1st Minnesota, the Lincoln Guards First Mannassas, 1861

The soldiers of the 1st Minnesota Infantry joined the regiment answering the call of President Lincoln for gathering a military force of 75.000 men at April 15th, 1861, in order to defend the Union from the rebellion of seven Southern States. That action resulted in a surge that made other six states joining the rebellion.

The regiment was organized at Fort Snelling on April 29th, 1861. It first saw action at First Manassas on July 21th, 1861. They suffered more casualties than any other Unionist regiment that took part on that battle. Their most famous action was at the Battle of Gettysburg when, on the second day, they were ordered to charge in order to stop the Confederate advance. They acted without hesitation and that allowed the Union to conserve their positions on the top of Cemetery Ridge that were vital for winning the battle during next day.

This is the look that the regiment had during the first 90 days of the war, the time that at first was expected for the war to last. The uniform was simply a red shirt before they received the blue uniform of the regular soldiers. The cap incorporates a cover that could be of white cloth for protecting from the sun or black rubberized cloth for the rain. The rifle is the British imported Enfield 1857 pattern rifled musket.