Active: April 29, 1861 -- April 28, 1864
Assignments:
Various Brigades of the Army of the Potomac: Various Commanders: 1861 - 1863
Original Command / Company Roster:
Willis A. Gorman: Colonel
Stephen Miller: Lieutenant Colonel
William H. Dike: Major
George H. Woods: Quartermaster
Dr. J.H. Stewart: Surgeon
Reverend Edward Neill: Chaplain
Company A: Pioneer Guards -- Organized in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 29, 1861. Captain Alexander Wilkin
Company B: Stillwater Guards -- Organized in Stillwater, Minnesota, on April 29, 1861. Captain Carlisle Bromley
Company C: St. Paul Volunteers -- Organized in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 29, 1861. Captain William Acker
Company D: Lincoln Guards -- Organized in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 29, 1861. Captain Henry Putnam
Company E: St. Anthony Zouaves -- Organized in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 29, 1861. Captain George Morgan
Company F: Goodhue Volunteers -- Organized in Red Wing, Minnesota, on April 30, 1861. Captain William J. Colvill
Company G: Faribault Volunteers -- Organized in Faribault, Minnesota, on April 30, 1861. Captain William Dike
Company H: Dakota Volunteers -- Organized in Hastings, Minnesota, on April 30, 1861. Captain Charles Adams
Company I: Wabasha Volunteers -- Organized in Wabasha, Minnesota, on April 30, 1861. Captain John Pell
Company K: Winona Volunteers -- Organized in Winona, Minnesota, on May 1, 1861. Captain Henry Lester
List of Engagements:
First Bull Run (First Manassas): Manassas Campaign: July 21, 1861
Ball's Bluff (Leesburg): McClellan's Operations in Northern Virginia: October 21, 1861
Seven Pines (Fair Oaks): Peninsula Campaign: May 31 - June 1, 1862
Seven Days Battles: Peninsula Campaign: June 25 - July 1, 1862
Savage's Station (Seven Days Battles): Peninsula Campaign: June 29, 1862
Glendale (Frazier's Farm) (Seven Days Battles): Peninsula Campaign: June 30, 1862
Malvern Hill (Poindexter Farm) (Seven Days Battles): Peninsula Campaign: July 1, 1862
Second Bull Run (Second Manassas): Northern Virginia Campaign: August 28-30, 1862
Antietam (Sharpsburg): Maryland Campaign: September 17, 1862
Fredericksburg: Fredericksburg Campaign: December 11-15, 1862
Second Fredericksburg: Chancellorsville Campaign: May 3, 1863
Gettysburg: Gettysburg Campaign: July 1-3, 1863
Bristoe Station: Bristoe Campaign: October 14, 1863
Mine Run: Mine Run Campaign: November 27 - December 2, 1863
Summary:
The 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment had the honor of being the very first Union regiment to be raised in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. Organized on April 29, 1861, the 1st Minnesota participated in all major actions of the Army of the Potomac on the Eastern Theater, with notable actions including the defense of Captain Ricketts' Battery on Henry Hill at First Bull Run, fighting in the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign, engaging in brutal combat in the West Woods at Antietam, and, arguably their most well-known action, charging the Confederate lines in defense of Cemetery Ridge on the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, where they suffered at least 82% casualties among those making the attack. The 1st Minnesota sustained one of the highest casualty rates of any Civil War regiment, and is well known for the ferocity and fighting spirit of its soldiers.