Gettysburg

1st Minnesota Charge at Gettysburg

On this day in 1863 at a crossroads in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg there was a defining moment in a great battle of the Civil War. The sun was setting on the evening of the 2nd day of the battle and Confederate General Wilcox sent 1,700 men on a valiant charge against the Union line. General Hancock, in a desperate counterattack sent the 1st Minnesota Regiment at Wilcox's line. The charge of 262 men of the 1st Minnesota sustained one of the highest regimental losses in a single action in American history, fully 215 men, some 82%, became casualties.

My great great uncle George Thom was with that 1st Minnesota Regiment and served at 10 or more major battles. His brother Robert Thom, my great great grandfather, served with the 4th Minnesota on the march to the sea. All told, there were seven family members who served in the Civil and Indian wars. Five survived the conflicts.

I first saw the flag of the 1st Minnesota as a youngster, perhaps during the 6th grade trip to the Capitol in St. Paul. Hearing the story of the charge of the 1st at Gettysburg led me to a lifetime hobby of visiting Civil War battlefields.

Gene at Gettysburg

Robert and George Thom returned to Owatonna, Minnesota after the war. They were active in the veterans organization called Grand Army of the Republic formed in 1865. I made a trip to the history center in Owatonna and found a picture of the 4th Minnesota Regiment hanging in the lobby.

Robert Thom

There was a time when I was simultaneously a member of the Sons of Union Veterans, Georgia Battlefields (Treasurer), and Civil War Round Table of Atlanta.