ORIGINAL RAMSEY COUNTY 0 lS S lW (1849) PRESENT ■ RAMSEY COUNTY ST. PAUL ÏÏJJm Volume 7 Number 2 Ramsey County History Published by the RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Editor: Virginia Brainard Kunz Fall W. R. Brown’s Civil War Diary The War Within a War Page 3 1970 Ramsey County Medical Society Volume 7 Survives Its First 100 Years Page 14 Number 2 Forgotten Pioneers . X Page 20 Book Review: History of A Region And A People Page 22 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY is published semi­ ON THE COVER: A field hospital during the Civil annually and copyrighted, 1970, by the Ramsey County War often was literally that, with the surgeons caring Historical Society, 2097 Larpenteur Avenue West, St. for the wounded behind whatever shelter they could Paul, Minnesota. Membership in the Society carries find. In this painting by Heisser, from a panorama of with it a subscription to Ramsey County History. Single the Battle of Gettysburg, surgeons are at work behind issues sell for $1.00. Correspondence concerning con­ a haystack while the battle rages in the field behind them. tributions should be addressed to the editor. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by con­ tributors. Manuscripts and other editorial material are ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Unless otherwise indicated, welcomed but, since the Society is an eleemosynary pictures used in this issue are from the audio-visual institution, no payment can be made for contributions. library of the Minnesota Historical Society. The editor All articles and other editorial material submitted will is indebted to Eugene Becker and Dorothy Gimmestad, be carefully read and published, if accepted , as space of the state historical society’s audio-visual staff, for permits. their help. 2 3- Long trains of canvas-topped wagons, many of them ambulances, were a familiar sight during the Civil War as they wound their way through countless towns, carrying sick and a» '4- wounded. f t Smallpox, M alaria— B® W.R.Brown’s Civil Wir Diary TheWarWithinAWar BY VIRGINIA BRAINARD KUNZ JAMES 0. WALL, M.D. Preface HE diary of William R. Brown is more ments, a sick man was cared for in his tent Tthan just one more Civil War diary. It by his friends, with the regimental surgeon is an interesting, though somewhat frag­ or assistant surgeon looking in on him. He mentary, account of a war within a war. He either got better or worse; if worse, he even­ writes not of battles but of the struggle to tually would be moved to the regimental survive disease which killed more than two- hospital — if the regiment had been able to thirds of all those in the Union Army who set up a hospital in a tent or a series of tents, died during the war. a barn, a nearby house or any other available William R. Brown, who had settled at building. Newport in 1841, was 46 years old, according Brown’s own experiences touch on three to the regimental muster, when he enlisted major aspects of the Civil War medical serv­ in Company G of the Sixth Minnesota In­ ices: hospital duty with a regiment in the fantry Regiment on August 16, 1862, just field, in a hospital at an established post two days before the outbreak of the Sioux (Fort Snelling), and with troops occupying a War. Almost from the beginning of his southern city (Helena, Arkansas). service, he was detailed for hospital duty. Brown had farmed in the Newport area Care of the sick and wounded during the for more than 20 years before the outbreak Civil War was primitive, to say the very of the Civil War. He was Justice of the Peace least. Yet it perhaps was only a little more of Newport, and he also owned land at Ka- informal than the medical care available to posia, the site of present-day South St. Paul. civilians in an era when there were almost A well-read man and deeply religious, he no specific medications available, when there volunteered as a private in the Sixth Min­ were few drugs (digitalis was one exception) nesota Regiment, although he was consider­ which had proven, scientifically documented ably older than the usual Civil War enlisted effects. man. His enlistment came at a time when Generally, among the Civil War Regi- the war was going badly, indeed, for the Union. In Washington the government had faced the reality of a prolonged struggle ABO U T THE AUTHORS: Dr. James 0. Wall, a gradu­ and sent out calls for more men. Throughout ate o f the University o f Minnesota medical school, is a St. Paul physician with an enduring interest in the summer of 1862, recruitment went on in history. Virginia Brainard Kunz is editor o f Ramsey Minnesota, not only for the Sixth Minne­ County History and executive secretary of the Ramsey sota, but also for the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth County Historical Society. and Tenth Infantry Regiments. None of these regiments, however, was to see service in the South for months. For a year, Minnesota was distracted by demands from its panicky citizens that central and southern Minnesota be garrisoned by troops as protection from further Indian attacks, and that the state’s western boundary be protected as well. It is within this setting that Brown kept the diary which follows. It is used here with the permission of his descendants, his grand­ nieces and grandnephews. Brown begins his diary nine months after his enlistment, and after the end of the Minnesota phase of the Sioux War during which the Sixth Regiment had fought at Birch Coulee and the Battle of Wood Lake. Italic paragraphs have been used within the diary itself to set apart explanatory William R. Brown material — military as well as medical. most beautiful, the health of the men is * * * excellent. Our party consists of Co. F. of the Minn. 6 [Sixth Regiment] and a battery MAY 28,1863. — Left Fort Snelling, marched of two 12# [pound] mountain Howitzers, 20 3-1/2 miles to a small lake and camped for six mule Teams & wagons loaded with sup­ the night. plies, and Co. H. of the Minn. 9th. Capt. MAY 29th. — Marched 23 miles to a small Wilson of Co. F. in command. In the after­ lake 3 miles above Shakopee, the weather noon Co. H. of the 9th Minn. Vol. came up dry and warm. from Glencoe & camped near us on their MAY 30TH. — Sunday. Marched 15 miles way to Camp Pope, their captain Baxter and camped 1 mile below Belle Plain at a left behind sick also. 3 teams came up from small creek, the Mike Cummings place. The Fort Snelling with Quarter Master Comings place is abandoned. We found no settlers supplies bound for Camp Pope, and camped above Fort Goodhue, the weather dry and near us. We all had a pleasant time together. very pleasant for marching. Camp Pope, named for Major Gen­ Fort Goodhue, located in south­ eral John Pope, commander of the eastern Nicollet County near Le Sueur, army’s Department of the Northwest, was one of the frontier stockades was established near Redwood Falls as erected by citizens throughout central a rendezvous for military expeditions and southern Minnesota as protection into the Dakotas and to protect Min­ against Indian attacks. nesota’s western boundary. After the Sioux Outbreak of the pre­ ceding fall, entire counties in southern JUNE 4TH. — Breakfasted at 5 and started Minnesota lost all their inhabitants, as at 6. Co. F. camped 4 miles below Ft. Ridgely terrified citizens fled to Minneapolis, near the “Old Brewery” not far from J. R. St. Paul, and the Mississippi River Brown “Steam Wagon.” Poor thing, it stands towns. on the Prairie. Co. H. came into the Fort WED. JUNE 3RD. — We laid by, waiting & camped. I came to the Fort and stopped for other companies to join us and for our with Mr. Greenleaf & A. Wilder of Co. I. mules to rest. This has been a lovely day. of the 9th Reg. Found “Mose” well but At 4 o’clock P.M. Co.[mpany] H. of the 9th Arthur is suffering with rheumatism & has Reg. [ iment ] Minn. [ esota ] Vol. [ unteers ] came been unable to perform Co.[mpany] duty up with us from Glencoe. We spent the day for some months. The boys were very kind repairing and target shooting and visiting to me. I walked over our old camping ground, the deserted houses. The country is rich and everything looked quite natural to me. 4 FRIDAY 5TH. — Co. H. of the 9th remained mile from the Red Wood River near the today at the Fort to draw their pay. Co. F. Minnesota River and is the most delightful came along in good season and we move up encampment I have seen. The water here is towards Camp Pope. Came to the “Tower” good & very abundant. The men are in good Agency Ferry at 12 o’clock. One of our health & spirits. In the afternoon we had a wagons upset on the way this morning and St. Paul mail. I recieved a good letter from hurt one of the men of Co. F., not very Mrs. A. W. Hall of St. Paul. Late in the seriously, it is thought. We camped near the afternoon 3 companies of cavalry came into Agency for the night, 8 miles below Camp camp from Fort Ridgely. Pope (this place is 12 miles above Ft. Ridgely.) SUNDAY JUNE 7TH. - I was ordered tc So far the weather has been most delightful report myself at Fort Ridgely immediately and our health good.