John Joseph James 'Pepe' Benson and Almereine 'Meme' Patenaude were my grandparents. Pepe was born in Ontario, and Meme in Quebec. They came to Vermont in the early 1920s, and had four children grow to maturity, who presented them with 19 grandchildren. This book was produced for a family reunion, and includes all of their descendants and their known ancestors to the 14th generation, predominantly from France, Ireland, and England. Among their ancestors were fille-a-marier, fille-du-roi and soldiers in the Carignan-Salieres Regiment who came to New France in the mid-1600s.

More than 1,500 Vermonters served in the maritime services during the Civil War, in the Union Navy and Marine Corps, but less than 900 were recognized, and little or no information about any of them has surfaced. This study is an attempt to rectify that error, and hopefully encourage additional research on the subject.

Vermont Adjutant General Peter Washburn thought "Spunky Lamoille" was all right; a newspaper editor felt justified that "Spunky Lamoille" may be relied upon to furnish aid in putting down the rebellion; and when someone questioned what the ladies of "Spunky Lamoille" were doing for the Sanitary Commission, the ladies of Johnson proudly replied, in detail. This second volume, "Spunky Lamoille Boys in Blue Too," contains more letters from the front and the stories of three courageous women who served there as well. Soldiers share their prison experiences, and others their war experiences,...