Timeline
• • •A chronological timeline of events for the 1st Minnesota during the Civil War beginning on April 12th, 1861.
1861
Apr 12
Confederates open fire on Fort Sumter.
In Washington, Governor Alexander Ramsey pledges 1000 Minnesota troops to President Lincoln, the first troops pledged.
Apr 15
President Lincoln calls for 75,000 troops.
Apr 27
The ten companies of the 1st Minnesota report to Fort Snelling.
Jun 22
The 1st leaves for Washington D.C., arriving on June 26.
Jul 21
The 1st sees combat at the Battle of Bull Run. One of the last regiments to leave the battlefield, the 1st suffered the highest casualties of any Union regiment with 48 killed, 83 wounded, 23 wounded and missing, and 30 missing.
Oct 21
The 1st is lightly engaged at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff.
1862
Apr 5-May 4
Engaged at the Siege of Yorktown
May 31-Jun 1
Companies H, K, and D were sent in as reinforcements at the Battle of Fair Oaks while the remainder of the regiment delivered enfilading fire.
Jun 29
The 1st defended the Union left flank at the Battle of Savage Station.
Jul 9
President Lincoln visits the 1st while they were camped at Harrison’s Landing.
Aug 28-Sep 2
The 1st covers the Union retreat at the Second Battle of Bull Run, covering 65 miles in four days.
Sep 17
The 1st, down to 435 men, on the right of the Union line, charged through the West Woods at the Battle of Antietam, coming under heavy fire which resulted in 15 killed, 79 wounded, and 21 missing. The 1st retired under good order unlike other regiments.
Dec 11-15
The 1st enters Fredricksburg. They took the town through the night and took fire during the next few days as the Battle of Fredricksburg raged on.
1863
May 3-5
The 1st was involved in a secondary role at the Battle of Chancellorsville where they guarded pontoon bridges and dug entrenchments.
Jul 2-3
The 1st‘s signature act took place during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg when, at the order of General Hancock and under the leadership of Colonel William Colvill, they charged 1600 Confederate troops who threatened to split the Union line.
Taking heavy casualties (of 262 men available, 215 were killed, wounded or missing as a result of the charge), the 1st delayed the Confederate advance enough for Union reinforcements to fill the gap and save the day for the Union. On July 3rd the 1st, positioned on the point of the Angle, faced the brunt of Pickett’s charge, suffering an additional 64 killed and 224 wounded.
Aug 15-Sep 6
The 1st is sent to New York City to help keep order after the draft riots. The heroes of Gettysburg were celebrities in Williamsport in Brooklyn where they were stationed.
Oct 14
The 1st’s last engagement is the Battle of Bristow Station. They were to lead an attack on Confederate entrenchments. The attack was called off, much to the relief of all, at the end of the day.
1864
Feb 6
The 1st is honored at a banquet, attended by both the Vice-President and the Secretary of War, at the National Hotel in Washington D.C. The next day the regiment headed home to Minnesota.
Apr 28
The final parade at Fort Snelling before they are mustered out. Some went on to form the First Battalion Infantry Minnesota Volunteers.
To mark the 25th Anniversary of Ken Burns’ magnificent film The Civil War, PBS is rebroadcasting it over five nights.
Following the completion of the research and story development phase of the project, we have been quietly working behind the scenes to complete the fund raising needed to finish production of the film.
This Sunday, No More Gallant a Deed will be featured as part of a Minnesota National Guard ceremony preceding the Twins game at Target Field.
On the evening of Thursday, October 11th, a gathering of Civil War stakeholders in Minnesota was held at the James J. Hill House in St. Paul.
Recently I had occasion to visit La Crosse, Wisconsin. An evening soiree on behalf of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy was held on sightseeing pontoon boat. 
Last week, Bill Semans, Director of No More Gallant a Deed, and I travelled to Rochester and Winona to speak to their Civil War Roundtables. 
It was a time before newsreels. It was a time before the 24-hour news cycle. There were no battlefield photos from previous wars to be seen. 
Charlie Goddard was born in Pennsylvania May 14, 1845 to Catherine and Abner Goddard. He was the only child of nine that survived childhood.
Edward Bassett was just 19 when he was mustered into Company G of the 1st Minnesota on April 29, 1861 as a private. His family moved west, settling in Morristown, Minnesota in the south central part of the state.
Mathew Marvin was born on September 21, 1838 in Connaston, New York. In 1859 at the age of 19, Matthew moved to Winona, Minnesota where he worked as a clerk for J. J. Randall & Co, a leather goods store. 
Samuel was born in Brookline, Vermont on April 30, 1830. Upon reaching his majority, he travelled quite extensively and worked at a variety of occupations before purchasing a farm near Winona, Minnesota in the fall of 1856. 