Charles Henry Dills

Name: Charles Henry Dills Company: C
Birth Date: March 29, 1845 Place: EllicottvilleCataraugus County, New York	Mustered In Date: February 17, 1862 Rank: Private Age: 17 Residence prior to military service: New York; Clarks Grove, Minnesota Vocation prior to military service: farm hand
Death Date: July 16, 1925 Place: La Moure, North Dakota Burial: Graceland Cemetery, Albert Lea, Minnesota	Mustered Out Date: February 16, 1865 Rank: Private Age: 20 Residence following military service: Albert Lea, Minnesota; La Moure, North Dakota Vocation following military service: Farmer

Charles Henry Dills in the Civil War

Charles Dills was born the son of Daniel and Rebecca Ann Harsen Dills on March 29, 1845 in Ellicottville, Cataraugus County, New York. In the spring of 1858, he moved with his family to Minnesota, settling on a farm near Clarks Grove.

On February 17, 1862, Charles Henry enlisted in Company C of the 5th Minnesota Regiment along with his 44-year-old father, Daniel Dills, and his 41-year-old uncle, Charles Dills. As members of Company C, they were sent for garrison duty to Fort Ripley, north of Little Falls, Minnesota, in March 1862. But on June 19, they left with a detachment of 50 men under the command of Lieutenant Timothy J. Sheehan to report to Fort Ridgley, near New Ulm, Minnesota.

Marching about 200 miles via Elk River and Henderson, they reached Fort Ridgley on the evening of June 28th, and reported to Captain Marsh who commanded the post. On June 29th, the detachment was sent on to the Sioux Agency on the Yellow Medicine River to help preserve order during the annuity payment to the Sioux. They camped at the Lower Sioux Agency along the Minnesota River the night of June 30th, and arrived at the Upper Sioux Agency at Yellow Medicine on July 2nd, reporting to Major Thomas Galbraith, the Sioux agent at that place.

On August 4th, about 800 Sioux warriors surrounded the camp of the detachment and stormed a government supply warehouse, which Charles Henry and the soldiers defended. After annuity goods were distributed to the Indians, the detachment marched back to Fort Ridgley, arriving on the evening of August 12th. Five days later (August 17th), Lieutenant Sheehan and his detachment began marching back to Fort Ripley to join the rest of their company who had remained there.

News that a massacre was taking place at the Lower Sioux Agency arrived at Fort Ridgley the next morning (Monday, August 18th) so Captain Marsh quickly sent a mounted messenger with orders for Lieutenant Sheehan's detachment to return immediately to Fort Ridgley. Marsh left Fort Ridgley to lead the rescue team at the Lower Sioux Agency and left 2nd Lieutenant Thomas P. Gere in command at the fort. When the orders reached Sheehan on Monday evening, Charles Henry Dills and the rest of the detachment had already marched 42 miles from Fort Ridgley and were setting up camp between New Auburn and Glencoe. They immediately began a forced march back to Fort Ridgley and arrived at the fort on Tuesday. Upon their arrival back at Fort Ridgley, Lieutenant Sheehan took command. Meanwhile, about 2 miles west of the fort, Indians under the leadership of Little Crow were congregated and planning their movements.

On Wednesday, August 20th, while Little Crow approached the fort from the west, a party of 500-600 Indians attacked from the northeast. Soon the fort was surrounded, and the Indians kept up their attack on the fort for five hours, the defenders responding with artillery and muskets. At nightfall the firing ceased and Little Crow withdrew his forces to the lower agency.

Two days later on Friday, August 22nd, Little Crow again attacked Fort Ridgley, this time with a force of 1200-1500 men. For six hours the battle continued, but once again the fort was successfully defended. In the following days, defensive works were strengthened. On Wednesday, August 27th, additional reinforcements arrived.

Charles Henry's and Lieutenant Sheehan's detachment of Company C left Fort Ridgley on September 18th to join their companions at Fort Ripley. Company C joined the rest of the 5th Minnesota on December 12, 1862, near Oxford, Mississippi. Charles Henry's father was discharged on July 27, 1863 due to disability (chronic dysentery). Charles Henry continued to serve in Company C until the end of the Civil War and participated in numerous campaigns including the Siege of Vicksburg (May 18-July 4, 1863) and the Battle of Nashville (December 15-16, 1864).

A Dills descendant, Charles E. Dills of San Luis Obispo, California, shares the following anecdote:

My uncle once told me that they [Charles Henry Dills and his uncle, Charles Dills] were good "scroungers". He told me that [Lieutenant Timothy J.] Sheehan would drop back to them, at the end of the column, and tell them something like, "We're going to camp a half mile ahead." and then go back to the head of the column. Charles and Charles Henry would then fade into the woods and sometime later would appear at the camp with whatever food they had been able to "liberate". I assume uncle got that story from granddad himself.

Charles Henry Dills was mustered out September 6, 1865, and returned to Albert Lea, Minnesota. On September 6, 1873, he married Miss Jessie Alberta Prescott, born August 13, 1856. Jessie was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Prescott of Albert Lea. He farmed northwest of Albert Lea until 1895 when the family moved into Albert Lea.

In 1880, 35-year-old Charles Henry Dills and his family were living in Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Minnesota, where he worked as a farmer. Living with him were his 23-year-old wife, Jessie, and two children: Lillie (age 6) and John C. (age 2), both born in Minnesota. In all, Charles Henry and Jessie had four children: Lillian Adelaide, John Clinton, Daniel Everard and Frank Barlow.

At some point, Jessie began having grand mal seizures and was housed at the State Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota for the last 20 years of her life. About 1912, Charles Henry moved to La Moure, North Dakota.

Jessie Dills died October 17, 1913, in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Albert Lea, Minnesota. Charles Henry Dills died on July 16, 1925 in La Moure, North Dakota. He is also buried in Graceland Cemetery.

Photos of Charles Henry Dills and other items are posted online by Charles E. Dills:

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