1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment

{{Infobox military unit | unit_name = 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment | image = 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment battle flag.jpg | caption = Regimental Banner of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Inspired by the former flag of Minnesota) | dates = April 29, 1861, to April 2, 1864 (July 15, 1865 as 1st Minnesota Infantry Battalion) | country = {{flagicon|United States|1863}} United States | allegiance = Union | branch = Infantry | equipment = M1861 Springfield .58 Rifle-musket M1842 Springfield .69 Smoothbore M1842 Springfield .69 Rifle-musket M1855 Springfield .58 Rifle-musket Sharps Rifle (Company L only) | battles = {{tree list}} *American Civil War **First Battle of Bull Run (1861) **Battle of Ball's Bluff (1861) **Siege of Yorktown (1862) (Not Engaged) (1862) **Battle of Seven Pines (1862) **Battle of Savage's Station (1862) **Battle of Malvern Hill (In Reserve) (1862) **Second Battle of Bull Run (Rearguard) (1862) **Battle of Antietam (1862) **Battle of Fredericksburg (In Reserve) (1863) **Second Battle of Fredericksburg (1863) **Battle of Gettysburg (1863) **Battle of Bristoe Station (1863) **{{tree list/final branch}}Battle of Mine Run (1863) {{tree list/end}} | notable_commanders = Colonel Willis A. Gorman Colonel Napoleon J.T. Dana Colonel Alfred Sully Colonel George N. Morgan Colonel William J. Colvill }}

The '''1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment''' was a Union infantry regiment<ref>{{Citation |title=APPENDIX 1. |date=2019-04-01 |work=The Seventh West Virginia Infantry |pages=253–253 |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvf3w4p2.16 |access-date=2025-12-25 |publisher=University Press of Kansas}}.</ref> that was active during the American Civil War and participated in the battles of First Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg.<ref name="1stMN">{{cite book |last=Moe |first=Richard |title=The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-87351-406-4 |location=St. Paul, MN |page=63}}</ref>

==History==

===Organization and early service=== On April 14, 1861, Alexander Ramsey,<ref>{{cite book |last=Soifer |first=Alexander |chapter=Ramsey Theory Before Ramsey, Prehistory and Early History: An Essay in 13 Parts |date=2011 |title=Ramsey Theory |pages=1–26 |doi=10.1007/978-0-8176-8092-3_1 |location=Boston, MA |publisher=Birkhäuser Boston |isbn=978-0-8176-8091-6}}</ref> the Governor of Minnesota, learned of the attack on Fort Sumter, while visiting Washington, D.C. Alongside Senator Morton S. Wilkinson, he visited the office of the Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, to offer the services of 1,000 Minnesota soldiers to the Union Army.

Two days later, the Adjutant General of Minnesota, William H. Acker, issued an order for Minnesota's Commissary General, H. Z. Mitchell, to enlist men for the 1st Minnesota Regiment.<ref>latest, St. Cloud Democrat, April 18, 1861, p.3 Image 3, Library of Congress, 2023, [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016836/1861-04-18/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1861&index=1&rows=20&words=Gen+H+Mitchell+Z&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1862&proxtext=Gen+H.+Z.+Mitchell&y=10&x=11&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1]</ref> After the news spread, communities and individuals in Minnesota created volunteer organizations. The companies traveled to the newly reactivated Fort Snelling to be enlisted in the regiment on April 29, 1861.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref>

On May 10, 1861, the regiment was re-enlisted for three more years of service.<ref name=":1" /> From Fort Snelling, they departed by steamboats down the Mississippi River to connect with an eastern rail line.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Hampton |title=First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment {{!}} MNopedia |url=https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/group/first-minnesota-volunteer-infantry-regiment |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=www.mnhs.org |language=en}}</ref>

Josias R. King of the St. Paul Pioneer Guard, is often credited as the first northern volunteer to answer Lincoln's call for troops.<ref>King, Josias R. (1832–1916), MNopedia, Brian Leehan, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota [https://www.mnopedia.org/person/king-josias-r-1832-1916]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Company !! Earliest Moniker !! Primary Location of Recruitment !! Earliest Captain |- | A || Pioneer Guard || St. Paul || Alexander Wilkin |- | B || Stillwater Guard || Stillwater || Carlyle A. Bromley |- | C || St. Paul Volunteers || St. Paul || William H. Acker |- | D || Lincoln Guards || Minneapolis || Henry R. Putnam |- | E || St. Anthony Zouaves || St. Anthony || George N. Morgan |- | F || Red Wing Volunteers or Goodhue County Volunteers || Red Wing || William J. Colvill, Jr. |- | G || Faribault Guards || Faribault || William H. Dike |- | H || Dakota County Volunteers || Hastings || Charles Powell Adams |- | I || Wabasha Volunteers || Wabasha || John H. Pell |- | K || Winona Volunteers || Winona || Henry C. Lester |- | L || Sharpshooters (Company A, 2nd United States Sharpshooters) || Rice & Steele Counties|| William Russell |- |}

{{clear}} {{gallery|mode=packed| |- |File:William Colvill.jpg|Colonel Colvill when he was a captain |- |File:MHS 1st Minnesota Insignia.jpg|Plain brass First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry badge worn on the kepi. It was worn by Sergeant Chesley Billings Tirrell of Company C. The officer's version was nickel-plated. The trefoil was the Corps emblem of the II Corps that the 1st Minn. was attached to. (Minnesota Historical Society) |- |File:1st_Minn_Gbg.JPG|Monument to the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, located on Cemetery Ridge, off South Hancock Avenue }}

===First Bull Run===

On July 21, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia, the regiment fought in the first major battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run. Holding Rickett's Battery in support, the regiment saw heavy fighting on Henry House Hill in proximity to the enemy. The 1st Minnesota suffered heavy casualties: 49 killed, 107 wounded, and 34 missing.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Bull Runnings|url=http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/44a-col-willis-a-gorman/|title=Report of Col. Willis A. Gorman, First Minnesota Infantry; O.R.–SERIES I–VOLUME 51 Part 1 [S# 107]|pages=20–23|access-date=2011-09-26|date=2008-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Hampton |title=First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment {{!}} MNopedia |url=https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/group/first-minnesota-volunteer-infantry-regiment |access-date=2026-02-11 |website=www.mnhs.org |language=en}}</ref>

Of the 1st Minnesota Infantry's initiation to combat, Colonel Franklin wrote:

<blockquote>The First Minnesota Regiment moved from its position on the left of the field to the support of Ricketts' battery, and gallantly engaged the enemy at that point. It was so near the enemy's lines that friends and foes were for a time confounded. The regiment behaved exceedingly well and finally retired from the field in good order. The other two regiments of the brigade retired in confusion, and no efforts of mine or staff were successful in rallying them. I respectfully refer you to Colonel Gorman's report for the account of his regiment's behavior and of the good conduct of his officers and men.<ref>{{cite web|last=Franklin|first=Col. William B.|title=Report of Col. William B. Franklin, Twelfth U. S. Infantry, Commanding First Brigade, Third Division.|publisher=Civil War Reference|url=http://www.civilwarreference.com/reports/detail.php?reportID=104|access-date=2012-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312053219/http://civilwarreference.com/reports/detail.php?reportid=104|archive-date=2016-03-12}}</ref></blockquote>

===Antietam=== During General John Sedgwick's ill-fated assault on the West Woods,<ref>{{cite web|last=Antietam on the Web|url=http://antietam.aotw.org/tablet.php?tablet_id=370|title=Gorman's Brigade, Sedgwick's Division|access-date=2012-08-04}}</ref> the regiment suffered significant casualties (1 officer killed, 3 officers wounded, 15 enlisted killed, 79 enlisted wounded, 24 enlisted missing, for a total of 122 casualties [28%] of 435 engaged)<ref>{{cite web|last=Antietam on the Web|url=http://antietam.aotw.org/exhibit.php?exhibit_id=286|title=Col Alfred Sully's Official Report|access-date=2012-08-04}}</ref> as Union forces were routed on that part of the field. The brigade commander noted, "The First Minnesota Regiment fired with so much coolness and accuracy that they brought down [three times one] of the enemy's flags, and finally cut the flag-staff in two."<ref>{{cite web |last=Gorman |first=Brigadier General Willis A |title=Report of Brig. Gen. Willis A. Gorman, U.S. Army, Commanding First Brigade, of the Battle of Antietam SEPTEMBER 3–20, 1862.—The Maryland Campaign. O.R.—SERIES I—VOLUME XIX/1 [S# 27] |url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/gormanantietam.htm |access-date=27 September 2012 |publisher=Civil War Home}}</ref>

===Gettysburg===

====July 2==== [[Image:1st Minn Gbg.JPG|thumb|left|275px|1st Minnesota Infantry Monument at Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, located on Cemetery Ridge, off South Hancock Avenue.]] One of the regiment's most famous actions occurred during the second day of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. On that day, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock ordered the regiment, composed of roughly 250 men, to charge into Cadmus M. Wilcox's Alabama Brigade, part of Richard H. Anderson's Division, Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. Although the regiment was outnumbered by a ratio of at least 5 to 1,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=McIntire |first=Tracey |date=2023-07-03 |title="Not a man wavered"--The 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg |url=https://www.civilwarmed.org/1st-minnesota-at-gettysburg/ |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=National Museum of Civil War Medicine}}</ref> charging was Hancock's only opportunity to buy time for Union reinforcements to arrive. One survivor stated afterward that he expected the advance to result in "death or wounds to us all."<ref>{{cite speech |title=Dedicatory Address, First Minnesota Monument |last=Lochren |first=Lieutenant William |location=Gettysburg National Military Park |date=July 2, 1897}} Cited in {{cite book |last=Colvill Commission |url=https://archive.org/details/04090632.3107.emory.edu |title=History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1864 |publisher=Easton & Masterman |year=1916 |location=Stillwater, MN |pages=[https://archive.org/details/04090632.3107.emory.edu/page/n378 344] |quote=Every man realized in an instant what that order meant. Death or wounds to us all—the sacrifice of the regiment to gain a few minutes and save the position and probably the battlefield, and every man saw and accepted the necessity for that sacrifice, and responding to Colvill's rapid orders the regiment in perfect line, with arms at right shoulder shift was in a moment down that slope directly upon the enemy's center.}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine |last=Army |first=Chris |title=Charge of the 1st Minnesota |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/charge-1st-minnesota |access-date=2026-01-15 |magazine=Hallowed Ground |language=en}}</ref> During the charge, 215{{#tag:ref|The 215 casualty figure is disputed. Morning muster on July 2 for companies A, B, D, E, G, H, I & K, involved in the assault, was 262 with the evening muster 47. To arrive at the casualty figure of 215, the Regimental Historian (Lt. Wm. Lochren) subtracted the muster figures (262-47=215)(82.1%) and asserted that "[every one of the] 215 [missing men] lay upon the field."<ref>{{cite book|last=Colville Commission|title=History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1864|year=1916|url=https://archive.org/details/04090632.3107.emory.edu|publisher=Easton & Masterman|location=Stillwater, MN|pages=[https://archive.org/details/04090632.3107.emory.edu/page/n379 345]}}</ref> Conducting an enumeration by individual names in 1982, Robert W. Meinhard of Winona State University accounted for only 179 (68.3%) casualties for the single day of July 2, 1863.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Maciejewski|first=Jeffrey|title=Buying Time|journal=America's Civil War|date=July 2011|page=50}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Meinhard|first=Robert W.|title=Letter to Tom Harrison, Chief Historian, Gettysburg National Military Park|date=20 May 1982}} cited in {{cite book|last=Moe|first=Richard|title=The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers|year=1993|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press|location=St. Paul, MN|isbn=978-0-87351-406-4|page=275}}</ref> Whether Meinhard's and Lochren's conclusions are based upon the same records is unknown; accounting for the disputed 36 (=215-179) men remains unresolved.|group="nb"}} of the 262 who made the charge became casualties within five minutes (47 killed, 121 wounded, 47 missing).<ref>1st Minnesota Casualties, The Goodhue Volunteer, July 22, 1863, p.3, Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, 2023, Minnesota Historical Society, 345 Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, Mn [https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/PsImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=b99c121a-6285-4180-b361-d84a5d586505%2Fmnhi0031%2F1H0YNM56%2F63072201]</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Army |first=Chris |title=Charge of the 1st Minnesota |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/charge-1st-minnesota |access-date=2026-01-15 |magazine=Hallowed Ground |language=en}}</ref> That included the unit commander, Col. William Colvill, and all but three of his captains.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 4, 2022 |first=Chris |last=Army |magazine=Hallowed Ground |title=Charge of the 1st Minnesota |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/charge-1st-minnesota |access-date=2026-02-10 |language=en}}</ref> All field commanders died in the assault.<ref name=":2" /> This action blunted the Confederate attack and helped preserve the Union's position on Cemetery Ridge at the end of the second day of the battle.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />

thumb|Gettysburg Battlefield 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment Monument. thumb|The bayonet charge by the 1st Minnesota regiment against a Confederate brigade on July 2, 1863 The 1st Minnesota's flag lost five flag bearers, each man dropping his weapon to carry it on. The 47 survivors rallied back to General Hancock under the command of their senior surviving officer, Captain Nathan S. Messick. The 1st Minnesota's 82% casualty rate stands as the second-largest loss by any surviving U.S. military unit in a single day's engagement. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Rotunda at State of Minnesota |url=https://fmd-inquiry.state.mn.us/booking/rooms/capitol-rotunda |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=fmd-inquiry.state.mn.us}}</ref>

In his official report, Confederate Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox perceived the inequality of the fight differently (bold emphasis likely refers to the First Minnesota):<blockquote>''This stronghold of the enemy [i.e., Cemetery Ridge], together with his batteries, were almost won, '''when still another line of infantry descended the slope in our front at a double-quick''', to the support of their fleeing comrades and for the defense of the batteries. Seeing this contest so unequal, I dispatched my adjutant-general to the division commander, to ask that support be sent to my men, but no support came. '''Three several times did this last of the enemy's lines attempt to drive my men back, and were as often repulsed.''' This struggle at the foot of the hill on which were the enemy's batteries, though so unequal, was continued for some thirty minutes. With a second supporting line, the heights could have been carried. Without support on either my right or left, my men were withdrawn, to prevent their entire destruction or capture. The enemy did not pursue, but my men retired under a heavy artillery fire, and returned to their original position in line, and bivouacked for the night, pickets being left on the pike.''<ref>{{cite web|last=Wilcox|first=Cadmus M.|title=Official Report, The Gettysburg Campaign|url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/wilcoxgettysburgor.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502050047/http://www.civilwarhome.com/wilcoxgettysburgor.htm |archive-date=2012-05-02 |url-status=usurped |website=Civil War Home|access-date=25 August 2012}}</ref></blockquote>

====July 3==== [[File:28th Virginia Infantry Color.jpg|thumb|28th Virginia Colors taken by St. Paulite. Private Marshall Sherman of Company C.]] thumb|right|200px|July 3 Monument to the 1st Minn. Reg., the Codori farmstead behind After sustaining heavy losses from the previous day's fighting, the remaining men of the 1st Minnesota were reinforced by detached Companies C and F. The reunited regiment was moved slightly north of the previous day's fight to one of the few places where Union lines were breached during Pickett's Charge. They again had to charge into advancing Confederate troops with more losses. Capt. Messick was killed and Capt. W. B. Farrell was mortally wounded, and Capt. Henry C. Coates had to take command. During this charge, Private Marshall Sherman of Company C captured the colors of the 28th Virginia Infantry<ref>[http://www.gdg.org/Research/MOLLUS/mollus7.html research file] (MOLLUS at Gettysburg Discussion Group website)</ref> and received the Medal of Honor for this exploit.<ref name=":2" /> The Confederate flag was taken back to Minnesota as a war trophy, where it remains.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Resnick |first=Brian |date=2013-06-28 |title=150 Years After Gettysburg, Virginia and Minnesota Fight Over Confederate Flag |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/150-years-after-gettysburg-virginia-and-minnesota-fight-over-confederate-flag/313796/ |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>

After being knocked out by a bullet to the head and later shot in the hand, Corporal Henry D. O'Brien repeatedly picked up the fallen colors of the 1st Minnesota and carried a wounded soldier back to the Union lines.{{sfnp|Jones|1895|pp=310-311}} He was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry D O'Brien {{!}} U.S. Civil War {{!}} U.S. Army {{!}} Medal of Honor Recipient |url=https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/henry-d-obrien |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |language=en}}</ref>

===Later service===

The 1st Minnesota continued to serve in the Army of the Potomac. In 1863, it participated in the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns. The 1st Minnesota mustered at Fort Snelling on April 29, 1864. Many soldiers continued service as the 1st Minnesota Infantry Battalion and went on to fight in the Appomattox Campaign. On May 23–24, 1865, the 1st Minnesota Battalion marched in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington, D.C. In July 1865, the 1st Minnesota Battalion moved to Louisville, Kentucky for duty. It was mustered out of service upon completion of its enlistment on July 15, 1865.<ref name=":0">[https://civilwarintheeast.com/us-regiments-batteries/minnesota/1st-minnesota-infantry-regiment/ First Minnesota Infantry Regiment]</ref><ref name=":1" />

===Postwar=== thumb|Sergeant George F. Mortimer, who was born at Fort Snelling, served as a corporal in Companies A and C in the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. thumb|Brigadier General William J. Colvill at a reunion at Fort Snelling. Postwar, both General Hancock and U.S. President Calvin Coolidge praised the actions of the 1st Minnesota. Gen. Hancock, who witnessed the action firsthand, placed its heroism highest in the annals of war:<ref>{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Glenn |url=https://archive.org/details/hancockthesuperb010775mbp |title=Hancock the Superb |publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc. |year=1960 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/hancockthesuperb010775mbp/page/n154 145] |quote=No soldiers on any field, in this or any other country, ever displayed grander heroism.}}</ref> "No soldiers on any field, in this or any other country ever displayed grander heroism." Gen. Hancock ascribed unsurpassed gallantry to the famed assault stating: "There is no more gallant deed recorded in history."<ref>{{cite book |last=Folwell |first=William Watts |title=A History of Minnesota, Vol II |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |year=1961 |location=St. Paul, MN |page=311 |quote=There is no more gallant a deed recorded in history.}}</ref> Emphasizing the critical nature of the circumstances on July 2 at Gettysburg, President Coolidge considered: "Colonel Colvill and those eight companies of the First Minnesota are entitled to rank as the saviors of their country."<ref>{{cite web |author=Calvin Coolidge |website=The American Presidency Project |title=Address Dedicating a Memorial to Col. William Colvill, Cannon Falls, Minn. July 4, 1928 |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=461 |access-date=2012-09-10}}</ref>

Minnesota has two monuments at the Gettysburg National Military Park, including the 1st Minnesota Infantry Monument. One of the monuments bears the inscription:

{{blockquote|On the afternoon of July 2, 1863 Sickles' Third Corps, having advanced from this line to the Emmitsburg Road, eight companies of the First Minnesota Regiment, numbering 262 men were sent to this place to support a battery upon Sickles repulse.

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. William 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. It saved this position & probably the battlefield. The loss of the eight companies in the charge was 215 killed & wounded. More than 82% percent of 47 men were still in line & no man missing. In self sacrificing desperate valor this charge has no parallel in any war. Among the severely wounded were Col. Wm Colvill, Lt Col. Chas P Adams & Maj. Mark W. Downie. Among the killed Capt. Joseph Periam, Capt. Louis Muller & Lt Waldo Farrar. The next day the regiment participated in repelling Pickett's charge losing 17 more men killed & wounded.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0007018.htm |title=DCMemorials.com |access-date=2007-07-07 |archive-date=2016-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927100532/http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0007018.htm }}</ref>}}

== Commanders ==

* Colonel Willis A. Gorman: April 29, 1861–October 1, 1861. * Colonel Napoleon J. T. Dana: October 2, 1861–February 3, 1862. * Colonel Alfred Sully: February 3, 1862–September 26, 1862. * Colonel George N. Morgan: September 26, 1862–May 5, 1863 (resigned). * Colonel William J. Colvill: May 5, 1863–May 4, 1864. * Captain Henry C. Coates (acting commander): July 2, 1863–October, 1863. Coates was temporarily in command of the regiment due to much of the staff officers, including Colonel Colvill, Lt. Colonel Charles Powell Adams, Major Mark W. Downie, and Adjutant John Peller all being wounded during their charge during the second day at Gettysburg. Coates commanded the regiment for a total of 3 months after Gettysburg. Coates mustered out with the rest of the regiment on May 4, 1864.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-08-07 |title=Beyond the Charge: Captain H.C. Coates and the 1st Minnesota After Gettysburg |url=https://www.researcharsenal.com/1st-minnesota/ |access-date=2026-03-02 |website=Research Arsenal |ref={{sfnref|Research Arsenal|2025}}}}</ref>

== Notable people ==

* Samuel Bloomer - Originally assigned to Company B, Bloomer became the regiment's Colour sergeant. Bloomer's leg was shot during the Battle of Antietam while carrying the flag and later had to be amputated. After the war Bloomer became heavily involved in the Grand Army of the Republic. * Henry D. O'Brien - Served in Company E of the 1st Minnesota. O'Brien was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg. * Josias R. King - Often credited as being the first to volunteer for the Union Army in the country. * Marshall Sherman - Was credited with capturing the 28th Virginia battle flag during the Battle of Gettysburg. * Charles Powell Adams - Adams was originally the Captain of Company H when the regiment was mustered in 1861. Adams was later promoted to the rank of Major on September 26, 1862 following the Battle of Antietam. After being wounded at Gettysburg, Adams was reassigned to command Hatch's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion. * Stephen Miller - Originally served as the regiment's Lieutenant Colonel before being promoted to command the 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiment. * Minor T. Thomas - Served in Company B as a 2nd Lieutenant before being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and being reassigned to the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment. Minor later commanded the 8th Minnesota Infantry Regiment and was eventually promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and commanded the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XXIII Corps. * Al Sieber - A German American immigrant, volunteered for service with the 1st Minnesota and was assigned to Company B. Sieber later served in the 6th Cavalry Regiment during the Apache Wars and commanded and trained the Apache Scouts. * Edward Duffield Neill - Served in the 1st Minnesota Volunteers as the regimental chaplain from 1861 to 1862 and as a hospital chaplain from 1862 to 1863.

==Casualties== thumb|right|First Minnesota Civil War drum, 1861 The 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment suffered the loss of 10 officers and 177 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 2 officers and 97 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 286 fatalities and 609 wounded.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

==Continued lineage== The 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (Minnesota Army National Guard) trace their roots back to the 1st Minnesota Volunteers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Minnesota |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/Image-Gallery/Historical-Paintings/Heritage-Series/First-Minnesota/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114002258/https://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/Image-Gallery/Historical-Paintings/Heritage-Series/First-Minnesota/ |archive-date=2025-11-14 |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=www.nationalguard.mil |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Notes == {{reflist|group=nb}}

==Bibliography== * {{Cite book |editor1-first=C. C. |editor1-last=Andrews |editor1-link=Christopher Columbus Andrews |publisher=Printed for the state by the Pioneer Press Co |location=St. Paul, Minn |title=Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861–1865 |date=1891 |ol=7088819M |ref=none }} * {{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=J.W. |title=The Story of American Heroism: Thrilling Narratives of Personal Adventures During the Great Civil War, as Told by the Medal Winners and Roll of Honor Men |date=1895 |publisher=The Werner Company |pages=310-311 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F80TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA310 |access-date=December 13, 2025}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * Imholte, John Q., ''The First Volunteers: History of the first Minnesota Volunteer Regiment, 1861-1865''. Minneapolis: Ross & Haines, 1963. Out of print. * Jorgenson, Wayne D., ''Every Man Did His Duty, Pictures and Stories of the Men of the First Minnesota''. Minneapolis, MN., Tesora Books, 2012, {ISBN 978-1-934690-56-7} * Moe, Richard, ''The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers''. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1993, {{ISBN|978-0-87351-406-4}}.

==External links== *[http://firstinfantry.net/ Roster of the First Minnesota] *[https://civilwarintheeast.com/us-regiments-batteries/minnesota/1st-minnesota-infantry-regiment/] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040703040740/http://rhet5662.class.umn.edu/heroes/1stmin2.html Poem: The Charge of the First Minnesota] *[http://www.gdg.org/Research/MOLLUS/mollus7.html Lieutenant William Lochren's account of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg, read January 14, 1890.] *[https://www.amazon.com/dp/0873515110 Leehan, Brian. ''Pale Horse at Plum Run: The First Minnesota at Gettysburg''] *[http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0007018.htm 1st Minnesota Regiment Monument at Gettysburg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927100532/http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0007018.htm |date=2016-09-27 }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20120528133659/http://www.ng.mil/resources/photo_gallery/heritage/hires/First_Minnesota.jpg National Guard Heritage Series Painting of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg.] *[https://libguides.mnhs.org/first_infantry Manuscript collections] about the First Minnesota are available for research use at the [http://www.mnhs.org/ Minnesota Historical Society] *[http://www.1stminnd.org First Minnesota, Co D ~ Lincoln Guards living history organization] *{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130204060559/http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=352/ Photo of the Day: 1st Minnesota Monument at Gettysburg]}} *{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130204103716/http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=337/ From the Journal of Sgt. Sam Bloomer, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry April 29 - May 3, 1861]}} *{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130204114638/http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=801/ From the Journal of Sgt. Sam Bloomer, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Company B, Dec. 24, 1861-Jan. 9, 1862]}} * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140514204409/http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=1254/ The bridge that saved an Army: Grapevine Bridge and the Battle of Fair Oaks]}} * [http://www.mnopedia.org/group/first-minnesota-volunteer-infantry-regiment/ The First Minnesota in MNopedia] * [http://sites.mnhs.org/civil-war/ Minnesota Historical Society resources on Minnesota and the Civil War] * {{Internet Archive|04090632.3107.emory.edu|History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1864: with maps and illustrations (1916)}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190103012054/http://www.civilwardocumentary.com/ Hush - What Was the Civil War Really About - A documentary about the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and the Civil War]

Category:Units and formations of the Union army from Minnesota Category:1861 establishments in Minnesota Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1864