|
Sgt. Wm Irvine shortly after
Gettysburg holding the tattered
regimental flag
|
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
|
Charles Mason Co.D
mortally wounded at Gettysburg
|
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.
|
