Volunteers

For many years, and many wars, the United States military was composed primarily of volunteer formations. The tradition dates back to the days when we were still colonies of the British Crown. Some National Guard units today still claim that their lineage can be traced back to militia regiments raised for service during the American Revolution, such as Company A of the 69th Infantry Regiment (New York National Guard) or the 115th Infantry Regiment (Maryland National Guard).

Some of the more well known units, in addition to the "Fighting 69th" are 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (better known as the Rough Riders), or the Texas Rangers (which were originally informal groups of volunteers before they became a formal group). To Civil War buffs, there are such famous units as the Irish Brigade, Louisiana Tigers, Hood's Texas Division and the Iron Brigade. Perhaps the best known of the Civil War units, at least recently, has been the 20th Maine for it stands on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Not getting nearly their due is the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Raised on April 27, 1861. It was one of the first to arrive in Washington D.C. as part of Lincoln's call for volunteers to put down the rebellion and prevent the south from seceding from the Union. By the time of July 2, 1863, it had served at virtually every major battle as part of the Army of the Potomac. On the morning of July 2, Colonel William Colvill lead 262 men of the regiment which had been assigned to Harrow's Brigade, 2nd Division of the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac. As the fighting on the flanks developed of the Union position, the 1st Minnesota was being held as part of the II Corps' reserve force.

Lee had sent Longstreet to attack the Union left. Attacking in echelon, desperate fighting was taking place on the Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Devil's Den starting in the late afternoon. The lack of coordination in the Army of Northern Virginia's attack was now starting to work for the Confederates. With so much of the Union center being used to reinforce the flanks, Cemetary Ridge was being held with only a handful of troops. A.P. Hill's III Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was driving the battered remnants of Brigadier Humphrey's division back, threatening to rupture the Union line.

Reinforcements were on the way, but at just after 6:30p.m., the only troops left were Colvill and his Minnesotans. Charging towards the gap were the 1,800 men of Wilcox's Alabama Brigade (part of Hill's III Corps). Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, commander of the II Corps, had to commit his last available reserve. He would later state,

“I had no alternative but to order the regiment in. We had no force on hand to meet the sudden emergency. Troops had been ordered up and were coming on the run, but I saw that in some way five minutes must be gained or we were lost. It was fortunate that I found there so grand a body of men as the First Minnesota. I knew they must lose heavily and it caused me pain to give the order for them to advance, but I would have done it (even) if I had known every man would be killed. It was a sacrifice that must be made. The superb gallantry of those men saved our line from being broken. No soldiers on any field, in this or any other country, ever displayed grander heroism.”

Riding to Colonel Colvill, Hancock asked, pointing to a mass of men (most likely either the 9th or 14th Alabama Infantry Regiments), "Do you see those colors?" Colvill answered he could. Hancock ordered "Then take them!"

Outnumbered 6 to 1, Colvill did not hesitate. The 1st Minnesota charged into the flank of the oncoming Wilcox's Brigade. To left of Wilcox's Brigade, Perry's Florida Brigade stopped, trying to counter the Minnesotans charge. Now the 1st Minnesotans were taking on more than 2500 Confederates, nearly 9 to 1 odds, and plugging the gap in the Union lines.

As the charge went, the lead elements of the reinforcements, Willard's Brigade of New Yorkers as well as a regiment of Massachusetts infantry, were beginning to arrive and take the Confederates under fire. Meanwhile, the Minnesotans were taking casualties as they moved against the Alabama regiments. Halting his men about fifty yard from the Wilcox's Brigade, Colvill ordered a volley by the remnants of his regiment. Confused by the sudden appearance of the Minnesotans, Wilcox's Brigade haphazardly returned fire, the second line of Confederates apparently fired into the first. The 1st Minnesota was now taking fire from three directions as they pressed home their charge with bayonets.

Colvill fell, a bullet in his shoulder. Three color bearers went down in succession. For approximately 15 minutes, the small Minnesota regiment continued its suicidal attack on the Alabamans. Willard's Brigade had moved up into position now. Humphrey's Division had rallied under Hancock's direction and was re-entering the fight.With each moment that the Minnesotans continued, the Confederate opportunity to rupture the line slipped away. First Wilcox's Brigade began to fall back, followed by Perry's.

As the reinforcements re-established the line, the 1st Minnesota began to reform. Of the 262 that had charged into the Confederates, 215 of them were, or 82% of the regiment's strength, killed or wounded. The 47 survivors reformed around its senior surviving officer, a captain. They had not captured the flag which Hancock had demanded of them, but their charged had held the line long enough.

Despite the horrendous losses it suffered, the 1st Minnesota was not finished. The next day they were still on Cemetery Ridge when Pickett's Charge began. In the fighting to repel Pickett's Division, Private Marshall Sherman of the 1st Minnesota's Company C captured the colors of the 28th Virginia Infantry. The flag is still held by the State of Minnesota, despite attempts by Congress and the State of Virginia to reclaim it. Minnesota's position can be best be summed up by their former governor when Jesse Ventura stated, "Tell them (Virginia) to come and get it... We won the flag. To the victors goes the spoils."



A quick note about numbers. For many years, the strength of 1st Minnesota on July 2 has been listed as 262 men. However, more recent reviews of the numbers indicates that there may have been 330 men. The number of dead has remained, as far as I can see, the same. Whether it be 82% or 65% (or the odds being 7 to 1), the outcome was the same. The Union line held. The Army of the Potomac would go on to defeat Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and drive him forever on to the defensive.

The 1st Minnesota's monument still stands on the field at Gettysburg where they made their charge.