Tuesday Evening Walk – July 28, 2026

“‘Glory to God! See the Vermonters go at it!’ : Stannard’s Brigade at Gettysburg”

LBG Bill Trelease

George Stannard’s brigade on Vermonters was one of the most inexperienced units in the Army of the Potomac yet would find themselves in the thick of the fighting on both Just 2 and July 3. The brigade consisted of 5 nine-month regiments that had spent most of their service in the fortifications around Washington until called into the field when Lee moved into Pennsylvania. In fact, their uniforms were so clean that they were mocked by the men in the Army of the Potomac as the Paper Collar Brigade”. Despite the fact that the men had never been in combat before and were only 3 weeks away from being mustered out of service, they would more than prove their mettle at several crucial moments in the battle, when they are finally headed back to Vermont, they had earned the full respect on friends and foes alike.  Our walk will follow the action of these Vermonters as they engaged in very heavy fighting on both days they were on the field, two days that changed them from inexperienced soldiers into some of the most renowned units at Gettysburg.

Acknowledgement of Risks