The 12th Vermont Infantry, a nine months regiment, raised as a result of President Lincoln's call on August 4, 1862, for additional troops due to the disastrous results of the Peninsula Campaign. It was composed of volunteers from ten volunteer militia companies as follows: •
West Windsor Guards, Co. A •
Woodstock Light Infantry, Co. B • Howard Guard of
Burlington, Co. C • July 14, 1863 has Company G under the command of Ebenzer J. Ornisbill (spelling ?) •
Tunbridge Light Infantry, Co. D • Ransom Guards of
St. Albans, Co. E • New England Guard of
Northfield, Co. F • Allen Grays of
Brandon, Co. G •
Bradford Guards, Co. H • Saxton's River Light Infantry of
Rockingham, Co. I •
Rutland Light Guard, Co. K Colonel
Asa P. Blunt, previously of the
3rd and
6th Vermont regiments, was selected to command the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel
Roswell Farnham and Major Levi G. Kingsley had held commissions in the
1st Vermont Infantry, along with a total of 65 officers and men. The regiment went into camp at
Brattleboro on September 25, 1862, and was mustered into United States service on October 4. It left
Vermont on October 7, and arrived in
Washington, D.C., on October 10, and went into camp on East Capital Hill. On October 30 it became part of the
2nd Vermont Brigade, which also included the
13th,
14th,
15th and
16th Vermont Infantry regiments. Colonel Blunt, as ranking colonel, commanded the brigade until the arrival of Brigadier General
Edwin H. Stoughton, on December 7. Stoughton was not popular with the officers and men of the brigade, so when he was captured by Confederate partisan
John S. Mosby on March 9, 1863, few mourned his loss. Colonel Blunt assumed command of the brigade again, turning it over to the new brigade commander, Brigadier General
George J. Stannard, on April 20, who led the brigade until the
Battle of Gettysburg. The regiment marched to
Munson's Hill on October 30, and Hunting Creek the next day, where it stayed until December 12, in 'Camp Vermont.' It was engaged in picket duty near Fairfax Courthouse from December 12 to January 20, 1863, participating in a repulse of
J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry on December 29. The regiment was stationed at
Wolf Run Shoals from January 20 to May 1, performed railroad guard duty at Warrenton Junction until May 7, and camped near Rappahannock Station until May 18. From then until June 1, it camped near Bristoe and Catlett's Station. For the majority of June, it was at Union Mills. On June 25, the brigade was assigned as the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division,
I Corps, and ordered to form the rear guard of the
Army of the Potomac as it marched north after
Robert E. Lee's
Army of Northern Virginia. The 12th marched with the brigade from
Wolf Run Shoals on June 25, crossed the Potomac river on June 27, at Edward's Ferry, and moved north through Frederick City and Creagerstown, Maryland. It was drawing near
Gettysburg on July 1, when the 12th and 15th regiments were detached to guard the corps trains. The regiment accompanied the corps trains to Rock Creek Church, near the battlefield, and two companies of the 12th went forward to protect ammunition trains on the Taneytown road. After the battle, the regiment moved south to
Westminster, Maryland, then served as guards for a train of 2,500 Confederate prisoners who were taken to
Baltimore, Maryland. Departing Baltimore, the regiment traveled to
Brattleboro, Vermont, where it arrived on July 9. It was mustered out on July 14, 1863. Dozens of newly discharged members of the regiment enlisted again, predominantly in the regiments of the 1st
Vermont Brigade, and the
17th Vermont Infantry. ==Final Statement==