Colonel William Colvill: A Man of Bravery

The charge of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, stands as one of the most dramatic and courageous episodes in Civil War history

Repubblica continues presenting a series of articles written about heroes from the Civil War. As Americans we need to look back often at the people who built and influenced the country. The 19th Century was a time of greatness. Many presidents, Senators, House members, generals, soldiers, writers, young people, older people, teachers and farmers made impressions on the United States which will never be erased.

Colonel William Colvill, a man of determination and bravery in Civil War history, earned his fame through his leadership of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Born on April 5, 1830, in Forestville, New York, Colvill's early life was unremarkable compared to the heroic deeds that would define his legacy.

William Colvill, Jr., a Scottish immigrant, and his wife Mary Love welcomed their firstborn son on April 5, 1830, in Forestville, New York. His arrival brought joy to his parents and three sisters. Educated at Fredonia Academy, William later pursued law under the tutelage of Millard Fillmore in Buffalo, just before Fillmore ascended to the Vice-Presidency of the United States. Drawn by the frontier opportunities, Colvill ventured westward to Minnesota, then part of the Northwest Territory. Settling in Red Wing at the youthful age of 24, he embarked on a career in law, establishing himself firmly in his new home.

By the time the Civil War erupted in 1861, he was working as an attorney and editor for the Red Wing Republican newspaper. His prewar life reflected his staunch abolitionist beliefs, shaped by his background as a lawyer and a newspaper man—an upbringing steeped in the politics of the time. But it was his role as a soldier, not his legal or editorial skills, that would place him in the pages of history.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Colvill, like many other Northern men, felt compelled to defend the Union. He quickly enlisted in the newly formed 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, one of the first regiments to answer President Lincoln’s call for 75,000 troops. Organized in April 1861, this regiment would go on to earn an enduring place in Civil War history. Colvill, due to his legal background and leadership qualities, was quickly appointed as the regiment's lieutenant colonel, and later became its full colonel.

The 1st Minnesota was soon thrust into the thick of the war. One of its first major engagements was the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, where the regiment, alongside Colvill, gained a reputation for discipline and courage under fire, even though the battle ended in a Union defeat. Over the next two years, the 1st Minnesota fought in many of the Army of the Potomac’s key campaigns, including the Peninsula Campaign, the Second Battle of Bull Run, and Antietam known as the bloodiest day in United States history where combined Confederate and Union losses added up to about 23,000 casualties.

Think about this: Union 2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 missing or captured.

Confederate 1,546 killed, 7,550 wounded, 1,018 missing.

Democrats have the nerve to ask their legislatures to pass reparation laws. Antietam was just one battle in the four year conflict where over 700,00 Americans died.

Gettysburg and the Charge

The charge of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, stands as one of the most dramatic and courageous episodes in Civil War history—a nearly suicidal attack that changed the course of the battle and perhaps the war itself.

The second day of the Battle of Gettysburg found the Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George Meade, fighting to maintain its defensive position against the onslaught of Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee. The Union line was stretched along Cemetery Ridge, with its right flank at Culp’s Hill and the left extending down towards the rocky terrain of Little Round Top. By late afternoon, the Confederate army had already launched a series of fierce assaults on both ends of the Union line at Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Little Round Top placing the entire position in jeopardy.

As Union forces grappled to hold their ground on the southern end of Cemetery Ridge, a critical gap appeared in the center of the Union line. Confederate Major General Cadmus M. Wilcox’s brigade—consisting of nearly 1,500 Alabamians—pushed toward this gap, threatening to break through the Union center, which would have allowed the Confederates to roll up the Union line and gain control of the high ground. The significance of this gap was clear: if the Confederates succeeded, they would dominate the field and potentially force the Union army to retreat, paving the way for a Southern victory in Pennsylvania.

General Winfield Scott Hancock, commanding the Union’s II Corps, recognized the dire threat. In desperation, he searched for a regiment that could buy time for reinforcements to plug the gap. The only available unit was the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, standing nearby, composed of just 262 men—having already been diminished by two years of hard fighting. Hancock rode up to Colonel William Colvill and pointed to the advancing Confederate force, saying, “Colonel, do you see those colors? Take them.”

Hancock would later say, “I had no alternative but to order the regiment in. I knew they must lose heavily and it caused me pain to give the order for them to advance, but I would have done it even if I had known every man would be killed”.

The order was nothing short of suicidal. The 1st Minnesota was tasked with charging directly into a vastly superior force, outnumbered nearly six to one. Wilcox’s men were well-prepared, advancing rapidly in an overwhelming wave, with the 1st Minnesota positioned directly in their path. Despite this impossible task, Colvill did not hesitate. The regiment, hardened by its earlier battles, responded with total discipline and courage. Colvill drew his sword, gave the command, and his men surged forward at a run, bayonets gleaming in the fading afternoon light.

With a ferocious yell, the 1st Minnesota charged down the slope of Cemetery Ridge and into the jaws of Wilcox’s advancing brigade. The Confederate soldiers, shocked by the audacity of the small regiment charging them head-on, were momentarily thrown off balance. The Minnesotans struck the Confederate line with incredible force, their momentum creating confusion and slowing the enemy's advance. In hand-to-hand combat, they drove their bayonets into the Confederate ranks, a bloody and desperate struggle unfolding on the field.

The charge lasted only about 15 minutes, but the impact was profound. The 1st Minnesota smashed into the heart of Wilcox’s brigade, causing a critical delay. Though hopelessly outnumbered, their courage staggered the Confederate advance just long enough for Hancock to rush reinforcements into the breach. The Minnesotans’ sacrifice prevented Wilcox from capitalizing on the gap in the Union line, preserving the integrity of Cemetery Ridge.

The cost was horrific. Of the 262 men who made the charge, 215 were killed or wounded—a staggering 82 percent casualty rate, the highest suffered by any Union regiment in a single action during the entire war. Colonel Colvill himself was seriously wounded, shot through the shoulder as he led his men into the thick of the fight. The regiment’s flag was shot to pieces, carried by a series of soldiers who were themselves struck down, but never let the flag fall to the ground.

Despite the catastrophic losses, the 1st Minnesota had succeeded in their mission. They had held the line long enough for Union reinforcements to arrive, thus preventing what could have been a disastrous Confederate breakthrough. The survivors of the regiment limped back to their original position, battered and bloodied, but victorious in their goal.

General Hancock, who had given the fateful order, later reflected on the charge with awe. He knew that the 1st Minnesota's action had been one of pure sacrifice. He famously said of the regiment: “There is no more gallant deed recorded in history.” Their charge became one of the defining moments of the Battle of Gettysburg, helping to preserve the Union’s hold on Cemetery Ridge and setting the stage for the repulse of Pickett’s Charge the following day.

The charge of the 1st Minnesota became a symbol of heroism and sacrifice, not just in Minnesota but across the Union. In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the regiment's sacrifice was widely recognized by the army and the public. The survivors would go on to fight in the subsequent campaigns of the war, though the regiment never fully recovered its numbers or strength.

In the decades following the war, the charge of the 1st Minnesota came to be remembered as a moment when courage and duty triumphed over fear and self-preservation.

The regiment's monument at Gettysburg, standing near the spot where the charge occurred, serves as a testament to the bravery of the men who willingly charged into near-certain death to save the Union army at one of its most critical moments.

Colonel William Colvill, though wounded, would live to lead the veterans of his regiment in commemorating their deeds. But for those 15 minutes on the afternoon of July 2, 1863, he and his men etched their names into history, securing their place in the story of Gettysburg and the legacy of the Civil War.

After the war, Colvill returned to Minnesota, where he became a symbol of the state’s contribution to the Union war effort. His war injuries did not fully heal, and the physical toll of the conflict stayed with him for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, Colvill continued to serve the public in various capacities. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1865 and later served as state attorney general from 1866 to 1868. He also worked as a U.S. Marshal.

Despite these political roles, Colvill preferred a quieter life in his later years. He settled on a farm in the small town of Beaver Falls, Minnesota, and lived a humble existence, never seeking the spotlight his war heroics might have afforded him. In time, however, his deeds became more widely celebrated. In 1905, at the age of 75, he led the 1st Minnesota’s survivors in the dedication of their monument at Gettysburg. His presence at the battlefield, standing once more on the grounds where he had led his men in one of the most famous charges of the war, stirred deep emotions among the aging veterans.

Colvill died on June 12, 1905, and was buried in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The inscription on his grave reads simply: "Colonel, First Minnesota Infantry," a title that encapsulates the courage, sacrifice, and leadership that defined his life.

Colonel William Colvill's life, though marked by postwar obscurity, remains an emblem of selfless bravery. His leadership during the charge of the 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg has often been described as a "heroic sacrifice," and historians agree that without Colvill's steadfast command, the Confederate breakthrough might have changed the outcome of the battle. While the Civil War produced many moments of glory, few embody the ideals of duty, honor, and sacrifice more than William Colvill's charge.