A. P. (Alonzo P.) Connolly

Born in 1836, A. P. Connolly — Alonzo Putnam Connolly — served in the Civil War and later became a writer closely connected with Minnesota history. He is best known as the author of A Thrilling Narrative of the Minnesota Massacre and the Sioux War of 1862-63, published in 1896, and Minneapolis and the G. A. R., published in 1906.

Connolly wrote as both a participant in his era and a memorialist of it. His books focus on war, veterans, and public life in Minnesota, especially the experiences of Union soldiers and the Grand Army of the Republic in Minneapolis. Because his writing comes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is especially useful as a contemporary perspective, while also reflecting the attitudes of his time.

He died in 1915. Though not widely known today, Connolly remains a valuable figure for readers interested in Civil War memory, Minnesota history, and firsthand historical storytelling.