by June Anderson
In the Civil War a regiment was made up of infantry, light and heavy artillery and cavalry.
The ranks of the infantry were filled by 1,000 men, 100 to a company; A through J. Artillery units were composed of 140 men plus officers and the cavalry of 1,000 mounted rangers, used mostly in fighting Indians.
When one regiment reached its quota, another regiment formed.
Of the 11 regiments raised in Minnesota, Anoka County contributed 160 infantrymen, 64 artillerymen and 51 mounted rangers (cavalry) plus 16 sharpshooters.
Upon filling the Minnesota First Volunteer Regiment, the call went out for a second regiment.
Companies A & B from southern Minnesota were mustered into the Second Minnesota June 26, 1861.
Boys from Anoka County enlisted in Companies D, E, F, G, and I, and by August they were training either at Fort Ridgley or Fort Snelling.
In addition to fighting for the cause of the Union, men volunteered their service in the Civil War for many reasons — excitement, adventure, peer pressure, to be with their friends.
Often whole communities enlisted en masse.
Out of the 291 men to enlist from Anoka County, 53 joined the Second Minnesota; 35 of them to serve in the light artillery, thanks in a large part to the efforts of Albert Woodbury.
According to Vickie Wendel, program manager at the Anoka County Historical Society, writing in “Minnesota History,” the quarterly of the Minnesota Historical Society, “Albert Woodbury, a 26-year-old dealer in real estate, had no military experience, but was educated, wealthy and well-known in the new community of Anoka.
“The Woodbury family had invested heavily in waterpower, flour and saw mills, and land in Anoka and St. Francis.
“Recruiting among friends, acquaintances and business associates proved relatively easy.
“Woodbury worked both sides of the Mississippi River, drawing from communities in nearby Hennepin County as well as throughout Anoka, Sherburne and Isanti counties.
“Some 74 men from these counties joined the battery.”
The light artillery of the Second Minnesota, equipped with four howitzers and two napoleons, fought at Perryville, Stone’s River, Tullahoma, Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Tunnel Hill and Buzzard Roost.
The infantry of that regiment saw action at Mill Springs, Shiloh, Perryville, Triune and Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Mission Ridge; and was involved in the Atlanta campaign and Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Between 1862 and 1864 they marched 5,153 miles and probably equaled that number of miles during 1861 and 1865, years that were not recorded.
Charles Leavitt Noogle, an artilleryman who enlisted in the Second Minnesota from Faribault, was shot through the body at Stone’s River.
A portion of his esophagus was carried away, necessitating the insertion of a silver tube.
After the war Noogle purchased property in Burns and, although in poor health due to his wound, took an active interest in public affairs serving as county commissioner four years and holding various town and school offices.
Lt. Albert Woodbury was wounded at Chickamauga when a rebel sharpshooter sent a musket ball into his left arm, just above the elbow, shattering the bone.
Amputation was the most common form of treatment for such a wound. Lt. Woodbury died a month later in a Chattanooga hospital, probably from infection.
Over the course of the war the Second Minnesota Infantry, once 1,000 men strong, saw 274 men wounded in action; 74 killed or mortally wounded.
One hundred sixty-seven men died of disease, more than twice as many as those who were killed outright or died of wounds.
Sixteen percent of the men were discharged for disabilities.
The Second Minnesota, Company A lives on in history through a Civil War re-enactment group in which members portray the actual people and re-enact events of that regiment.
Wendel portrays a laundress with the Second Minnesota Battery of Light Artillery. She will be the presenter when, on Saturday, Feb. 19, the Rum River Library, in collaboration with the Anoka County Historical Society, presents “Tastes and Sounds of Minnesota in the Civil War.”
Starting at 2 p.m., the program will last until 3 p.m. The public is welcome.
Editor’s note: June Anderson is a volunteer member of the Anoka County Historical Society. June Anderson can be reached by e-mail at jranderson_73@msn.com. Join her for a tour of the Civil War battlefields in April.
