Talk:1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment

Format
I did a bit of re-formatting to get this article into closer alignment with other ACW Wikipedia articles. I hope the original author will propagate some of these formatting conventions to the other Minnesota regimental articles. Hal Jespersen 16:02, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Colvill
Just a note: The link for Col William Colvill goes to the wrong William Colvill: the principal of Edinburgh University, not the infantryman. 214.13.209.200 13:14, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Hal Jespersen 15:19, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

Henry D. O'Brien
Henry D. O'Brien also won a Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg, you can learn about it here:

http://1stminnesota.net/SearchResults.php3

"Henry was slightly wounded, in his side, on July 2, 1863, during the unit's famous charge at Gettysburg. During the battle, he helped a badly wounded comrade, Ernest Jefferson, to a place of shelter. After the battle, Ernest was found on the field and taken to a field hospital. He would later have his leg amputated but lived a long life and was always thankful for Henry's help that day.

Though wounded, Henry was able to stay with the regiment and was in line with his comrades the next day. First Minnesota lay waiting behind a fence in the middle of the line to the left of the copse of trees toward which Pickett's army was headed.

Henry picked up First Minnesota's battle flag when Corporal Dehn, the color bearer, was shot through the hand during the early firing between the Rebels and the Union line. The shot broke the staff in half. It was difficult to hold, but hold it he did. He leaped over the fence and charged toward the Confederates. His comrades, as much to protect their colors as anything else, followed.

Lt Lochren was angry at first, blaming O'Brien for "imperiling" the regiment's flag, stained in blood the day before. But the effect of O'Brien's act "was electrical," Lochren wrote later. "Every man of First Minnesota sprang to protect its flag, and the rest rushed with them upon the enemy."

Charging headlong onto the field, the Minnesotans encountered the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. "If ever men became devils, that was one of those times," Lt William Harmon recalled. "We were crazy with the excitement of the fight. We rushed in like wild beasts. Men swore and cursed and struggled and fought, grappled in hand-to-hand fight, threw stones, clubbed their muskets, kicked, yelled and hurrahed!"

1st Sgt James Wright, of Company F, wrote about the incident later in life.

"Captain Messick was in command, and Corporal John Dehn carried the flag-he being the only one of the color guard of the day before able to be on his feet at the close of fighting the evening of the 2nd new detail is necessary. In the 'mix-up' with Pickett's men he was shot through the hand, and the same shot splintered the flagstaff so that it broke in two pieces. Corporal Henry D. O'Brien then took the piece with the flag on and kept it until twice wounded, when it passed to Corporal William N Irvine, who carried it through the fighting. The flag of the 28th Virginia was captured by Marshall Sherman. A portion of this stuff was used to replace the broken portion of ours. The splice made in the field by a little rough whittling and bound with a knapsack strap and was carried afterward until the regiment returned to Minnesota the next February."

Marshall Sherman, a 37-year-old painter from St Paul, who fought barefoot the last day at Gettysburg because his shoes had come apart, captured the flag of the 28th Virginia. Both he and O'Brien, who had been wounded again while carrying the flag, were, years later, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for what they did that day.

Caleb Jackson of Co G saw it this way. "When general Pickett made his famous charge his men succeeded in striking our line near a battery and close to our right flank and for a moment it seemed that we would be overwhelmed. At this critical time the last of our color guards was shot and the flag fell to the ground. Corporal Henry D. O'Brien, of Company E, though not a member of the color guard, instantly seized it and waving it over his head rushed ahead of the Regiment and close up to the muzzles of the Confederate muskets. His example was quickly followed by the rest of the men and the Confederates were beaten back leaving the colors of the 28th Virginia with our command. Corporal O'Brien's action at that time was fearless and as daring as anything I saw during the war, and there is no doubt in my mind that it was one of the principal causes that led to the defeat of the Confederates at that point. I looked at his face and smiled as he broke off a piece of the shattered staff and threw it to the ground and marched on. He was struck in the head by a musket ball and although stunned by the force of the blow,he held to the colors until he was again struck in the left hand. This occurred at the moment of victory."

After the great clash was over the Union army took time to care for its wounded and bury its dead. Henry and many of the wounded men of the First Minnesota were sent to Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia."

- Carter O'Brien (great-great grandson) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.158.70.254 (talk) 15:33, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Moved from 34ID article
Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock, commander of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac, ordered the regiment to assault a much larger, oncoming enemy force (a brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox) in an effort to buy time while other forces could be brought up to secure the line. During the charge, 215 members of the 262 men who were present at the time became casualties, including the regimental commander, Col. William Colvill, and all but three of his officers. The unit's flag fell five times and rose again each time. The 47 survivors rallied back to General Hancock under the senior surviving officer, Captain Henry C. Coates. The 82 percent casualty rate stands to this day as the largest loss by any surviving military unit in American history during any single engagement. The Color Sergeant, as he fell dying on the field of battle on July 2, passed the Colors to another soldier to carry, saying, "They never touched the ground!" The fight of the 1st Minnesota inspired the motto of the 2/135, "To the last man!" The unit's flag is now in the Minnesota Capitol's rotunda.

Ironically, Colonel Colvill had been placed under arrest by Hancock several days before the battle when the 1st Minnesota paused to remove their shoes before crossing a creek on the desperate route march to Gettysburg. It would appear that this matter was never subsequently pursued.

Buckshot06(prof) 04:37, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

Exchange between collvill and hancock
there is this great conversation between hancock and collvill the day that hancock ordered the 1st minn to attack.this is taken from shelby foote's three part history of the civil war(book 2 chapter 5 "the stars in their course")

heres the passage

hancock seeing that confederates under wilcox's brigade was heading up the hill, asked of the officer of the lead regiment of gibbon's 1st brigade:

---

"what regiment is this?". "the 1st minnesota" colonel william colvill replied. hancock nodded "colonel do you see those colors?" as he spoke he pointed at the alabama flag in first rank of the charging rebels. colvill said he did. "then take them" hancock told him.

---

someone should work it into the article somehow, i'm not too talented at writing —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.34.27.132 (talk) 06:53, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

Dead link
During several automated bot runs the following external link was found to be unavailable. Please check if the link is in fact down and fix or remove it in that

--JeffGBot (talk) 04:06, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. Community Tech bot (talk) 16:21, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg.jpg

Clarification needed
Can the editor clarify this word string: "262 men were sent to this place to support a battery upon Sickles repulse." Is Sickles a possessive that needs an apostrophe? "Upon"? Does this mean "after Sickles was repulsed"? Who was repulsed? Was Sickles repulsed, or did Sickles repulse some unit? (AltheaCase (talk) 23:34, 7 August 2023 (UTC))

Clarification neede
Article says, "As his men were passing here in confused retreat, two Confederate brigades in pursuit were crossing the swale. To gain time to bring up the reserves & save this position, Gen Hancock in person ordered the eight companies to charge the rapidly advancing enemy. The order was instantly repeated by Col. Wm Colvill. And the charge was instantly made down the slope at full speed through the concentrated fire of the two brigades breaking with the bayonet the enemy's front line as it was crossing the small brook in the low ground there the remnant of the eight companies, nearly surrounded by the enemy held its entire force at bay for a considerable time & till it retired on the approach of the reserve the charge successfully accomplished its object."


 * As his men were passing -- Whose men?
 * crossing the swale. -- What is a swale?

(AltheaCase (talk) 23:39, 7 August 2023 (UTC))

How can 215 be killed & yet none missing?
The claim is that "The loss of the eight companies in the charge was 215 killed and wounded, more than 85 percent. 47 men were still in line and no missing." I realize that the plaque says that, but it makes no sense. (AltheaCase (talk) 23:45, 7 August 2023 (UTC))

Commitment length
The article says 5 year commitment and lists a 3 (possibly 4) year commitment. Which is it? This edit changed it years ago, but I have no knowledge in this space to want to touch the text here. lukini (talk &#124; contribs) 17:16, 13 September 2023 (UTC)

The engagements list should not include the events after Mine Run
The First Minnesota, as a Regiment, did not participate in those battles/events. The regiment had mustered out after the Mine Run Campaign. Those who re-enlisted served in the 1st Minnesota Battalion which formed is a separate organization and has its own article. Appomattox and the Grand Review should be removed from the list. 184.94.141.237 (talk) 16:01, 7 March 2024 (UTC)

First Minnesota service
https://civilwarintheeast.com/us-regiments-batteries/minnesota/1st-minnesota-infantry-regiment/ Nightmare bat (talk) 06:19, 8 April 2024 (UTC)