HISTORY TOPICS

First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry

Overview

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The First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was the first unit raised by the state to fight in the Civil War. It was also the first regiment from any state offered for national service.

As part of the Union Army of the Potomac, the First Minnesota took part in many important battles and campaigns including: Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam and Gettysburg.

The battle of Gettysburg was the First Minnesota's most famous action. The regiment played an important role in winning the battle, though it suffered terrible losses.

The story of this regiment is dramatic and important. The collections of the Minnesota Historical Society hold valuable resources to learn more about its history.

Get Started With Secondary Sources

Officers of 1st Minnesota Volunteers at Camp Stone near Edwards Ferry, Virginia.

The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers, by Richard Moe.
St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001.
MHS call number: Reading Room E515.5 1st .M64 2001
No More Gallant a Deed: A Civil War Memoir of the First Minnesota Volunteers, James A. Wright, edited by Steven J. Keillor.
St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001.
MHS call number: Reading Room E515.5 1st .W75 2001
Pale Horse at Plum Run: The First Minnesota at Gettysburg, by Brian Leehan.
St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2002.
MHS call number: Reading Room E475.53 .L48 2002
Minnesota in the Civil War, by Kenneth Carley.
St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2000.
MHS call number: Reading Room E515 .C2 2000
Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-1865, prepared and published under the supervision of the Board of Commissioners appointed by the act of the legislature of Minnesota of April 16, 1889.
St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, c2005.
MHS call number: Reading Room E515 .M66 2005
Every Man Did His Duty: pictures and stories of the men of the First Minnesota, by Wayne D. Jorgenson.
Minneapolis, MN : Tasora Books, c2012.
MHS call number: Reading Room FOLIO E515.5 1st .J67 2012
“Campaigning with the First Minnesota: A Civil War Diary/ Edited by Hazel C. Wolf.,” by Isaac Lyman Taylor.
In Minnesota History, vol. 25 (1944): pp. 11-39, pp. 117-152, pp. 224-257, pp. 342-361.
MHS call number: Reading Room F 601.5 .M66 v.25:1-4, or view electronic versions (PDF) of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
“The Battle of Gettysburg as seen by Minnesota Soldiers,” by Anne A. Hage.
In Minnesota History, vol. 38, no. 6 (1963): pp. 245-257.
MHS call number: Reading Room F 601.5 .M66 v.38:6, or view an electronic version of the article (PDF).

BibliographiES:

Minnesota in the Civil War, 1861-1866: A Bibliography of Published Sources, by Stephen E. Osman.
MHS call number: Reading Room Z1242 .O76 2006, or view an electronic version of the bibliography (PDF).
Minnesota’s Civil War Soldiers: Personal Accounts and Primary Sources at the Minnesota Historical Society, by Stephen E. Osman.
MHS call number: Reading Room F602.5 .O86 2007, or view an electronic version of the bibliography (PDF).
Resources for Civil War History at the Minnesota Historical Society, by Hampton Smith.
MHS call number: Reading Room F 602.5 .S65 1998, or view an electronic version of the bibliography (PDF).

Primary Resources

First Minnesota Infantry Regiment Letters and Research Files.
Photocopies and typed transcripts of letters, diaries, reminiscences, newspaper reports, biographical data, obituaries, and other material collected by Richard Moe for his Civil War history of the men of the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment, The Last Full Measure.
MHS call number: See the green Manuscripts notebooks— filed alphabetically under Moe, Richard— for a detailed list of boxes and locator numbers (there is 1 box of material), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
Minnesota. Office of the Adjutant General.
- Annual and Biennial Reports, 1860-1924.
  The reports contain detailed returns from Minnesota units in the field, including: muster rolls, casualty lists and general and specific orders.
  MHS call number: Stack Row 121, Adjutant General, Annual and Biennial Reports, 1860-1865; see the black State Archives notebooks—filed under Adjutant General, then Annual and Biennial Reports—for a list of years (there are 3 boxes of material, but not all relate to this topic), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
- Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865.
  Muster-in, muster-out, and descriptive rolls for Minnesota volunteer units. Some rolls are for individuals, others are for companies or portions of companies.
  MHS call number: See the black State Archives notebooks—filed under Adjutant General, then Civil War Regimental Muster Rolls, First Regiment—for a list of locator numbers.
- Military Service Records, Civil War, 1861-1915.
  Boxes 4-5 contain "Official Communications, 1861-1865," including 1 folder in box 4 for the 1st Regiment Infantry. These records include official communications between units in the field and the Minnesota Adjutant General. They include information on casualties, resignations, appointments, and desertions, as well as action reports.
  MHS call number: See the black State Archives notebooks —filed under Adjutant General, then Military Service Records, Civil War—for a detailed list of boxes and locator numbers (there are 7+ boxes, but not all material relates to this topic), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
- Records of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865.
  Includes a descriptive book, morning reports, orders, a letterbook, proceedings of the regimental council, and medical records of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. The descriptive book gives personal and military service data on each soldier. Morning reports provide daily statistics on the presence and absence of troops. The orders and letterbook relate to regulations, personnel assignments, troop movements, and the like, and include a few reports of court martial proceedings and of marches and battles. Proceedings of the regimental council deal with regimental finances. Also present is a register of sick and wounded soldiers and statistics on medical supplies and illnesses.
  MHS call number: See the black State Archives notebooks — filed under Adjutant General, then Records of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry — for a detailed list of boxes and locator numbers (there are 3+ boxes of material), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1864). Regimental Records.
Regimental record books and miscellany; and records of companies B, C, D, and G. A regimental guard duty detail book (1861-1863) also contains lists of officers, a record of casualties at the battle of Antietam (1862), rosters for courts martial and boards of survey, and copies of orders received from the U.S. War Department. A letter copybook (1862-1864) contains letters written by Colonel George N. Morgan to Governor Alexander Ramsey. There are morning reports for Company B (1861-1863); orders, rosters (oversize), quartermaster’s records, and a descriptive book for Company C (1861-1863); a portion of the original muster roll of Company D (April 1861); and an officers list, data on soldiers, accounts of clothing issued, and miscellaneous papers for Company G (1861-1864).
MHS call number:P615 and +42; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for detailed lists of materials (there are 2 boxes and 2 oversize items).
Records of Governor Alexander Ramsey, 1860-1863.
Includes accounting records; records concerning both civil and military appointments; letters received; records relating to pardons and other criminal matters; and petitions. There is substantial documentation of military affairs, especially concerning Minnesota regiments in the Civil War, and the Dakota Wars of 1862-1863.
MHS call number: See the black State Archives notebooks—filed under Governor, then under Ramsey —for a detailed list of boxes and locator numbers (there are 3 boxes of material, but not all relate to this topic), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
Willis A. Gorman and Family Papers, 1847-1899.
Collection includes correspondence relating to Gorman's tenure as commander of the First Minnesota.
MHS call number: P1766; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for detailed lists of boxes (there is 1 box, but not all material relates to this topic), or use an electronic version of the inventory.
Hamlin Family Papers, 1861-1948.
Correspondence of Philip Hamlin, corporal, sergeant and first sergeant in Company “F” of the First Minnesota Infantry. Letters cover the time from his enlistment in 1861 to a few days before his death in action at the battle of Gettysburg. The letters contain detailed descriptions of battles, terrain, and camp life.
MHS call number: P1577; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for a detailed list of items (there is 1 box, but not all material relates to this topic).
Jerome Farnsworth and Family Papers, 1861-1902.
Farnsworth’s letters (1861-1863) discuss battles and skirmishes, army casualties, and family matters during his Civil War service with the First Minnesota Infantry in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Also includes letters and memorabilia (1863-1864, 1872-1902) of Farnsworth family members in Hennepin, Le Sueur, Traverse, and Winona counties (Minn.).
MHS call number: P513; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for detailed lists of boxes (there is 1 folder, containing 32 items, but not all material relates to this topic).
William Lochren and Family Papers, 1852-1925.
Includes information on Lochren's service with the First Minnesota as well as a unit history.
MHS call number: A/.L812, P169 and +54; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for detailed lists of boxes (there are 12 boxes, 1 folder, and 16 oversize items, but not all material relates to this topic).
Edward Z. Needham Papers, 1859-1865.
Diaries of member of Company "G".
MHS call number: M55; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for detailed lists of materials (there are six volumes found on one reel of microfilm, but not all material relates to this topic).
Alexander Wilkin and Family Papers, 1770-1965.
The correspondence of Wilkin, who served as Captain of Company”A,” First Minnesota Infantry from April 29, 1861 to September 18, 1861, when he was promoted to Major and transferred to the Second Minnesota.
MHS call number: P1921; see the green Manuscripts notebooks for a detailed list of boxes (there are 5 boxes and 1 oversize folder, but not all material relates to this topic).

Newspapers

Faribault: Central Republican
Faribault: Northern Statesman and Western Farmer
Hastings: Independent
Minneapolis: State Atlas
Red Wing: Goodhue County Republican
Red Wing: Goodhue Volunteer
Saint Anthony Falls: Minnesota State News
Saint Paul: Pioneer and Democrat
Saint Paul: Daily Press
Stillwater: Messenger
Wabasha: Wabasha County Herald
Winona: Republican
Useful dates to look for newspaper articles: around April 1861 when the regiment was formed, and important battles such as: Bull Run, July 21, 1861; Peninsula Campaign, March-July, 1862; Antietam, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, December 11–15, 1862; Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.