Riley A. Bird

Abt 1836 - 1864  (~ 28 years)

• Name	Riley A. Bird  [1]
  Born	Abt 1836	Vergennes, Addison Co., VT, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Census	1860	Bristol, Addison Co., VT, USA   [2]
  Riley Bird (age 24) resided with his parents.  He wasunmarried
  Military	Between 4 Oct 1861 and 5 May 1864	Civil War   [3]
  	Capt., Co. A, Vermont Infantry
  	Killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness May 5,1864. Military Service Bristol, Vermont ENLISTED October 4, 1861 as a 1st Lieutenant MUSTERED October 15, 1861  UNIT Company A, 6th VermontInfantry TRANSFERRED n/a PROMOTED Promoted Captain on November 1, 1862 DISCHARGED n/a COMMENTS Killed in action on Play 5, 1864 at the battleof the  Wilderness Excerpts from Benedict's "Vermont in the Civil War" Captain Riley A. Bird (of Bristol) of Company A, a soldierof rare merit especially distinguished himself on the firstday [ot the battle of the  Wilderness] and died beforeits close. He was first wounded in the  head andadvised to go to the rear, but with the blood streamingdown his face he sternly and even angrily refused, sayingthat it was 'the  business of no live man to goto the rear at such a time'.  Soon a second musket ball struck him in the thigh. He retired a fewsteps, sat down,  took off his sash, bound it roundhis leg and then resumed his place in the line. A thirdbullet pierced his heart, and he fell dead with the wordwhich he was cheering on his men cut short upon his lips. Sources: George C. Benedict, Vermont in the CivilWar.  A History of the Part taken by the VermontSoldiers and Settlers in the War for the Union,1861-5.  Burlington, VT. Free Press Association(1886), Chapter X. Excerpts from the Official Records CAMP IN THE FIELD, VIRGINIA  June 28, 1864 Captain A. Brown, Jr. A.A.A.G., Second Brigadier, Second Division, Sixth Corps SIR: I have the honor to snake the following report of thepart Taken by  Ile Sixth Vermont Regiment in thebattles of the Wilderness, Mao I: On the 5th of May we were ordered to take a position inthe second line of battle and on the left of theplank road. About noon we were ordered to charge the enemy.in this advance Colonel E. L Barney, Adjt. S. ft Lincoln, Captain C. W, Dwinell, Company C, First LieutenantF. A. Holton , Company I, were wounded; Captain George C.Randall, Company F. Captain Riley A, Bird, Company A, andFirst Lieutenant  Albert A. Crane, Company A, werekilled On the following day a general advance was ordered.The line of battle in which the Sixth  Regiment was placed, advanced upon the enemy in the morning. Afterengaging the enemy for about an hour, and having exhaustedall our  ammunition, we were ordered to the next linein rear. In these battles all  officers and men foughtbravely. Total loss the 5th and 6th of May; Officers, killed, 3;wounded, 4. Enlisted men, killed 31; wounded, 151;missing, 7, I have the honor to be sir, your most obedient servant. G. A. HALE, Lieutenant-Colonel,, Commanding Regiment Sources: The War of The Rebellion; A Compilation of theOfficial Records of the Union and Confederate archive,series 1, volume 36, part 1 (Wilderness-Cold Harbor),715-716.  HEADQUARTERS FIRST  VERMONT BRIGADE  August 27,1864 Peter T. Washburn, Adjutant and Inspector General SIR: I have the honor to report that this Brigade crossedthe Rapidan May 4th, 1864, and encamped two miles south ofGermania Ford. On the morning of May 5th, we marched to Old Wildernesstavern and  halted several hours. Soon after noon thisBrigade and two others, (the 1st and 4th of this Division,Brig. Gen. Getty commanding, were  detached from the6th Corps and ordered forward across the "old pike," and along the 'Brook" road, to where it crosses the plankroad leading  from Chancellorsville to Orange CourtHouse. Upon arriving at the cross roads, the first Brigadebecame engaged with the enemy's advance, which was comingdown the plank road driving before it a force of ourCavalry... One engaged In that terrible conflict may well pause toreflect upon the  horrors of that night. Officers andmen lay down to rest amidst the  groans of the woundedand dying and the dead bodies of their  comrades, asthey were brought to the rear. One thousand brave officersand men of the Vermont Brigade fell on that bloody field... The list of killed and wounded contains the names of someof the most valuable officers in the service. Of the Captains who were killed, or have subsequently diedfrom the  effects of wounds, there were Capts. OrvilleBixby, of the 2d Regiment,  Enoch H. Bartlett andErastus Buck, of the 3rd Regiment; J. W. D. Carpenter, Dennis W. Farr and Daniel Lillie, of the 4thRegiment; A. R. Hurlburt, Geo. D. Davenport and Chas. J.Ormsbee, of the 5th Regiment,  Riley A Bird and GeorgeC. Randall, of the 6th Regiment, each and all of whom werevaluable officers. It is no disparagement to thosewho  survive that the places of these Captains cannotbe filled. It would be a pleasure to mention at length Individualcases of daring  and noble heroism, but when all didso noble it is impossible to further particularize. It was a terrible struggle—    a time whichtruly "tried men's  souls.' The memory of those whofell will be sacredly cherished among the true andtried patriots of Vermont; and those who survive, wellmay proudly say. "I, too, was in the battles ofthe Wilderness." I am, General. very respectfully, your obedient servant, LA. GRANT, Brigadier-General, Commanding Sources: The war of the Rebellion, A Compilation of theOfficial Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,series 1, volume 36, part 1 (Wilderness-Cold Harbor);696-701
  Died	5 May 1864	Battle of the Wilderness   [3]
  Buried	Greenwood Cemetery, Bristol, Addison Co., VT, USA   [3]
  Person ID	I204572	Sprague Project
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2020

  
  

  Father	Frederick Augustus Bird,   b. 23 Jan 1791, Worthington, Hampshire Co., MA, USA ,   d. 1861, CA, USA  (Age 69 years)
  Mother	Celomma [--?--],   b. Abt 1797, Vergennes, Addison Co., VT, USA ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Y  [1]
  Family ID	F74013	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - Abt 1836 - Vergennes, Addison Co., VT, USA Census - 1860 - Bristol, Addison Co., VT, USA Military - Capt., Co. A, Vermont Infantry - Between 4 Oct 1861 and 5 May 1864 - Civil War Died - 5 May 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness Buried - - Greenwood Cemetery, Bristol, Addison Co., VT, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Bird, Riley (1836-1864)
  		I204572 Bird, Riley (1836-1864)

  
  

• Sources

  [S279] Correspondent: Bryant, Charles S., note of October 25th, 2003. [S2826] Correspondent: Bird, Roger, note of November 18, 2008. [S2826] Correspondent: Bird, Roger, note of September 12th, 2008.