1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters

Brief History
The 1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters were organized under authority of the Secretary of War at Fort Snelling, Minn., and mustered in on October 5, 1861. They were moved to Washington, D. C., October 6-10, 1861, and reported to Col. Berdan, at Camp of Instruction. They were later assigned as Company “A,” 2nd United States Sharpshooters, February 10, 1862.

For more information on the history of the 1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters, see the following:


 * The Civil War Archive.(accessed 9 Dec 2010) Brief history of the 1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters.
 * The Civil War Archive section, 1st Company Sharpshooters, (accessed 28 March 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The following counties of origin are taken from the Adjutant General's Report, found on the Internet Archives web site. The rosters show the men who served in each regiment, their residences, dates of enlistment and mustering out, and other remarks. Also see the Dalby Database, a site from Minnesota, searchable by men, counties, regiments and companies.

The 1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters was not divided into different companies.

First Company - many men from Hennepin County and Goodhue County - Roster, page 625.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Minnesota in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Minnesota in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Minnesota, and how to find them. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * ResearchOnline, (accessed 7 Dec. 2010)a brief history and biblography about the 1st Minnesota Company Sharpshooters.


 * Rootsweb. (accessed 30 Dec 2018) First Sharpshooter history and a roster of the men from Wabasha County.


 * Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Compiled and Arranged from Official Records of the Federal and Confederate Armies : [Minnesota]. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993). . FS Library US/CAN Fiche 6084700. Other libraries with this book.


 * Minnesota. Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-1865. (St. Paul, Minn: Electrotyped and printed for the State by the Pioneer Press Company, 1890).. FS Library US/CAN Book 977.6 H2bc. Other libraries with this book. Click on the FS Library Collection link to view this book online. It contains detailed histories and rosters of each Minnesota Military Unit.