The Battle of Gettysburg

Due to daily business use of this room, the painting may not be available for viewing.

Description

The First Minnesota Regiment, one of the most seasoned and respected units of the Union Army, played a crucial role in this turning-point battle of the Civil War. Ordered to charge down Cemetery Ridge on July 2, 1863, the regiment successfully stopped the advance of a Confederate brigade that was nearly six times larger and threatened to break through the Union-held line.

Of the 262 men ordered forward to buy time until reinforcements could arrive, 220 were either killed or seriously wounded; the 82-percent casualty figure was the highest single-battle toll for any Union regiment during the war. Col. William Colvill, standing behind the tattered flag, rallies his men forward. He would soon be wounded and crippled for life.