David W Phillips (1839-1921)
He enlisted as a Private on 25 Sep 1861 for three years. He was mustered in to Company C, 4th Minnesota Infantry as a Corporal at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota on 7 Oct 1861. He was promoted to Sergeant on 27 Oct 1863. He reenlisted at Huntsville, Alabama on 1 Jan 1864, and was promoted to First Sergeant. Veterans were on furlough from 5 Mar to 4 May 1864. While on furlough, he married Rachel Elizabeth Dilley on 6 Apr 1864 in Dakota County, Minnesota. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 5 Jun 1865. He was mustered out on 19 Jul 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky, and discharged on 7 Aug 1865 at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota.4th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry (3 years)
Organized by Companies at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota, as follows: Company "A" mustered in 4 Oct 1861, and Company "B" 2 Oct 1861. Moved to Fort Ridgely, Minnesota, and garrison duty there till Mar 1862.
“The nucleus of Company C was a company called D, of the state militia, commanded by Captain Robert S. Donaldson. It was organized July 13, 1861, and the most of its forty-eight privates enlisted in the new company. The men were mostly from Dakota county, the headquarters of the company being at Lakeville. The company proceeded to Fort Snelling, and was mustered in on October 7th, and soon after proceeded to Fort Ripley and garrisoned that post until the next spring.”
- Minnesota in the Civil War and Indian War, pages 198-199
Company "C" mustered in 7 Oct 1861. Moved to Fort Ripley and garrison duty there till Mar 1862. Company "D" mustered in 10 Oct 1861. Moved to Fort Abercrombie, Dakota Territory, and duty there till Mar 1862. Company "E" mustered in 27 Nov 1861. Company "F" mustered in 11 Oct 1861. Company "G" mustered in 22 Nov 1861. Moved to Fort Abercrombie and duty there till Mar 1862. Company "H" mustered in 20 Dec 1861. Company "I" mustered in 23 Dec 1861. Company "K" mustered in 23 Dec 1861. Regiment concentrated at Fort Snelling Mar 1862, and moved to Benton Barracks, Missouri, 20-23 Apr 1862. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tennessee, 2-14 May 1862. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of Mississippi, May to Nov 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, Left Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee to Dec 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 16th Army Corps to Jan 1863. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 17th Army Corps to Sep 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 17th Army Corps to Dec 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps to Apr 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps to Jul 1865.
SERVICE: Advance on and siege of Corinth, Mississippi, 18-30 May 1862. Pursuit to Booneville, 31 May-12 Jun 1862. Duty at Clear Creek till Aug 1862. Expedition to Rienzi and Ripley, Jun 1862. Moved to Jacinto 5 Aug 1862, and duty there till 18 Sep 1862. March to Iuka, Mississippi, 18-19 Sep 1862. Battle of Iuka, 19 Sep 1862. Moved to Corinth, 1 Oct 1862. Battle of Corinth, 3-4 Oct 1862. Pursuit to Ripley, 5-12 Oct 1862. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign Nov 1862 to Jan 1863. Reconnaissance from Lagrange, 8-9 Nov 1862. Duty at White's Station and Memphis, Tennessee till Feb 1863. Expedition to Yazoo Pass by Moon Lake, Yazoo Pass and Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers, 24 Feb-8 Apr 1863. Operations against Fort Pemberton and Greenwood, 13 Mar-5 Apr 1863. Moved to Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, 13-15 Apr 1863. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf, 25-30 Apr 1863. Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi, 1 May 1863. Jones' Cross Roads and Willow Springs, 3 May 1863. Battles of Raymond, 12 May 1863; Jackson, 14 May 1863; Champion’s Hill, 16 May 1863; Big Black River, 17 May 1863. Siege of Vicksburg, 18 May-4 Jul 1863. Assaults on Vicksburg, 19 and 22 May 1863.
“When the regiment retired, Captain R. S. Donaldson had his company (C) draw a cannon that Burbridge's troops had left, off the field, and thus prevented its capture by the enemy. Our regiment in this assault had twelve men killed and forty-two wounded.”
- Minnesota in the Civil War and Indian War, page 212
Expedition to Mechanicsburg, 26 May-4 Jun 1863. Surrender of Vicksburg, 4 Jul 1863. The regiment marched into Vicksburg 4 Jul 1863, its brass band leading the troops. Garrison duty at Vicksburg till 12 Sep 1863. Moved to Helena, Arkansas, 12 Sep 1863, thence to Memphis, Tennessee, and Corinth, Mississippi, and march to Chattanooga, Tennessee, 6 Oct-20 Nov 1863. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad in Alabama, 20-29 Oct 1863. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign, 23-27 Nov 1863. Tunnel Hill, 24-25 Nov 1863. Mission Ridge, 25 Nov 1863. Pursuit to Graysville, 26-27 Nov 1863. At Bridgeport and Huntsville, Alabama till Jun 1864. Operations about Whitesburg, Alabama, 2 Feb 1864. Veterans on furlough, 5 Mar to 4 May 1864. Moved from Huntsville, Alabama, to Stevenson, Alabama, thence to Kingston, Georgia, 22-25 Jun 1864, thence to Allatoona, 5-6 Jul 1864, and garrison duty there till Nov 1864. Battle of Allatoona, 5 Oct 1864.
“About eighty men and officers of the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-ninth Mississippi Infantry had charged over a ridge and into a gully down in front of Company A, and the adjutant of our regiment, taking Companies H and C out on an unprotected hillside, they opened fire on their left flank, which caused them to surrender. Corse reported his loss at 142 killed; 353 wounded and 212 missing. The Fourth Minnesota numbered 450 muskets, and met with a loss of 13 killed and 31 wounded; total, 44. It also captured the flags of the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-ninth Mississippi, and they were sent to the adjutant general of Minnesota by Major J. C. Edson, and they are now in his office. Several of our men fought in this battle after the period of their enlistments had expired, and some of these were killed in the action.”
- Minnesota in the Civil War and Indian War, pages 215-216
March to the sea, 15 Nov-10 Dec 1864. Siege of Savannah, Georgia, 10-21 Dec 1864. Campaign of the Carolinas, Jan to Apr 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, South Carolina, 2-5 Feb 1865. South Edisto River, 9 Feb 1865. North Edisto River, 12-13 Feb 1865. About Columbia, 15-17 Feb 1865. Cheraw, 3 Mar 1865. Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, 19-21 Mar 1865. Occupation of Goldsboro, 24 Mar 1865. Advance on Raleigh, 10-14 Apr 1865. Occupation of Raleigh, 14 Apr 1865. Bennett's House, 26 Apr 1865. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, DC, via Richmond, Virginia, 29 Apr-20 May 1865. Grand Review, 24 May 1865. In the Grand Review the regiment was at the head of the column of Sherman's army. Moved to Louisville, Kentucky, 2-3 Jun 1865. Duty there till 19 Jul 1865. Mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky 19 Jul 1865, and returned to Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota, where, on 7 Aug 1865, it received final pay and discharge.
Battles Fought:
Fought on 19 Sep 1862 at Iuka, Mississippi
Fought on 3 Oct 1862 at Corinth, Mississippi
Fought on 12 Oct 1862
Fought on 25 Feb 1863 at Iuka, Mississippi
Fought on 22 May 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Fought on 17 Jun 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Fought on 5 Oct 1864 at Allatoona, Georgia
Regiment lost during service 3 Officers and 58 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 175 Enlisted men by disease or accident. Total 239.
Edmund Phillips (1833-1910)
He enlisted as a Private on 23 Dec 1863. He was mustered in to Company F, 2nd Minnesota Cavalry at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota in Jan 1864. He received a disability discharge on 26 Dec 1864.2nd Regiment, Minnesota Cavalry (1 year)
Organized at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota, 5 Dec 1863 to 5 Jan 1864 and was mustered in during Jan 1864. Regimental officers: Colonel Robert N. McLaren; Lieutenant Colonel William Pfaender; Majors Ebenezer A. Rice, John M. Thompson and Robert H. Rose. Duty at Fort Snelling and garrison posts on Minnesota frontier till May 1864. March to Fort Ridgely, 24-28 May 1864. Sully's Expedition against hostile Indians west of the Missouri River, 5 Jun to 15 Oct 1864. March to Fort Sully, Missouri River, 5 Jun-1 Jul 1864. Pursuit of Indians to the Bad Lands, 5-28 Jul 1864. Battle of Tahkahokuty, or Killdeer Mountain, 28 Jul 1864. Passage of the Bad Lands, 3-8 Aug 1864. Action at Two Hills, Bad Lands, Little Missouri River, 8-9 Aug 1864. Rescue of Fiske's Emigrant train, 10-30 Sep 1864. Engaged in frontier and patrol duty between Forts Wadsworth, Abercrombie, Ripley and Ridgely, Headquarters at Fort Snelling till May 1866.
Battles Fought:
Fought on 29 Jul 1864
Fought on 8 Aug 1864 at Mauvaise Terre, Dakota Territory
Fought on 8 Nov 1864 at Rosemount, Minnesota
Robert Henry Dilley (1823-1898)
He enlisted as a Private in Company A, 7th Minnesota Infantry on 31 Aug 1864. He was mustered out on 16 Aug 1865 at Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota.7th Regiment, Minnesota Infantry (3 years)
3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps to Dec 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division (Detachment), Army of the Tennessee, Dept. of the Cumberland to Feb 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps (New), Military Division West Mississippi to Aug 1865.
SERVICE: Mower's Expedition to Duvall's Bluff, Arkansas, 3-10 Sep 1864. March through Arkansas and Missouri in pursuit of Price, 17 Sep-15 Nov 1864. Moved to Nashville, Tennessee, 24-30 Nov 1864. Battle of Nashville, 15-16 Dec 1864. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River, 17-28 Dec 1864. Moved to Clifton, Tennessee, thence to Eastport, Mississippi, 29 Dec-4 Jan 1865. Duty at Eastport, Mississippi till 6 Feb 1865. Moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, 6-21 Feb 1865. Campaign against Mobile, Alabama, and its Defenses, 17 Mar-12 Apr 1865. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, 26 Mar-8 Apr 1865. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely, 9 Apr 1865. Occupation of Mobile, 12 Apr 1865, March to Montgomery, 13-25 Apr 1865 and duty there till 10 May 1865. Moved to Selma, Alabama, and duty there till 20 Jul 1865. Moved to Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota, 20 Jul-8 Aug 1865. Mustered out 16 Aug 1865
Battles Fought:
Fought on 16 Dec 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee
Fought on 29 Mar 1865 at Spanish Fort, Alabama
Fought on 2 Apr 1865 at Spanish Fort, Alabama
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
Both David and his brother-in-law Robert were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).
After the Civil War, Union soldiers and sailors decided to form a fraternal organization to preserve the friendship and memories of Union veterans. This organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), was established on the 6th of April 1866. It was the oldest veterans organization in the United States until it was disbanded upon the death of the last Union veteran, Albert Woolson in 1956 at the age of 109 years.
Woman's Relief Corps (WRC)
Both David’s first wife Rachel, and his second wife Jennie, were members of the Woman's Relief Corps (WRC), Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).
Rachel was a delegate to the annual convention of the Department of Minnesota, WRC in 1888 and 1895, representing Farmington, Minnesota.
