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Sgt. Wm Irvine shortly after
Gettysburg holding the tattered
regimental flag
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The First Minnesota Infantry Regiment was one of the first units organized
after President Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops in April, 1861. The regiment
was quickly filled with enthusiastic men from all parts of Minnesota and
was one of the few regiments that received training by a qualified officer.
Colonel Gorman was an unpleasant but competent taskmaster and by July,
1861 the regiment had been sent east and fought with distinction at the
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Charles Mason Co.D
mortally wounded at Gettysburg
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battle of Bull Run under Colonel Gormans leadership. The regiment participated in
all the major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac through the fall of 1863 and a
portion of the command called the First Battalion was present at Appomattox,
the final battle of the war.
The regiment is best known for the dramatic
charge at the battle of Gettysburg. On the evening of July 2, 1863 the
regiment attacked Wilcox's Alabama Brigade
as it was preparing for the final push to break
the Union line. The First Minnesota crossed over 200 yards of open ground and
charged the Confederates in spite of five to one odds. The rebels recovered
and in five minutes killed or wounded over 170 of the 300 plus men. The
survivors did not panic but fell back to their orginal position and rallied
around the remnant of the flag waiting for a counterattack that did not come.
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Marshal Sherman Co.C with
the flag of the 28th Virginia
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After the war the survivors
held annual reunions in St. Paul where they reminisced and took up collections
to help members in need. These reunions continued until 1932; the last members
of the regiment, Edwin Season and James Wright of Company F died in
1936.
Dear viewer of this site,
I am writing a book about the men of the First Minnesota.
I am looking for more pictures of the men who served in the unit.
I am looking to put a picture of every man possible into the book.
Secondly, I am also looking for stories about the men. These may come from diaries,
letters written home during the war or from personal reminiscences after the war.
If you have either pictures or stories about one or more men who served in this regiment,
including the men who served in Company L (2nd Co of Minn Sharpshooters aka 2nd US Sharpshooters),
please contact me as soon as possible. I hope to publish the book in 2009 or 2010.
Thanks,
Wayne Jorgenson
jorguy@comcast.net
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