Ramsey County History Summer 2023 – Honoring Minnesota First Regiment

Volume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023

Growing Up at Fort Snelling
Honoring the First Regiment of Minnesota Volunteer Infantry for Fifty Years

Author: John H. Guthmann

When seventeen-year-old John Guthmann took at summer job as a tour guide at Fort Snelling, little did he know that he’d get “hooked on history” and become one of the earliest members of the First Regiment of Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The purpose of the newly formed nonprofit composed of a stockbroker, minister, exterminator, entomologist, law enforcement, and others was to “commemorate and perpetuate the memory” of the first First Minnesota—the nation’s initial regiment that responded to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for troops following the fall of Fort Sumter in 1861. As reenactors, they also hoped to “educate the public, and have fun.” Over fifty years, the group has practiced endless drills, “fought” at historic Civil War battlefields, served as extras for multiple Civil War-themed Hollywood movies, and worked to portray the original First Minnesota as accurately as possible—down to the food, uniforms, and weapons. Read about it here, or check out www.firstminnesota.org or future events.

PDF of J. Guthmann article

Article Supplement – First Minnesota Photos

Links

• WCCO TV Production, “Within the Walls of Old Fort Snelling” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mXT5zO-vnU
• John Guthmann, “Civil War Fife and Drum Music” https://youtu.be/J8kukK1US78
• Minnesota Historical Society, “Coming Home: Fort Snelling – 1865” https://youtu.be/ELgj8ITnp9I