How William Scott Became The Sleeping Sentinel William Scott was a 22-year-old boy from Groton, VT in 1861, just as the Civil War broke out. That summer, the Union army had suffered a humiliating defeat at Bull Run and President Lincoln issued a 2nd and 3rd call for volunteers.Scott's parents, Thomas and Mary (Wormwood) Scott were farmers with seven sons andone daughter. Five of the Scott boys enlisted into the Union army. Only one of these would survive the war.Thomas Scott was originally from Scotland.Scott enlisted into the Union army after the 2nd call for volunteers in Vermont by the president. He joined what would be the 3rd regiment, Company K at Montpelier in the summer of 1861. He was mustered into the service of the United States Army at St. Johnsbury and with close to 900 other Vermonters, was sent to guard the Capitol from the Confederate forces along the Potomac.The train ride from St. Johnsbury where his newly formed regiment was mustered into the United States Army must have been an exciting experience for a farm boy from the mountains. He would have past through Boston, New York and Philadelphia on its way to Baltimore where the group would meet their new commanding officer and then on to Washington.In little more than 10 days, Scott and his friends were marching towards Georgetown Heights and would make camp at Chain Bridge on the Potomac River. The bridge was about 6 miles from midtown Washington.Chain Bridge was a strategic post because of its proximity to the city's resevoir and the bridge was a main route from Virginia to Washington.The camp where the Vermont regiment would spend the next month was officially called Camp Lyon but the men camped there named it Camp Misery. The mud, bad water, open latrines and heat created conditions unknown before to most Vermonters and these squalid conditions would become home for Scott for the next month.

William Scott was a 22-year-old boy from Groton, VT in 1861, just as the Civil War broke out. That summer, the Union army had suffered a humiliating defeat at Bull Run and President Lincoln issued a 2nd and 3rd call for volunteers.

Scott's parents, Thomas and Mary (Wormwood) Scott were farmers with seven sons andone daughter. Five of the Scott boys enlisted into the Union army. Only one of these would survive the war.

Thomas Scott was originally from Scotland.

Scott enlisted into the Union army after the 2nd call for volunteers in Vermont by the president. He joined what would be the 3rd regiment, Company K at Montpelier in the summer of 1861. He was mustered into the service of the United States Army at St. Johnsbury and with close to 900 other Vermonters, was sent to guard the Capitol from the Confederate forces along the Potomac.
The train ride from St. Johnsbury where his newly formed regiment was mustered into the United States Army must have been an exciting experience for a farm boy from the mountains. He would have past through Boston, New York and Philadelphia on its way to Baltimore where the group would meet their new commanding officer and then on to Washington.

In little more than 10 days, Scott and his friends were marching towards Georgetown Heights and would make camp at Chain Bridge on the Potomac River. The bridge was about 6 miles from midtown Washington.

Chain Bridge was a strategic post because of its proximity to the city's resevoir and the bridge was a main route from Virginia to Washington.

The camp where the Vermont regiment would spend the next month was officially called Camp Lyon but the men camped there named it Camp Misery. The mud, bad water, open latrines and heat created conditions unknown before to most Vermonters and these squalid conditions would become home for Scott for the next month.