The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-19

pany F, who volunteered at the call of our
General, to clear the way with the bayouet in |
case opposition should be offered to on: pass
age; and who, being thus detached from the |
regiment, were deplOyed in front of General |
Sedgwick's command, as skirmishers and were |
among the first to enter the enemy's works, /
and continued the whole day in advance kill |
Ing wounding, and taking numbers of the en- |
envy, fortunately without the loss of q man on
their part.
THE total loss ofthe regiment during the en-,
gagement, was but nine men, all wounded,
none Of them fatally. while marching from the
town to the enemy's left, at the river. A list
of the names is herewith subjoined four of
them being now present for duty. "tlN
''No public property has been lost or aban,
doned by this command since the march com.
menced" afh e"ol 9af
~, Battle OF Gettysburg 0
20 On Sunday evening June 14th, the regiment
4 left Falmouth to follow Lee into Maryland.
There were no particular incidents Of the
! march, save at Haymarket, where the regiment
! was shelled; one man was wounded and Col.
4 Colville had his horse killed under him. At
noon of the 26th they crossed the Potomac,
a and on the LIST of July arrived at Gettysburg.
On the I'd, at three o'clock in the morning,
n they were ordered into position in the 'front.'
/, and were under severe artillery fire until about
five O'Clock, but were not actively engaged At
back by the enemy in some confusion, the enc
my following in heavy force. To check the
enemy the First Minnesota was ordered to adr
vance, which they did at double quick, down
hill right upon the rebel line. They here en-
'countered aterrible fire, and although they in
ficted severe chastisement upon the enemy, it
was with the loss in killed and woun1ed of
more than two-thirds of the men engaged.
Col. Colville was shot through the shoulder
and foot; the command devolved upon Lieut..
Col. Adams, but he had scarcely given an or
der before he was shot through the chest and
assumed command, but was almost inn
mediately shot down on the spot, and the
command devolved upon Captain Messick, the
senior Captain. Here Captain Muller OF Com
pany E, and Lieut.. Earrar of Company I, were
killed; Capt. Periam Of Company K. MORALLY
clair. Company 3, Demsrest, Company =, De
Gray Company G, and Boyd, Company 1, were
severely wounded. Lieut.. Demarest subse
quently died of his wounds. Companies +. G
and not being engaged here did not suffer
severely on this days fight. In speaking of
this fight correspondent says the enemy
charged upon this portion of our line with an
immense column, and with fearful impetuosity.
Our forces did not stand to receive this charge,
but they rushed forward with fixed boyonets
to meet it, pouring into the foe destructive
fire of muskery as they advanced. At hrst the
gered and fell back, and thus the field was won
BY us for the first day.
At daybreak the next morning the battle was
renewed on the right AMI left of the line, and
about ten o'clock opened on the centre, where
the First Regiment was posted, most terrible
fire of artillery, which continued without in
PERMISSION until three o'clock p. M, when
heavy columns of the enemys infantry were
| thrown suddenly forward against our regi-
ment's position. They marched resOlutely liz
the face of whitening fire up to their line and
! succeeded in planting their colors on one OF
their batteries. They held it but moment, as
the First Regiment with others of their division
| rushed upon them-the colors of the Minnesota
| regiment in advanee-and retoOk the battery,
capturing nearly the entire rebel force who re-
| NAMED alive. The regiment took about 500
prisoners. Several stands of rebel colors were
| here taken. Private Marshall Sherman of
! Company c. captured the colors OF the 18th
| Virginia.
| The entire regiment except company L.,
| (Sharpshooters) were in this fight, and its
| losses again were very severe. Capt. Messick,
while gallantly leading the regiment, was killed
early, and Capt. Coates, of company A, took
! command. Capt. w. B. Farrell, company c.,
was mortally wounded and died soon after.
! Lieut. Mason, company D, received three Sc
we're wounds and Lieuts. Harmon, company
| C, Heffelfnger, company ID, and May, COM
pany B. were also wounded. The enemy sui
| fered severely, and commenced their retreat.
| In this battle the First Minnesota was in the
second corps of the Army of the Potomac,
command ID by Gen. Hancock, which sustained
| nearly the whole brunt of the tremendous CON-
! fict on Meades left centre. They were in the
veteran division of Gen. Gibbon, and their
brigade, composed of the pick d men of the
! army, was commanded BY Gen: Harrow.
| We have no room for many incidents of gal
lantry which occurred on the field. Color ser
seant Z. P. Perkins, and two of the color
| guard successfully bearing the flag, were
| wounded in Thursdays fight. On Friday Cor
poral Dehn of Company A, (the last of the
| color guard. when close upon the enemy, was
! shot through the hand. and the flag staff cut in
two; corporal Henry ID. O'Brien, of Company
E. Instantly seized the flag by the remnant of
the staff. and waving it over his head rushed
right up to the muzzles of the enemy's mus
kets. Nearly at the moment of victory he too
was wounded in the hand. but the flag was in
stantly grasped by corporal W. N. Irvine, of
Company ID. who still carries it's tattered rem
nants.
No. N m engaged in battle Of Gettysburg 1875
Number reported as absent sick" -. 49,. 101
Number detached service. .................. 81
TOel.. 4S9
Whole No. men killed or who have died ~ . 60
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. PIT
Leaving men belonging to the regiment in all. .979
There were nc missing, and none taken pris.
'oners. ,i~do[-- .iu.U u 90 n3'
After this battle, the regiment, under CON-
n,aud of Captain Coates, followed Gen. Lee
across the Potomac, and in a short time were
Fear their old quarters on the Orange and Alex
andria Railroad and the Rappahannock and par
iicinated in many sharp skirmishes. We find
nothing however. of great importance in the
history of the regiment here, until the
Rattle of BristOT station.