The 1st Minnesota Infantry: Courage Beyond Measure
The 1st Minnesota Infantry: Courage Beyond Measure
The following is a short summary of the regimental history of the 1st Minnesota Infantry as published as History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861–1864 in 1916. The 1st Minnesota Infantry is one of the regiments on the Research Arsenal database that we have their service record from the National Archives digitized and available for research. This includes their Regimental Descriptive and Casualty Book, Consolidated Morning Report and Order Book, as well as company specific Descriptive Books and Morning Reports. To browse through these records (or all of the Records Group 94 records added to our database), simply click on “Search NARA Records” on the homepage, then select “RG 94” as the call number.
From Frontier State to the Front Lines
In April 1861, when the call for troops went out, the new state of Minnesota was scarcely three years old. Yet within days, it had organized the first regiment to answer President Lincoln’s call for volunteers. The book’s preface proudly recalls:
“The First Minnesota was among the very first to offer its services to the Government… before even the ink was dry upon the President’s proclamation.”
The men who joined came from farms, small towns, and lumber camps—a rough mix of frontier settlers and immigrants bound by the idea of preserving the Union. They would soon find themselves on a journey from the Mississippi’s upper reaches to the blood-soaked fields of Virginia and Maryland.
Early Engagements: Baptism of Fire
Their first great test came at the First Battle of Bull Run. While many regiments broke under the confusion and carnage of that July day, the 1st Minnesota “stood firm where others fled.” As one officer later wrote,
“We were green soldiers, but we stood our ground until ordered away; our regiment did not run.”
That reputation for steadfastness would follow them throughout the war. Yet the early months also brought disease, poor rations, and weary marches. The men learned quickly that glory in war was often “measured in mud, hunger, and sleepless nights.”
The Maryland Campaign and the Field of Antietam
By the fall of 1862, the regiment marched with the Army of the Potomac into Maryland. At Antietam, they fought in the Cornfield—an inferno of musketry and artillery that claimed thousands of lives. One soldier recalled the terror and chaos:
“We went in at a run. Men were falling fast, but no one stopped. The air seemed alive with bullets; yet somehow we pressed on, loading and firing until the barrels burned our hands.”
The book recounts that after the smoke cleared, the regiment had suffered grievously but held its ground. For many, the experience at Antietam marked the end of innocence and the beginning of grim endurance.
The Crucible: Gettysburg, July 2 1863
The regiment’s defining moment came at Gettysburg. When a gap opened in the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, General Hancock ordered the 1st Minnesota to charge a vastly superior Confederate force. The regimental historian writes:
“There was no time for hesitation, no hope of retreat. The First Minnesota went forward as if on parade.”
Of the 262 men who made that charge, only 47 stood unhurt afterward. Captain Colvill, who led the charge, was found wounded and barely conscious amid the dead and dying. A survivor recalled:
“The order came — we fixed bayonets and went forward. I saw men drop on either side; I felt something tear my sleeve and knew it was a bullet. Still we went on. We drove them back, but at what cost.”
General Hancock himself later said of the charge:
“There is no more gallant deed recorded in history.”
Voices of the Regiment
Beyond the statistics and official reports, History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry preserves the soldiers’ own voices — letters and recollections that reveal courage, humor, and heartbreak.
From a letter written after Antietam:
“Our company has been reduced to a handful. I have lost many friends, and it seems strange to eat and sleep beside their graves. Yet we are proud — we did not give an inch of ground.”
From another soldier describing winter quarters:
“We live in little log huts chinked with mud, smoke pouring through the cracks. Still, we make the best of it — a fiddle and a song go a long way toward keeping men cheerful.”
And after Gettysburg, one survivor wrote home:
“Our regiment has been nearly destroyed, but we are content. We did our duty. Tell mother that if I do not come home, she may know I fell where I ought.”
These letters give the regiment its soul and humanity; ordinary men enduring extraordinary trials, with an unshakable sense of purpose.
Aftermath and Legacy
Following Gettysburg, the regiment’s numbers were replenished, but it would never again be the same. The survivors carried their memories through the campaigns of 1864 and into the war’s final year. When the regiment finally mustered out in May 1864, the historian wrote:
“They returned not as they went — the flush of youth had given way to the calm of endurance. The First Minnesota had written its record in blood and honor.”
Today, their memorial stands at Gettysburg, overlooking the field they charged across in 1863. It bears a simple inscription:
“In memory of the men of the First Minnesota who gave their lives that the nation might live.”
Final Thoughts
The 1st Minnesota Infantry stands as one of the Civil War’s most inspiring examples of courage under fire. Their history, recorded in the regiment’s own book, is more than a chronicle of battles; it’s a testament to endurance, loyalty, and the unyielding spirit of men who believed in something greater than themselves.
“When the call came they were ready; when the hour struck they advanced; and when the victory hinged, they held the line with their lives.”
Their story still speaks — across the generations — reminding us that honor, once earned, does not fade.
Sources
History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861–1864. (Antietam Institute, Historical Research Center Collection). Full PDF here.
Painting and more information on the 1st Minnesota Infantry: Minnesota Historical Society. Article link here.
