The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-07-29

i1 mcu sirlng way around them. 20 lbsi 10
., Honsrt the little phalsnI sss astnsll.
= svsllowsd ar 10 the rAuts Of tue enemy
u sIactly as When, 81 BslAklsss. ssaflfit
,s Three Hundted Hssviss rode uto ID,
.e sold squ.arou Of 8. 600 Russian cavalry
i The Coni.dersis, wets broushi to bal
. By sheer sslou.hmeni al the rslor o
U the hltle tsud OF bluseCsia Th'
e Minutsuisns gave the snsny their hrst 70
ley At arms length asd 10 resoilins from
Il that sol haltiug t. close ranks the imp'
= tus Of WileoIs line vas fatally broken.
J, Before " ilcor could rally bic mer Han
a cocks fresh b.tterie. on the risht snd the
o left were at work upon him. His support
0 srs wsndsrod away 10 the confusion and
/: meanwhile Hsnoocks reinforcement came
10 the seem, ending the terrible crisis on
. Cemetery Ridge
g But The Frst Minnesota vas gone,
! O0ly forty seven men came back with
, their rsgimeutal Gag and the captured
! Coairdefate oolors, Fifty air we're dead
or dying there on the held and three times
that uumhsr we're lying wounded or drsgg
ing themselves b ok to the sheltsr OF the
battery seved by their vslor. Now the
Light Brgode los, more heavily in prison
ers than il did in killed aud wounded,
uut 10 ihls affair OF the Minnesotsns not
one was missing, not one wounded, not
one lodged the ordeal and left the rsnks,
| Forty seven heroes marched back TO the
ridge, aud the blood marks OF OoDisder
ate shot wore the certificates 10 scocunt
for the absence OF 2l5 brave men left be
hind
Are you from Minnesots Cooneli said
q listener,
No retorted the Colonel. nsV,r was In |
that ststs even. This incident, told in
bare outline, BECAME my stock story OF
the brsyest deed | ever saw. Qacs, one
Of my auditors called me down, saying
ths, be had had two brothers In the First
Minnesota and had never heard then
speak Of making the desperate charge as
described by me- His words aroused my
indignation, for could [ OF doubt my own
senses. So Iset to work to prove it by
official evidence aud IL was sill so isscins
ting that kept Oh until have become I
something ola crank on American valor. /,
consulted the United States muster '
rolls Of the First Minn,sota and verified q
them by those in tho Adjutsnt Generals &
office at st, Paul; also the m rning report
Of the companies Tor July 2, 1868. There /,
| found the names OF the killed aud o
wounded in that memorable charge and t
copied them ass souvenir oil the most 0
glorious bit OF vslor | ever witnessed, II
The names show spriukling OF foreigners G.
% the ranks, Scsndinavisns. Germans and
Irishmsn. but the majority were young
sllows from eighteen to twenty five years
md born on American soil.
The m ost Of IL. So killed and the same
IAN be said Of the wounded, had been 81
previously wounded in some OF the desper "
tie battles OF the Army OF the Potomac.
or this was not mere chance sfair OF al
he First Minnesota. II was . regiment te
With history before it broke oil records
N the field Of destiny. Gen. Ramsey OF re
Minnesota was in Washington when the
lispatch csms On April IL, 1861, that ly
hsjor Anderson was 10 evseusts Fort
,nmp,sr the next day. and be immediate to
y rendered 1000 men to uphold the flag ir
lincoln acceptei the offer before be 10
rote ont the call for rs, 900 volunteers.
Ibis was wired to st. Paul and during pl
iundsy, April Ia. the city was thronged
nth patriots anxious to shoulder N uskets N
q Mlnnesots's fret regiment. Ons oi be
hem who signed his papers that night
lsins the honor OF being the frat volun ".
ser OF the Civil War wi
The city had no uniforms TO give the
zen, but furnished them each a blanket, cls
pair OF socks and red flannel shirt. hs
hose red flannel shirts flashed out on ar,
Ic L4oth tbc AatuIJ Nv
un, where the Mnnesotans supported fec
1e batteries OF Ricketts, and Griffin when
ley were trying to hold the field n the he
ICE OF Stonewsll J.ckson's Brigade. II
. fact that this regiment did not retreat an,
, Washington at the close OF the battle,
ut the men bivouaced and went to sleep, vii
ipectlng = renewal OF the light next Cay.
Ia the charge on the stone wall at Fred for
the First Minnesota stood fast tai
hen the regiments on its right and left eft
I'VE way. Ger. Howard said to in com
ander:
Colonel, your First Minnesota doesa's
~,
Somewb bat tsrtiy. the Colonel replied sl
en Howard. the First Minnesota never me
Ius hst
This regiment was the ouly one from any
10 the battle here and fate dul
ems to have selected her first born, the pie
lid OF the awful ,raysil Of Fort Sumpter ssil
.ys, Baptized at Bull Run aud elofined Thi
sll the intervening bsttle6slds OF the vh
,tomse, to be immertsliIsd st Gettys il
lrg Many OF those wound-d st Gettys "sh
Irg ss also some OF those who came out big
iscsrrsd ths, day. we're wouLded In the and
ier battles And after the term OF the cat
: linen, had expired 10 1864 'eiersn strS
tsllion Of two companies was Organized der
IN the survivors, and It served until Ap is Q
,msttoI. A
The regiment proper fought in 10 bs. the
s and the little veteran bsttslion 10 siI, sha
lich included more than 200 days passed gan