5th Minnesota Infantry Regiment
The 5th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was a Minnesota USV infantry regiment that served in the Union Army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.
| 5th Minnesota Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Battle Flag of the Fifth Minnesota Infantry Regiment 1862-1865 | |
| Active | March 15, 1862, to August 7, 1865 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Engagements | American Civil War
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lucius Frederick Hubbard William B. Gere |
Service
On October 23, 1861, Assistant Secretary of War Thomas A. Scott sent correspondence to Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey, authorizing him to raise a fifth regiment of infantry in the state. The 5th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was mustered into Federal service at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between March 15 and April 30, 1862. The Regiment was split with B Company posted to Fort Ridgely, C Company to Fort Ripley, D Company to Fort Abercrombie, with the remainder heading off to fight the south. B Co. was the escort that took the women, children and elderly to Fort Snelling from the Yellow Medicine Lower Sioux Agency in November 1862. Companies B, C, and D were relieved and sent south in November- December that year. The 5th Minnesota took part in the following:
- Siege of Corinth, May 26–30, 1862 (Companies A, E-K)
- Farmington, Mississippi, May 28, 1862 (Companies A, E-K)
- Battle of Redwood Ferry, Aug 18, 1862 (Company B, Dakota Conflict)
- Battle of Fort Ridgely, August 20–22, 1862 (Companies B & C, Dakota Conflict)
- Fort Abercrombie, Dakota Territory, September 3–6, 1862 (Company D, Dakota Conflict)
- Iuka, Mississippi, September 19, 1862 (Companies A, E-K present, but in reserve)
- Corinth, Mississippi, October 4, 1862 (Companies A, E-K)
- Mississippi Springs, Mississippi, May 13, 1863 (5th Regiment from here on)
- Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863
- Assault on Vicksburg, May 22, 1863
- Satartia, Mississippi, June 4, 1863
- Mechanicsburg, Mississippi, June 6, 1863
- Richmond, Louisiana, June 14, 1863
- Canton, Mississippi, October 16, 1863
- Brownsville, Mississippi, October 18, 1863
- Barton's Station, Mississippi, October 20, 1863
- Assault on Fort De Russy, Louisiana, March 14, 1864
- Henderson's Hill, Louisiana, March 21, 1864
- Grand Ecore, Louisiana, April 2, 1864
- Campti, Louisiana, April 3, 1864
- Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, April 9, 1864
- Cloutierville, Louisiana, April 23, 1864
- Cane River, Louisiana, April 24, 1864
- Moore's Plantation, Louisiana, May 3, 1864
- Bayou La Moure, Louisiana, May 6 and 7, 1864
- Bayou Roberts, Louisiana, May 7, 1864
- Mansura, Louisiana, May 16, 1864
- Bayou De Glaise, Louisiana, May 18 and 19, 1864
- Lake Chicot, Arkansas, June 6, 1864
- Tupelo, Mississippi, July 14, 1864 (non-veterans only; veterans on furlough June 17-August 17, 1864)
- Oxford, Mississippi, August 21, 1864
- Abbeville, Mississippi, August 23, 1864
- Nashville, Tennessee, December 15 and 16, 1864
- Fish River, Alabama, March 24, 1865
- Capture of Spanish Fort, Alabama, April 8, 1865
- Fort Blakely, Alabama, April 9, 1865
- Garrison Duty at Montgomery, Selma, and Demopolis, Alabama, until August, 1865
The regiment was mustered out on September 6, 1865.
Casualties
The 5th Minnesota Infantry suffered 4 officers and 86 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 4 officers and 175 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 269 fatalities.[1]
Colonels
- Colonel Rudolph von Borgesrode - April 30, 1862, to August 31, 1862.
- Colonel Lucius Frederick Hubbard - August 31, 1862, to September 6, 1865.
Other noted individuals
- Thomas P. Gere, first lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient
- John Ireland Chaplain and Archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota
References
- Andrews, C. C., ed. (1891). Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-1865. St. Paul, Minn: Printed for the state by the Pioneer Press Co. OL 7088819M.