Beschreibung:

Two-part badge comprised of red, white, and blue silk ribbon, 5 in. ln., identified in gold, "Annual Reunion / 1st Minn. Vol. Infantry / Soldiers Home Minnehaha, Minn. / June 13, 1905," marked on reverse "Whitehead & Hoag Co., Newark, NJ." Celluloid badge attached, 1.75 in. dia., with portrait of Colonel Wm. Colvill on obverse surrounded by "In Command of 1st Minn. Regt. at Gettysburg, July 2nd, 1863." Reverse with depiction of the 1st MN Regiment facing off against Confederate troops at Gettysburg, noting that the regiment suffered "292 Officers and Men 215 Killed or Wounded." ________________________________________________________________________________________ On the afternoon of July 2, 1863, during Longstreet's Assault, the 1st Minnesota performed one of the most critical actions of the battle. While Sickles’ Corps was falling back, Longstreet’s men advanced to penetrate the center of the Union line, which had been thinned out to support other sectors. General Hancock rode up to the 1st Minnesota, with the only organized Union troops at hand, and ordered them to take the colors from the advancing Confederate forces. The 1st Minnesota's sacrificial charge halted the Confederate advance and secured time for the Union line to reform, forcing General Lee into a final, desperate gamble with Pickett’s Charge the following day. The survivors of the 1st Minnesota were involved in repelling that charge as well. The regiment suffered substantial losses during the battle, including approximately 215 killed and wounded. On July 2, 1897, a monument of granite and bronze was unveiled at the area of Cemetery Ridge from which the 1st Minnesota launched its charge. All the survivors, which amounted to around 135, were transported to and back at the expense of the state. (Information obtained from Stone Sentinels: The Battle of Gettysburg website, February 2, 2017.) Condition: Some light toning to ribbon, few small pinholes. Overall very fine condition.