Pale Horse at Plum Run: The First Minnesota at Gettysburg

by Brian Leehan

Minnesota Book Award Winner! The smoke had just cleared from the last volley of musketry at Gettysburg. Nearly 70 percent of the First Minnesota regiment lay dead or dying on the field--one of the greatest losses of any unit engaged in the Civil War. The significance of this July 2, 1863, battle at Gettysburg is widely known, but the harrowing details of the First's heroic stand that stopped a furious rebel assault have long been buried. In Pale Horse at Plum Run Brian Leehan brings the full story of the First at Gettysburg to light as he examines personal accounts, eyewitness reports, and official records to construct a remarkably detailed and compelling narrative. "Brian Leehan's account of the First Minnesota on Cemetery Ridge is the most detailed and complete I have read. His exhaustive research and compelling narrative are impressive and offer a much fuller understanding of the regiment's extraordinary feats." -- Richard Moe, author of The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, American Civil War

264 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Curtis Seven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well done to the point account of the story behind the actions of the Minnesota 1st Volunteers through Gettysburg. Some mention made of subsequent engagements but due to the horrific losses sustained and difficulty with recruiting after 1863 the unit was never quite the same (author suggests). Very plausible.

Also covered is the aftermath and the growing legend that led to the great monument of the Minnesota soldier charging with fixed bayonet at the battlefield.

If you are from Minnesota and have occasion to visit a cemetery on memorial day keep an eye out for the GAR marker as this may be the resting place of one of the soldiers. The GAR or Grand Army Of The Republic became a large political organization after the war lobbying for both veterans benefits and for their families. It may have been the model some had in mind when it came time to draft our modern Social Security system and certainly a case can be made that it presaged modern veterans benefits.

Aside from that if you find one of these mens final resting place they are worthy of having a flag planted and some flowers imho.

I'm going to leave the story of their service out of the review save to say they have at times been compared to the 300 at Thermoplye as well as to The Charge Of The Light Brigade. If you are familiar with the role that another bunch of volunteers from Michigan played that day under George Armstrong Custer you will appreciate the fact they did likely change the course of the war.

It was a case of the few giving so much for the many and changing the course of American history as a result.

[Timothy Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never was I more proud to be a Minnesotan than when I was reading about the First Minnesota at Gettysburg. No unit blue or gray engaged in that battle suffered a higher percentage of casualties than the 1st MN.

At a key point in the battle Gen Winfield Hancock spotted a large group rebels about to break through, he rode upon a group blue and asked their Colonel "what unit is this?" the officer replied the 1St Minnesota! Hancock replied pointing down into a little incline, charge that line! 280 Minnesotans charged head long into a group of 800 rebel soldiers, stopping them in their tracks and throwing them back.

[Kayla Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved reading about the history of the MN First. This book, by compiling the history into one read, does give an honest presentation of the facts behind the unit and it's accomplishment. I had read many of the published texts Leehan referred to. Added to the additional resources he researched and laying the facts out together, he does give a balanced picture to the unit's history. He does dispel some of the myths around the First MN but this does not diminish the legend. I also liked how the appendix pages were almost as long as the text content. Made me smile.

[Straw · Rating 3 out of 5]

It continues...
This book, a history of the 1st Minnesota, is not really very engaging. It is short and unless you had family members in this regiment I can't see it being all that interesting. The movements at Gettysburg are better described in the entirety of the Union troop movements in other books..

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leehan is very thorough in his research. I'm impressed with his ability to properly extrapolate the number of troops with the regiment during the July 2, 1863 charge at Gettysburg, and their altercation with the 28th Virginia during Pickett's Charge the next day. This is one of the top books to read about the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.

[MaureenMcBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My summer visit to Gettysburg National Park came back into sharp focus as I read this book. Brian's detail took me right to the spot where I'd stood by the monument to the First Minnesota and helped me see what had unfolded there. I'd heard the legend of the First's fight, so it was fascinating to read the facts behind it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A former co-worker. Please read this.

[Ben Vogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entering this review 4 years late in 2017 realizing that I very much want to read this again.

[noreast_bookreviewsnh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pale Horse at Plum Run: The First Minnesota at Gettysburg by Brian Leehan
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As students of the civil war know, there is no shortage of heroic tales to be told. That being said, the story of the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment and their bold (yet suicidal) charge to delay the enemy during the battle of Gettysburg lays at the top of that pantheon of heroism. This book perfectly captures the tragic trials that this brave regiment faced during their finest hour. On July 2nd, 1863 General Winfield Scott Hancock ordered the 1st Minnesota to charge a confederate attack on the Union center to prevent the Union line from collapsing into chaos. The charge resulted in 215 casualties out of 262 men that participated for an astonishing 82% casualty rate, the highest of any single regiment for a battle. All of the regiments field commanders were casualties that day.

The author uses firsthand accounts and journal entries as well as official reports to give substance to the narrative. Admittedly this book was a little too heavy on the tactical details and I found it easy to get lost without having maps in front of me. That being said I prefer human interest stories to tactical focus. This is a short and to the point book that serves its purpose to convey the stories of these bold doers of deeds.

[Liz Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very dry and sticks to the facts, but that is what I needed! I am doing some research on the First Minnesota at Gettysburg and I'm glad I have a hard copy of this book because I will be referring to it often.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent regimental history of the 1st Minnesota during the Gettysburg campaign. Not a must-read unless you’re really a Gettysburg or Minnesota in the Civil War enthusiast. I will say that the author’s section on the myths that developed after the battle regarding the charge of the 1st on July 2nd and the analysis of the casualties was well done.

Also, a weird “It’s a small world after all” moment: One of the people listed in the acknowledgments is the father of an acquaintance of mine and once I got into an argument on Facebook with him. I said you can never trust a spook and he got upset because he worked for the CIA.