Up to now all articles in THE ZOUAVE have been geared to brigade rather than regimental histories. Being a fairly serious amateur Civil War historian, I have learned to appreciate the parts that single regiments played in the overall scheme of battle, and wanted to "test the waters" with a nice regimental history in brief. While the 8th Vermont did not participate in the larger battles of the war, they did play a prominent part of the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign, opening the door for some playable scenarios from that campaign. The opening shots of the war had already been fired and the term of enlistment for the initial three month regiments was getting ready to expire. Lincoln made a call for additional troops and the Green Mountain boys of Vermont were more than willing to do their part. The 8th Vermont was organized, went into camp, and awaited a move to "the front". Their orders having been received, the train carrying these troops left Vermont on March 4, 1862, traveling through Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, where the 8th Vermont embarked on steamers, the destination unknown until the ships put to sea and sealed orders opened. The steamers landed at Ship Island, a small strip of sand dunes off the coast of Louisiana near New Orleans. It was here that the Green Mountain boys met their first Confederates (prisoners) and participated in their first drilling involving more than one regiment. Almost swept off the island by a tropical storm, the 8th Vermont was glad to leave the sand dunes, being ordered to New Orleans, which had only recently fallen. The unit's first significant fight was known as the battle of The Cotton on Bayou Teche. The Cotton was a Confederate gunboat that was partially clad in iron and was wreaking havoc on the Federal boats. A combined naval and infantry assault was planned, in which the 8th Vermont would play a prominent part, charging a series of rifle pits, saving the Union flagship, several boats' crews, and Commodore Buchanan in the process. One of the 8th's heroes in this engagement was Sgt. Squire E. Howard, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his part in the affair. The regiment inflicted 91 casualties on the Confederate force without the loss of even a single man in their charge. The final chapter in the 8th Vermont's Louisiana campaign was at Port Hudson, where the regiment took a prominent part in two separate heroic, but unsuccessful, charges on the Confederate works. The killed and wounded for the unit was estimated at 96 after the actions of June 27th and 28th. The regiment then took part in the siege of Port Hudson and had the satisfaction of being at the surrender of the troops and city that had spilled so much Vermont blood. The 8th Vermont was moved to the Eastern theatre as part of the XIX Corps, arriving in time to participate in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. There, beginning September 19, 1864, the "Green Mountain Boys" gained a place in history as one of the hardest fighting regiments of the war. At the 3rd Battle of Winchester (Opequan) the "Gallant 8th" stood on an exposed knoll for almost three hours, holding firm under extreme fire. At a critical point in the battle, Colonel Stephen Thomas' 8th Vermont, although under orders to "hold the line", charged forward with bayonets to take an important strip of woods and helped rout the Confederate forces. This heroism was repeated twice more in the next few weeks, first at Fisher's Hill and then at Cedar Creek. The battle of Cedar Creek proved to be the crowning star in the career of the 8th Vermont. Their furious struggle for the colors is written about in almost every book dealing with that battle, and many historians maintain that if it hadn't been for the stand of Colonel Thomas' men, Cedar Creek would have ended up being a smashing Confederate victory. One lone brigade held up several rebel divisions. The following account was written by Herbert E. Hill, a survivor of the 8th Vermont, and is taken from the regimental history that was published in 1886: THE MORNING FIGHT In the morning fight at Cedar Creek, the colors of the 8th Vermont passed through a terrible ordeal, and received a bloody baptism. But for the heroic and loyal souls in that little band who stood up nobly against fearful odds on the memorable morning of October 19th, 1864, the regimental standard would never have come out of the fight triumphant. The thrilling story of the fight over the standards was no myth. It was a horrid, desperate, hand—to—hand encounter for possession of the flags — a fierce, excited, and daring foe on one side, loyal and equally brave men on the other. Gen. Crook's corps, located on our left and partially in our front, had been surprised, overborne, and swept away. General [Col.] Thomas, after a furious ride, hotly pursued and barely escaping with his life, had arrived from the picket line and, by direct verbal order of Maj. Gen. Emory, had led his brigade forward across the pike, a mere handful of men, to meet and resist whole divisions made up of the flower of the rebel army. By the fortune of war, the 8th Vermont, under Major Mead, occupied the most exposed position in the brigade, as the enemy, with deafening yells, were moving swiftly in from front and flank. As the great drops of rain and hail precede the hurricane, so now the leaden hail filled the air, seemingly from all directions, while bursting shell from the enemy's cannon on the opposite hill created havoc on our only flank not yet exposed to the rebel infantry. Regiment after regiment of the VIII Corps had crumbled away and gone past to the rear; our two companion regiments, the 12th Connecticut and 160th New York, terribly smitten, clung tenaciously to us, their love as cordially reciprocated; yet the sudden rush of the enemy from every direction, in their yellowish suits, breaking through even the short intervals between the commands, forced each regiment to fight its own battle; and so the 8th Vermont was practically alone for a time, — and who can count such moments? — as the swarming enemy broke upon it with almost resistless fury. Suddenly a mass of rebels confronted the flags and with hoarse shouts demanded their surrender. Defiant shouts went back. "Never!" "Never!" And then, amid tremendous excitement, commenced one of the most desperate and ugly hand—to—hand conflicts over the flags that has ever been recorded. Men seemed more like demons than human beings, as they struck fiercely at each other with clubbed muskets and bayonets. A rebel of powerful build, but short in stature, attempted to bayonet Corporal Worden of the color guard. Worden, a tall, sinewy man, who had no bayonet on his musket, parried his enemy's thrusts until someone, I think Sgt. Brown, shot the rebel dead. A rebel soldier then leveled his musket and shot Corporal Petre, who held the colors, in the thigh — a terrible wound from which he died that night. He cried out: "Boys, leave me; take care of yourselves and the flag!" But in that vortex of hell men did not forget the colors; and as Petre crawled away to die, they were instantly seized and borne aloft by Corporal Perham, and were as quickly demanded again, by a rebel who eagerly attempted to grasp them; but Sgt. Shores of the guard placed his musket at the man's breast and fired, instantly killing him. But now another flash, and a cruel bullet from the dead rebel's companion killed Corporal Perham, and the colors fall to earth. Once more, amid terrific yells, the colors went up, this time held by Corporal Blanchard — and the carnage went on. Lt. Cooper was seen to raise his arm in the air; and shouting, "Give it to them, boys!" he too was stricken with a death wound, and his white, sad, dead face is one of the living memories of the spot. Lieutenant Cooper's death was instantly avenged, however, by Sgt. Hill of Company A, who shot the rebel. Hill then turned to assist a wounded companion who had fallen at his side, when an excited enemy made a lunge at him, his bayonet gliding between the body and arm. He sprang quickly away and, by an adroit movement, knocked the rebel down with clubbed musket, and continued fighting until surrounded and forced into the enemy's ranks, but refused to surrender, when a shot tore away his belt, cartridge box, and the flesh to his backbone, which crippled him to the ground; but when Gordon's divisions swept the spot, some of the rebels wearing blue coats, supposed to be taken from Crook's men, Hill rose and joined them in the charge, shouting with the rebels and actually firing harmless shots at his own regiment. He was once challenged by a rebel officer, to whom he answered that he belonged to the 4th Georgia. At the next stand made by the brigade on the pike, Hill rushed into the Union line, although exposed to the fire of his friends as well as his foes, and continued fighting till he sank to the ground from loss of blood, fell into the enemy's hands, and was again rescued at night. The fight for the colors continued. A rebel discharged his rifle within a foot of Corporal Bemis of the color guard and wounded him, but was in turn shot dead by one of our men. A little later Sgt. Shores and Lemuel Simpson were standing together by the flags when three rebels attacked and ordered them to surrender; but as they (the enemy) had just discharged their pieces, Simpson immediately fired and shot one, while Shores bayoneted another. Sgt. Moran, whose devotion to the flag was intensified by the regiment's forty—four days' heroic action before Port Hudson, marvelously escaped, for he was in the hottest of the fight and held the United States flag all the while, several times assisting in protecting the colors. But as the enemy crowded on, a hundred rebels took the place of the dozen grasping for the flags. Sgt. Lamb, a noble, generous fellow, was shot through the lungs and taken prisoner, but later he fell into our hands again, and then died in great agony. Capt. Howard was twice wounded while within a few feet of the flags and almost in the center of the melee, but he managed to hobble away when the regiment was swept back. Capt. Hall, honest and fearless, whose memory is sacred, gave his last order as he yielded to a deadly wound. Capt. Ford was shot through both legs by bullets coming from opposite directions, and fell flat on his face, but refused to surrender, struggled to his feet, and escaped in the excitement. Capt. Smith, who so coolly led the skirmish line at Winchester, swells the bloody list. Major Mead, while fearlessly facing the enemy, was badly wounded in the side, and shortly turned the command over to Capt. McFarland. Later on, the brigade flag was in imminent danger of being captured by the enemy, when Capt. Franklin, with half a dozen from his company, furiously attacked the rebels who were struggling for it, and rescued it from their clutch. Moving back he was wounded, but gallantly remained with the regiment during the afternoon. Lieut. Cheney was mortally wounded and fell heavily to the ground. Lieut. Bruce, while beating back a foe with his sword, was severely wounded. Lieut. Welch, who so gallantly led the skirmish line at daybreak, and was then fighting like a tiger, was shot in the thigh but stood his ground till the regiment went back. Private Austin received a terrible blow on his head from the butt of a rebel musket, instantly killing him. Capt. Shattuck, after receiving a bad wound, bravely continued with his men, and Lieuts. Sargent and Carpenter joined the list of heroes who shed their blood around the flags; while scores of brave fellows in the ranks were torn and shattered in a manner shocking to behold.... The fearful carnage had swept through the entire command, and over one half the regiment was wounded or killed when the third color bearer, Corporal Blanchard, was also killed and the silken colors, their soft folds pierced with bullets, and their third bearer weltering in his blood, bowed low to the earth amidst triumphant yells of the enemy; but to their chagrin in a few seconds it was again flaunting in their faces. Bleeding, stunned, and being literally cut to pieces, but refusing to surrender colors or men, falling back only to prevent being completely encircled, the noble regiment had accomplished its mission. Col. Thomas with his brave brigade blocked the advance of the rebel divisions, and actually held the Confederate army at bay until the Union commander could form the lines on grounds of his own choice. In this terrible charge the 8th Vermont, the 12th Connecticut, and the 160th New York were almost annihilated. Our own regiment lost over one hundred gallant fellows, out of one hundred and fifty—nine engaged, and thirteen out of sixteen commissioned officers, who were killed or wounded ml the fearful struggle, and many of those who fell had been shot several times..... When nearly encircled and driven from the pike, the command of Col. Thomas made another stand northeast of Sheridan's headquarters to support the only piece of Union artillery that had not been withdrawn from the field. For this purpose the colonel collected fugitives from the VIII Corps, and with his own brigade formed a line, and held the position until a portion of a wagon train entangled in Meadow run could pass on and escape. While thus engaged Gen. Crook rode up, and after saluting him, Col. Thomas said: "I've taken the liberty to put some of your men into this line to save that train." "All right!" replied Crook, as he rode away as he came, unattended by even an orderly. Then instead of moving directly to the rear, as the rest of the Union troops had done, Thomas took his command round the front of the Belle Grove House, and made a second stand just west of it. Then he crossed Meadow run and made a third stand in the rear of the camp deserted by the VI Corps. It was here that the brigade flagstaff was cut down by a Confederate cannon shot..... All the long morning the cry was heard on every side, "Where's Sheridan?", but no reply came through the clenched lips until finally, at a quarter of ten o'clock, Sheridan, mounted on his black horse Winchester, which was covered with foam, swept up from the pike amid great cheering into the midst of his broken regiments, a great light in a dark valley. The despair of the morning's awful struggle was now soon to give way to the ecstacy of victory. THE AFTERNOON FIGHT In the after part of the day the Eighth Regiment, reinforced by detachments from the picket line, bore an honorable part with the Second Brigade in deciding the Union victory. During Sheridan's absence in the morning, the army, as has been described, experienced all that is known in the name of defeat. The enemy had halted in his hot pursuit to reorganize preparatory to the final move forward, which should completely annihilate the Federal army. Sheridan hastily formed a line across the valley for the purpose of checking the advancing foe, and to that end phantom breastworks had been hurriedly thrown up by means that under almost any other circumstances would have been thought out of the question and useless.....Imagine then the surprise and amazement when Sheridan dashed over the field and gave us the order to advance and meet the enemy in open fight. It was now life or death, and every man knew it. The order was instantly obeyed, and what were left of the 2nd Brigade sprang over the little earthworks, and moved rapidly to the front until they approached the timber. Here were scattered trees with thick underbrush, from which there suddenly burst a sheet of f lame and smoke, before which the regiment slightly recoiled, so terrible was the shock. Crashes of musketry rolled down the entire line to the left. Sheridan was riding furiously among the troops. Regimental officers were shouting their commands, and the hideous rebel yell rent the air and added to the general confusion. The rebel commander also realized Sheridan's presence, but with pangs of pain, for he well knew that the lightning strokes and the tiger springs of the Union regiments against his front, were being directed by a masterly hand. Lieut. Downs, at my side, shouted "Forward, men, forward!" Other company commanders, including Capt. McFarland, who had commanded the regiment after Mead was wounded, and Capt. Franklin, sprang forward and urged the men on. Quickly the regiment dashed into the thick cedars, pouring a rapid volley into the very faces of hidden foes. This rush brought us into close quarters; and, our own volleys exhausted, we again met spattering crashes of musketry following in quick succession, and the regiment once more partially recoiled before the withering fire. Commanding officers vied with each other in urging the men on, and the instant the enemy's volley slackened, the regiment swept forward and upon the rebel line, which was only a few yards distant and in plain sight; only the low cedar bushes separated us. A mighty shout went up, and at that instant we realized that the enemy's line was giving way, and we occupied the ground they held a moment before. It is useless to describe the excitement of the next few moments, as the regiment flung itself upon the enemy. After the terrible experience of the morning, it was but natural in this moment of victory that the men should go to opposite extreme of exultation; and again, as in the morning, virtually we were fighting alone, for the woods to our left shut off the main army from our view. We were fighting in a jungle, and only by the roar of battle and the wild shouts and yells which rose above the din of artillery, could we determine the position of the Union and rebel lines to our left. As a fact, there was a continuous line along our entire front, and as far as we could see to the left and some distance beyond our right flank, we had driven this line back, but as yet were unable to pierce it. Every inch of the ground was stubbornly contested. The opportune time for the brigade had come. Owing to the clearing and favorable condition of the ground, Thomas own regiment gained a decided advance, pierced the enemy like an arrowhead, and had the fortune to witness the first break in their line..... As the brigade entered the open field, the enemy s line stretched across our front, and but a few rods in advance; and as if realizing the tremendous responsibility of the movement, we swept into the field on the run. Owing to the nature of the ground, the men crowded together, but just as the rebel line was reached it broke. The supreme moment had arrived, and with wild shouts the brigade dashed ahead. We pierced the enemy's line of battle, and from that moment his doom was sealed...... [Author's Notes]: This was not the end of the battle for the 8th Vermont. After breaking through the Confederate lines and routing the troops there, Col. Thomas had a horse shot from under him, and a group of about 200—300 rebels had formed on the right flank in the cover of some woods. These rebels were enfilading the 8th Vermont's position, so they charged and drove that group off in rout. The entire brigade then charged into Gen. Gordon's Confederate brigades, the Green Mountain boys of Vermont again leading the advance, routed the rebels, and continued on. Before the day ended, the 8th Vermont also charged two Confederate artillery positions, routing both. It is rare that one regiment, or even one brigade, was able to almost single—handedly turn a major battle from defeat to victory. However, Col. Stephen Thomas' brigade, with the 8th Vermont in the lead, stood its ground against many times its number long enough for the routed Union troops to recover and they changed the course of military history in the Shenandoah Valley. Thomas won the Medal of Honor for his actions at Cedar Creek, joining two other members of the regiment, Capt. Squire E. Howard and 2nd Lt. Henry Downs on that gallant roll of valor. The scenario attached to this article recreates the morning situation at Cedar Creek as experienced by Thomas' brigade. The object is to hang on through the initial Confederate assault, thereby buying time for Sheridan's arrival and an eventual Union triumph. A Small Scale Scenario for the Battle of Cedar Creek Back to The Zouave Vol III No. 3 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1989 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com