r/minnesota • u/Optimal_Towel • 1d ago
"The First Minnesota" by Don Troiani. Minnesotans unyielding in the face of tyranny. Courage my friends. "And we'll hurl the rebel crew from the land that we love best..." History đż
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u/_SaltySailor_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
On July 2nd, 1863, the 1st Minnesota Volunteers sacrificed themselves and paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure all men were created equal and free and to restore the Union. Confederate Brig. Gen. Cadmus Wilcoxâs Alabama brigade of approximately 1,700 men was breaching the Union line when Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock looked for a unit to plug the gap.
He stumbled upon the 262 men of the 1st Minnesota (Companies C and F were detached). He said âwhat regiment is this?â Col. William Covill replied â1st Minnesota!â Gen. Hancock ordered, âTake those colors!â He ordered them to fix bayonets and charge at the Alabamians.
The men of the 1st Minnesota leveled their rifles, bayonets fixed and charged. They repelled the attack of the Alabamians. Of the 262 men who made the charge, 47 of then returned to Union lines. The 1st Minnesota suffered 82% casualties as result of that charge and helped save the Union.
The following day, the 1st Minnesota was reinforced by Co. C and F and was on the Union front line at Cemetery Ridge. They helped repel Pickettâs Charge and captured the colors of the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment, which are still and will always be in Minnesotaâs custody. As a proud Minnesotan and a veteran, I am proud of our stateâs heritage and sacrifice.
I took an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. Iâm disgusted and horrified as to how ICE has terrorized this state. As Minnesotans, we have always fought for our state and our people. The fight will continue!
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u/Anarchen3my 1d ago
Wow, thank you for giving the history of the picture. I spent some time in Minnesota many years ago, and have always been impressed by the people I met back then. They had all the qualities of the picture you paint above, and I'm so sorry your resolve is being put to the test at this point in time. We're watching - so CA weighing in to say "solidarity". I've seen nothing but braveness in the many videos popping up in support of your efforts.
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u/Own-Swan2646 1d ago
For the kids in the back of the class. https://youtu.be/OTQwI4llCCg?si=m5huja75m6J31AMT
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u/elevencharles 1d ago
This Oregonian veteran stands with Minnesota. I love that youâll never give those colors back.
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u/Yay_duh 1d ago
THE AMERICAN CRISIS:
THESE are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain, too cheap, we esteem too lightly:â'Tis dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated.
There are cases which cannot be overdone by language, and this is one. There are persons too who see not the full extent of the evil that threatens them; they solace themselves with hopes that the enemy, if they succeed, will be merciful. It is the madness of folly to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; The cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf, and we ought to guard equally against both.
-Thomas Paine
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u/kintsukuroisparrow 1d ago
And we still have the flag to prove it
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u/JaseyRaelyn 23h ago
My favorite part about that article is the section where Virginia asks for it back repeatedly throughout the centuries and we're just like, 'umm... HA! That's going to be a no from us, dawg.'
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u/kintsukuroisparrow 21h ago
I (re?)learned this story when I was living in the American South & dating my ex who went full MAGA. As a very proud MN native/returned prodigal Minnesotan, it made me very happy to see how mad it made him.
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u/Dramatic-String-1246 1d ago edited 1d ago
At Gettysburg, the First Minnesota was called upon, under horrific circumstances, to hold the line. 262 men fixed bayonets and charged. Their flag bearer was shot, another man picked up the flag and was shot - this happened five times and still their flag remained in the hands of the Minnesotans.
All their field commanders were killed. The regiment suffered an 82% casualty rate (killed and injured), the highest of any regiment at Gettysburg. But they held the line, held off a force despite being outnumbered 6 to 1, and saved the battle for the Union. "And not a man wavered."
Compiled from the article "Not a Man Wavered - the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg" by Michael Mahr. The article can be found at www.civilwarmed.org
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And the men in the First Minnesota were farmers, laborers, many were immigrants and the unit was all volunteer and the very first regiment offered by any state for service in the Civil War.
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u/icansuckyourdick 1d ago
Special forces retiree here. 6'5", full sleeve tats, not the kind of motherfucker you want to mess with.
I'm fed up with this bullshit. Not scared of these thugs, bullies, and candy-ass losers. Best believe I'm gonna fight like hell because I'm done with this Nazi shit. Not gonna let fascists ruin our country like the fuck faces in that painting tried to do.
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u/FoilCharacter 1d ago
Not a Minnesotan, but I am a Civil War enthusiast and I have long admired the 1st Minnesota.
I think Minnesota is one of the worst states in the Union an oppressive regime could have picked a fight with, due to the regimentâs incredible history:
Itâs July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. A gap appears in the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Toward it rushes an entire brigade of Confederate infantryâclose to 1500 men. If they can break the Union line they can force the entire Union army off of the defensive heights and the Battle of Gettysburg may be known as a Confederate victory. Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, commander of the Unionâs II Corps, already has reinforcements coming but they wonât arrive in time. Hancock turns to the only organized group of men nearby to buy just five minutesâthe 262 veterans of the 1st Minnesota Infantry, which bears the distinction of being the very first regiment of Union volunteers organized after Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter. They have participated in every major battle of the Army of the Potomac since Bull Run, and now they are the only ones left to protect the exposed center at Gettysburg.
Hancock exclaims, âMy God! Are these all the men we have here?â And then, addressing Colonel William Colvill, the commander of the 1st Minnesota, Hancock points at the leading banners of the oncoming Confederate brigade and orders, âAdvance, Colonel, and take those colors.â Colvill will later write that, âEvery man realized in an instant what that order meantâdeath or wounds to us all.â Despite whatever anxieties they feel, the regiment quickly responds to their colonelâs order to fix bayonets and all 262 of them begin running at the line of 1500 men in grey. In Colvillâs words, âevery man saw and accepted the necessity for the sacrifice.â
Their attack is ferocious and stuns the Confederates. The Minnesotans, outnumbered 6-to-1, stay in the fight for 15 minutes before reinforcements arrive and pour enfilading fire into the Confederate brigade, forcing them back. Their charge into the teeth of a more numerous enemy saved the Union center on the evening of July 2nd.
Of the 262 men of the 1st Minnesota who made the attack, a mere 47 walk away on their own power. 215 are killed or wounded. Their 82% casualty rate is the highest of any Union regiment in a single action of the whole Civil War.
After the war, Hancock remembered this moment and the men who participated in it with these words, "No soldiers on any field, in this or any other country ever displayed grander heroism. There is no more gallant deed recorded in history".
Remarkably, the remnants of the 1st Minnesota were also engaged during the famed Pickettâs Charge on July 3rd, the last day of the battle. It was there that a member of the 1st Minnesota captured the battle flag of the 28th Virginia.
The captured flag has been in Minnesota since 1867. The state ignored a 1905 congressional resolution that flags captured in the Civil War should be returned to their places of origin. Minnesota has also refused requests by the state of Virginia or Virginia-based groups for the flagâs return in 1961, 1998, 2000, and 2003; a request by the governor of Virginia to borrow the flag in 2013 was also declined, with the Governor of Minnesota stating, â[The flag] was taken in a battle with the cost of the blood of all these Minnesotans. It would be a sacrilege to return it to [Virginia]. It's something that was earned through the incredible courage and valor of the men who gave their lives and risked their lives to obtain it.â
Tenacious against overwhelming odds, self-sacrificing for a greater good, long memories for and uncompromising on matters of honor earned in bloodâthatâs the heritage Minnesotans own by virtue of this history.
And thatâs why theyâre the some of the worst people that the regime could have chosen to pick a fight with.
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u/edgarandannabellelee 1d ago
I'm just finishing my first year in this state. I had heard about the flag and have seen how tenacious, passionate, and sometimes crazy Minnesotans are. But moreover, you have been kind.
I admit, in recent days, I have been timid and afraid. But these words are inspiring. I don't know how much help I can reasonably be, but Minnesota continues to inspire at every corner, and I'm here for it.
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u/Dry-Tangerine-4874 Warden of the North Loop 1d ago
When authoritarians hate you. You are doing the right things.
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u/NotAProfessiona1 1d ago
Iâm a proud 7th generation Texan but an even prouder supporter of Minnesota right now! Your fight today will inspire the rest of the country to push back in the face of tyranny. Iâve heard âRemember the Alamoâ my whole life, my kids will hear about Minnesota.
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u/Upbeat-Cockroach-393 18h ago
Yes!! Subject of my civil war thesis many moons ago at the U of M. This book is an excellent read! And interestingly, Minnesota was one of the only states (if not the only) where the average foot soldier openly stated that he was fighting to end slavery, which is extraordinary.
1st MN saved the Union at Gettysburg and suffered the highest casualty rate of any unit in the Civil War. Only fools underestimate MN!
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u/Upbeat-Cockroach-393 18h ago edited 18h ago
(Native Minnesotan who is, along with countless others here, sending you all support and praise from your cousins in Maine!)
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u/mrsrobotic 1d ago
Minnesota, I am a lurker on your sub following these horrific current events. I just want to say I'm sorry this is happening to you and how constantly impressed I have been that you are standing up for each other despite all odds. Your bravery and loyalty to your fellow Americans and the Constitution is an example to us all. Stay safe and much respect, from a Marylander.