The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-13
CITY NEWS.
OLD FIRST CAME
JUST 40 YEARS AGO
MONDAY THE ANNIVERSARY OF
/, THE REGIMENTS RETURN.
Out of Nearly 1900 Men Who Had
Gone With 1t Into Service, Only $50
Remained-Big celebrations We're
Held by Minnesota Cities.

Forty years ago Monday the famous
fighting First Minnesota reached st.
Paul at the end of what proved to be
the last active campaign in which the
first regiment of the United States
volunteer service participated in the
civil war.
The small remnant of the regiment
which was the first in the United
States to answer President Lincoln's
call to arms, and the second to ar
rive in Washington after the Balti-
more riot, which went into the war
with 1,O40 men, received some 400 re-
cruits, marched into Washington again
Feb. 6, 1864, with $50 men. 1t had
won undying fame on the fields Of
Gettysburg, Bull Run, Balls Bluff
Yorktown, West Point Fair Oaks,
Peach Orchard Savage Station, White
Oak Swamp, Nelson's Farm, Malvern
Hill, South Mountain. Antietam,
Sharpsburg, Charlestown, Ashby's
Gap, Fredericksburg. twice fought
Glendale, Bristow Station and Chan
tilly.
OF these $50 who had lived to see
the beginning of the great regiments
official end, 800 sat down that night
to a banquet prepared for them at the
National hotel in Washington. Ar
rangements had been made by Igna-
LUIS OOIlIlelly, senator WILKINSON, Md
jor Baxter and others of the Mime
sofa colony in Washington which did
its best properly to welcome the re-
turn Of the proud old First
Members Of the cabinet were guests
at that banquet and men great in ma
tional affairs, civil and military, united
in praise of the old First's gallant
work in the field. Former Governor
William Window, Secretary of State
Stanton, Vice President Hannibal
Hamlin, Ignatius Donnelly and many
yet forgotten paid eloquent tribute to
the Fighting First"
-. Home by Stage.
On Monday, Feb. 8, the regiment
was paid off and started on it's jour-
ney to the home state with such sick
and wounded officers and men as
could travel. At. Chicago it was
handsomely entertained and the regi-
ment arrived at La Crosse on Feb. H..
This was the end of railroad trans
portation, so far as Minneapolis and
st. Paul were concerned, SO the veter-
ans proceeded up the river by stage
Sleigh
The people Of Reeds Landing, Wa
basha, Red Wing and Hastings We'd
with each other in efforts to give 1.-The
boys a rousing reception and when
the regiment finally reached st. Paul
on the afternoon of Feb. Is it was to
participate in q parade and banquet
such as the northwest had not seen
before. Governor Stephen Miller,
General Sibley, the mayor and city
council, the fire department and hun
dreds Of prominent citizens of the then
young sanity city marched in the pa
rade which started from the foot of
Rosabel street and stopped at the old
Atheneum, where an elaborate BAN
quet finished a day and a night of
general rejoicing.
Many Enlisted Again.
At the time the regiment left Wash
ington it was supposed that the gov
eminent would soon recall it to active
service, and the people Of st. Anthony,
Minneapolis and Saltwater lost no time
in continuing the reception begun In
st. Paul. But the regiment remained
in the state and while some Of the
men re-enlisted the regiment as an
organization was mustered out at Fort
Smelling April 20, 1854.
This week Is therefore in q way the
fortieth anniversary of the close of
as honorable career as it was the for
tune Of any regiment to make during