The 11th 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 was the last infantry regiment to be raised by Minnesota during the war.

History

Organization and early service

The 11th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was formed in response to President Lincoln's last call for troops in late 1864. The regiment was mustered into Federal service 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 August and September 1864. Its original term of service was for three-years.

Service in the Department of the Cumberland

After training and equipping, the 11th received orders to report to the

Department of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

around the

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

area. Here, the regiment was tasked with protecting the Louisville-Nashville railroad; a thirty-mile stretch. Occasionally, the troops would engage in skirmishes with

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

guerillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

and raiders. However, the 11th would not take part in any notable engagements, though some men are said to have heard or witnessed the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

, which several other Minnesota regiments fought in.

End of service

After serving in the Nashville area for the remainder of the war, the 11th Minnesota was finally sent home on June 26, 1865 and discharged at

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, on July 11. The regiment was the last infantry unit to be raised by the state of Minnesota until the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

in 1898.

Casualties

The 11th Minnesota Infantry suffered 3 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 1 officer and 21 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 25 fatalities.History - Minnesota Infantry (Part 2)
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Colonels

*Col. James B. Gilfillian - November 3, 1864, to June 26, 1865.

Notes

References

External links

The Civil War Archive

Minnesota Historical Society page on Minnesota and the Civil War
Units and formations of the Union army from Minnesota 1864 establishments in Minnesota Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub