The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-12-18

Samuel Bloomer writes an interesting
senger in which he gives what is believ'
ed to be correct account of how the
colors of the First Minnesota Regiment
were saved. The article has local in
terest for the reason that Mr.. Bloomel
speaks of George Burgess, a brother OF
Captain S. w. Burgess of this city:
l was very much interested in a re-
cent article published in The st. Pau
Dispatch in reference to having the his
toric flag of the Old First Minnesota
Volunteer Infantry present at the flu
neral of our comrade, E. p. Perkins
company d, who was bearer "of the same
old flag" from the battle of Antietam
Sept. Ii, 1862, to the battle of Gettys-
burg, July I'd, 1868, where the gallant
Perkins, with several others, went down
under its folds. Under these circum-
stances, I think it right and proper that
the sacred old relic should accompany
one of it's old bearers to his last rest
ing place, though ordinarily 1 should
emphatically oppose it's removal from
the present safe deposit.
But, as my mind wanders back to the
beautiful morning of Sept. II, 1862, (for-
ty-one years ago) l see Summers Second
corps, after fording Antietam creek
forming a line of battle with Sedgwick's
! division on the right-Gorman's brigade
on the right of division and the first
Minnesota on the extreme right. The
line advanced through corn and wheat
fields, over which Hooker had been fight
ing since early morning, and where the
dead and wounded of both sides were
struggle that had taken place there.
Over the Sharpsberg and Hagerstown
turnpike "filled with dead and wounded
Rebs," we went into and through the
west woods and were finally halted at
the edge of the woods by a rail fence and
facing a cornfeld in which the enemy
were, and ready to dispute our further
advance. In fact, they succeeded so well
that the right of our line was forced
back about half mile. 1t was here in
this advanced position and before the
| line fell back that L received my dis
charge from the regiment, in the shape
of minnie messenger which put me out
of active service.
/ 1t was here that Oscar German was
killed and while falling back, j. CORN
! dry was killed and A. G. Hospes taken
prisoner. When l fell l handed the flag
to Corporal E. P. Perkins, who was then
member of my color guard, and he
carried it up to and into the battle of
Gettysburg, where he, too, was wounded
as also were Fl. d. OBrien, company d,
j. d. Densmore, company B, and three
others whose names 1 have forgotten
that carried the flag during that event.
, Iul III Ol July, louA.
Perhaps you can imagine my feelings,
when l think that at the present time,
as far as l know 1 am the only one
( living of nine men that constituted the
color guard, viz: Zone sergeant and
eight corporals," that went into action
at Savage Station, June 10Th, 1862, in
which action George Burgess, color ser
geant, and George J.. Smith were killed
and one other wounded. 1t was in this
battle that the writer got the colors.
1t was here also that an incident oc-
CURED that nearly deprived the First
Minnesota of its colors, and might have
in a measure dimmed its record, for the
loss of regimental colors is always a
severe blow to the regiment, no matter
what the record may be.
The following communication which
was published some years ago shows how
near the colors of the First Minnesota
went to Richmond instead of coming
back with the regiment. 1t will also
come as somewhat of a surprise to
! many of the survivors las few knew of
the absence of their colors;) in fact, it
was considerable of a surprise to the
writer to get back into the line of blue
from the gray with it and without be-
ing filled full of lead. But we got "dar''
all the same. Following is the article
referred to:
I have just read in The Picket Guard
of April l6, 1883, your interesting ac-
count of the battle of Savage Station,
and the part that the First Minnesota
took therein. The account is very cor
rect l think in the main feature, but in
some of the minor or personal matters
errors appear, one of these I desire to
correct. "When the charge was made,
the color guard believing that the order
was for general advance, moved for
ward, and Sergeant Sam Bloomer, the
bearer was shot through the leg and it
was amputated." A portion of this
paragraph is wrong, and 1 desire to cor
rect it. First, Sam. Bloomer was not
then sergeant and not bearer of the
flag. Second, he was not shot through
the leg, and it was not amputated then,
as stated in naraoraph or he could not