5th Minnesota Battle Flag Simon Peter Beighley

Name: Simon Peter Beighley
Company: C
Birth
  • Date: July 12 or December 7, 1833
  • Place: Butler County, Pennsylvania
Mustered In
  • Date: March 15, 1862
  • Rank: Private
  • Age: 28
  • Residence prior to military service: Butler County, Pennsylvania; Brownsdale (aka Sandy Lake), Mercer County, Pennsylvania; Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Vocation prior to military service: tanner and currier
Death
  • Date: April 30, 1916
  • Place: Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Burial: State Line Cemetery, Worth County, Iowa
 Mustered Out
  • Date: March 14, 1865
  • Rank: Private
  • Age: 31
  • Residence following military service: Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Vocation following military service: Farmer; Justice of the Peace

Simon Peter Beighley Biographical and Civil War Narrative

Simon (aka Simeon) Peter Beighley was born July 12 or December 7, 1833, in Butler County, Pennsylvania, to Peter Samuel and Elizabeth (Hawk) Beighley. When he was 19 years old, Simon began to learn the trade of tanner and currier.

On October 31, 1854, in Mercer, Pennsylvania, Simon married Louisa M. Miller, born October 12, 1834, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. Louisa was the daughter of Philip J. and Sarah (Cribbs) Miller. In 1856 they moved to Minnesota and settled in the southern part of Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota.

Simon and Louisa had eleven children:
 Beighley enlisted in Company C of the 5th Minnesota on March 15, 1862, at the age of 28. His younger brother, Leonard, had enlisted in the same company a month earlier. As members of Company C, the Beighley brothers served garrison duty at Fort Ripley, north of Little Falls, Minnesota. Simon also served in a detachment to Fort Ridgley, near New Ulm, Minnesota, that defended that fort against Sioux Indians in August 1862. On June 19, they left Fort Ripley with a detachment of 50 men under the command of Lieutenant Timothy J. Sheehan to report to Fort Ridgley.

Marching about 200 miles via Elk River and Henderson, they reached Fort Ridgley on the evening of June 28th, and reported to Captain John 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 Beighley and the soldiers defended. After annuity goods were distributed to the Indians, 12th, 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 Lieutenant Thomas P. Gere in command at the fort. When the orders reached Sheehan on Monday evening, Simon P. Beighley 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. Simon Beighley's name is the first listed on the monument erected to remember the defenders at Fort Ridgley.

Beighley 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. Beighley remained with Company C until he was mustered out on March 14, 1865, at Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island, Alabama. He participated in the Siege of Vicksburg, the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Tupelo, and the Battle of Nashville.

Following the war, Beighley returned to Gordonsville in Shell Rock Township of Freeborn County, Minnesota, where he lived out his life. Simon Peter Beighley died on April 30, 1916, in Shell Rock Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota. He was buried in State Line Cemetery, Worth County, Iowa. Louisa died November 10 of the same year and was also buried in State Line Cemetery.



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This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Page created on 4/9/09. Last modified on 9/24/09.