At the start of the Twenty First Century when this is written we see wars fought in real time with live TV broadcasts from embedded journalists. Thanks to satellite photography and global positioning we know exactly where everyone is at all times. Even the positions of the enemy and sizes of their forces are pretty well known even if individual leaders remain hidden. As a result of 150 years of research the details of the Civil War are also well known. The movements of armies, locations of battles, and sizes of forces have all been reasonably well documented. With many movies and frequent reenactments we can even get a feel for what it was like back then.
However those living at the time knew hardly any of these things
and what news there was traveled slowly. The locations and sizes
of the armies of the enemy were a mystery to most. Their intentions
were impossible to determine. Unlike today, the people then did
not know who was going to win the war or how long it was going
to take. Even Presidents and Generals made decisions based on
limited information and poorly drawn maps. The ordinary soldiers
were far more ignorant about what was going on or even where they
were much of the time. Often they were pulled from one place to
another to meet one of many emergencies. It must have seemed at
times like they were being marched and transported here and there
with no reason or purpose.
This is the story of one such ordinary soldier, my Great Grand Uncle, John G. Nelson.
Johan Gustaf Nilsson was born at Olsagard in the parish of Furuby in Kronobergs Province, Sweden on March 10, 1844. He was the sixth child and second surviving son of Nils Daniel Andersson and Martha Sarah Johansdotter. In 1854, when he was ten years old, his family left Sweden and immigrated to America. They settled at Chisago Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota on what was then the raw frontier. For the next seven years he attended local school and worked on his father's farm. His obituary says he also engaged in the lumber business but he was hardly old enough to be more than an ordinary laborer.
In 1860, 63% of Minnesotans voted for Lincoln for President, one of the widest margins of any state. The southern states then seceded and by April 1861 the Civil War had begun. Minnesota was the first state to respond to Lincoln's call for a volunteer army. The Governor just happened to be right next to him in Washington when the call was made. The first Minnesota Regiment was organized right away in April 1861. Its initial enlistment was for only three months but as the war was not over by then it was reorganized for a three year term. This regiment fought in the first battle of Bull Run and stayed with the Army of the Potomac thru Appomattox. It had the highest percentage of casualties of any regiment in any engagement at Gettysburg. Three more regiments were organized in Minnesota in 1861 and a fifth by March 1862. All these were sent south to the western theater.
The Regiment was the unit to which most Civil War soldiers belonged for the duration of their service. Regiments were usually recruited at the same time from the same area and stayed together for the course of the war. They became the "home base" of the soldiers. Regiments were most often commanded by Colonels, with Majors as their second in command. Each regiment was composed of a number of Companies, which were commanded by Captains. Frequently the Officers were the ones who had recruited the soldiers in the first place and they were most often chosen by election. The theoretical size of a Union regiment was about between 1025 and 845 men. However regiments did not receive many replacements as the war went on and most were far below that strength. The average size was actually about 500 men.
In the middle of 1862 the war was not going well for the Union. General McClellan's campaign to take Richmond had failed and his army was being moved back to Washington. On August 4, President Lincoln issued a call to the states for 300,000 more troops and Minnesota began to respond, enlisting 5 new regiments in August alone. The War Department in Washington established quotas for each state and the states passed them on to their counties. If these quotas were not met then people would be drafted. Enlistment bonuses would not be offered after August 18.
William H. Burt held recruiting meetings in Washington and Chisago Counties for a company in the new Seventh Regiment. There were meetings in all the towns, including one at Taylors Falls at the Methodist Church. John G. (his name was recorded as John Nilson) enlisted at there in Taylors Falls on August 5 as a private. He and signed up for three years and was paid an enlistment bounty of $27. At eighteen years old he was one of the younger men in the company. The average age was just under thirty, fifteen men were in their 40's and only eight were under twenty-one. Altogether 61 volunteers left Taylors Falls with Burt on August 16 accompanied by much cheering from the hillsides. The left on the H. S. Allen, one of the packet steamers that shuttled back and forth between Taylors Falls and Prescott three times a week. This trip it would go all the way to Fort Snelling.
On August 17, 99 men came into camp together at Fort Snelling.
On August 23 Company C of the 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiment
was officially organized. William Burt was elected Captain, Carpenter
Winslow First Lieutenant, and Frank Pratt Second Lieutenant. Seven
Sergeants were also chosen as well as 2 Corporals. They called
themselves the Saint Croix Rangers.
The first commander of the 7th Regiment was Colonel Stephen Miller.
He had enlisted as a private in the 1st Minnesota Regiment in
1861. He returned to Minnesota to take command of the 7th in August
1862. His second in command was Lt. Col. William R. Marshall.
Marshall had enlisted as a private in the 8th Regiment but was
elected Lt. Col. Of the 7th. Next was Major George Bradley.
After the organization many of the 7th regiment went home on furlough
to bring in their crops. John G. apparently took advantage of
this furlough period to return home and get married. He was married
to Caroline Lindquist later in the day on August 23.
On August 17, 1862 the Sioux Indians in the Minnesota river valley began their uprising. The entire state was thrown into panic and refugees in the southwest part of the state fled for their lives. The news reached Fort Snelling on the 19th and any thought of sending the new regiments south was quickly forgotten. Up to then the 7th Regiment had not received any training or even been issued their uniforms and guns. Guns for the company had been sent up to Taylors Falls but arrived at night on the 16th after the volunteers had already left in the morning. Several Companies, including Company C, were sent north to Fort Ripley to guard against the Chippewa Indians becoming involved in the uprising.
The Chippewa and Sioux Indians were historic enemies ever since the Chippewas had invaded the Minnesota lake country in the 1700's and driven the Sioux south and west out on to the prairies. However when the Sioux war started, Chippewa Chief Hole-In-The-Day threatened to join the Sioux in their uprising. There was much unrest around Gull Lake and Crow Wing and many settlers fled to Fort Ripley for protection. Indian Commissioner William Dole had been in Minnesota to negotiate with some of the Western Chippewa bands and now went to Fort Ripley to calm things down. He was joined by President Lincoln's personal secretary, John Nicolay.
While at St. Paul, Dole requested that two additional companies be sent to Fort Ripley to join one that was already there. Companies C and I of the 7th Regiment were chosen for this detail and left immediately. They arrived at Fort Ripley at the end of August after three days forced march. Dole's negotiations with Hole-In-The-Day were not going well and might have collapsed but for the timely arrival of these additional troops. Company C was sent to the Indian Agency and Company I went to the town of Crow Wing. By September 13 Hole-In-The-Day had lost the support of many his other Chiefs and the threat was averted. The Chippewas now wanted to join in the fight against the Sioux but were not trusted.
Meanwhile on August 27 the rest of 7th (Companies A, B, F, and G) under Lt. Col. Marshall received orders to head for Fort Ridgeley. The Sioux Indians led by Chief Little Crow were defeated within a few weeks at the battle of Wood Lake. Companies C and I remained at Fort Ripley until November while all the details of an agreement with all the Chippewa bands were worked out. At the end of November, Company C and the others came back south to Fort Snelling, passing through Anoka on December 4. From there they went on to Mankato where they rejoined the rest of the regiment. John G. made it home for a visit at this time in late November for his first son, Ernst, was born nine months later on August 26, 1863.
Most of the hostile Indians had fled to the Dakota Territory but many of them were captured and 303 were sentenced to death. Most in Minnesota probably wanted all Indians dead. There was no sympathy for their grievances that had provoked the war. President Lincoln, however, reviewed the sentences and commuted all but 39 of them. These 39 were hanged en-masse at Mankato on December 26, 1862. John G. later told of standing guard over the condemned Indians the night before the hanging. He was on duty for 48 hours because of trouble with these Indians. By this time there were a total of 5 regiments (6 thru 10) in action in Minnesota and they were not being sent south any time soon. The 7th Regiment spent the rest of the winter at Mankato guarding the remaining Indian prisoners. In May of 1863 they escorted the prisoners by boat to Davenport Iowa and then returned to Mankato.
In the Spring of 1863 General Pope, in overall command of the Army Department of the Northwest, planned a major offensive against the Sioux Indians who had retreated into Dakota. One army under General Henry Hastings Sibly would march from Fort Snelling, another under General Sully would march from Sioux City, Iowa. They would converge in North Dakota on the Missouri River and catch the Indians between them. That was the plan anyway.
In June Sibley gathered his forces at Camp Pope near the present Redwood Falls. The 6th, 7th, and 10th Regiments at full strength and units from the 8th and 9th as well combined for a total of 4,075 men. The 7th Regiment reported 736 men on this expedition. 83 of these were in Company C. On June 16 at 4:00 PM the march began. After marching 19 miles in 2 days the expedition rested. The weather then turned cold and wet as they marched another day before resting again on Sunday. On Monday June 22 the weather turned again becoming hot and dry and they were out on the prairie with few good sources of water. But the troops were happy when orders were issued that they could load their knapsacks on wagons and wouldn't have to carry them.
During the march there was some straggling. Others went off on their own to do some hunting. General Sibley also had to post guards to prevent the troops from pillaging Indian graves. By the Fourth of July they were out by Lisbon, North Dakota, and there was no sign of either civilization or Indians. There were only herds of Buffalo on the trackless prairie. A celebration was held for the Fourth with salutes, toasts, speeches, and singing. The officers were treated to some of Mrs. Sibley's fruit cake which the General had brought along.
Hot and dry weather continued as they marched on. One day the temperature was recorded as 111° in the shade. There was a one day respite on July 11 but then the heat continued and some wondered if they might have to abort the mission. The army was now marching in closer columns and the camp was entrenched each night. There was still no sign of the Indians they were looking for however. This is not surprising since a slow moving column of 4,000 men with all kinds of baggage, wagons, and animals would certainly raise a lot of noise and dust. The Indians could see them coming for days.
After marching thru the dry prairie for many days the men were excited when they reached the Sheyenne river on July 16. However camp was made several miles across the river on the prairie again. The next day they found their first Indian. Two of the rear guard decided to take a nap and were left behind when the column moved on. When they caught up they had an Indian in custody. It was not recorded how they came upon this Indian. There were also rumors in the camp that the cavalry had made contact with Indians. On July 18 the expedition suffered its first casualty when one of the Officers accidentally shot one of his own men. Fortunately the wound was not serious.
On July 19 the expedition halted at what would be known as Camp Atchison. This camp is on Lake Sibley near present day Binford, North Dakota. Sibley had received information that Little Crow and about 2,000 Sioux were heading west to cross the Missouri River. Sibley decided to take some of the army and pursue them west before they could cross the river. He left behind a guard and troops that were not fit for a forced march at Camp Atchison and headed west with about half his army. Companies C and I of the 7th were among those who stayed behind.
While the main body marched west, Sibley sent Captain Burt with a detail of 2 infantry companies, including Company C, a cavalry company, and two field guns north on July 24 to Devils Lake. They examined the country around the west side of Devils Lake and found only the exhausted son of Little Crow. He stated that his father had been killed in Minnesota several weeks earlier. The detachment took him prisoner and returned to Camp Atchinson on August 1.
General Sibley meanwhile finally encountered the Indians at Big Mound on July 25 near present day Tappen, North Dakota. He claimed victory in this battle but most of the Indians had already crossed the Missouri. He also did not meet up with General Sully who was supposed to have marched upriver from the south. There was no way for the two armies to communicate with each other out on the prairie so Sibley began the long march back to Fort Snelling. Sully was actually still in South Dakota at the time.
Sibley and the main army returned to Camp Atchinson on August 10. Two days later the entire expedition broke camp for the return march. They marched much faster on the trip home that they had on the way out. They marched over 15 miles a day as opposed to about 10. On September 2 they were back in settled country again around Sauk Center. The men were happy to be able to eat "real food" again. They feasted on biscuits, butter, cheese, and milk. Their food on the march had been hardtack and water. Finally on September 12 they returned to Fort Snelling and some much needed rest.
On October 7, 1863 the 7th Regiment was finally ordered south.
Lt. Col. Marshall commanded, Col. Miller remained behind in St.
Paul. The trip down the Mississippi, from St Paul to St Louis
took 4 days. When they arrived in St Louis they went into quarters
at Schofield Barracks on Chouteau Avenue. For the next 6 month
they remained at St Louis spending their time doing guard duty
and various details escorting prisoners etc. Presumably they also
spent some time training since they had had no time for that since
the Regiment was first formed. During the time at St Louis, in
March or April, John G. was noted on the muster roll for having
lost a screwdriver and a cone wrench.
In November 1863 Col. Miller was promoted to Brigadier General. Other promotions followed down the line. Lt. Col. Marshall was promoted to Colonel and assumed command of the Regiment. Major Bradley was promoted to Lt. Col. And Captain Burt to Major. 1st Lt. Frank Pratt assumed command of Company C. While they were in St Louis in March 1864, General Grant was appointed General in Chief of all Union armies. On his way east to Washington he passed thru St Louis, and all the units stationed there marched in review. About this same time the Regiment received 17 new men which brought its nominal strength up to 109. As with most regiments, however, there were often men missing on furlough or sick.
In 1864 Grant had a master plan. He would lead the eastern Union armies to Richmond, General Sherman would march south into Georgia, and General Banks would attack Alabama by sea from the south. The Confederacy would be crushed by overwhelming force. However it has been observed that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. The enemy in the case of the 7th Minnesota Regiment and John G. Nelson was Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest had enlisted as a private at the start of the war. By October 1863 he was a General and was given an independent command in northern Mississippi. He raised a new army in this area that had been previously taken by Union forces. In December 1863 he began a series of raids into Union-held areas that would make him famous. In February 1864 he defeated a major Union army and the following month invaded western Tennessee.
On April 20 the 7th Regiment received new orders and left St Louis on a steamer bound for Paducah, Kentucky. 551 men were reported in the regiment at the time. That trip took 2 days. Forrest's cavalry had recently attacked Fort Anderson at Paducah and the troops there were on edge. At midnight on the 29th there was an alarm; the men were called into line and issued extra ammunition. It was a false alarm though and after an hour they went back to their tents. The next day the regiment was ordered out on reconnaissance around Mayfield, Kentucky, 25 miles to the south. They found no sign of the enemy but stayed at Mayfield until June 19, 1864. During this time at Mayfield, on May 2, 1864, John G. was promoted to corporal.
On June 10 at Brice's Crossroads, Mississippi, Forrest routed an army that had been sent out from Memphis to destroy him. This was the third time in as many months that Forrest had beaten a Union army. He now could pose a serious threat to General Sherman's supply lines in Georgia, and Sherman determined that he had to be destroyed at all costs. More forces were gathered together and put under the command of General Andrew J. Smith who was sent to Memphis with his Sixteenth Corps to accomplish this mission. The 7th Regiment received orders to join this force and left Mayfield for Memphis, probably returning by rail to Paducah and then by steamboat. They arrived in Memphis on June 22. The 7th was organized as part of the Third Brigade commanded by Col. Joseph Woods, in the First Division commanded by Gen. Joseph Mower. They would remain in this organization under Gen. Smith until the end of the war.
Smith was a West Point graduate (1838) and had fought in the Mexican and Indian wars. He was a Major in the regular army at the start of the Civil War and quickly rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He had served at Vicksburg and in the Red River Campaign in Louisiana. He had been commander of the Sixteenth Corps, Army of the Tennessee since August 1863. His nickname was "Whiskey". Mower was in the army during the Mexican war as a private. Elected Colonel of a Missouri Regiment in May 1862 and promoted to General in March 1863, he was named to command of the First Division on December 1863. His nickname was "Fighting Joe."
Smith's army was organized into two divisions. Each division had three Brigades. Most of the Brigades had four regiments plus one battery of artillery. There were three other regiments in the Third Brigade; the 12th and 35th Iowa and the 33rd Missouri. There was also a battery of Missouri artillery. Most of the other Regiments in this army had been with Gen. Smith for a while. The 7th, 9th, and 10th Minnesota Regiments were among the newcomers. The 5th Minnesota had been in the Corps since December of 1862.
During the recent Red River Campaign in Louisiana, the Sixteenth Corps had become known as "Smith's Guerrillas." When Gen. Banks, in command of the campaign, first saw them he said "What in the name of heaven did Sherman send me these ragged guerrillas for?" However, it was these "ragged guerrillas" who saved Banks' army from total disaster by standing firm at the battle of Pleasant Hill, giving the rest of the army time to retreat after their defeat at Sabine Crossroads on the previous day. The name stuck after that and was reinforced by their reputation for hard fighting.
The 7th Regiment boarded trains and went to a camp at Grissom's Bridge, about 30 miles east of Memphis, which was as far as the track went. The next day they marched to Moscow, Tennessee where Gen. Smith established his headquarters. On June 27 the army marched south across the Wolf River fourteen miles to LaGrange, Tennessee. They camped there from June 27 until July 5. Smith's entire army was about 14,000 strong. On July 5 the army marched south a few miles into Mississippi. They left in the late afternoon to avoid the heat of the day and stopped at Davis' Mills and camped at the Woodson Plantation. The army was led by Coon's Cavalry Brigade. Mower's First Division, with the 7th Regiment was next, followed by Moore's Second Division and finally with Bouton's Brigade bringing up the rear.
On July 7 they marched again. This time the cavalry encountered some Confederate scouts who retired after a few shots were exchanged. Later that day the cavalry approached Ripley, Mississippi, where they charged a force of Confederate cavalry and forced it to withdraw. The army camped that night on North Tippah Creek, three miles northwest of Ripley. The next day the army marched through Ripley and crossed the Tallahatchie River. They camped that night just south of Orizaba, Mississippi.
Of course neither side knew how many the other side had, exactly where they were, or what their intentions were. Smith's army was at New Albany on July 9 and the next day, as he learned that enemy forces were gathering in front of him ordered his army to march more carefully in two columns. Arriving at Cherry Creek later that day he found the enemy drawn up in line of battle in front of him. They fell back during the night and Smith's army crossed the creek and marched to Pontontoc the next day as the Confederates fell back slowly. They camped that night in the hills south of Pontontoc.
All during this march from La Grange the weather had been extremely
hot and dry. There had been no rain for a month and many streams
were dry. As the army marched along the roads they churned up
choking clouds of dust. Many men and animals were disabled by
heat exhaustion. John G. later told stories about sweating so
much in their wool uniforms that they became lathered just like
horses. In addition supplies were limited and the men did a lot
of foraging in the countryside for livestock to supplement their
rations.
Smith stayed at Pontontoc through July 12 while he tried to learn
more about the enemy forces ahead of him. Patrols reported that
Forrest was in a strong position on a hill just to the south protected
by swamps and creeks. Rather that attack from the front, Smith
decided to move east towards Tupelo. This road appeared to be
unprotected. On the 13th, Smith's army was on the march again
moving east. The cavalry went ahead as usual followed this time
by Moore's Second Division with Mower's Division following. Bouton's
brigade stayed behind south of Pontontoc to protect the rear of
the army. The 7th Regiment, was assigned with the 12th Iowa to
protect the wagon train of the army on the right as it marched,
and they had to march through the woods and fields alongside the
road.
When Smith changed direction Forrest was quick to react. He sent Mabry's Division to attack the rear guard at Pontontoc, while Lee with two Divisions attacked the marching army. The wagon train which the 7th Regiment was guarding halted for a rest at 2 O'Clock in the afternoon. They rested for about an hour then resumed their march. About an hour later they were attacked by Rucker's Brigade of Chalmers' Division. The attackers were driven off but the skirmish was not without casualties on both sides. The 7th lost Surgeon Lucius Smith and had 14 men wounded. 27 mules were also killed so several wagons, including hospital wagons, had to be left behind. Following these attacks, Gen. Smith ordered the wagon train to move between Moore and Mower's Divisions for better protection.
Moving on, the wagon train came to a clearing where they were attacked again, this time by Buford's full division and suffered more casualties. The main attack fell on the First Brigade. The 7th Regiment, in the Third Brigade suffered mostly shelling. During this shelling, Gen. Mower sat on his horse just out of range and tried to keep his men in formation. No sooner had he said "they won't hurt you" than a shell hit Company B of the 7th Regiment and took off the leg of one of the men, George Blackwell. It was long after dark that the army arrived at Tupelo and camped two miles west of the town. Mower's Division camped north of the Pontontoc road, Moore's Second Division to the south.
Very early in the morning Forrest assembled his forces four miles west of Tupelo. He had about 8,000 men in total and both sides formed up for a battle. Smith put his army along the crest of a small ridge that rose just east of Harrisburg. Mower's First Division was on this ridge north of the Pontontoc road. The First Brigade was in the center, and Third Brigade on the left. Second Brigade was held in reserve. Moore's Second Division was lined up south of the road. Bouton's Brigade and the Cavalry were stationed in the rear to protect the wagons and counter any flanking moves.
The Confederate forces had a problem that day which was due to a split command structure. Most of the army in the field was Forrest's army but Gen. Stephen Lee had recently arrived on the scene with 2,000 badly needed reinforcements. Since he outranked Forrest he was the commander that day. However both Lee and Forrest agreed on a plan which called for a coordinated attack from the center and right positions. Lee would command the center and Forrest the right.
Pickets began shooting at 5 o'clock in the morning on August
14 and at 7 the Confederates began shelling the Union line for
about an hour. The advance was ordered to begin but Crossland's
Brigade started off prematurely and charged Murray's Brigade of
Moore's Second Division. At 100 yards the Union line opened fire
and decimated the charging Confederates. They kept coming for
another 50 yards before falling back. Murray then ordered his
troops to charge and drive them from the field. They did so but
quickly returned to their former positions of the hill.
This premature charge threw the Confederate plan into disorder.
Lee ordered Bell and Mabry's Brigades to attack those of Ward
and Wood's where the 7th Regiment was in line. Men of the 7th
lay by the road and had pulled down a rail fence to give themselves
some cover. Once again there was poor coordination as Mabry advanced
before Bell was ready. His troops were met by heavy fire and were
forced to take cover in the ground. When Bell's men caught up
with them they tried to advance again but again were forced to
ground. The Union line was not undamaged however. Among the casualties
was the Second Brigade commander, Col. Wilkin, who was replaced
by John C. McClure.
Meanwhile Forrest, on the right, seeing the repulse of Crossland's attack, decided not to advance as planned but to stay put and stand on the defensive. There was much recrimination later between Forrest and Lee over this decision. Mabry then started to withdraw, covered by Bell, but at the same time, Rucker's Brigade was attacking. Once again the attack was met by fire from the Union lines. Rucker was wounded and his brigade became disorganized and began to withdraw. Seeing this, Mower ordered his three brigades, including the 7th Regiment, to attack the retreating Confederates. Once they had retreated into the woods, Mower called his troops back to their positions.
The 7th Regiment was in the second line behind the 12th Iowa Regiment when the battle opened. Once the Iowa Regiment ran out of ammunition the 7th advanced and took its place on the front line. They went in with 40 rounds of ammunition but some of it was bad and fouled their guns. The heaviest fighting occurred within the first 15 minutes of the 7th being on the line. After an hour in this position they were relieved again by the Iowa Regiment. When Mower ordered his charge both companies went forward with a shout. They advanced a third of a mile before halting. They remained in that forward position for an hour before returning to the line. Once back in line they worked to build up their defenses.
It was over by 1 o'clock but Smith held his men in position, not knowing whether the Confederates would try again. Companies A, C, and D were sent out as pickets about a half mile in front of the line that night. Forrest did order a night attack by a small force on Bouton's Brigade but it too was repulsed. Gen. Smith had won the day but he faced serious problems. Food and ammunition were running low and his men were exhausted. He decided that he could not pursue Forrest so he gave orders to return to Memphis. Moore's Second Division started off at noon moving northwest towards Ellistown. Mower's First Division stayed in place to protect this withdrawal. The 7th Regiment had been advanced about a half a mile and Companies D and F were sent out as pickets. They had to fend off another attack by Forrest.
Mower then followed Moore in retreat but Forrest would not
let them go so easily. He dispatched Buford and Chalmers to follow
and harass them. Their brigades caught up with the tail end of
Smith's army at Old Town Creek. Winslow's Brigade bore the brunt
of the first attack and was driven back. Gen. Smith quickly ordered
McMillen's Brigade to go back to help out. He followed this with
Wolfe and Gilbert's Brigades. Winslow recovered when the reinforcements
arrived. Gen. Forrest himself was wounded in this encounter and
the Confederates soon broke off their attack.
Union casualties during the three days of fighting were 77 killed,
559 wounded, and 38 captured or missing, just under 5%. In the
7th Regiment there were 9 killed, 52 wounded, and 1 captured or
missing, or about 11%. Surgeon Smith and Lt. Lewis Hardy of the
7th Regiment were among the dead. Col. Marshall had his horse
shot from under him and got a musket ball in his hat. Company
C had 1 man killed and 2 wounded. The Confederate casualties were
210 killed and 1,116 wounded, over 16%.
About 40 of the Union wounded had to be left behind since their
condition was too severe to be moved. Unfortunately they became
prisoners of war. These prisoners were transported to Mobile where
they were well cared for. After a week some of them were sent
up to Jackson where they were exchanged. However at least one
member of the 7th Regiment, (John?) S. Swenson, ended up in Andersonville.
Both sides claimed decisive victory in their reports. Tupelo is
generally regarded as a Union victory even though the immediate
objective of destroying Forrest's army was not accomplished and
Smith had to withdraw from the area. Even so Forrest's army was
severely damaged and the strategic objective of keeping him away
from Sherman's supply lines was achieved.
Smith's army marched north on half rations at sunrise on July
16 and reached Ellistown by nightfall. On the 17th it crossed
the Tallahatchie River and camped on the north bank. Forrest's
cavalry gave up its harassing pursuit at that point. On July 18
they were at Vaughan's Ford on Tippah Creek and down to quarter
rations. The next day, however, they reached Salem and a supply
train of wagons with food. July 20 they were at Davis' Mills,
and July 21 they returned to La Grange. By July 23 they were back
in camps near Memphis. One last casualty occurred on July 20 at
Davis' Mills. John Pinckney of Company I and some others went
to fill their canteens at the creek. They had stacked their guns
on a tree but one of them fell over. It went off and shot Pinckney.
He died on the 26th.
After only a week resting up and resupplying in Memphis, the army received orders to move out again. The 7th Regiment left Memphis on July 31 and rode the trains to Davis Mills, Mississippi which they reached the following day. On August 2 they marched to Holly Springs. Wood's 3rd Brigade including the 7th Regiment moved south again by train to Waterford which was as far as the railroad had been repaired. Two days later, the 7th and the 35th Iowa Regiment were sent forward with pioneers (engineers) who were ordered to build a bridge over the Tallahatchie River. Confederate pickets were stationed on the north bank but were quickly driven back across the river. The two regiments then used a captured ferry boat to send their own pickets to the south bank. Their exposed position was shelled during the night. The next day, August 8, both regiments crossed the river and received some reinforcements from the cavalry brigade. The pioneers could then start their work and they completed the bridge by evening. By the 9th the remainder of Mower's First Division had arrived on the scene. Camp was made at Abbeville. During three days of skirmishing, the 7th had three men wounded, one of them severely.
By August 8, Gen. Forrest had recovered from his wound of the previous month and was again in command of his troops. He ordered his forces to assemble at Pontontoc on August 9. By August 12 Forrest had moved his men to Hurricane Creek, eight miles north of Oxford, and dug in. Mower's First Division started marching south from Abbeville about noon on August 13. All of the fighting that day was done by the cavalry and artillery forces. The infantry was not engaged. After several hours of heavy skirmishing, Forrest retreated to Oxford. The Union troops then halted for a few days.
The dry spell that had plagued the troops during July finally broke. However, they probably wondered whether heat or rain was worse as it rained for days after August 8. Ammunition became wet, the roads that had been choked with dust now turned to rivers of mud, food was spoiled, and the men were miserable.
Gen. Smith ordered an advance on Oxford at 6 o'clock in the morning, August 22. The infantry marched down the road with cavalry covering both flanks. It only took 2 hours to reach Oxford. There had been enemy opposition during the march but the lead forces of the army entered the town unopposed from north, east, and west. All was quiet until about 10 or 11 o'clock when Gen. Smith had received urgent new orders from Memphis. Forrest had attacked Memphis at 3 in the morning on the 21st and Smith was ordered back at once to try and catch him. Rumors spread through the army that Forrest had actually captured Memphis. This was an exaggeration but he had almost captured three Union Generals and made them look like fools.
Smith immediately sent part of his cavalry on this new mission and issued orders for the rest of his force to return. Many of the units were abruptly about-faced before they even got to Oxford. Then about noon fires broke out all over Oxford. The Court House and many businesses and homes were burned. A Confederate report on this incident says that the burning was personally supervised by Smith and that he and his men were made "mad with whiskey." The Minnesota history says that Smith "ordered safeguards withdrawn" after hearing that Confederate forces had burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Neither Gen. Smith nor Gen. Mower submitted a report for this expedition and none of the brigade or regimental reports mention anything about the fires. However at this stage in the war, destruction of property was becoming standard policy on both sides.
Forrest did not stay long in Memphis and by the time Gen. Smith returned the excitement had all died down. However Smith now received new orders to bring his command to Gen. Sherman who was besieging Atlanta. Sherman was now much less concerned with Forrest threatening his supply lines and more concerned with Atlanta and the Confederate Army of Tennessee defending it. Smith himself along with Moore's Second Division boarded steamboats and headed up the Mississippi. Mower's First Division made ready to follow. Once again the unexpected intervened, however, and on September 1, Mower's orders were changed.
Union forces had invaded Arkansas the previous year and controlled
most of the state from their headquarters in Little Rock. However,
Gen. Sterling Price and his small Confederate army held out in
Camden in the southern part of the state. In late August, Union
intelligence learned that Price was gathering men together for
a major expedition. The strategy was to keep Price confined to
southern Arkansas so the line of the Arkansas river needed to
be reinforced. Gen. Mower and his division were ordered to proceed
to Devall's Bluff on the White River.
The 7th Minnesota Regiment boarded the transports along with the
rest of the division at night on September 1 and headed south.
The trip downriver and then back up the White River took four
days. They arrived at St. Charles, Arkansas, late afternoon on
September 5. This was as far as the steamboats could go due to
low water. It took another day to march Devall's Bluff while the
Union high command tried to figure out what Price would do. Gen.
Smith in the meantime had reached Cairo, Illinois, where he was
halted. Sherman had occupied Atlanta on September 2 and now had
less need for reinforcements.
From Devall's Bluff the army went west along the railroad to Brownsville, Arkansas. The strategy of keeping Price south of the Arkansas river had already failed however. His army had cross that river on September 6 at Dardenelle, northwest of Little Rock and by the 15th he was at Powhatan. This was in the northeast corner of Arkansas and 100 miles north of where Mower's First Division waited. Mower received orders on the 16th to proceed north and stop Price from making a raid into Missouri. However he had to wait another day before starting because he had no guides and was unfamiliar with the country.
The Division marched on September 18th with ten days rations. The weather, which had been hot when they left Memphis, turned cold. They were marching in unfamiliar territory and the land they were marching through was very poor, with few supplies that could be foraged. After ten days they were only at Pocahontas, still in Arkansas, and Price was preparing to attack Pilot Knob, Missouri. The march had been following the Black river on the west bank. On September 30 they began crossing the river at Poplar Bluff and all were across by the next day. They continued marching north towards Greenville but by this time it must have been obvious that they had no hope of catching Price who was at Richwood, only 40 miles from St. Louis.
In the meantime Gen. Smith had arrived at St. Louis from Cairo
on September 16. When Price arrived at Richwood, Smith had already
taken up positions just to the north, across the Meramec river.
In addition to his own troops, Smith had three brigades of Missouri
militia who had been called into service. Price decided that he
couldn't take St. Louis and turned west.
On October 3, Gen. Mower sent a message to Gen. Rosecrans, commanding
the Department of the Missouri. He said he was about 45 miles
west of Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi river and his men were
destitute. He was marching to Cape Girardeau and expected to be
there in two days. He urgently requested forage, rations, and
boats. The Division arrived at the Mississsippi on October 6.
They had marched 300 miles in 19 days on ten days rations. Some
days they had marched over thirty miles. Many of the men had worn
out their shoes and their uniforms were probably not in much better
shape. There was no time to rest, however. Price was still a threat
in western Missouri. At least they were transported by boat from
there and presumably refitted and resupplied.
The boat trip from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis took two days. The Division was immediately put on other boats and transported to Jefferson City. Shortly after leaving St. Louis, Gen. Mower received new orders, this time for himself only. At St. Charles, he was ordered to report to Gen. Sherman at Atlanta. Col. Woods, the brigade commander, took over temporary command of the First Division. By October 18 the entire division had arrived at Jefferson City. From there they went on trains west to La Mine Bridge where they rejoined the rest of Smith's corps on October 19.
Gen. Smith wasted no time as he wanted to catch up with Price, who by this time was near Lexington. A forced march was ordered which continued until midnight, another 33 miles. But the men were exhausted and many fell out along the way. The next day, Smith had to wait until noon before all his troops were ready to move again. On October 21 there was a battle at the Little Blue just east of Independence, Missouri. Price's army was finally confronted by another one of the armies that had been put together in Kansas to meet the emergency. Smith's corps did not arrive in time to take part in this action. They also did not participate in the action at Byram's Ford on the 22nd or the decisive battle at Westport on the 23rd. Price was beaten in this last battle and began to retreat south back to Arkansas.
In all their marching and fighting during the entire war, the men of the 7th Regiment remembered this campaign as the most difficult. Gen. Smith's corps followed south in pursuit with the other armies until October 29 when they were at Harrisonville. Gen. Rosecrans had decided to call off most of the forces that were after Price. Besides, another emergency had come up in the Western Theater than needed to be dealt with.
The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Hood had evacuated Atlanta on September 1, 1864 and Sherman's army marched in the next day. Hood's army still had plenty of fight left in it, however, and the two armies spent then next two months trying to outmaneuver each other north and west of Atlanta. Finally Sherman reorganized. He sent Generals Schofield and Thomas to Tennessee to deal with Hood while he took.two other armies on his famous March to the Sea. Headquarters in Washington then issued orders to many different units to reinforce Thomas at Nashville. Among those receiving these new orders was Gen. Smith, now in western Missouri.
There were some changes in command in Smith's corps at this time. Gen. John McArthur was named to command the First Division, replacing Col. Woods whose command had been only temporary. Col. Woods time of service had expired so he was replaced by Col. Hill of the 35th Iowa Regiment as Brigade commander.
The troops began marching from Sedalia, Missouri, on November 2, heading for Jefferson City. There was a snowstorm on the way. The original plan was to get river transport from there but the Missouri river was too low and they had to march all the way to St. Louis. During this march back Smith's brigades spread out to search for and destroy bands of guerillas. The Third Brigade crossed the Missouri at Arrow Rock and recrossed at St. Charles.
One of the problems of being on the march at this time was that the troops missed out on the Presidential election on November 8, 1864. They probably would have voted overwhelmingly for Lincoln as did Minnesota as a whole. Col. Marshall, in a letter home, called it an outrage. He also said that "less soft terms had been used." It didn't matter to John G. though. Even if he was a seasoned veteran he was still too young to vote in 1864. Lincoln won by a large margin even without their votes but they felt deprived. Also winning in this election was Col. Miller, the original commander of the 7th Regiment, who was elected Governor of Minnesota.
On the 26th the boats left St. Louis with special orders that all men were confined to the boats and no moving around was allowed. The command was taking no chances on losing some stragglers. Altogether a convoy of 59 steamboats was required to transport Smith's Corps. On the 28th they reached the mouth of the Cumberland River at Paducah and received further orders to proceed to Nashville where they arrived on the 30th. Gen. Thomas was so glad to see Smith and his men that he gave Smith a big bear hug.
Gen. Hood meanwhile had advanced his army to Franklin, just twenty miles south of Nashville. As the men of the 7th Regiment got off their boats and marched into their positions they could hear the sounds of the fierce battle then being fought at Franklin. Hood won the day there, but at great cost, and Schofield retreated into the forts around Nashville with his battered army. The day after the battle the troops in Nashville could see the evidence as long trains brought in the 2,000 some casualties.
The next two weeks were spent digging in. As a Union stronghold since 1862, Nashville was defended by a line of twelve forts circling the city on the south side. Smith's corps was sent to hold a new line, about a mile beyond the forts on the west side from the Cumberland river to the Hillsborough Pike. The 7th Regiment was stationed on this line close to the Hardin Pike. Smith didn't have enough men to make a continuous line so he kept one brigade in reserve. Hood did not waste much time after the battle of Franklin. On December 2 his army arrived and began digging their own lines around Nashville. Gen. Thomas decided to stand on the defensive since his cavalry could not contend with Forrest who had come over from Mississippi to join Hood.
During the first week of December the weather was fair, but on the 8th cold rain began to fall. It rained, then mixed with snow, and finally turned to ice for a week. There was not much to do except sit in the frozen mud and wait. The most excitement seemed to be chasing the occasional rabbit that would come out. Gen. Smith made frequent inspections of the works and the men would cheer whenever he came by. Pickets were out in front at all times in six hour shifts. No fires were allowed at all on the picket stations and in the main lines only when meals were being cooked so the men were cold all the time. During this lull, Chaplain Elijah Edwards wrote that "Most of the men have apparently ceased to care whethers a battle ensures or not. They are in their usual camp avocation. . .Letter writing, Making of trinkets , card playing etc".
Back in the East, the high command had been getting impatient with Thomas and wanted him to move out and engage Hood. Grant had actually issued orders for him to be relieved of command. Before the orders arrived however things began to happen. Most importantly the weather improved although that meant frozen ground turned to mud again. On December 14, orders were issued to all commands. They were to wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning and each brigade was given its marching orders along with 3 days rations.
Gen. Thomas had 49,000 men in his command. There were three corps, commanded from left to right by Gen. Wood's Fourth Corps with 17,000, Gen. Schofield's Twenty-third Corps with 11,000, and Smith's Sixteenth Corps with 14,000, plus Gen. Wilson's cavalry. Another division commanded by Gen. Garrard was included in Smith's Corps at Nashville. There were also assorted units that belonged to the permanent defenses of Nashville. On the Other side Gen. Hood had about 31,000 men. He also had three corps, commanded by Gens. S. Lee, Stewart, and Cheatham. However his forces were critically weakened by the recent battle at Franklin. Also critical was the absence of his cavalry under Forrest who had been sent south to attack Murfreesboro.
The Third Brigade with the 7th Minnesota and 12th Iowa regiments in the lead formed up at 6 o'clock in two columns on right side of the Hardin Pike and advanced about a mile. Company B advanced in front as skirmishers. After about a mile they made a turn to the left and advanced to face the Confederates. As the men advanced they heard the other side in position beyond a cornfield. They fully expected to be fired on when they came out of the corn but when they emerged the enemy had retreated to its lines behind a stone wall along the Hillsborough Pike. The Confederate line included 5 redoubts built out in front of the stone wall and armed with cannon.
At this point at 10 o'clock they paused for about an hour while Union artillery softened up the enemy positions. They also had to wait for the First and Second Brigades, who had marched out on the Charlotte Pike, to come around and get into position. Once the barrage was over, Smith's brigades advanced on the enemy line in turn beginning on the right. As the Third Brigade was on the left, they did not go until the First and Second Brigades had taken Redoubt No.5. These two brigades then turned to the left and attacked Redoubt No.4. They captured that position at 2 o'clock.
Meanwhile the Third Brigade arrived in front of Redoubt No.3. After artillery bombardment they charged. In the assault Col. Hill, the brigade commander, was killed. Col. Marshall assumed command of the brigade and Major Bradley took command of the regiment. As they reached the top of the hill the Confederates withdrew their guns and support to Redoubt No. 2. Col. Marshall then took 200 men from the 7th Minnesota and 12th Iowa on to the northeast and captured Redoubt No. 2. Third Brigade of Smith's Second Division also captured Redoubt No. 1. With Union forces in command of their redoubts, and turning their own guns on them, the Confederates retreated to the south and the whole Union army followed them. Fighting ended after 4 in the afternoon and both armies dug in for the night. The 7th Regiment lost seventeen men wounded in this day's fighting but no one was killed. One man in Company C had stopped to tie his shoes while advancing on Redoubt No. 3 and did not catch up with the rest for three days. The regiment also captured over fifty prisoners.
The next day movement began at 6 o'clock in the morning again. The Confederates had dug in and fortified a new line from the Franklin Pike to the Granny White Pike. This day the Third Division was held in reserve while the First and Second divisions moved out to confront the enemy. These two divisions continued to within 600 yards of the Confederate line where they halted behind a stone wall and dug in themselves. The Third Brigade followed and formed up beside them, just east of the Granny White Pike. The 12th Iowa and 7th Minnesota Regiments were in the front line with the 12th on the east side of the Granny White Pike and the 7th just to the left of them. The 35th Iowa and 33rd Missouri were stationed just a few paces behind them. Two men of the 7th Regiment were killed advancing to this line and several more were wounded. The men remained in their positions most of the day while shelling from both sides continued back and forth.
A strong point in the new Confederate line was a hill later called Shy's hill after a Tennessee Colonel who would die that day. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon Gen. McArthur sent a message to Gen. Smith suggesting that he could take that hill. He thought that the Confederates had dug their line too far back from the crest of the hill and wouldn't be able to fire down on advancing troops without exposing themselves to deadly fire. When he did not receive a reply from Smith he assumed that meant go, so he first ordered an artillery bombardment and then an attack by the First Brigade. The Second and Third Brigades were given orders to charge the lines in front of them when the First Brigade was halfway up the hill. The charge began at 4 o'clock and within a half an hour they had overrun the enemy lines. At this point the entire Confederate position collapsed and their troops fled in disorder.
The 7th Regiment had considerable losses during this second day, seven killed and 36 wounded, mostly during the afternoon charge. This was about 10% of the regiment. They also took over 200 prisoners. Col. Marshall was once again in the thick of things and would have been killed but for the doubled up leather gloves he had in his coat pocket. That was enough to stop a bullet. Company C apparently was in one of the back lines because John G. later said that by the time he got up to the front the fighting was over.
Gen. Smith's men had a reputation for straggling instead of being in proper formation. Fortunately there was considerable straggling that day because if they had charged in close formation the casualties would have been much greater. Gen. Thomas had criticized Smith for the way his men straggled as they advanced on the Confederate lines. Smith replied "General, you observe that they fight like hell when there is occasion, don't you?" That was goon enough for Gen. Smith.
That night the men camped about a mile south of the captured Confederate line. It started raining again and continued as they pursued the defeated army south. They only went about a mile on the Granny White Pike, then crossed to the Franklin Pike where they halted in the pouring rain. They marched in the rain and mud for two days before reaching Franklin. On the 19th they left Franklin and reached the north back of the Duck river on the 23rd. It was cold and they struggled to cut wood for fires. Even the officers helped chop down trees. There were few supplies following along so the men foraged for what they could find. On December 26 the march was resumed and they arrived at Pulaski on the 27th. There orders were received to halt the pursuit.
The battle of Nashville was a decisive Union victory which destroyed the Confederate Army of Tennessee as an effective fighting force. Union casualties were reported at 3,061 or 5%. Confederate losses were 4,462 or almost 15%. Gen. Hood resigned his command on January 23, 1865 and what was left of his army was dispersed. Some units eventually made their way east to become part of a new Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph Johnston. About 5,000 were sent south to Mobile, and the rest simply melted away. The Union troops were also dispersed. Gen. Thomas resumed his occupation duties in Nashville, Gen. Schofield's corps was sent east to North Carolina and Gen. Smith's corps was ordered south to New Orleans.
On December 28, 1864 the Third Brigade began marching west from Pulaski towards Clifton on the Tennessee River. They passed through very poor deserted country before camping 15 miles west of Lawrenceburg on the 29th. At 8 o'clock in the evening it started to rain again and by midnight the rain had turned to snow. On the morning of the 31st they ate the last of their rations. The next day they marched in a cold wind to Waynesboro. Supplies had not caught up with them by New Year's Day and there was nothing in the countryside that could be foraged. When Gen. Smith came riding by, instead of the usual cheers, he heard shouts of "Hungry New Year." Finally they got 2 pieces of hard bread each but that was it for the day. The army reached Clifton on January 2 and went into camp until transportation arrived. The 7th Minnesota and 12th Iowa Regiments boarded gunboats on January 4 for the one day trip upriver to Eastport, Mississippi. The rest of the Brigade followed and all were camped at Eastport by the 10th.
The camp at Eastport was on high ground about a mile from the river in a forest. The men soon had huts built for shelter. This was one thing the men from Chisago County must have been particularly good at. Supply problems continued, however, since the mouth of the Tennessee River had frozen over in the cold weather of December. Men were reduced to stealing ears of corn from the mule's feed troughs.
The 7th Regiment was sent out into the countryside to gather what corn they could from deserted fields and farms. The first day they scrounged enough to begin milling and then continued scrounging and milling both. They didn't have a sieve to sift out the hulls though and those who ate the first batches of corn mush got diarrhea. Eventually they got some makeshift sieves working and from then on the mill was running night and day for eight days. It was enough to keep the corps alive until supply boats could come up the river again.
Smith's Corps remained at Eastport until February 7 when they embarked for New Orleans. Most of the Third Brigade traveled on the steamer Magenta. The boat stopped at Cairo one day to take on coal, and again at Memphis for more coal, and arrived at Vicksburg on the 13th. After camping there for eight days they once again boarded the Magenta for the final leg of the journey, arriving at New Orleans in the afternoon of the 21st. It was very windy and not all of the boats could land at the Wharf. The Magenta docked after dark about five miles south of the city. The next morning they woke up to find snow on the ground again.
The first campground they were assigned to was at Andrew Jackson's 1815 battlefield. It was low and swampy and although they could build up little platforms of brush and moss for beds their feet were in the water as soon as they stood up. This was unacceptable to Gen. Smith and he complained to Gen. Canby, in command at New Orleans. Canby told Smith that he could not allow them into the city because they would make trouble and steal anything they could lay their hands on. Smith replied that they had stolen sixteen cannons in one day at Nashville and if they were not assigned a better campground they would steal one for themselves. On the third day they moved to an old brickyard without orders.
The men had a few treats in New Orleans. They got their first and only taste of potatoes and cabbage, as well as white sugar. Usually they only had brown sugar. Although no one in the 7th Regiment recorded it, men in other units reported that they had seen all the sights of the city, so we can presume the Minnesotans did as well.
By the beginning of 1865 the Confederacy was on the verge of collapse. Union armies were able to march almost at will through any part of its remaining territory. Gen. Sherman had marched unopposed to the sea had now turned north towards the Carolinas. With the destruction of the Army of Tennessee, the entire western theatre was laid open. Only local forces were able to mount any opposition and it usually amounted to not much more than harassment. However, Gen. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia still held out at Petersburg so the war ground on.
Early in March movements began for the long delayed campaign to take Mobile Alabama. This had been part of Gen. Grant's master plan for 1864. Orders were issued and on March 5 the men marched to Lake Ponchartrain where they got on transports and sailed for Dauphin Island, one of the barrier islands protecting Mobile Bay. This was their first time at sea and nearly everyone on the packed transport ships was seasick. All of the First Division assembled there on March 7. They camped there for two weeks and finally enjoyed some decent weather for a change. One day Major Burt brought a whole wagon load of oysters into camp for a feast. They also caught some alligators.
On March 19 the First and Second Divisions filed onto the transports again and sailed to the mouth of the Fish River. They disembarked a few miles upriver at Dannelly's Mills the following day. Here they set up another comfortable camp among the pine trees but they were there only a few days.
Gen Canby had assembled a considerable force for his campaign. The entire Sixteenth Corps was present along with most of the Thirteenth Corps under Gen. Granger. He also had a cavalry division, engineers, and a siege train. Altogether Canby's army was 32,200 men strong. Mobile was protected by strong fortifications but the Confederate defenders did not have that many men to put in them, barely 9,000 overall. Canby's plan was to capture the two forts on the east side of the bay, Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, then cross the Tensas River to take the city of Mobile. Spanish Fort held 1,800 defenders and Fort Blakely 2,700.
The march towards Spanish Fort began on March 25. There was some skirmishing as they marched and at one point Col. Marshall was wounded in the neck. To reassure the troops as they passed, the Colonel sat under a tree while the surgeon worked on him, waving to the marchers. A big cheer went up as he rode back to the head of the column after being patched up. General Smith himself was shot at as he rode at the head of his troops and encountered some Confederate skirmishers. The army arrived before Spanish Fort on the 26th and 27th.
About a mile from the fort the army formed up in line of battle. Gen. Granger's corps formed up on the left with Smith's corps on the right. The First Division took the left position within the corps and the Third Brigade was on the left of the division. The 7th Regiment was on the left of the brigade so it took the extreme left position in Smith's corps, right in the middle of the whole army. Company C was sent out in front as skirmishers. As the army slowly advanced towards the fort there was heavy skirmishing but the Confederate skirmishers were driven back. By the afternoon Company C had used up its ammunition and was relieved by Company K. The men expected to get the order to charge at any minute. Canby held a council and asked Gen. MacArthur for his opinion. MacArthur replied "My division will go in there if ordered, but if the rebels stay by their guns it will cost the lives of half my men." Canby decided against an assault. So when they got to within 200 yards of the fort the advance was halted and they settled in for a siege.
John G's most famous war story came from Spanish Fort. He was with his company on the skirmish line when the fort opened fire. He took cover behind a large tree and began to return their shots. The firing from the fort was so intense that when the company was relieved there was nothing left of this tree but a ten foot snag. He said that for him, this was the most dangerous incident of the whole war. It seems likely that the initial advance on March 27th was when this memorable event occurred.
Trees were usually cut down for a considerable distance around forts. At Spanish Fort they had been cut for 300 yards out. An Illinois private recorded in his diary that "They shell us terrifically, cutting the pine trees all around us." That was at 800 yards from the fort.
Casualties in Company C the first day were Andrew Agren, whose leg had to be amputated, and Lt. Henry Folsom whole leg was bruised by a shell fragment. In the rest of the regiment another man was wounded and one was shot through the spine and later died.
The next days were spent advancing the siege lines. This was trench warfare and hard work. The men spent half the time digging and half the time taking cover. Each shovel had two men assigned to it, they would take turns digging and resting. Someone would keep a lookout and yell "Mortar" whenever he heard one or saw smoke from the fort. Everyone would jump for cover like gophers into their holes. On March 30 the Third Brigade was shifted to another part of the line and temporarily put under Gen. Granger. On April 4, however they were moved back to their original positions. Regardless, the work continued.
Good news reached the army on April 6 when they heard that Gen. Lee had evacuated Richmond. Each battery fired a one hundred gun salute in celebration. All guns were loaded and aimed directly at the fort. The next day another heavy bombardment was rained down on the Confederates. By April 8 the trenches had advanced to within short rifle range. The Second Brigade of the First Division was within 60 yards and several other units were within 100 yards. The defenders decided their situation was hopeless and evacuated the fort at 11 o'clock that night. Some men from the Third Brigade went into the abandoned fort to check for "torpedoes." These would later be known as booby traps, or improvised explosive devices. There were none, however, and everyone got to have a good night's sleep for a change.
The very next day the army marched north to Fort Blakely. This fort had been under siege by Gen. Steele and his smaller army from Pensacola since April 1. Gen. Smith assigned the Second Division to make an assault that same day at 5:30 in the afternoon with the First and Third Divisions to support. The fort was taken, although not without casualties. This turned out to be the last important battle of the war. On April 12, Canby occupied Mobile without opposition.
Total casualties for the Mobile Campaign in Canby's army were 1,508 or 4%. The Sixteenth Corps lost 537 men and the 7th Regiment lost 12. About 4,000 prisoners were captured, the remaining Confederates retreated north.
The Sixteenth Corps was ordered north on April 14 and began the
march to Montgomery Alabama with 4,000 cavalry accompanying them.
While on the march the further good news of Lee's surrender reached
them. Thinking the war was over many of the men began to discard
excess baggage, like ammunition. The only report of bad weather
during the entire Mobile Campaign was on the 22nd when it rained
all night and into the next day. Otherwise it had been a pleasant
springtime. They arrived at Montgomery on the 25th and took possession.
Then on May 1 came the bad news of President Lincoln's assassination.
Funeral services were held in the camp and guns were fired every
minute between noon and 1 o'clock. Finally there was more good
news. On May 4 Confederate Gens. Taylor and Forrest surrendered
to Canby. Now the war was really over for the men of the 7th Regiment
and their comrades.
Smith's corps stayed in Montgomery for a few more days when the divisions were dispersed for occupation duty. The Third Division was sent by boat to Selma, Alabama. When the people there heard that "Smith's Guerrillas" were coming they were quite apprehensive. However there was no trouble. Selma, with its arsenal and foundries, had been burned in April so there was not much left.
There was not much to do in Selma, everyone was anxious to go home. The men received tents for the first time in almost a year. Rations were plentiful along with locally grown fruit. But summer was coming and it was getting hot. There was also bad water and many men got sick. John G. was among the sick and had some trouble for years after he got home. A few died. In a letter home dated July 7, John Rowe said that there were only 180 men fit for duty. The prevailing disease was fever and ague (malaria).
After the surrenders, some men from Company C had already begun returning. These were mostly the sick and injured who had left the Regiment at some point. As these men came back, the people back home became increasingly anxious. In June, Governor Miller was in Washington and received assurances that the Minnesota regiments would be mustered out immediately. After he left, however, the order was cancelled. The various regiments began returning but slowly.
Finally on July 20 orders were received to go home. Col. Marshall was once again in command of the regiment. They rode trains first to Meridian where they arrived that night. The next day they continued by train to Jackson. They had to march from Jackson to the Big Black River, however, because the tracks were had been destroyed. Col. Marshall allowed the men to travel in squads or on their own, rather than marching in formation. They were also allowed to hire wagons to carry their baggage. Since the men were eager to get home there was no straggling here and everyone arrived together. At the river they boarded trains again for the short ride into Vicksburg.
After spending three days waiting in Vicksburg, they were on
the steamer Magenta again for the trip upriver to St. Louis. After
two nights and a day in St. Louis they were on the steamer Savannah
bound for St. Paul. When the Savannah docked at Winona, Companies
B and D had been raised in there so many of those men went into
town to see families and friends.
The 7th Minnesota Regiment reached St. Paul on August 8, 1865.
They were in sad shape as only 250 out of 400 were well enough
to appear for duty. They were greeted by speeches, cannon salutes,
a great display of flags, and a big dinner. August 16 was set
as their official muster out day when they would be paid.
When this news reached Taylors Falls, plans were set in motion for a celebration. A committee was appointed and money was raised. The date was set for August 22. Company C returned as they had left, by riverboat, a couple days after they were mustered out. On the 22nd the weather, which had been rainy for a couple of days, cooperated and it was a beautiful August day. Crowds began gathering at 11 and the program began at noon. There were prayers, songs, speeches, more songs and speeches, and finally remarks. Then the dinner, followed by a hop, and supper in the evening. The main goal of the dinner seemed to be to help the men forget about all the bad food they had in the army. About 100 veterans were present, including 40 from Company C. Many of the other men there had also been in Gen. Smith's corps but some had not so there must have been much exchange of stories. Then the citizen soldiers resumed their places in society and went on with their lives. They could be called the "Greatest Generation" of the Nineteenth Century.
99 men were on the original roster of Company C, 7th Minnesota
Regiment, when it was organized in 1862. Almost exactly three
years later, 61 men were mustered out. Only 45 of the original
99 were present at the final muster. Altogether 121 men served
in Company C at one time or other during the war. Only one was
killed in battle and two died of battle wounds. Nineteen died
from other causes, twenty were discharged earlier, thirteen were
transferred, two were missing and one deserted. One had resigned
and only one remained in the army.
John G. Nelson's time in service from leaving Taylors Falls on
August 16, 1862 until returning about August 18, 1864 was 1098
days. The breakdown of this time was four days engaged in battle,
six days engaged in minor fighting, nine in transit by rail, 56
in transit by water, 172 days on the march, and 851 days in camp
or waiting somewhere. Altogether he traveled 250 miles by rail,
marched 1600 miles, and traveled 5200 miles by boat.
John G. probably spent the next year getting reacquainted with his wife and little son, whom he had barely had a chance to know. He resumed farming and the lumber business. Then in 1867 he went out west in Minnesota with his Brother-in Law, Gustav Lindquist, and together they prospected for land. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave 160 acres free to anyone who would settle it. We don't know exactly where they looked but they eventually came across a small prairie in the southeast corner of Otter Tail County. The land looked good and only a handful had settled there already so they marked off a claim.
The following year John G, his wife Caroline and son Ernst, Brother Peter O and his wife Charlotte, Brother-In-Law Gustav Lindquist, and Uncle Elias Peterson moved to their new land. The first years they all lived together in a simple log cabin on the edge of the prairie. They were there when the new township was first surveyed so the nearest lake was designated as Nelson Lake. In 1871 John G's older brother, Anders P. joined them with his family. Other Lindquists came as well. Together these families ended up with almost all of the land in sections 6, 7, 8, 17, and 18 in the township.
In 1871, John G. was elected County Commissioner for eastern Otter Tail County and served one year. In 1872 he ran for the State Senate and became the first man to represent Otter Tail County in that body. During that term he introduced legislation to change the name of the township. It was originally named Jasper, but John G. had the name changed to Parkers Prairie. Parker was a member of the original survey party and was the first one to see the prairie. John G. served in the Senate for two sessions. He also served in the State Legislature in the 1882-83 term. Like almost all Minnesota Civil War veterans he was a staunch Republican all his life.
In the 1890's he seems to finally have recovered from the effects of the sickness prevalent in Selma. He took a cure somewhere in southeastern Minnesota and put his energies into farming, expanding his farm to 215 acres. 1899 his wife Caroline died. In 1904 he married again to Alma Carlson and they had another son, Dan. His first son, Ernst, was killed in 1910 in a grain elevator explosion in Alberta. In his later years he retired from public life but always ready to march in Civil War parades and tell stories to his young relatives. He also liked to have big picnics with all his extended family and friends. These were known as "N. D. picnics" after his father, Nils Daniel. John G. was known as one of the "old school" and a man of "forceful character." Some thought he might have run for Governor himself but for his terrible temper.
Carl C. Nelson remembered going to John G's house one time with Stanley Johnson when they were little boys, probably about 1916 or 17. As Carl remembered it sixty years later, "My uncle John was out on his porch and when he saw us he asked us to come in and talk with him. He was in a good mood this day and started in telling Civil War stories to us. We loved to hear him tell about the Civil War. Uncle John actually fought in 2 battles. The most fierce of the battles was the first one. It was there he said that he shot one of the rebels right out of a tree and he also killed many more that day. At the second one he did not kill any rebels because by the time he got up to where the fighting was going on the battle was over and they all returned to their camp. Uncle John always called the southern forces the rebels when he was telling the stories. He fought Indians also for about a year. He was in Mankato and stood guard over the leaders of the Indian uprising that later were executed. Then he showed us some of his guns. After that he told his wife Alma to make lunch. We had fresh biscuits and milk. Then he told us to go out and play in the farm buildings."
John G. Nelson died on June 6, 1930 at his home in Parkers Prairie. He was 86.
At the Battle of Nashville in 1864, one of the units on the Confederate side was the 24th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. This Regiment had been raised in Rutherford County, Tennessee, in 1861. Two of the privates in this regiment were Richard W. Farris and William J. S. Farris. The 24th Tennessee was placed along the Granny White Pike on the first day of the battle. On the second day they were in place on the east side of Shy's Hill as the 7th Minnesota attacked the line on the west side of Shy's Hill.
On October 16, 1976 Paul W. Nelson married Shirley F. Farris in Nashville. Shirley was the Great Grand Neice of Richard and William Farris and Paul was the Great Grand Nephew of John G. Nelson. After 112 years, families that had fought each other in war, were united in marriage.
8/5/62 John G. enlisted at the Methodist Church in Taylors
Falls
8/16/62 Chisago County volunteers left for Fort Snelling
8/23/62 Company C, 7th Minnesota Regiment, organized at Fort Snelling
8/23/62 Married Caroline Lindquist at Chisago Lake
Company C departed for Fort Ripley
Company C arrived at Fort Ripley 3 days later
9/11/62 Company C reported as sent to the Crow Wing Agency
Company C left Fort Ripley
12/4/62 Company C passed through Anoka
Company C arrived at Mankato
12/26/62 39 Indians executed at Mankato
7th Regiment escorted Indian prisoners to Davenport and returned
Sibley assembled army at Camp Pope
6/16/63 Sibley's army began march into Dakota
7/19/63 Sibley's army arrived at Camp Atchinson
7/24/63 Captain Burt's detail departed for Devils Lake
8/1/63 Captain Burt's detail returned to Camp Atchinson
8/12/63 Sibley's army began return march
9/12/63 Sibley's army arrived at Fort Snelling
9/13-10/6/63 7th Regiment camped at Fort Snelling
10/7/63 7th Regiment departed St. Paul by boat for St. Louis
10/10/63 7th Regiment arrived at St. Louis
10/11-4/19/63 7th Regiment quartered at Schofield Barracks, St.
Louis
3/5/64 7th Regiment marched in review for General Grant
4/20/64 7th Regiment departed St. Louis by boat for Paducah
4/21/64 7th Regiment arrived at Paducah
4/29/64 False alarm of attack at Paducah
4/30/64 7th Regiment from Paducah to Mayfield by rail
5/1-6/18-1864 7th Regiment camped at Mayfield
5/2/64 John G. promoted to Corporal
6/19/64 7th Regiment from Mayfield to Paducah by rail
6/20/64 7th Regiment departed Paducah by boat for Memphis
6/22/64 7th Regiment arrived at Memphis
7th Regiment from Memphis to Grissoms Bridge by rail
7th Regiment marched from Grissoms Bridge to Moscow
Gen. Smith established Headquarters 16th Corps at La Grange
6/27/64 7th Regiment marched from Moscow to La Grange
6/28-7/4/64 16th Corps camped at La Grange
7/5/64 16th Corps marched from La Grange to Davis Mills
7/7/64 16th Corps marched from Davis Mills to 3 miles NE of Ripley
7/8/64 16th Corps marched through Ripley to just S of Orizaba
7/9/64 16th Corps marched to New Albany
7/10/64 16th Corps marched to Cherry Creek
7/11/64 16th Corps marched to Pontontoc
7/12/64 16th Corps camped at Pontontoc
7/13/64 16th Corps marched to Harrisburg under attack
7/14/64 Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg
7/15/64 16th Corps marched north under attack
7/16/64 16th Corps marched to Ellistown on quarter rations
7/17/64 16th Corps marched to N bank of Tallahatchie River
7/18/64 16th Corps marched to Vaughns Ford on Tippah Creek
7/19/64 16th Corps marched to Salem and received supplies
7/20/64 16th Corps marched to Davis Mills
7/21/64 16th Corps marched to La Grange
7/23/64 16th Corps returned to camp near Memphis
7/24-30/64 7th Regiment in camp near Memphis
7/31/64 7th Regiment departed Memphis by rail for Davis Mills
8/1/64 7th Regiment arrived at Davis Mills
8/2/64 7th Regiment marched to Holly Springs
3rd Brigade by rail from Holly Springs to Waterford
7th Regiment sent forward to the Tallahatchie River
7th Regiment Crossed Tallahatchie River
8/9/64 1st Division made camp at Abbeville
8/13/64 1st Division marched south from Abbeville
16th Corps halted for a few days
8/22/64 Lead elements of 16th Corps entered Oxford
8/22/64 Oxford burned starting around noon
8/22/64 16th Corps began return march to Memphis
9/1/64 1st Division departed Memphis by boat for Arkansas
9/5/64 1st Division arrived at St. Charles
9/6/64 1st Division marched to Devalls Bluff
1st Division by train to Brownsville
1st Division camped at Brownsville
9/18/64 1st Division began march north in pursuit of Price
9/28/64 1st Division at Pocahontas
9/30/64 1st Division crossed Black River at Poplar Bluff
10/1/64 1st Division resumed march
10/6/64 1st Division arrived at Cape Girardeau
1st Division 2 days by boat to St. Louis
1st Division by boat to Jefferson City
1st Division departed Jefferson City by rail for Sedalia
10/20/64 1st Division rejoined 16th Corps at Sedalia
10/21/64 in pursuit of Price
10/23/64 Battle of Westport, 16th Corps did not participate
10/29/64 16th Corps arrived at Harrisonville where pursuit was
terminated
16th Corps marched back to Sedalia
11/2/64 16th Corps departed Sedalia, marching in a snowstorm
3rd Brigade crossed Missouri River at Arrow Rock Point
3rd Brigade crossed Missouri River at St. Charles
11/26/64 16th Corps departed St. Louis by boat for Paducah
11/28/64 16th Corps arrived at Paducah and received orders to
proceed to Nashville
11/30/64 16th Corps arrived at Nashville
12/1/64 16th Corps moved into position and began constructing
defenses
12/15/64 Battle of Nashville, first day
12/16/64 Battle of Nashville, second day
12/17/64 16th Corps began marching in pursuit of Hood
12/18/64 16th Corps arrived at Franklin
12/19/64 16th Corps departed Franklin
12/23/64 16th Corps arrived at the Duck River
12/24/64 16th Corps crossed the Duck River and marched 6 miles
past Columbia
12/26/64 16th Corps resumed march in pursuit of Hood
12/27/64 16th Corps arrived at Pulaski where pursuit was terminated
12/28/64 3rd Brigade marched east from Pulaski
12/29/64 3rd Brigade marched to 15 miles west of Lawrenceburg
1/1/65 3rd Brigade marched to Waynesboro in a cold wind
1/2/65 3rd Brigade arrived at Clifton
1/4/65 7th Regiment departed Clifton by gunboat for Eastport
1/5/65 7th Regiment arrived at Eastport
1/25/65 7th Regiment detailed to shell corn for the 16th Corps
2/5/65 3rd Brigade departed Eastport on the steamer Magenta for
Vicksburg
2/9/65 Magenta stopped 1 day at Cairo to take on coal
2/11/65 Magenta stopped at Memphis to take on coal
2/13/65 Magenta arrived at Vicksburg
2/15/65 3rd Brigade disembarked and went into camp on the Jackson
Railroad
2/19/65 3rd Brigade departed Vicksburg on the steamer Magenta
for New Orleans
2/21/65 Magenta arrived at New Orlenas
2/22/65 16th Corps camped Chalmette
2/25/65 16th Corps moved camp to old brickyard 4 miles S of New
Orleans
2/26-3/4/65 16th Corps camped near New Orleans
3/5/65 3rd Brigade Marched to Hickox Landing and embarked on transports
3/7/65 3rd Brigade arrived at Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island
3/8-18/65 16th Corps camped on Dauphin Island
3/19/65 3rd Brigade departed Dauphin Island by gunboat
3/20/65 3rd Brigade arrived at Dannelys Mills on the Fish River
3/25/65 3rd Brigade marched 8 miles towards Spanish Fort under
attack
3/26/65 3rd Brigade marched 9 miles towards Spanish Fort under
attack
3/27/65 3rd Brigade arrived at Spanish Fort
3/27/65 Battle of Spanish Fort
3/28-4/8/65 Siege of Spanish Fort
4/8/65 Confederates evacuated Spanish Fort at Night
4/9/65 3rd Brigade crossed the Minette River and camped near Blakely
4/10-12/65 16th Corps in camp near Blakely
4/13/65 16th Corps began marching towards Greenville
4/21/65 16th Corps arrived at Greenville
4/23/65 16th Corps departed Greenville began marching towards
Montgomery
4/25/65 16th Corps arrived at Montgomery and camped 3 miles from
the city
5/10/65 3rd Brigade departed Montgomery by boat for Selma
5/11/65 3rd Brigade arrived at Selma and camped
5/12/65 3rd Brigade relieved 2nd Division, 13th Corps in occupation
duty
5/13-6/19/65 Occupation duty at Selma
6/20/65 7th Regiment departed Selma by rail for Meridian
6/21/65 7th Regiment departed Meridian by rail for Jackson
6/22/65 7th Regiment marched to the Big Black River
6/23/65 7th Regiment arrived at Vicksburg
7th Regiment waiting 3 days at Vicksburg
7th Regiment departed Vicksburg on the steamer Magenta for St.
Louis
7th Regiment waited 2 nights and 1 day at St. Louis
7th Regiment departed St. Louis on the steamer Savannah for St
Paul
Savannah docked at Winona
8/8/65 7th Regiment arrived at St. Paul
8/16/65 7th Regiment mustered out at Fort Snelling
Company C veterans arrived at Taylors Falls
8/22/65 Welcome home celebration at Taylors Falls
| Name | Town | Age | Muster In | Rank In | Remarks | Muster Out | Rank Out |
| Burt, William H. | Stillwater | 35 | 8/8/1862 | Recruiting Officer 8/8/1862 | Captain 8/24/1862, Major of 7th Regiment 3/30/1864 | Major | |
| Pratt, Frank H. | Taylors Falls | 26 | 8/24/1862 | 2nd Lieutenant | 1st Lieutenant 6/15/1863, Captain 4/25/1864 | Captain | |
| Thomas, William H. | 27 | 8/24/1862 | First Sergeant | 2nd Lt. 6/15/1863, 1st Lt. 4/25/1864, Captain 2/10/1865 | Captain | ||
| Winslow, Carpenter A. | 33 | 8/24/1862 | 1st Lieutenant | resigned 5/25/1863 | Lieutenant | ||
| Folsom, Henry F. | Sunrise | 23 | 8/24/1862 | Corporal | Orderly 6/15/1863, 2nd Lt. 4/25/1864, 1st Lt. 2/10/1865 | 8/16/1865 | First Lieutenant |
| Agren, Andrew | Franconia | 40 | 8/15/1862 | Private | wounded at Spanish Fort, absent at discharge | Private | |
| Anderson, Peter | 33 | 8/15/1862 | Corporal | wounded at Tupelo, died 10/8/1864 at St Louis | Corporal | ||
| Anderson, John | Chisago Lake | 40 | 8/15/1862 | Private | disability discharge 3/25/1863 | Private | |
| Anderson, Sven | 40 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 11/5/1864 at Memphis | Private | ||
| Anderson, Carl | 26 | 8/10/1862 | Private | died 7/27/1864 at Memphis | Private | ||
| Anderson, Andrew P. | Chisago Lake | 42 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Ayers, John | Sunrise | 22 | 8/15/1862 | Private | Private | ||
| Baik, John P. | Chisago Lake | 38 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Bellamy, James W. | Taylors Falls | 29 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Bloom, John | 30 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Brandt, Peter | 28 | 2/27/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Caneday, David A. | 30 | 12/4/1863 | Private | promoted First Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | First Sergeant | |
| Carnithan, William | 25 | 8/10/1862 | Corporal | promoted Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | Sergeant | |
| Carlson, John C. | 25 | 8/22/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Carpenter, John | Taylors Falls | 23 | 8/12/1862 | Private | promoted Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | Corporal |
| Carlson, John | 29 | 8/13/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Carlson, Frank | 38 | 8/13/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Carlson, Peter J. | Franconia | 38 | 8/13/1862 | Private | died 9/17/1864 | Private | |
| Chase, Nulan M. | 30 | 8/10/1862 | Private | discharged 5/12/1864 for promotion in 68th Colored Infantry | Private | ||
| Charlson, Peter | Wyoming | 29 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Clendening, Joseph | Taylors Falls | 22 | 8/12/1862 | Corporal | died 12/20/1864 at Memphis | Corporal | |
| Colby, William | Taylors Falls | 44 | 8/15/1862 | Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | Sergeant | |
| Colby, Andrew C. | Taylors Falls | 21 | 8/12/1862 | Corporal | promoted 1st Sergeant, died 7/14/1864 of wounds at Tupelo | First Sergeant | |
| Colby, Samuel S. | Sunrise | 32 | 8/15/1862 | Private | Principal Musician | ||
| Coop, James | 31 | 8/10/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Cooney, James | 42 | 2/27/1864 | Private | transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps 7/20/1864 | Private | ||
| Criswell, Thomas | Taylors Falls | 28 | 8/15/1862 | Private | wounded at Nashville, discharged 6/13/1865 | Corporal | |
| Cushing, Charles C. | 32 | 2/27/1864 | Musician | discharged 6/16/1865 | Musician | ||
| Day, Henry F. | Franconia | 35 | 8/15/1862 | Musician | discharged 6/16/1865 | Private | |
| Dahlstrom, Andrew | Chisago Lake | 28 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 9/9/1864 at Memphis | Private | |
| Dedon, William S. | Chisago Lake | 18 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Dennelly, Joseph | 40 | 2/16/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Dibble, William | 16 | 2/22/1864 | Musician | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Dockin, Nels | 30 | 9/6/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Ericson, Erics | 42 | 3/5/1864 | Private | died 9/9/1864 at Memphis | Private | ||
| Elmquist, John | Franconia | 36 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Fay, Charles | 44 | 8/14/1862 | Wagoner | transferred to 3rd Minnesota Battery 8/17/1864 | Wagoner | ||
| Folsom, Wyman X. | Taylors Falls | 17 | 8/15/1862 | Private | promoted Hospital Steward 8/17/1864 & transferred to Regimental Staff | Hospital Steward | |
| Fredin, Daniel | Taylors Falls | 39 | 8/15/1862 | Private | transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps | Private | |
| Getchel, James M. | 44 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Givens, Alexander | 30 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Glader, Carl | Franconia | 27 | 8/12/1862 | Private | promoted Corporal | 8/16/1865 | Corporal |
| Goff, John R. | 44 | 8/17/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 3/31/1865 | Private | ||
| Goolsbey, Ansel | 17 | 2/17/1864 | Musician | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Gray, Wm. H. | Wyoming | 30 | 8/15/1862 | Private | promoted QM Sergeant 12/31/1864 transferred to Non Commissioned Staff | Quartermaster Sergeant | |
| Guard, Erastus | Taylors Falls | 36 | 8/12/1862 | Musician | Principal Musician May 1863, transferred to Non Commissioned Staff | Musician | |
| Hayford, Gilbert | 44 | 8/14/1862 | Private | transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps 4/1/1865 | Private | ||
| Halmber, Ole H. | 32 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Herrick, Edward | 21 | 8/14/1862 | Private | died 9/16/1863 at Fort Snelling | Private | ||
| Hickerson, Joel A. | Sunrise | 27 | 8/16/1862 | Private | promoted Corporal, wounded at Tupelo | 8/16/1865 | Private |
| Hickerson, Perry D. | Sunrise | 25 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Huntley, Dennis | 20 | 8/18/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Jellison, Jeremiah F. | Taylors Falls | 28 | 8/15/1862 | Sergeant | died 8/17/1864 T Memphis | Sergeant | |
| Johnson, John S. | Franconia | 24 | 8/15/1862 | Corporal | promoted Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | Sergeant |
| Johnson, Carl | 25 | 8/10/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Johnson, Peter | Franconia | 28 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Johnson, Mons | 36 | 2/5/1864 | Private | per order | 5/10/1865 | Private | |
| Johnson, Peter H. | 23 | 9/4/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Kennedy, Lewis C. | 16 | 2/17/1864 | Musician | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Kelsey, John | Taylors Falls | 37 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 10/12/1864 at Memphis | Private | |
| King, Conrider | 33 | 8/10/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 3/25/1863 | Private | ||
| Lawton, Hiram | 19 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 10/20/1864 at Marine Mills MN | Private | ||
| Lanners, Peter | 21 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Lea, George B. | Taylors Falls | 27 | 8/15/1862 | Private | promoted Corporal | 8/16/1865 | Corporal |
| Linnel, Olof M. | Wyoming | 22 | 8/12/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 8/4/1863 | Private | |
| Lonquist, John | Franconia | 34 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Martin, Charles | Amador | 21 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Magnuson, Israel | Chisago Lake | 23 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Monson, Magnus | Wyoming | 32 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 5/8/1865 at Baton Rouge LA | Private | |
| Morton, Thomas F. | Taylors Falls | 44 | 8/16/1862 | Private | promoted Corporal, wounded at Nashville | 8/16/1865 | Corporal |
| Munger, Enos | 36 | 8/14/1862 | Private | discharged for commission as Chaplain in 62nd US Colored Infantry 3/13/1864 | Private | ||
| Norway, Wm. H. | 21 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Nelson, Daniel | Chisago Lake | 35 | 8/15/1862 | Private | Private | ||
| Nelson, Swen | Chisago Lake | 36 | 8/15/1862 | Private | discharged from hospital 8/16/1864 | Private | |
| Newman, John | 44 | 3/2/1864 | Private | died 10/23/1864 at Memphis | Private | ||
| Nilson, Nils | 37 | 8/15/1862 | Private | transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps 4/1/1865 | Private | ||
| Nilson, John G. | Chisago Lake | 18 | 8/15/1862 | Private | promoted Corporal | 8/16/1865 | Corporal |
| Nostrom, Peter | 39 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Nostrom, John E. | 19 | 2/27/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Olson, John | 38 | 8/15/1862 | absent on discharge of regiment, supposed to have been discharged | ||||
| Olson, Charles | 30 | 2/16/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Olson, Hakkan | 37 | 2/26/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Oliver, Howard F. | 21 | 8/14/1862 | Sergeant | transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps 3/26/1865 | Private | ||
| Ostrand, Hendrick | 32 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 10/16/1865 at Memphis | Private | ||
| Otis, Henry F. | 18 | 8/15/1862 | Private | wounded at Tupelo, discharged per order 6/6/1865 | Private | ||
| Palm, John | 25 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 10/21/1864 at Little Rock | Private | ||
| Persons, Simon E. | 37 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Pehrsons, Albert | Franconia | 30 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 6/22/1864 at Paducah | Private | |
| Peterson, Gust | 21 | 8/15/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 10/28/1864 | Private | ||
| Peterson, Magnus | 38 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 11/22/1864 at St. Louis | Private | ||
| Peterson, Charles | 42 | 8/15/1862 | Private | died 3/26/1865 at St. Louis | Private | ||
| Pray, Ephraim H. | 25 | 8/10/1862 | Sergeant | 8/16/1865 | Sergeant | ||
| Quimby, Hosey F. | 20 | 9/4/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Reynolds, Eli C. | Taylors Falls | 27 | 8/12/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Rhodes, James C. | 38 | 8/11/1862 | Private | promoted Asst Surgeon 1st Minnesota Mounted Rangers 11/22/1862 | Private | ||
| Richardson, Oran | Taylors Falls | 28 | 8/15/1862 | Corporal | promoted Sergeant Major, wounded and lost foot at Tupelo, discharged 4/10/11865 | Private | |
| Rosengren, Nels | 44 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Rosengren, Jr., Nels | 18 | 2/27/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Robom, Nels | 35 | 2/27/1864 | Private | discharged for disability 11/4/1864 | Private | ||
| Sakison, Carl | Chisago Lake | 44 | 8/15/1862 | Private | transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps 4/1/1865 | Private | |
| Sherquist, Af | 43 | 8/10/1862 | Corporal | died 6/29/1864 at Paducah | Private | ||
| Simons, George W. | Wyoming | 18 | 8/15/1862 | Private | killed 12/16/1864 at Nashville | Private | |
| Snell, Lucius W. | 18 | 8/12/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Stone, Herbert H. | 18 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Strom, Olof A. | 38 | 8/15/1862 | Private | discharged from hospital 8/16/1864 | Private | ||
| Strand, Peter A. | Wyoming | 18 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Smith, Andrew | Franconia | 20 | 8/15/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| St. John, John H. | 18 | 2/27/1864 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Swenson, John S. | Chisago Lake | 20 | 8/15/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 7/24/1864 | Private | |
| Tang, Frederick | Taylors Falls | 41 | 8/12/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | |
| Tallman, Stephen E. | 22 | 8/13/1862 | Private | discharged per order 5/22/1865 | Private | ||
| Thomas, Hiram M. | Taylors Falls | 39 | 8/15/1862 | Private | discharged for disability 1/9/1864 | Private | |
| Thomas, Francis | 21 | 8/14/1862 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Thayer, Allen A. | 16 | 2/17/1865 | Private | 8/16/1865 | Private | ||
| Tracy, Asa | 30 | 2/27/1865 | 8/16/1865 | ||||
| Wood, Edward H. | Wyoming | 25 | 8/15/1862 | Private | promoted QM Sergeant 12/28/1864 transferred to Non Commissioned Staff | Private |