by George S. Maharay (Author)
Major General Lewis A. Grant was one of Vermont's greatest heroes in the Civil War. He organized the Fifth Vermont in 1861 and led the First Vermont Brigade from February 1863 to June 1865. He participated in 22 battles; most notable were Savage's Station in 1862, Marye's Heights and Bank's Ford in 1863, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cedar Creek in 1864, and the breakthrough of the Confederate lines in 1865. He was selected by General Meade to lead the brigade to suppress the Draft Riots in New York after Gettysburg, and also, to defend the Brock Road in the Battle of the Wilderness. He personally discovered the weak point in the Confederate lines at Petersburg and was honored by having his brigade lead the assault on April 2, 1865, action which quickly led to the end of the war.