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The summer of 1862 was tough on the First Minnesota

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Civil War monument at the state Capitol
The Civil War monument near the Minnesota State Capitol.
MPR Photo/Jim Bickal

150 years ago this month, a group of Minnesota solidiers was pretty despondent. It was a low point in the Civil War, and the men of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry were involved in an attempt to take the Confederate capitol of Richmond.

Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with historian Annette Atkins about what Minnesota soldiers were experiencing. Wurzer and Atkins met at the base of an old statue in St. Paul that memorializes Josias King, the first man to volunteer for the First Minnesota Infantry.

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Civil War monument at the state Capitol
The Civil War monument near the Minnesota State Capitol.
MPR Photo/Jim Bickal