The 3rd Minnesota Infantry Regiment was a Minnesota USV

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that served in the Union army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It fought in several campaigns in the Western Theater.

Service

The 3rd Minnesota Infantry Regiment was mustered in by companies at

Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint An ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, between October 2 and November 14, 1861, and was sent to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

on November 14, 1861. It remained on garrison duty in Kentucky and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

until most of the men were captured by

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

, on July 13, 1862. They were subsequently paroled and sent to

Benton Barracks Benton Barracks, also known as Camp Benton, was a United States Army barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, located at present-day St. Louis Fairground Park. Before the American Civil War, the site was owned and used by the St. Louis Agricultural and ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, to await parole. Their commanding officer, Colonel Lester, and the other officers who voted for surrender were held accountable for the debacle at Murfreesboro and were dismissed from the service in December 1862. Further description of the surrender at Murfreesboro can be found in the papers of William D. Hale, a member of the 3rd Minnesota. The regiment was formally exchanged on August 27, 1862, and moved home to Minnesota arriving at Fort Snelling on 4 September. On 12 September the Regiment joined Col H. H. Sibley at

Fort Ridgely Fort Ridgely was a frontier United States Army outpost from 1851 to 1867, built 1853–1854 in Minnesota Territory. The Sioux called it Esa Tonka. It was located overlooking the Minnesota River southwest of Fairfax, Minnesota. Half of th ...

where it joined in the suppression of the

Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...

. In September the 3rd Minnesota participated in the defeat of the Sioux at the

Battle of Wood Lake The Battle of Wood Lake occurred on September 23, 1862, and was the final battle in the Dakota War of 1862. The two-hour battle, which actually took place at nearby Lone Tree Lake, was a decisive victory for the U.S. forces led by Colonel Henry H ...

on September 23. At the end of the brief campaign, the regiment returned to Fort Snelling to board riverboats south. They were posted to garrison duty in Kentucky and Tennessee in January 1863. The Regiment remained there until joining in the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

until the surrender of the defenders on July 4, 1863. The regiment then participated in the campaign to capture

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, from August 13 to September 10, 1863, and remained in garrison there after the fall of the city until April 28, 1864. Enough of the soldiers of the regiment reenlisted in January 1864 to Veteranize it. Part of the 3rd Minnesota participated in an expedition up the White River to

Augusta, Arkansas Augusta, officially the City of Augusta, is a city in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States, located on the east bank of the White River. The population was 1,998 as of the 2020 Census. The city is the county seat of Woodruff County. Hist ...

, from March 30 to April 3, 1864, culminating in the Battle of Fitzhugh's Woods on April 1, 1864. The regiment remained in various garrisons to the end of the war. The 3rd Minnesota Infantry was discharged from service at Fort Snelling on September 16, 1865.

Casualties

The 3rd Minnesota Infantry suffered 17 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 4 officers and 275 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 296 fatalities.History – Minnesota Infantry (Part 1)
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Colonels

*Colonel Henry C. Lester – November 15, 1861, to December 1, 1862. *Colonel Chauncey Wright Griggs – December 1, 1862, to July 15, 1863. *Colonel Christopher C. Andrews – July 15, 1863, to June 13, 1864. *Colonel Hans Mattson – June 13, 1864, to September 2, 1865.

References

* *Carley, Kenneth. ''Minnesota in the Civil War''. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2000. . *Joseph C. Fitzharris, "'The Hardest Lot of Men…': The Third Minnesota Infantry in the Civil War". Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2019.

Notes

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External links