Grant,  *  and  the  accounts  given  by  General  Humphreys
and  other  historians  fully  sustain  the  claim.  General  Meade,
commanding  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  a  speech  to  the
Sixth  corps,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1865,  on  the  occasion  of
delivering  to  him  the  Confederate  flags  captured  by  the  corps
at  Petersburg,  said  :  "  I  do  not  wish  to  make  any  invidious
"  distinctions  between  your  own  and  the  other  corps  of  this
"  army,  but  candor  compels  me  to  say  that  in  my  opinion
"  the  decisive  movement  of  this  campaign,  which  resulted  in  the
"  capture  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  was  the  gallant
"  and  successful  charge  of  the  Sixth  corps  on  the  morning  of
<'  the  2d  of  April.  It  was  with  much  pleasure  I  received  a
"  telegraphic  dispatch  from  your  brave  commander  on  the
"  previous  evening,  telling  me  his  confidence  in  your  gallantry
"  and  courage  was  so  great  that  he  felt  confident  of  his  ability
"  to  break  through  the  enemy's  lines.  And  it  was  with  still
"  greater  satisfaction  that  a  few  hours  afterwards  I  had  the
"  pleasure  of  transmitting  a  dispatch  to  the  General-in-Chief,
"  telling  him  that  the  reliance  of  your  commander  had  been
"  fully  borne  out.  To  you,  brave  men,  I  return  the  thanks  of
''  the  country  and  of  the  army."

It  is  needless  to  quote  further  testimony.  But  Getty's
«li vi&ion  led  the  assault  of  the  Sixth  corps,  and  the  Vermont
brigade  as  undeniably  led  the  assault  of  Getty's  division.  As
this  honor  has  been  claimed  by  other  troops,  it  is  well  to  note
the  language  of  General  Getty's  report.  He  says :  "  The
"  command  was  massed  in  columns  of  regiments,

"  each  brigade  forming  a  column,  immediately  in  rear  of
"  the  intrenched  picket  line  captured  from  the  enemy  on
"  the  25th  of  March  and  since  held  by  our  pickets.  From
"this  point,  directly  in  front  of  Fort  Welch,  a  ravine  led
"  straight  up  to  the  enemy's  works,  a  distance  of  six  hun-

1  "General  Wright  penetrated  the  lines  with  his  whole  corps,  sweeping
everything  before  him  and  to  his  left  towards  Hatcher's  Run,  capturing
many  guns,  and  several  thousand  prisoners." — General  U.  8.  Grant.
