HISTORICAL NOTES:
The 7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry was organized at Camp Release, Fort Snelling and St. Peter, Minnesota on August 16 to October 30, 1862. It mustered out on August 16, 1865 at St. Paul, Minnesota.
The 7th Minnesota Infantry suffered 2 officers and 31 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 138 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 171 fatalities.
OFFICERS:
Colonel Stephen Miller – August 24, 1862, to November 6, 1863.
Colonel William Rainey Marshall – November 6, 1863, to August 16, 1865.
ASSIGNMENTS:
(Co. "D" at Fort Abercrombie August, 1862, to July, 1863.) Sibley's Campaign against Sioux Indians in Minnesota August 20-November 14, 1862 (Cos. "A," "B," "F," "G" and "H"). March to relief of Fort Ridgly August 24-28. Action at Birch Cooley September 3. Engagement at Wood Lake September 23. At Camp Release September 26. Frontier duty in Minnesota at Mankato and other points until May, 1863. March to Camp Pope at mouth of Redwood River May 30. Sibley's Expedition against hostile Indians in Dakota June 16-September 12. Actions at Big Mound, Dakota Territory. July 24. Dead Buffalo Lake July 26. Stony Lake July 28. Moved to St. Louis, Mo., October 7-11, and duty there until April 20, 1864. Attached to Dept. of Missouri, District of St. Louis, October, 1863, to April, 1864. Paducah, Ky., Dept. of the Tennessee, to June, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to December, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division (Detachment), Army of the Tennessee, Dept. of the Cumberland, to February, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps (New), Military Division West Mississippi, to August, 1865.
SERVICE:
Companies A, B, F, G, and H marched to relieve the embattled Fort Ridgely. They saw action at the Battle of Birch Coulee and at the Battle of Wood Lake in September. Following the surrender of the Sioux, the Seventh spent the winter in Minnesota. The next summer, they accompanied Colonel Henry Sibley against the native peoples in Dakota Territory. They fought in the Battle of Big Mound in July, 1863. They returned to Minnesota to be sent south to St Louis in October for the winter. Once spring arrived, the regiment moved east to Paducah, Kentucky. From there, it headed south into Tennessee and by the end of June were in northern Mississippi. In July, they fought Confederate forces in the Battle of Tupelo. They pursued Sterling Price but did not engage his troops. They arrived in Nashville that winter and contributed to the Union victory at the Battle of Nashville. After the battle, they moved further south into Alabama for the Battle of Spanish Fort, one of the last battles on the Western theater. The war ended and by July the Seventh was heading north for home. The Regiment was mustered out in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 16, 1865.
ROSTERS:
The composite rosters of this unit contains the names of 1585 men.
Company A - Rice County
Company B - Winona County
Company C - Chisago County and Washington County
Company D - Winona County
Company E - Fillmore County
Company F - Dakota County
Company G - Goodhue County
Company H - Sibley County and Ramsey County
Company I - Stearns County, Morrison County and Benton County
Company K - Germany and assorted states
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources 1998. E491D992. A concise summary of each regiment's service.
Fridley, Russell, editor. Charles E. Flandrau and the Defense of New Ulm. New Ulm, MN: Brown County Historical Society, 1962. 62 p. F6l4N4F7.
Jennison, Samuel P. "The Illusions of a Soldier." In Glimpses of the Nation's Struggle (MOLLUS, MN, Vol. 1). St. Paul, MN: St. Paul Book & Stationary Co, 1887. pp. 369-80 (7 photocopied pages). E464M5.1991v26.
Jorgenson, Wayne. Minnesota in the Civil War: A Photographic Legacy. Military Images
(May/Jun 2008): p. 29. Per.
Minnesota. Board of Commissioners on Publication of History of Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars. Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars. Vol. 1. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources 1998. Unit history and roster.
Wakefield, Larry. "Volunteer's Tour of Duty." [Henry McConnell] Military History (Apr l989): pp. 42-49 (8 photocopied pages). Per.
REFERENCES:
HISTORICAL NOTES: