History of Company E of the Sixth Minnesota Regiment of Volunteer Infantry

A modest but meticulously assembled record, this volume offers a window into the birth of a Minnesota volunteer company during the Civil War. It follows the hurried recruitment sparked by President Lincoln’s calls, tracing how a patchwork of men—farmers, city workers, and transferred recruits— came together under the banner of the “Sigel Guards.” The narrative captures the democratic spirit of the men who elected their own officers and set out from Fort Snelling with a three‑year oath.

The author, a participant in the unit, explains how the book emerged from a wartime tradition of “company histories,” when publishing agents roamed camps gathering names and battle summaries. Rather than a fleeting broadsheet, this work expands those basics into a lasting chronicle, complete with rosters, ranks, and brief sketches of early movements. An appendix by a fellow officer adds further depth, offering a glimpse of the regiment’s time in New Orleans.

For listeners interested in the personal side of the Union’s western contribution, the book blends official muster details with the camaraderie and challenges faced by ordinary soldiers. It preserves the voices of those who enlisted, providing historians and descendants alike with a tangible piece of Minnesota’s wartime legacy.