Mower County, Minnesota - Chapter 26: Civil War History, 1911

Chapter 26: Civil War History

Outbreak of the War - The First War Meeting in Mower County - Newspaper Clippings of Stirring War Events - List of Veterans Who Enlisted from Mower County, with History of Their Regiments - Honor Roll of Mower County Heroes Who Laid Down Their Lives for the Union - Col. Henry C. Rogers and His Record. - By Col. A. W. Wright.

When President Lincoln issued his call for 75,000 of the militia of the several states to maintain the Union April 15, 1861, Mower county was but six years of age, as an organized county, and had a population of less than 3.500, all pioneers in a new state which became a part of the Union less than three years before the outbreak of the war. It was a cruel time to take the men from field, store, shop and home. They had little on which to depend save the labor of their hands, and their families needed them. But an attack had been made on Fort Sumter, the flag of the Union had been fired upon, and the hearts of these hardy patriotic men and women were fired.

Cameron, and in writing tendered 1,000 soldiers from Minnesota in defense of the government, which offer was presented to the president and by him accepted. The governor telegraphed these facts to the adjutant general of the state, with orders to make a call for troops. The call, however, did not reach Mower county in time for any of her sons to be included in the first regiment, except Allen Mollison, who is believed to have been the first man to enlist from Mower county.

The people were busy breaking farms and building homes and villages, and the magnitude of the secession movement was not realized. While the Minnesota Courier, the only paper published in Mower county, was filled with war news in every issue, the vital need of men to defend the union did not strike home to ]\Iower county men until the fall. The Courier of May 8, 1861, contained the information that about twenty-five of the young men of Austin and vicinity had enrolled their names in response to their country's call, but no names were given in the published article. In June of that year, H. B. Kimball, Fred McCormick and William Mills enlisted in the Mantorville company.

The first real war meeting in Mower county was held at "Headquarters," September 4, 1861. At about the same time Captain White, of Freeborn county, was in Austin, with the proposition that if Mower county could not raise a full company that the two counties unite. However, it was decided that Mower county could raise a full company, and the meeting for this purpose was accorded much enthusiasm. The meeting was called to order by Ormanzo Allen, and Milo Frary was elected chairman. On motion of L. A. Sherwood, B. F. Jones was named as secretary. Capt. R. P. Mooers made a speech, and on liis motion a committee of ways and means was appointed as follows : W. B. Spencer, J. W. Fake, J. P. Jones, G. W. Bishop, Ormanzo Allen, S. W. Bostwick, J. Stewart, A. D. Brown, H. H. Heartley, George Conkey, E. S. Moodey and John Rowley. Ormanzo Allen, J. W. Fake and 6. W. Bishop were appointed a central county committee, and J. W. Fake was empowered to procure speakers to make a tour of the county. The following recruiting officers were appointed: R. P. Mooers, Lyle ; J. P. Jones, Nevada; W. B. Spencer, LeRoy ; G. W. Bishop, Austin ; Lewis Hardy, Frankford ; J. W. Stewart, Racine; A. D. Brown, Red Rock; A. J. Clark, Brownsdale; H. C. Rogers, Udolpho; H. Hartley, Lansing; W. Reed, Pleasant Valley; H. Irgins, Adams.

As a result of this meeting a military company was raised and a meeting of the volunteers held October 13, 1861. B. F. Jones was elected chairman, and R. P. Mooers, secretary. The company was authorized to elect a first lieutenant, and the first ballot resulted in eighteen votes f(n- W. B. Spencer, ten for G. W.

On the morning of Tuesday, October 15, 1861, the military company that was afterwards known as the Mower County Guards, Co. K, Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, left Austin, thirty-two strong, with the intention of joining the Third Regiment at Fort Snelling. Before departing the boys were addressed by Rev. Stephen Cook. The personnel of the company was as follows : First lieutenant, W. B. Spencer ; privates, R. P. Mooers, P. E. Jenks, George Carrier, William Gifford. Henry Loomis, William Pace, Kobert P. Tifft, Marion Lyle, A. C. Smith, James Morrison, A. J. Clark, Augustus Rose, Thomas Edelman, Samuel Parks, James Gray, Samuel Shutz, I. N. Morrill, George Mail, V. W. Houghton, T. J. Bishop, W^ H. Bullock, Brayden Lincoln, John Frank, Samuel Surface, Horace Barber, S. C. Matthews, H. B. Bourgard, E. E. Earl, Eugene Parmeter, Nathan M. Thomas and Soloman Tallaman. Of the above I. N. Morrill and Hon. John Frank, at least, are still living.

During the week of October 23, 1861, several of the men came home on parole, five or six of them being under age, and seeking the written permission of their parents or guardians. At about this time the company was increased by the enlistment of Charles Hiuit, George Baird, Caleb Powers, William "Whitford, Charles Smith, Samuel Clayton and A. C. Houghton. The name Mower County Guards was given by General Sanborn.

September 10, 1862, the Mower County Rangers had been organized, transferred to the Seventh Regiment and sent against the Indians. The original officers were: Captain. H. C. Eogers; first lieutenant, E. W. Ford; second lieutenant, L. A. Sherwood; orderly sergeant, M. "Whitford.

On October 15, 1862, a letter was received in Austin from Captain Mooers of Co. K, Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, announcing the battle of luka, September 20, and the wounding of George S. Hutchinson, Aaron B. Morse, Isaac Dczotell, John E. McCun, Saul M. Milhollin and Martin Kiefer. On October 3, 1862, before this letter reached Austin, Captain Mooers was killed at the Battle of Corinth. He was born in New York, came west in 1855, and gave up his profession as an engineer for farming in Lyle township. He was commissioned captain of the Mower County Guards and killed in action.

January 6, 1863, the county commissioners divided Mower county into eight military districts as follows : 1 - Adams and Nevada. 2 - Lyle, "Windom and Austin. 3 - Lansing. 4 - Red Rock and Udolpho. 5 - Pleasant Valley and Grand Meadow. 6 - Racine. 7 - Frankford and Bennington. 8 - LeRoy.

place at Browusdale, and resulted as follows: Colonel, B. F. Langworthy, Grand Meadow; lieutenant coloned, P. G. Latiu)- reaux, of Lansing; major, Ornianzo Allen of Austin.

News Clippings

The newspapers of the period give us a true picture of conditions dm-ing the Civil war, and for that reason the following clippings relating to war affairs are here reproduced :

Minnesota Courier. - September 4, 1861. Contrabands in Town. On Friday last v,'e learn that two negroes - fugitives from Missouri - passed through town on their way to Canada. They were mounted on horses, which they took from their masters to assist them on their journey. Those who saw them say they Avere fine looking fellows, and worth, perhaps, in Missouri from eight to twelve hundred dollars each.

November 27, 1861. Flag for Mower County Guards. The material was purchased in St. Paul by Mrs. B. F. Lindsey and Mrs. J. L. Clark, is all silk, and is said by the lady who made it up, and who has furnished several other companies, to be the finest one and manufactured of the best materials. The Guards promised to send it down by some of the company during the winter provided they remained at the fort and were not ordered south. On receiving the flag Mr. Martin, on behalf of the company, Captain Mooers being absent, received the flag and returned the thanks of the company in a brief and appropriate speech, which was responded to by the company with three rousing cheers for the ladies of Austin, and the burning of the usual amount of powder. "We think it no more than right that the ladies, who have given their time and energy in raising the money, by soliciting subscriptions to furnish the company with a flag, should at least receive a passing notice from us, and the thanks of our lady friends generally. We are of the opinion that if Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lindsey had not taken the matter in hand, our company would today have been without a flag. They have done their part well, and from what we know of the ladies of Austin they will not soon be forgotten. The cost of the flag was $16.98.

August 6, 1862. Volunteering and Being Drafted. A volunteer receives the full bounty - $25 advance bounty, one month's pay ($1.3) in advance, and $75 at the end of his time of service, together with the usual 160 acres of bounty land. Besides all this his family receives pecuniary assistance during his absence The drafted militia receive but $11 per month, and no money bounty. They can be held to service out of the state three months by order of the governor. Let no one, however, deceive himself with the idea that drafted sokiiers will serve only threi' mouths, for after the militia are drafted, Congress can easily hold them to serve during the war.

August 13, 1862. "Private Bounty. Grand Meadow, August 7, 1862. I will give to every volunteer that may join any company noAV forming in this county from Pleasant Valley, Grand Meadow, Eacine, Frankford and LeRoy, a bounty of $2 for single men, and to every married man five bushels of wheat for the use of his family, extra. Volunteering to be from this date to August 31. Respectfully, B. F. Langworthy."

August 20, 1862. The citizens of Adams township have raised by private subscription, $142, to be paid in cash on or before two months, provided, however, this bounty will prevent drafting in Adams to-^vnship.

Capt. E. W. Ford left this place on Saturday last for Fort Snelling with upwards of seventy men, all from this county, to be mustered into the United States service imder the call for 600,000 men. Mower county will furnish her quota without resorting to a draft. On Sunday last four more started for the fort to join Mr. Ford's company, and we hear of several others who are ready to go, provided they can get into the company from this county.

The war meetings which have just been held at Austin, Frankford and Brownsdale were well attended, and the result is that Mower county has almost raised her quota. The three towns above named we believe are now exempt from the draft. The town of Lansing is awake and will this week, in all probability, raise the quota of that to"\vn. It is time for the other towns to be looking out if they expect to escape the draft.

September 3, 1862. The draft is postponed until October 3. * * * When we get the 600,000 men into the field who are now organizing for the war, thus swelling our grand army to over a million, we can sweep the rebels from the face of the earth in a month or two. We can then form a solid column of bayonets and cannon, reaching almost from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and by one determined "forward march," drive all the traitors and rebels down into the gulf, like a drove of frightened swine. It will be a privilege to belong to that great army of the Union - a glorious thing to think of and talk about after the war, and for your children to be proud over through coming generations. "I was a soldier in the army of the Union that saved the Republic," will be as proud a title to the respect of your countrymen and of the world, as now is the claim of those few remaining veterans who can say, "I was a soldier in the army of the Revolutionary war. and fought under Washington."

Mower County Register. March 2, 1865. The draft hangs by a liair ! At any moment it may descend upon us. How shall wo avoid it? By going into the army in person or by proxy; by going ourselves or sending substitutes. Where volunteering goes on briskly, the draft will not reach; where volunteering ceases, the conscription will be ordered to commence. Rouse, then, and let us make every exertion, and exert every energy for the recruiting of our army. By sundry alterations at the Provost Marshal's office, the town of Austin has to furnish under the last call for 300,000 thirteen men. "We learn further that movements are now progressing for the purpose of raising a town bounty as an inducement to volunteer.

July 21, 1864. News from the boys of Company C, Ninth regiment : Through the kindness of Mrs. Stephen Chandler we have been shown a letter from her husband, which enables us to secure knowledge of the whereabouts of our liberty-defending patriots. Mr. Chandler is a prisoner in Meridan, Mississippi. Those of Company C yet prisoners are : Capt. E. W. W. Ford, A. Avery, J. Clark, William Breckon, Ludoviso Bourgard, A. Wheeler, Duane Philes, C. Steward, J. Woodbury, S. H. Ames, AV. Lyons, Conrad W. McCaskill, I. Bisgrove, E. Rice, W. Rice, C. D. Rhodes, T. H. B. Vandegrift, John Barnett and Stephen N. Chandler.

January 28, 1864. Promotions. The following worthy promotions have been made in the Fourth regiment : First Lieutenant S. T. Isaac to be captain ; First Lieutenant D. L. Wellman to be captain ; First Lieutenant C. C. Hunt to be captain ; Second Lieutenants Orlando Graham and S. W. Russell to be first lieutenants ; Orderly Sergeant C. W. Douglass to be second lieutenant.

In the same issue the announcement is made that Co. K, of the Fourth Minnesota regiment, has re-enlisted for "three years or during the war" - every man except two. The following is a list of members who re-enlisted : Captain - Charles C. Hunt. First Lieutenant - C. W. Douglass. Sergeants - Geo. Baird, Marion R. Lyle, V. W. Houghton, Samuel M. Clayton. Corporals - R. S. Perkins, Stephen Maxon, John Mullen, S. E. Morse, A. M. Kenniston. Privates - W. H. H. Bullock, Henry B. Burgor, F. H. Belot, N. Barnes, A. Chapel, Jacob II. Epler, N. Frost, McConnell Fitch, John Frank, A. C. Hursh, A. O. Hollister, P. E. Jenks, M. Kiefer, W. S. Kimball, S. Mathews, C. Powers, E. A. Parker, John Rochford, S. Giflft, Geo. Thernott, Solomon Tallman, E. A. Whitcomb, 0. H. Wiley. Up to this time, January, 1864, Mower county has furnished 275 men for the service. Geo. Baird became first lieutenant of the company, and for a considerable time had command of the company.

Precious Relic

Mower county has a precious relic in the shape of a battlestained flag, carried through the Civil war by the valiant Co. K, of the Fourth ]\Iinnesota Volunteer Infantry. ]\Iany ]\Iower county people contributed for its purchase, and the silk was obtained in St. Paul by Mrs. B. F. Lindsey and Mrs. J. L. Clark, who went to St. Paul by stage to buy a flag, but finding none purchased silk ribbon and made one. It was presented to the company at Fort Snelling, before the regiment was ordered south. Following are the names of the men and women who contributed to the purchase of the flag: F. D. Lewis, Fernald ]\Iorgan, William Simpson, L. A. Sherwood, Ian Osdel, H. Sutherland, J. L. Smith, L. Stone, M. Graves, E. Chapin ; the Mesdames G. W. Bishop, R. L. Kimball,. S. W. Paul, E. Parliman, J. S. Lacy, J. Bodine. J. Stage, H. Allen, 0. Allen, S. Smith, L. Hunt, G. W. Mitchell, J. L. Davidson, H. I. Holt, W. W. Cook, J. H. Mclntire, AV. Brown, H. Jacobs, W. L. Kimball, Q. E. Truesdell, George Baird, J. B. Niles, Wm. Hunt, E. W. Ford, L. Piper, A. Galloway, D. B. Johnson, R. 0. Hunt, B. F. Jones, O. Allen, E. D. Fenton, G. M. Cameron, O. Somers, T. J. Lake, L. N. Griffith, A. S. Everest, J. C. Ackerly, J. W. Fake, C. J. Shortt, J. B. Yates, G. H. Bemis, B. F. Lindsaj^, J. L. Clark, and the Misses Hattie Adams, Philenda Deming, A. J. Wheat, A. B. Albro, Lizzie Johnson, A. Loomis.

The flag was carried through the following engagements: 1862 - Siege of Corinth, INIississippi, May ; Battle of luka, Mississippi, September 19; Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, October 3 and 4. 1863 - Port Gibson, Mississippi, May 1 ; Forty Hills, ]Mississippi. May 3; Raymond, Mississippi, May 12; Jackson, Mississippi. May 14 ; C^hampion Hills, Mississippi ; Vicksburg, ]\Iay and June ; Mission Ridge, Tennessee, November 24 and 25. 1864 - Altoona, Georgia, October 5 ; Savannah, December. 1865 - Columbia, South Carolina, February 17 ; Bentonville, North Carolina, ]\Iarch 20 and 21 ; Raleigh, North Carolina, April 14. Upon the company being mustered out of the service, this flag was placed in the keeping of Lieut. Geo. Baird by a vote of the company as a token of the regard of the members of the company for him, for many of whom he had been a personal friend, adviser and comforter, also because of his conspicuous gallantry and bravery in the field.

Fall Of Vicksburg

When the news of the fall of Vicksburg was received at Austin, a grand jubilee meeting was held at Headquarters hall, on \hv cvciiiiig of .Inly 10, 18(i3. J. 11. C. AVilson was caUed to the chair, and T. .1. Lake ajjpointcd secretary. Speeches were made by Revs. Parker, Tiee, Clark and Lake, also by Colonel Lewis, of the Twenty-eighth Wisconsin, who had just returned from the "seat of war," and Judge Ormanzo Allen. Colonel Lewis' speech was most interesting. Fresh from the army and having endured all the hardships of the war, he could talk as soldiers only can talk on such occasions, and his remarks produced the wildest enthusiasm. He closed by saying "Copperheadism is worse than secession among the soldiers. When his comrades found he was coming north, each said, "Kill a copperhead for us!" Amid much enthusiasm the following resolution was adopted: "Resolved, That the soldiers of the Minnesota Fourth, always in the advance, and always victorious, have achieved for themselves honor and glory worth more than all the achievements that can be possibly made by the greatest and most distinguished civilian in the land, in the capture of Vicksburg - the Sebastopol of Rebeldom."

Roll Of Honor

In this connection has been compiled from the adjutant-general's report, the names of the soldiers, who enlisted from Mower county. If any are omitted, it is not intentional, for great care has been exercised in collecting this matter, and none have greater veneration for the brave soldier than the compilers of this volume. As the only possible way to ascertain the whereabouts of each soldier, is to depend upon the official reports as published under authority of the state, any mistakes in spelling names or the omission of them entirely, should be charged to such official reports.

First Infantry

Allan Mollison, so far as known the only member of this regiment from ]\Iower county, enlisted in Company G. When the call came for volunteers, Allan Mollison was a blacksmith in Austin, and the sole support of a widowed mother. He walked alone to Owatonna and there joined others. Then all walked to Faribault, to enlist in a company raised by Captain McCune. They marched thence to Fort Snelling and INIollison was mustered into service as a private in Company G, First ^Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, on his twenty-fifth birthday, April 29, 1861. He was afterward promoted to corporal.

The Fii-st Regiment was hurried on to Washington, and took part in the first Battle of Bull Run. It was here that Mr. ^[olli- -son first showed that daring which made him the idol of his company. In the retreat of the regiment. Captain ^FcCune was shot down. The regiment reformed later and the battle was resumed. Between the firing lines lay the wounded captain. Volunteers were called to go out amid the hail of bullets and bring back the captain. At once, Allan Mollison, the sturdy blacksmith, responded. He ran out across the shot-torn field, raised the wounded captain, and brought him safely to his company. The wound received by Captain MeCune was a fatal one, however. Mr. Mollison saw as much real war as any man in the army. The battles of the First Minnesota are a part of the history of the nation, and in them all he took his share. He was at Balls Bluff, where General Baker was killed, went through the peninsular campaign with McClellan, and fought at South IMountain, Antietam, the Wilderness and Gettysburg. After Gettysburg he was transferred to the First United States Cavalry, was in General Grant's campaign as far as Cold Harbor, and accompanied General Sheridan in his raid through the Shenandoah valley. He was wounded live times and was a prisoner at the rebel prison of Belle Island for three weeks. He served three years and four months. He was born in Airdrie, Scotland, April 29, 1836, and died at Austin, Minnesota, July 6, 1906. His brother Thomas was killed in the Union service and his brother Edwin served and was killed as a colonel in the Rebel cavalry.

Second Infantry

This regiment was organized in July, 1861, and originally commanded by Horatio Van Cleve. Ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, in October, 1861, and assigned to the Army of the Ohio. It was engaged in the following marches, battles, skirmishes and sieges, viz.: Mill Spring, January 19, 1862; siege of Corinth, in April, 1862, then transferred to the Army of the Tennessee; Bragg's Raid, Perryville. October 8, 1862; skirmishes of the Tullahoma campaign, Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863; Mission Ridge, November 28, 1863. Veteranized in January, 1864, and participated in the battles and skirmishes of the Atlanta campaign, viz. : Resaca, June 14, lo and 16, 1864; Kenesaw ]Mountain, June 27, 1864; Jonesboro ; Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas, and Bentonville, ]\Iarch 19, 1865. The men were mustered out at liouisville, Ky., and discharged at Fort Snelling, ]\Iinnesnta, July 11, 1865. This regiment covered itself with laurels at the luittlc of ^Mission Ridge, where they were l)adly cut up in a cluirgc Ihey made on the enemy's works. Few ^linnesota regiments, if any, performed moi'c long and laborious marches than the "Bloody Second."

l\[arkham; mustered into the service of the United States, for three years, on June 26, 1861, by Capt. A. D. Nelson, mustering officer. Privates - Daniel Ames, Henry Peck.

Company C - Originally commanded by Capt. Peter Mantor, mustered into the United States' service June 26, 1861, by Capt. A. D. Nelson, mustering officer. First lieutenant - AVilliam T. Mills. Privates - Headly B. Kimball, George H. Ames, Robert A. Dermin, William J. Johnson, Frederick McCormick, Edwin R. IMorrill, Asaph Mayo, Edvsdn Frazier, Nelson C. Frazier, Philander Scheffield.

Third Infantry

This regiment was organized in October, 1861, and originally eoamianded by Col. Henry C. Lester, of Winona. Ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, in March, 1862. Captured and paroled at jMurfreesboro in July, 1862. Ordered to St. Louis, Missouri, thence to Minnesota. Engaged in the Indian expedition in 1862. Participated in the battle of Wood Lake in September, 1862. Ordered to Little Rock, Arkansas, in November, 1863. Veteranized in January, 1864. Engaged in battle of Fitzhugh's Woods, March 30, 1864. Ordered to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in April, 1864 ; thence to Duvall's Bluff September 2, 1865. Mustered out at Duvall's Bluff September 2, 1865. Discharged at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

On account of the ill-advised surrender of the regiment at Murfreesboro, a number of the officers were dismissed from the service, which partially demoralized portions of it, and they Avere sent north to guard the frontier. Their lack of experience in the arts of war had more to do with the surrender than lack of courage, as the regiment subsequently proved by their behavior on the field of battle.

Company C - Originally commanded by Capt. John R. Bennett, was mustered in service October 25, 1861, A. D. Nelson, mustering officer. First lieutenant - Lewis Hardy. Sergeant - William F. Grummons. Corporal - George McKay.

Fourth Regiment Infantry

This regiment was originally commanded by Col. J. 1^. Sanborn, of St. Paul, organized December 23, 1861 ; ordered to Benton Barracks, Missouri, April 19, 1862; assigned to army of the :Mississippi, May 4, 1862. parti<-ipated in the following mai'i-hcs, battles, sieges and skii'iiiislies : Siege of Coi-iiitli. .\pti!.

1862; luka, September 19, 1862; Corinth, October 3 and 4, 1862; siege of Vieksburg, Forty Hills, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, assault on Vieksburg, capture of Vicksbiu-g, July 4, 1863. Transferred from Seventeenth to Fifteenth corps; ]\lissiou Ridge, November 25, 1863; veteranized, January, 1864; Altoona, October, 1864 ; Sherman 's march through Georgia and the Carolinas ; Bentonville, March 20, 1865, and Raleigh, April 14, 1865; mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, July 19, 1865 ; discharged at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

Company A - Originally commanded by Capt. Luther B. Baxter, was mustered into service October 4, 1861, by A. D. Nelson, mustering ofifieer. Captains - Charles W. Douglass, Charles C. Hunt (Company G). First lieutenants - Ira N. Morrill, George Baird. Second lieutenants - A. E. Wood, "W. B. Spencer.

Company E - Originally commanded by Capt. Ebeuezer LeGro, was mustered into service November 27, 1861. Corporal - Elijah F. Armstrong. Privates - Austin Rosenburgh, Harrison H. Hartley.

Company F - Originally commanded by Capt. Asa W. White, was mustered into service October 11, 1861. Privates - Nathan M. Thomas, John McCaskel.

Fifth Infantry

This regiment was organized in ^lay, 1862, and originally commanded by Col. Rudolph Borgesrode, of Shakopee. Ordered to Pittsburg Landing. Jlay 9, 1862, leaving a detachment of three companies in Minnesota, garrisoning frontier posts. Participated in the following marches, battles, sieges and skirmishes : Siege of Corinth, April and May, 1862. The detachment in Minnesota engaged Avith the Indians at Redwood, Minnesota, August 18, 1862, and siege of Fort Ridgely, August 20, 21 and 22, 1862; Fort Abercrombie, Dakota Territory, in August, 1862. The regiment was assigned to the Sixteenth Army Corps and engaged in the battle of luka, September 18, 1862, and at Corinth, October 3 and 4, 1862; Jackson, May 14, 1863; and the siege of Vicksburg; assault of Vicksburg, May 22, 1863 ; Mechanicsburg, June 3, 1863 ; Richmond, June 15, 1863 ; Fort De Rusrey, Louisiana, March 14. 1864; Red River expedition in March, April and May, 1864; Lake Chicot, June 6, 1864, and Tupelo in June, 1864. Veteranized in July, 1864; Abheyville, August 23, 1864; marched in September, 1864, from Brownsville, Arkansas, to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, thence by boat to Jefferson City ; thence to Kansas state line ; thence to St. Louis, Missouri; ordered to Nashville, November. 1864 ; battle of Nashville, December 15 and 16, 1864 ; Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely in April, 1865 ; mustered out at Demopolis, Alabama, September 6, 1865, and discharged at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. It will be seen by the above record this regiment was in active service, yet comparatively very few were killed in battle.

Company B. Originally commanded by John S. Marsh, was mustered into service March 24, 1862, for three years. Private - Webster G. Andrews.

Company F. E. L. Merry. Company H. Originally commanded by Capt. Otis S. Clark, was mustered into the service of the United States for three years on the 29th day of April, 1862, by Capt. A. D. Nelson, mustering officer. Privates - William F. Smith, Newton Anderson, Hans. Christiansen, John P. Clark, Orlo F. White.

Company I. Originally commanded by Capt. Luther E. Clark, was mustered into service April 30, 1862, for three years, by Capt. A. D. Nelson, mustering officer. Second Lieutenant - ]MiIton II. Pember. Privates - Calvin H. Patchin, Charles E. White.

Seventh Infantry

This regiment was originally commanded by Col. Stephen Miller of St. Paul, afterwards governor of the state. It was organized ill August. 1862. and ordei-ed ujidii tlu' Iiidiiiii ex]>edition that year, and engaged in the battle of Wood Lake, Minnesota. The regiment was stationed at frontier posts until May, 1863, when it was ordered upon the Indian expedition in the West under General Sibley, and was engaged in battle with the Indians July 24, 26, 28, 30 and 31 of that year. They returned from this expedition and were ordered to St. Louis, Missouri, October 7, 1863; thence to Paducah, Kentucky, in April, 1864; thence to Memphis, Tennessee, and assigned to the sixteenth army corps, in June, 1864. The regiment participated in the following marches, battles, sieges and skirmishes: Tupelo, in July, 1864; Tallahatchie, August 7 and 8, 1864 ; the march in pursuit of Price from Brownsville, Arkansas, to Cape Girardeau; thence to St. Louis, Missouri ; in the battles of Nashville, Tennessee, December 15 and 16, 1864 ; Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, in April, 1865. The discharge of the regiment took place at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, August 16, 1865.

Company D. Originally commanded by Capt. Rolla Banks, was mustered into the United States service for three years on the 30th day of October, 1862, by Lieut. E. Haight, mustering officer. First Lieutenant - Hardy Lewis. Corporal - Ferdinand Elder.

Eighth Infantry

This regiment was organized August 1, 3862, and originally connnanded by Col. Minor T. Thomas, of Stillwater, Minn. It was stationed at frontier posts until May, 1864, when it was ordered upon the Indian expedition. It was engaged in the following battles, sieges, skirmishes and marches : Tah-cha-o-ku-tu, July 28, 1864; Little Missouri, battle of the Cedars, Wilkinson's Pike, December 7, 1864; near Murfreesboro, December 8, 1864, and Overall's creek. Ordered to Clifton, Tenn., thence to Cincinnati, thence to Washington, thence to Newbern, N. C. ; at the battle of Kingston, March 8, 9 and 10, 1865. The men were mustered out at Charlotte, N. C., July 11, 1865, and discharged at Fort Snelling, Minn.

Ninth Infantry

This rcgiinciil was organized in August, 1862, and stationed at Frontier posts until Sej)tember, 1863. when they were ordered 1o St. Louis, Mo., and from there to Jefferson City, Mo., and distrii)uled among several posts in the interior of the state. In May, 1864, they were ordered 1o St. Louis, and from there to ^leinphis, Tenn. They were engaged in the following battles, marches, sieges and skirmishes: Guntown exi)edition, August, 1864; Tallahatchie, August, 1864; marched in pursuit of Price from Browns- ville, Ark., to Cape Girardeau, thence by boat to Jefferson City ; thence to Kansas line; thence to St. Louis. They fought heroically in the battle of Nashville, December 15 and 16, 1864; also at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely in April, 1865. They were discharged at Fort Snelling, Minn., August 24, 1865.

Bracketts Battalion Cavalry

Companies 1, 2 and 3 were organized in October and November, 1861. They were ordered to Benton Barracks, Mo., December. 1864, and assigned to a regiment called Curtis' Horse. They were ordered to Fort Henry, Tenn.. in February, 1862. Tlie name of the regiment was tiiiallv changed to the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, th<^

Minnesota companies being Companies G, D and K. They engaged in the siege before Corinth, in April, 1862. In 1864 they were ordered to the Department of the Northwest, and there engaged in an Indian expedition. They were mustered out by companies between May and June, 1866.

Second Minnesota Cavalry

This regiment was organized in January, 1864. and ordered out on an Indian expedition in the month of May. They had several engagements with the Indians in July and August of that year. They were stationed at frontier posts until they were mustered out by companies, between November, 1865, and June, 1866.

First Heavy Artillery

This regiment was organized in April, 1865, and originally commanded by Col. William Colville, of Red Wing; ordered to Chattanooga, Tenn., and stationed at that point until mustered out of regiment in September,- 1865.

First Regiment Mounted Rangers

Organized in March, 1863, and originally commanded by Col. Samuel McPhail, of Caledonia, Houston county. Stationed among frontier posts until i\Iay, 1863, when they were ordered upon the Indian expedition. Engaged with the Indians July 24, 26, 28, 30 and 31. 1863. Stationed at frontier posts upon the return of the expedition until mustered out. Mustered out by companies, between October 1, 1863. and December 30, 1863.

On July 28, 1863, while the main army were battling with over 4,000 Indians, two miles west from the camp, thirty-two members of Company M, commanded by Lieuts. D. B. Johnson, Jr., and John Hanley, were detailed to guard teams one and one-half miles west from the camp, they suddenly discovered a band of Indians swooping down upon them. The little band resolved to sell their lives dearly. Between them and the Indians there were two knolls a few rods apart. In the second ravine the little band gathered, but had hardly formed in line, partly covered by one of the small hills or knolls, when the Indians came in sight over the other hill. The Indians, not seeing the thirty-two men, fired at the teamsters and their teams. Company M immediately opened fire and continued firing until Black Bear, the Indian chief who was leading the Indians, received two bullets in his body, whereupon he wheeled his horse around and started on a wild retreat. The little band was then ordered to charge. Black Bear received two more bullets in his head and fell from his horse, to which his body was attached by a lasso. His horse and all his accoutrements of war were captured. When the chief wheeled his horse for a retreat all his warriors followed his example. The engagement lasted but a few minutes, and was so hotly contested that the Indians could not carry away their dead, Avhich they always do if possible. They left the body of the dead chief and three others on the field. The fortunate circumstance of killing the Indian chief saved this heroic little band from utter annihilation. Not

Third Battery Artillery Fallen Heroes

The following comprises a list of those gallant soldiers who left their homes and took np their muskets for the defense of their country, never to return, who laid down their lives for the Union :

Edwin Frazier died at Chattanooga, Tenn., November 14, 1864 ; John D. Ripley died at Nashville, Tenn., November 20, 1862; Capt. Robert P. Mooers, killed in action at Corinth, October 3, 1862; James A. McCabe was killed at the battle of Lake Shicott, June, 1864; Samuel B. Rolfe died July 15, 1862, near Farmingtou, Miss. ; Ambrose C. Smith died at Quincy, 111., November 24, 1862 ; Israel Baker died May 22, 1863, at Vicksburg, Miss. ; AVilliam H. Bogart died at St. Louis, August, 1863 ; George S. Hutchinson died at luka, Miss., of wounds, September 27, 1862 ; Henry Loomis died June 9, 1863, at Memphis, Tenn. ; James IMorrison died near Farmington, Miss., July 23, 1862 ; Samuel Parks died October 29, 1862, at St. Louis, Mo. ; Eugene E. Parmenter died February 3,

1864, at St. Louis, Mo.; Robert T. Tifft died of a gunshot wound. May 22, 1864 ; Calvin H. Patchen died September 5, 1862, at luka. Miss.; Hardy Lewis. was killed at Tupelo, Miss., July 15, 1864; Benjamin Bartholomew died at Fort Ridgley, Minn., March 22, 1863; Truman Butler died July L^, ]863, by premature discharge of a cannon, at Fort Ridgely, on July 4, 1863; Alden II. Chatiin died October 23, 1864, at Memphis, Tenn. ; James II. Carver died at Jefferson City, Mo., November 1, 1863 ; David F. M. Felch died at Memphis, Tenn., October ], 1864; William N. Lent died August 4, 1864, at Memphis, Tenn.; Oscar L. Tanner was killed April 8,

1865, at Spanish Fort, Ala. ; Adial Wilcox was killed in the battle of Nashville, Tenn., December 16, 1864; Augustus Whitney was killed June 10, 1864, at battle of Price's Cross Roads; Simeon

Gifford died November 22, 1864, at Port Wadsworth; Henry Hollingshead died December 2, 1864, at Fort Wadsworth ; Pliney Conkoy, it is supposed, died in JMilan prison, in the State of Georgia. Samuel Surface was killed, place unknown ; AV. C. Sommers, killed in front of Vieksburg; Roy Anderson, drowned at Big Stone Lake, on an Indian expedition.

The following died in Andersonville prison : Hartland Ames, Stephen N. Chandler, Henry Eolfe, Isaac Bisgrow, Byran A. Vanhouse, Albert E. "Wheeler, Franklin C. "Wilson, James N. "Woodbury.

Colonel Rogers' Career

Col. Henry C. Rogers was born in Vermont in 1834. He removed to Minnesota in 1856 and settled in Mower county, where he engaged in farming and mercantile business. In 1862 he was a member of the house of representatives in this state and in the fall of that j^ear was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Eighth Minnesota, and held that position until mustered out at the close of the war. In the fall of 1865 he was elected secretary of state and was re-elected in 1867, when his health precluded his longer holding that position. In the winter of 1869-70 he was appointed pension agent of Minnesota, and held that position until his death. At the battle of Murfreesboro, in December, 1864, Lieutenant-Colonel Eogers Avas in command of his regiment. Colonel Thomas having command of the brigade, and his troops were ordered to hold a position in an open field against the enemy located in the woods adjacent. The fire became so hot that Colonel Rogers ordered his men to lie down, while he, with that courage which knew no fear, rode up and down the line, a conspicuous target for the enemy. He faced the bullets in safety until just as the victory was won, when a bullet struck his right arm, passed through it, and would have gone through his body but for the fortunate interposition of a belt buckle. From this Avound he never recovered, and his health imtil his death remained in a precarious condition. He died May 8, 1871, at Brownsdale. The Grand Army of the Republic post, formed at Brownsdale in 1882, took his name. The monument fund Avas started in the spring of 1883, through the energetic exertions of Albert Swift, post commander. He was materially aided in his efforts by A. C. Hawley. of St. Paul. Henry C. Rogers Post contributed $25. The remainder came from prominent men in St. Paul, among whom are the Hon. Alex. Ramsey, Gen. J. B. Sanborn, Gen. J. T. Averill, Gen. J. H. Baker, the Hon. William R. ^Marshall, Col. AVilliam Crooks. Gen. A. C. Hawley, the Hon. AV. AV. Braden, the Hon. Charles Kittleson. the Hon. S. P. Jeiniison. the Hon. David Day, the Hon. Albert Scheffer, the Hon. Af. D. Flower, the Hon. A. R. AlcGill and the Hon. Samuel Nichols. The monument is located about a mile and a half south of Brownsdale, in GreenAvood cemetery. It is a cottage monument in design, made of blue Vermont marble.