5th Minnesota Battle Flag Frank A. Blackmer

Name: Frank A. Blackmer
Company: C
Discharged for wounds received at Fort Ridgley.
Birth
  • Date:  January 16, 1847 (or 1848?)
  • Place:  Amherst, Lorain county, Ohio
 Mustered In
  • Date: March 14, 1862
  • Rank: Private
  • Age: 19 (in military records; actually age 15)
  • Residence prior to military service: Ohio; Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Vocation prior to military service: 
Death
  • Date: July 11, 1900
  • Burial: Freeborn County, Minnesota
 Mustered Out
  • Date: October 28, 1862
  • Rank: Sergeant
  • Age: 15
  • Residence following military service: Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Vocation following military service: Doctor and Drugstore Keeper (1870); Medical Doctor (1880); Physician Surgeon (1900)

Frank A. Blackmer Biography and Civil War Narrative

  Frank Amos Blackmer was born in Amherst, Ohio, on January 16, 1847 (or 1848), the son of Dr. Franklin and Mynerva Blackmer. Dr. and Mrs. Franklin Blackmer moved to a farm near Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Minnesota, in 1856. The 1860 U.S. census shows their household:
 On October 11, 1861, Frank's older brother, Loren, enlisted in Company F of the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment. About five months later, 15-year-old Frank also enlisted in the Union Army, but in Company C of the 5th Minnesota Regiment.

As a member of Company C, Frank Blackmer served garrison duty at Fort Ripley, north of Little Falls, Minnesota. He also was included 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. After annuity goods were distributed to the Indians, Lieutenant Sheehan and his detachment began marching back to Fort Ripley on August 17th 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, Frank Blackmer 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. Oscar Wall, in his Recollections of the Sioux Massacre (p. 83), lists Sergeant F. A. Blackmer as one of the soldiers from Company C present at Fort Ridgley on Tuesday evening, August 19.

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.

Post Surgeon, Dr. Alfred MullerTwo days later on Friday, August 22nd, Little Crow again attacked Fort Ridgley, this time with a force of 1200-1500 men. Sergeant Blackmer was stationed outside of the buildings on the east side of the fort. For six hours the battle continued, and during the fight "Sergeant Blackmer was wounded in the jaw, the bullet passing through from side to side," according to an accountby E.W. Earle, one of the citizen soldiers at the fort. Earle continued his comments, "The poor fellow must have suffered terribly" [The History of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume 1 by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, p. 239]. In describing casualties from the battle at Fort Ridgley, Oscar Wall wrote, "Sergeant Frank A. Blackmer, Co. C, received what was supposed to be a mortal wound, but clinging tenaciously to life, recovered" (p. 151), and he added the footnote, "In later years he [Blackmer] became a prominent physician at Albert Lea, Minnesota." Wall gave great credit to the Post Surgeon at Fort Ridgely, Dr. Alfred Muller, who treated Blackmer's wound. Wall also included the statement that "Blackmer was shot in the head" (p. 167). A biography published in History of Freeborn County (1982) states that Frank Blackmer's wound was caused by "a ball passing through his face, in one cheek and out of the other." Once again the fort was successfully defended.

In the following days, defensive works were strengthened. On Wednesday, August 27th, additional reinforcements arrived. Frank Blackmer's name is listed on the monument erected to remember the defenders at Fort Ridgley.  Sergeant Frank A. Blackmer was discharged for his wounds received at Fort Ridgely and was mustered out on October 28, 1862.

Arriving home from the army, Frank attended school from 1863 to 1868. Then he returned to his birth state of Ohio where he entered Oberlin College, Oberlin, Lorain County, Ohio (southwest of Cleveland), which he attended during the winter months. In the summer he also studied at the University of Worcester, Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduating from Worcester, he entered the drug business and also practiced medicine. The 1870 census shows 23-year-old Frank Blackmer living back in Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Minnesota, on August 30. He worked there as "Doctor & Drugstore Keeper."

Mrs. Franc E. Blackmer (1885) - Frank A. Blackmer's wifeOn October 15, 1872, Frank A. Blackmer married Miss Francis (Franc) E. Wedge, born November 1853 to parents who were both born in New York state. Franc's parents may have been J. Cole and Lavina Wedge who lived in Waupun, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, in 1860 and in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1870. The 1860 census lists Franci's last name as "Humphrey," so it's possible that she was adopted by the Wedges.

Heman Blackmer (1900) - Frank A. Blackmer's brotherA year after they were married, Frank and Franc had a son, Raymond C., on October 17, 1873. In 1880 the Frank Blackmer family lived on Jefferson Avenue in Albert Lea. Frank was 32 and working as an "M.D."; Franc was 27 years old and kept house.; son, Ray was 6 years old. They also had two live-in servants: Carrie Olson (age 17, born in Norway) and Soren Sorenson (age 27, born in Denmark). The 1880 census also shows "Manarva" Blackmer living as a widow in Albert Lea along with her 28-year-old son, Nelson, who was farming. Nearby lived her 41-year-old son, Loren, who was farming and living with his wife, Elisabeth (age 40), and three daughters: Sophia (age 14), Bessie (age 11), and Mina (age 8). Also living nearby were Daniel Dills and his son, Charles H. Dills, who both served in Company C with Frank and were present at the Battle of Fort Ridgely. Frank's brothers, Heman and Henry, also lived in Albert Lea in 1880. Heman was a lawyer; he and his wife, Hellen, had a daughter, Nevada, born about 1877. Henry was a farmer who had married Annette Dills, the daughter of Daniel Dills and sister of Charles H. Dills.

The 1900 U.S. census shows Frank (age 53) and Franc (age 46) Blackmer living at 407 Park Avenue, Albert Lea. His occupation is described as "Physican Surgeon." Living with them are two servants: Dora and Thora M. Petersen, ages 28 and 26 respectively. Both immigrated from Denmark. Their household was enumerated on June 8th of that year. About a month later, on July 11, 1900, Dr. Frank Amos Blackmer died. He was buried in Freeborn County, Minnesota.

In 1910 Francis Blackmer continued to live (alone) at 407 Park Avenue as a 56-year-old widow. She died on January 18, 1922, in Freeborn County.



[5th Minnesota Home] [Company C] [Tim Bode] [Tim Bode's Music Page] 
This page is maintained by Tim Bode (timbode@juno.com ). Page created on 9/8/09. Last modified on 9/11/09.
© 2009 Tim Bode