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

left Of the First Minnesota, and our regiment
mostly wearing red shirts were taken by the
enemy and by some of the Union Of
ficers at a distance for q part of the Zou-
ayes. Our line and that of the enemy were
not thirty yards apart, and the n1usketry firing
from the enemy that Immediately fol owed the
display Of the flag of the First, was feariuily de-
structive. The battery was soon disabled and
the enemy. protected BY trees, bitches and pits,
and numbering seemingly FIVE guns to our one,
poured such continuous v0lley into the ranks
of the First that the unequal combat became q
slaughter, and the regiment, after lnanfully
holding its ground, was ordered to retire when
it seemed that our whole line was giving way
The retreat was irregular for few hundred
yards. though the men stoutly contested with
the enemy every foot of ground. AT that di'-
lance the regiment was reformed and thence
forward retreated in good order, Before leav-
ing the ground the First, aided by q part of the
Fire Zouaves repulsed a charge OF the enemys
cavalry, and upon the Centreville and Manassas
road, short time after. the First again had
part in repulsing a cavalry charge. Col Cor
man reported that at one time portion Of the
right wing, under 1t. Col. Miller, became de-
tached and that at some points his regiment
and the forces of the enemy were SO intermin-
gled as scarcely to be able to tell friends from
foes, and that the First took several prisoners,
among them 1t. Col Boone, of Mississippi. an
officer of highest rank, we believe, captured by
our forces at Bull Run. The regimental flag
| was pierced in this battle with cannon bali,
two grape shots and sixteen bullets. The stea-
diness of the regiment and its retreat in good
order were noticed and cOmpiimented by Col.
Franklin in his official report. Col. Heintzel-
his report. After speaxing of his attack and
repulse upon the right wing with the Fire
Zouaves, he said: ''i'
81 then led up the Minnesota regiment, which wss
also repulsed bat retired liz good der 1t did good
service in the woods on our right flank ana was
the Third United tates Infantry" l.f-.as
In this battle the regiment was actively en-
gagged less than half an hour. Col Germans
report placed the loss of the regiment at forty
nine killed, one hundred and seven wounded
and thirty-four missing. This report was sub
sequently modified, number of men reported
| dead having turned up as prisoners in the
being considerably reduced, but we are not
| aware that any correct list of losses was ever
| made public. Capt. McKune of Company G.
| was among the killed, and Drs Stewart and
LeBoutillier and Lieut.. Welch were taken
| prisoners. tau g. f..T ..-.. .r, ..,..
August 18th one hundred and fifty recruits
were called for by the Governor to fill the First
| Regiment. 1u... lsr..5y.sf
lin Camp, Paid and Uniformed.
July 10Th, the regiment was reported in
camp near Alexandria, and as having been paid
and completely clothed in regulation uniform.
Change of Officers. i 81
| Some time after Bull Run Colonel German
was made q Brigadier General. and Captains
| Wilkin, Acker and Putnam were transferred to
| the regular army. Vacancies were filled as
| follows: i
Colonei-N. J. T. Dana. 'a-
Co. A-1st Lieut.. H G: Coates Captain; I'd Lieut..
| Chas. Zierenberg, LIST Lieutenant; Sergeant j. r.
| King, I'd Lieutenant. '..-.u.' f-a8
| Co. B-lst Lieut.. Mark W. DowLis. Captain I'd
Lieut. M T. Thomas, LIST Lieutenant; Serg ant
Louis Muller, I'd Lieutenant.
Co. C-lst Lieut. w. B Farrell, Captain Cd Lieut
Sam. Racquet lst Lieutenant; corporal W. S.
Co D-2d Lieut.. c. Smith Captain; Sergeant
Seth L. Hammond, I'd Lieutenant
Co. G-lst Lieut.. W. s. Me ok, Captain; Ser
gea.t j. j. Nc ullum, 1st Lieutenant; sergeant j.
II. Spencer, I'd Lieutenant uice Smith).
Co lid Lieut. w. b. leach, LIST Lieutenan tuice
Hayes resigned; Sergeant Hoover I'd Lieutenant.
- Edwards Ferry.
Saturday, Oct 10, 1861, the regiment was
encamped about two miles from Edward S
Ferry, with three companies on detached
| picket duty along the Potomac, from three to
seven miles below the Ferry. The remaining
| seven companies were marched by order of
| Brig. Gen German to the river bank at the
Ferry. Two companies, E and X, were sent
| across the river in fiat boats, and landed about
| dusk on the Virginia shore. After deploying
| along the shore as skirmishers. and remaining
few minutes. the two companies were re-
| called to the Maryland shore and the regiment
returned to camp. The next morning Sunday
the regiment was again marched to the Ferry
and Companies and d were first sent across
| the river and deplOyed to cover the crossing OF
the other companies By eight o'clock A. NJ.
the regiment was across and had formed
in line with two companies deployed
as skirmishers few hundred yards to the
| front. This position was retained for three
days, the detached companies joining the
main body on Monday exening. News of our
| repulse at COnrad's Ferry, few miles distant,
was received on Sunday accompanied by Or
ders to intrench the position at Edwards Fer
ry, which was done. On the night Of the 23d,
| the whole force was withdrawn to the Mary
land side. the First Minnesota remaining to
cover the crossing. But one attack was made
by the enemy upon this part of our forces,
| which was in the night, and was repulsed by
the outposts, aided by two pieces of artillery.
Company was engaged in this skirmish,
and lost one man killed and one wound
ed, the only loss of the First at Edwards
| Ferry. We have given such particular account
of this affair, so far as the First was concerned,
to show that it was selected for important SER
vice, in responsible positions; and to mention
that, even on this occasion it won the earnest
commentator of its commanding officers for
patience, courage, and orderly and disciplined
obedience. u. t. -1s
| G..te At Yorktown. -!A
The PIONEER correspondent epitomized the SER
! vice of the First in front of Yorktown as fol-
lows: .D-I.i D. -.f-,,I ..-.r.
,Our part in the eiege of Yorktown was not marked
by any important events. We were all the time
right In front of the enemy doing picket duty vii hin
range of their pickets and doing our share Of work
on the parallels, which fin lly awed the enemy into
retreat, and we were mingling in many scenes OF
excitement and danger; and while in other battal-
Ions casualti 8 occurred more or less all the time
our regiment exposes to the same situations of dan
ger, and assigned to similar poets of duty have for
tunately nothing but narrow escapes 10 rec0rd-but
| we have plenty of them" Il .l,,r.t. .t..s 4 SO
lIlt1 r4H a At West Point.
The same correspondent relstes the share of
the First in the landing and action at West
Point, where Gen. Dana's brigade had the
principal work 10 do, in few sentences:
early on the morning of the It'll tMav, 1922 we
were pushed forward to W ct Poin as last as steam
could propel us and we disc ubarked on the .Outh
| bank at the entrance of Pamunky into the YORK
river. As we landed there was lively fire Of mus
kerry and artillery which con inued while We
| marched forward and formed IN line. ready fsr any
| dorp Rr1ft ha hOQta