7th Vermont Infantry

The 7th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry (or 7th VVI) was a three years' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Western Theater, predominantly in Louisiana and Florida, from February 1862 to March 1866. It was the longest serving Vermont regiment during the war.

Seventh Vermont Regiment was mustered into Federal service on February 12, 1862, at Rutland, Vermont. It was engaged in, or present at, the 1862 first Siege of Vicksburg, Battle of Baton Rouge, Gonzales Station, the Mobile campaign and Spanish Fort, and Whistler, Alabama.

The Regiment proceeded from Rutland on March 10, 1862, to New York City, boarding the sailing ships "Premier" and "Tammerlane," and sailed to Ship Island, Miss., the Premier arriving April 5 and Tammerlane on the 10th. On May 3, Companies B, C, and part of D boarded the gunboats USS New London and USS Calhoun and were sent to capture Fort Pike, a fort that guarded the entrance to Lake Ponchartrain. They found the Confederates had just evacuated the fort, so they occupied it without opposition and set about repairing the damage inflicted by the Confederates as they left. The rest of the regiment was shipped to Carrolton, La., on the Steamer "Whitman."

On May 15, 1862, the Regt., minus those at Ft. Pike, sailed on the "Iberville" to Baton Rouge.

On June 19, 1862, eight companies boarded the steamers "Ceres" and "Morning Light" for the ill-conceived and under-manned expedition to lay siege to Vicksburg, Miss., arriving near Vicksburg on the 25th. The Siege of Vicksburg was abandoned on July 24, and the Regt. returned to Baton Rouge on July 26, with only 100 of the 800 men who went up the river still fit for duty.

The Battle of Baton Rouge took place on August 5, 1862, a very foggy day. Many units fired on other Union troops, with the 7th firing, on orders of Gen. Williams, into the neighboring 21st Indiana Regt. During the battle, Gen. Williams was killed and the 7th's Commander, Col. George T. Roberts, was mortally wounded, dying two days later. The Confederate attack was defeated.

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