TIMOTHY J. SHEEHAN:

Timothy J. Sheehan was born in Ireland in 1836. He immigrated to the United States when he was fourteen years old. He was a mechanic in Glenn Falls, New York until 1855, and then moved to Dixon, Illinois, briefly working in a sawmill. Sheehan moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota in the fall of 1856, and farmed there until the breakout of the Civil War in 1861. Sheehan enlisted in the Army at the age of 25, joining Company F, 4th Minnesota Infantry on October 11, 1861. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in Company C, 5th Minnesota Infantry on March 9, 1862.

Sheehan was first assigned with Company C to garrison duty at Fort Ripley, and then sent to Fort Ridgely with a detachment of 50 men. Under the command of Captain John Marsh, the group was sent to the Upper Sioux Agency on June 29, 1862 to maintain order during a late annuity payment from the United States Government to the Dakota. On August 18, 1862, Fort Ridgely was attacked by Dakota bands, and Sheehan responded to Captain Marsh’s request for aid, and took command to defend the fort following the death of Captain Marsh. Sheehan defended the fort on August 20th and 22nd until reinforcements arrived, and later took part in the Battle of Birch Coulee.

Sheehan was promoted to Captain on August 31, 1862. With service completed at Fort Ripley, Sheehan and Company C joined the larger 5th Minnesota Regiment in Oxford, Mississippi. Sheehan led forces in numerous battles and engagements, including the Siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Nashville, the Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely in Alabama, and the Battle of Tupelo in Mississippi. Sheehan was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on September 1, 1865, but soon after mustered out at Fort Snelling following the end of the Civil War.

Sheehan returned to Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he was appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal. He married Jennie Judge, and the couple had three sons together. He was later elected as the Sheriff for Freeborn County in 1871, and served until 1883. Following his time as sheriff, Sheehan served as Indian Agent for the White Earth Reservation.

In October 1895, Sheehan took part in the Battle of Leech Lake (also known as the Battle of Sugar Point) between the Pillager band of Ojibwe and U.S. troops, where he was wounded.

By 1900, Sheehan and his family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he continued to serve as a U.S. Marshal until he retired in 1910. Sheehan died in 1913.

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Includes muster rolls for Company C of the Fifth Minnesota Infantry Regiment, and returns of provisions, clothing, and equipment for various Civil War regiments (1862-1865); papers in connection with Sheehan's position as sheriff of Freeborn County (1871-1883); accounts and correspondence kept as Indian Agent on the White Earth Reservation mentioning the cutting of lumber on the reservation (1885-1889); scattered diaries (1874-1908); a copy of diary describing the attack upon the Yellow Medicine Agency and the defense of Fort Ridgely during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862; and information on smallpox epidemic in the lumber camps (1885).

There are also letters from Henry A. Castle, Moses E. Clapp, Cushman K. Davis, J. Adam Bede, Lucius Hubbard, Mark H. Dunnell, James A. Gilfillan, and Knute Nelson regarding the Congressional campaign of 1882 in Minnesota; Sheehan's appointment as United States marshal and miscellaneous topics (1890-1907); and a report of the Fort Ridgely Monument Commission (1897).

Oversize items include: Abstract of provisions issued to Volunteers in the service of the United States at Demopolis, Alabama (July 1865); numerous certificates that outline the legal order to extradite fugitives from various states and territories to the custody of the State of Minnesota and Sheriff Timothy Sheehan (1880-1884); certificate regarding Sheehan's appointment as postmaster in Red Lake in Beltrami County (October 11, 1886); certificate regarding Sheehan's membership in the Fort Ridgely National Park and Historical Association (1900); and a miscellaneous photograph (undated).

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Timothy J. Sheehan Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Provenance:

See Minnesota History, 17:336-337 (September 1936).

Accession Information:

Accession number: 4252

Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 990017327330104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.

Dakota War, Minnesota, 1862.

Justice, Administration of -- Minnesota.

Ojibwa Indians -- Government relations.

Indian agents -- Minnesota.

Sheriffs -- Minnesota -- Freeborn County.

Persons:

Bede, J. Adam (James Adam), 1856-1942, author.

Castle, Henry A. (Henry Anson), 1841-1916, author.

Clapp, Moses E. (Moses Edwin), 1851-1929, author.

Davis, Cushman K. (Cushman Kellogg), 1838-1900, author.

Dunnell, Mark H. (Mark Hill), 1823-1904, author.

Flandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene), 1828-1903, author.

Gilfillan, J. A. (Joseph Alexander), 1838-1913, author.

Hubbard, Lucius F. (Lucius Frederick), 1836-1913, author.

Nelson, Knute, 1843-1923, author.

Organizations:

Minnesota State Grange

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 5th (1861-1865)

United States. Army -- Supplies and stores.

Places:

Fort Ridgely (Minn.)

Freeborn County (Minn.)

Minnesota -- Politics and government.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

White Earth Indian Reservation (Minn.)

Document Types:

Diaries.

Journals.

Essays.

Photographs.

Muster rolls.

Occupations:

Indian agents -- Minnesota.

Sheriffs -- Minnesota -- Freeborn County.

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