Peter Daniel Anderson Letters, 1864-1865.
Includes manuscript civil war letters, in Swedish (Sept. 7, 1864-May 25, 1865), and a published collection of the letters translated into English. The letters recount the war experiences of a Swedish immigrant who settled in Scandia (Carver County, Minn.) and served with the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment, Company A. The letters were written by Anderson to his wife Carolina, and describe his regiment’s participation in Sherman’s Georgia campaign and March to the Sea. Topics include the defense of Allatoona, Georgia (Sept.-Oct. 1864); the fall of Savannah (Dec. 1864); the march through the Carolinas; and the regiment’s participation in the grand review of Sherman’s veterans at Washington, D.C. (May 1865).
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P1929).
Wilbur S. Kimball Papers, 1864-1894.
Papers of a Jackson, Minnesota man who served in the Civil War as a member of the Fourth Minnesota Regiment. Includes a journal of Kimball’s march from Allatoona to Savannah, Georgia (November 12-December 12, 1864) following William T. Sherman; correspondence and miscellaneous papers, including his attempts to receive a Civil War pension; handwritten and published music for tuba; and photographs of Kimball, his wife, and the Fourth Minnesota regimental band, of which he was a member.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P2834).
Ira N. Morrill Diary, 1864-1865.
A diary kept by Morrill while he was a member of Company K, Fourth Minnesota Regiment. The diary contains Morrill’s comments on his administrative duties preparing ordnance returns and muster-out rolls and on routine camp life for the period June 15, 1864 to January 6, 1865, while he was serving near Altoona, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; and with William T. Sherman’s troops on the march from Atlanta to Savannah.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P393).
Sewell G. Randall Diary, Jan. 1 - Oct. 5, 1864.
A Civil War diary kept by a member of Company I of the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment while serving in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. He died at Altoona (Ala.) on October 6.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P2267).
Civil War Papers of Joseph H. Volk, 1864-1865.
Photocopies of a diary kept by a young clerk from Jordan, Scott County while serving as a private in Company C of the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The brief diary entries record the regiment’s movements through North and South Carolina (as part of Sherman’s march through the Carolinas), Georgia, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, identifying locations, occasionally noting the number of miles marched, and indicating when travel was by steamboat or railroad rather than on foot. They describe the weather, the countryside and cities, Volk’s impressions of the region’s inhabitants, camp life, march conditions, injuries and mishaps, lack of rations and clothing and other hardships, military engagements, and Volk’s health and the health of other soldiers; note war news and rumors, Union victories and Confederate defeats, Lincoln’s assassination, and Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender to Sherman; tell of victory celebrations, parades, and reviews at the end of the war.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P939 Volk, Joseph H.).
John P. Bradford Papers, 1862-1864, 1928-1978.
The papers include Civil War letters (1862-1864) of Bradford’s grandfather and grandmother, John and Elizabeth Bradford.
Civil War letters (1862-1865) written in Norwegian by an immigrant to Minnesota who served with the Minnesota 4th Infantry Regiment, which took part in the siege of Vicksburg and Sherman’s march to Savannah. Partial translations of the first and last letters are included. The letters were written to Helling’s best friend, Gull Guttormson, and discuss Helling’s locations during the war, his unit’s activities, battles, observations of the country, and his commanders.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P2116).
Henry A. House, Civil War Diary 1862-1865.
Loose diary pages (April 1862 - June 1865) kept by a young Freeborn County soldier while serving in Company F of the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. In generally brief entries, House records the regiment’s daily movements, describes a number of military engagements in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and other southern states; writes of the weather and terrain, march and battlefield conditions, lack of rations and other hardships, foraging for food, reconnaissance missions, guard duty and drilling, illness and disease, injuries and casualties, accidents and other mishaps, and various camp activities; relates news from other units and campaigns and reactions to Union victories, Confederate defeats, and Lincoln’s assassination; and tells of victory celebrations, parades, and reviews at the end of the war.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P185).
John E. Risedorf Papers, 1862-1911.
Letters, diaries, and reminiscences of this member of Company E, Fourth Minnesota Infantry, during the Civil War, including accounts of the Iuka campaign, Altoona Pass, and the Battle of Corinth; and a diary (1875-1877) kept at Le Sueur, referring to the capture of the Younger brothers after the Northfield bank robbery and to local and national politics, especially the presidential election of 1876.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (A/.R595).
George Sly Diary and Letter, 1862-1864, 1901.
A diary (May 1, 1862-March 21, 1864) kept by a drummer in Company A of the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment, documenting the company’s service in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The diary is accompanied by a 1901 covering letter from Sly attesting to the diary’s authenticity and factuality.
A diary (1863) with brief entries on life in the army as a member of Company A, 4th Minnesota Infantry during the Civil War; and 9 letters to his wife mentioning company activities, prices of food in Alabama and Tennessee, and family matters.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (Microfilm M596).
Levi B. Aldrich Papers, 1853-1896.
Includes papers dealing with his settling in Rice County, Minnesota (1856); Civil War service with the Fourth Regiment of Minnesota Infantry (Co. I) and the Pioneer Corps.
MNHS call number: See finding aid in the library (P914).
4th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
