties such as Chittenden County, Washington County, and Windham County. Officers received commissions from the State of Vermont and logistical support from entities like the United States War Department and the Quartermaster Department. The regiment was mustered at Burlington, Vermont and transported by rail and steamboat to staging areas including Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, D.C..
After mustering, the 1st Vermont was attached to defenses around Washington, D.C., operating in concert with units from states such as Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. The regiment served under command structures influenced by commanders like Irvin McDowell and supported engineering and entrenchment efforts with formations including the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Army of Northeastern Virginia. During the First Battle of Bull Run campaign, the regiment performed picket, reconnaissance, and reserve duties in areas around Centreville, Virginia and Fairfax County, Virginia, coordinating with cavalry detachments such as elements of the 1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment and artillery batteries from Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery.
Although primarily performing garrison and support duties, the regiment participated in the campaign culminating in the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, operating in the rear guard and defensive lines near Chain Bridge and Long Bridge. The unit's activities intersected with engagements involving formations like the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment and brigades under commanders such as Daniel Tyler and Columbus Delano. The regiment endured the strategic consequences of the battle alongside units from the Army of the Potomac and elements of the Confederate States Army under generals including P. G. T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston.
Commanding officers included Colonel Peter T. Washburn and Lieutenant Colonel Merritt Jewett, with company officers drawn from civic leaders in Burlington, Vermont and other Vermont towns. Several members later served in subsequent Vermont regiments or held positions in state government, linking to figures such as J. Gregory Smith, Erastus Fairbanks, and Jonas Haley. Chaplains and staff officers had ties to institutions like University of Vermont and civic organizations in Montpelier, Vermont. The regiment's network connected to later Civil War leaders from Vermont including Stephen Thomas and William T. H. Brooks.
Muster rolls recorded approximately 716 officers and enlisted men at full strength, with variations due to attrition, illness, and discharges. Casualties during the term of service were limited compared to longer-serving regiments but included men affected by disease common in camps as reported in returns to the Surgeon General of the United States Army. The regiment's brief service produced wounded and missing recorded in official returns filed with the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army and the Vermont state archives, and its losses were consolidated into Vermont casualty summaries alongside those of regiments such as the 2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment and 3rd Vermont Infantry Regiment.
Members were outfitted in typical early-war Union volunteer accoutrements supplied through the Quartermaster Department and state procurement overseen by Vermont quartermasters. Uniforms commonly matched patterns issued to volunteer infantry, including dark blue frock coats and forage caps, with muskets such as the Springfield Model 1842 or Enfield rifled musket carried in the field. The regimental colors—presented at muster—followed ceremonial designs similar to flags displayed by other Vermont units and were emblazoned with motifs referencing Vermont and the Union.
The 1st Vermont's service is commemorated in Vermont through monuments, rolls, and records maintained by the Vermont Historical Society, local historical societies in Burlington, Vermont and Montpelier, Vermont, and preservation efforts at sites connected to the First Battle of Bull Run such as the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Veterans' post-war activities tied into organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic and veteran memorialization efforts associated with the Soldiers' Monument and state archives. Historians reference the regiment in broader studies of early-war volunteer mobilization alongside analyses by scholars of the American Civil War.
Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Vermont Category:1861 establishments in Vermont