Customer Reviews

Vermont Hero: Major General George J. Stannard

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This is a good, solid book about Major General George Stannard, given the fact that the author did not locate any primary sources written by him other than military reports. Although the author did conduct research in Special Collections at the University of Vermont, he did not consult the William Wells Papers; Wells hand a great hand in replacing Stannard as Collector of Customs for Vermont and Wells was very open in his correspondence why Stannard must be replaced. This action tarnished Stannard's reputation and led to his bankruptcy and self-imposed exile from the state.
Stannard is most important for his role as the commander of the Second Vermont Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg and for conducting a flank attack the helped to destroy Pickett's/Pettigrew's assault on the third day of the battle. Stannard's military career climaxed with his capture of Fort Harrison outside Richmond in September 1864. He was there wounded and lost an arm, which ended his military career. Stannard is the highest ranking Vermonter to fight in the Civil War (Baldy Smith was a Regular) and his career is familiar to those people interested in the state's participation in the war and particularly with those interested in Gettysburg. This is a long overdue biography and is capably done, given the dearth of primary sources.