EUGENE MARSHALL:
An Inventory of His Civil War Reminiscences at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Marshall, Eugene, 1832-, creator. | |
| Title: | Narrative of the Civil War, 1861-1862. | |
| Dates: | [1909?]. | |
| Abstract: | Civil War reminiscences describing the service in Tennessee of three companies of Minnesota volunteer cavalry that later became known as Brackett's Battalion of Minnesota Cavalry. | |
| Quantity: | 1 item in folder. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Biography Of Eugene Marshall
Eugene Marshall was born in North Bridgewater (Mass.) on July 10, 1832. He later moved west to Sheboygan, Wisconsin (1852), and to Caledonia, Minnesota, where he served (1853-1861) as Houston County Surveyor. He enlisted in the third company of Minnesota volunteer cavalry and saw service with them in Tennessee (1861-1862) as part of the Fifth Iowa Cavalry. He continued service with his company when it re-enlisted as Company C of Brackett's Battalion in the 1864-1865 punitive expeditions against Dakota Indians in Minnesota and in Dakota Territory. Following the war, he returned to Caledonia, where he married Elizabeth Willard in 1866. They moved to Hancock, Iowa in 1868, but returned to Caledonia in 1880 from which time Marshall served as cashier of the Caledonia Bank.
History Of Units Comprising Brackett's Battalion Of Minnesota Volunteer
Cavalry
Companies 1-3 of Minnesota Light Cavalry enlisted at Fort Snelling during September-December 1861. The third company was commanded by Captain Alfred B. Brackett. They were joined in November by a fourth cavalry company commanded by Captain Von Minden. In December they were assigned to a larger cavalry unit known as the Curtis Horse Regiment. The regiment saw light action in Tennessee throughout 1862 and 1863. They participated in the Battle of Fort Donelson (Feb.), in the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing (April), in the Siege of Corinth, and in the Clarksville Fight, as well as a number of smaller actions. In the summer of 1862 they were placed in the Fifth Iowa Cavalry regiment. This caused a good deal of unrest among the three Minnesota companies, which felt that they had lost much of their home state identity.
Therefore, when their original enlistment had been served, the Minnesota companies re-enlisted (Jan. 1864) and were detached as Brackett's Battalion of Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry. The battalion was thereupon reassigned to the Dakota Indian campaign then being prosecuted in Minnesota and in Dakota Territory. They served in that duty from March 1864 through 1865, following which they were disbanded at Fort Snelling.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Marshall's narrative covers the period from September 1861 through September 1862. It describes the trip down the Mississippi River to Benton Barracks, Missouri (Dec.) and their encampment there until February 1862, whereupon they were ordered to St. Louis.
Regarding the regiment's subsequent actions in Tennessee, Marshall describes the surrender of Fort Donelson, the fortifications around Fort Henry, the removal of the troops to Smithland to guard telegraph lines, the deplorable conditions at Fort Henry following the battle there, marches to Paris and Fort Herman with descriptions of skirmishes (Aug. 1862), and the capture and treatment of Captain Von Minden's company by Confederate forces during the battle of Lockridge, and their subsequent release.
There are also brief descriptions of the second battle of Fort Donelson (Aug. 25) and of Clarksville (Sept. 3), and military actions around forts Heiman and Donelson.(Sept. 9-19). There are also very brief mentions of generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant at the beginning of the narrative.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Marshall, Eugene. Narrative of the Civil War, 1861-1862. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 1780A3
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, October 1997
Catalog ID number: 990017349880104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| P2257 | Narrative of the Civil War, 1861-1862, [1909]. 1 item in folder. | ||||||||||
RELATED MATERIALS
CATALOG HEADINGS
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:
- Cavalry -- Minnesota.
- Military discipline -- United States.
- Military maneuvers -- United States.
- Places:
- Houston County (Minn.).
- Minnesota -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Tennessee -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Cavalry operations.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
- Persons:
- Brackett, Alfred B., 1826-1891.
- Marshall, Eugene.
- Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891.
- Organizations:
- United States. Army. Brackett's Minnesota Battalion (1861-1866).
- United States. Army. Iowa Cavalry Regiment, 5th (1861-1865).
- Types of Documents:
- Reminiscences.
- Occupations:
- Soldiers -- Minnesota.
Collapse
All