The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-27
anxIoun to ahouldsr mu,kst. in Minnesota nrrt

anxious to shoulder muskets In Minnesotais hrst
that night claims tho honor Of being the iirst TO
volunteer for the civil war.
The city had no uniforms to give the men,
but furnished them each n blanket, n pair OF
socks, and a red flannel shirt, Those red flannel
ported the batteries OF Ricketts, and Griffin
when they were trying to hold the held In the
fact that this regiment did not retreat to WASH
ington at the close Of the battle, but the men
laid their biyouacs and went TO sleep. expecting
a renewal of the fight next day.
"1n the charge on the stone wall at Frederick
burg the First Minnesota stood fast when the
Howard said to It's commanders:
",Colonel, your First Minnesota doesn't run
Ho oso%eW X. F Irrtl MINNESOTA inc SSlG never T9P Fnns. Gen.
sofa in the battle here. and fate seems to have
travail OF Fort Sumter days, baptized at Bull
Run, and glorifed ON all the intervening. battle
Gettysburg. Many Of those wonndod at Gettys.
burg. as also some of those who came out un.
SCARED that day, were wounded In the later
had expired In 1864. a veteran battalion OF two
companies was organized from the survivors.
proper fought in thirteen battles, and the little
veteran battalion In six; which included moro
at PoicrsSafs. All together the command lost
bS4 men killed and wounded.
Now. | have enlarged my theme. OF this being
the bravest dced / ever saw. and challenge the
The claim q I'G the Light Brigade has already been
famous 'dcaih Mriie'of tho .Uhians at MARSHA.
Tour; nor OF the Sixteenth Prussian, which lost
Sssr ~ gsP Ssn!i II battalion that sa% at @ Sst,l' Which, nSh l tss
r. ffSsssSttysiTih Russian, stoSmiss iS;,iiass;
long.range rifles, lost rs per cent.
II have Also considered Mad Anthony
Revolution; Pickett's charge against the bloody
angle over there by that monument to the right
Of %,| a; o sas s,C ssaT~s Of Of I ,Ss Srs HoN!sn nIs;. and Tss the
Artillery at Petersburg, where the men fell
Ike the leaves Of a forest before q hailstorm.'
Plevna. the percentage OF losses in single bat:
ties n foreign wars not only fell below that of
tee other Federal regiments on this very bat.
tlcdeld. There were fifteen In all which lost
here over so per cont. Of their numbers in killed
were, besides the First Minnesota. the
YORK; the Twsntyifourth Michigan the FIJI.
teenth Massachusetts the Second Wisconsin,
the Eleventh New Jersey, the second New
Hampshirc. and the Nineteenth Indiana, Fed.
sral; the Third and TwSn,y;sixth North Caro-,
the Ninth and Fifteenth Georgia, Confederate.
Speaking of Confederate regiments. IL ! had
would DO that Of the Twenty-sixth North Caro-.
lima at this very battlefield on the lat and Sd OF
tietiam' sept. il. 1862. The First Texas lost a
trifie over 80 per cent. that day, but 1t was in a
long fight, u charge forward, a desperate stand.
ana a disastrous retreat under fire. 1t was also
uono with the regiment in line OF battle, sup
ported upon the right and upon tho left. The
case OF the Twenty.sixth North Carolina was un,
paralieled in its way. The loss in that case was
incurred in two days fighting. In one company
seven. The charge Of the First Maine Heavy
Artillery at Petersburg was a gallant deed. hui
it was II useless sacrifice. n loss OF rs per cent
L tnnN p rod IN ~ An inttt
lover there on Cemetery Ridge. in front OF
us and a little to the right, the Twenty .fourlh
other, and nine OF Its color bearers were killed
while attempting to uphold the flag at the
"Gettysburg had its Balaklava feature also
In the forlorn charge Of F~arnsworth's 800, who
rode to the mouth Of the cannon among tht
Top. and finally bursting through a wall OF Con
fedcrate hayonets formed across their pathway
even had her Winkelrieds, men who barred theil
breasts to the eneny's weapons in order 10 oper
n pathway for their comrades to dash through
Now / have told you the simple story of tn,
cnin pht"sss %cr.fy tEa. ~,n5crtol t"n: a n
arms. It was the gifted Edward Everett VIII,
IS she m Of Your glory. This was AS w sim
Hancock said of 1t, Hancock. tho prince o
fighters. ana. like all fighters. not a mar giveI
ognt: -
that ! must gain five minutes timo. Reinforce
ments were coming on the run. but knew tina
before they could reach the threatened point IN,
Confederates. unless checked, would seize tn,
threatened position. ! would have ordered tina
regiment in II l had known that every maj
would he killed. 1t had to be done. and l wa
glad to find such a gallant body Of men at hant
willing to make the terrible sacrifice that tn
occasion demanded
The highest personal tribute / can pay /
this: came out Of the war with the rank OF
field officer. a place near the top OF the list. bu
l would gladly surrender that commission coul,
i replace II among my lares and penates, witt
all honorable discharge as a private in the FRS
Minnesota Volunteers"