1st Minnesota July 2 attack

[Gettysburg Bullet]

When Hancock sent in 1st Minn on July 2, I believe Company D was on the far left. Anyone know the rest of companies order.
I know companies C/F/L not involved in charge…..

 

[captaindrew]

H D K G A I E B from first company to 8th, H being first company, G was the color company, B 8th company

 

[captaindrew]

D was second from the right

 

[Tom Elmore]

At Gettysburg, only roughly half of the Union infantry regiments followed the original alignment sequence based on a sample size of 42 regiments. If Company D was in fact anywhere near the left flank of the 1st Minnesota, it suggests that the regiment had reorganized on one or more occasions by order of seniority of the company commanders. I have no specific information on the alignment of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg from available primary sources. Company F still belonged to the main body of the regiment but was just detached at the time on skirmish duty; Company C was assigned provost guard duty at division headquarters; while Company L (sharpshooters) typically operated independently from the rest of the regiment as I understand it. So the regiment brought 11 companies to Gettysburg, but only nine were together on the firing line.

 

[JeffFromSyracuse]

At Gettysburg, only roughly half of the Union infantry regiments followed the original alignment sequence based on a sample size of 42 regiments. If Company D was in fact anywhere near the left flank of the 1st Minnesota, it suggests that the regiment had reorganized on one or more occasions by order of seniority of the company commanders. I have no specific information on the alignment of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg from available primary sources. Company F still belonged to the main body of the regiment but was just detached at the time on skirmish duty; Company C was assigned provost guard duty at division headquarters; while Company L (sharpshooters) typically operated independently from the rest of the regiment as I understand it. So the regiment brought 11 companies to Gettysburg, but only nine were together on the firing line.

Was officer seniority a deciding factor in company alignment?

 

[Tom Elmore]

Yes, except for roughly half the regiments in the army that kept the original alignment (B-G-K-E-H-C-I-D-F-A) regardless of seniority - I suppose the latter was often retained for the sake of simplicity and so that everyone would not have relearn their place in the regimental line every time something happened to a company commander, such as prolonged sickness, resignation or death.

For instance, the 140th Pennsylvania shifted their companies around on May 13, 1863 and changed again a month later.

 

[Gettysburg Bullet]

H D K G A I E B from first company to 8th, H being first company, G was the color company, B 8th company

This is great! Can you cite your source, please?

 

[captaindrew]

This is great! Can you cite your source, please?

I just took part in the Liberty Rifles 1st Minnesota event at Gettysburg. I have a thread in the Reenactors Forum on it with a link to their info. I'd give you the link but just have my phone on me at the moment

 

[gc45]

how many men were in th 1st Minn ?

 

[Union_Buff]

A total of 262 men were present for the charge, with 47 survivors making it back to Cemetery Ridge after the attack.

 

[Jantzen64]

This is great! Can you cite your source, please?

According to Brian Leehan, in Pale Horse at Plum Run, the order, left to right, was: D, I, E, A, B, K, H, G. (p. 56). He goes into great detail as to the basis of that assertion in a lengthy footnote on pp. 206-209. Haven't had time to study it . . .

 

[Tom Elmore]

By the way, typically the far left and/or far right companies were deployed as skirmishers in a regiment, so given that Company F was previously sent out in the direction of the left front of the regiment, odds are that it had been the far left company in the regiment. If the last reorganization of the regiment occurred just prior to the battle, we should expect to find Company F's captain was second in order of seniority. But that kind of accuracy is probably not possible to establish with high confidence unless supported by a primary source(s).

As noted, many regiments stuck with the original order, leaving Company C as the color company, but there are apparent instances of a subsequent reorganization being fixed for the duration of the war. For example, in the 8th Georgia, Company E was the color company throughout the conflict, according to a member of that command.