James Dunn

Name: James Dunn Company: B Veteran; died of wounds received December 16, 1864, at Nashville.
Birth Date: about 1841-43	Mustered In Date: January 17, 1862 Rank: Private Age: 19-21
Death Date: December 18, 1864 Place: Nashville, Tennessee Burial: Nashville National Cemetery, Madison, Tennessee; Section F, grave #3575

James Dunn Biography and Civil War Narrative

James Dunn was born about 1841 and enlisted as a Private in Company B of the 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on January 17, 1862, as a Private. The first order of duty for Company B was to report to Fort Ridgely, near the Minnesota River. They left Fort Snelling at noon on March 22, 1862, under the command of First Sergeant Thomas P. Gere. Through the snow they traveled up the Minnesota Valley, stopping at the Scott County cour house at Shakopee the evening of the 22nd, and passing throughBelle Plaine, and Le Sueur, Minnesota on the 23rd. They crossed the Minnesota River on the ice at Traverse de Sioux after dark and spent the night of the 23rd at the Nicollet County court house at St. Peter. That evening the company reached La Fayette, Minnesota -- 18 miles from their destination. They arrived at Fort Ridgely at noon on March 25th, serving garrison duty and continuing their military instruction and drills. The company was especially well-trained in skirmishing and received additional training in artillery.

On Monday, August 18th, word was received at Fort Ridgely that a massacre of whites was taking place at the Lower Sioux Agency. Company B's Captain John S. Marsh, who had joined the Company on April 16, immediately led a rescue party of 46 soldiers, including Private Dunn, and an interpreter to the Lower Sioux Agency. About three miles out of Fort Ridgely, the party was overtaken by wagon teams who followed them, carrying extra ammunition and otherwise empty wagons. Picking up the marching rescue party, the wagons continued on toward their destination, passing fleeing citizens, burning houses, and mutilated corpses. About six miles out of Fort Ridgely, the rescue team continued on by foot.

When the rescue party neared the Redwood ferry crossing on the Minnesota River shortly after noon, they found the ferryman's beheaded and disemboweled body with the ferry on their side of the river. As two of the soldiers carefully went to the riverbank for a drink, they noticed Indians concealed on the opposite side. Captain Marsh nevertheless ordered his soldiers to prepare for crossing. As preparations were being made, Sergeant John F. Bishop also went to the riverbank for a drink and noticed that the water was muddy--evidence that Indians may be crossing upstream to surround them. Within moments the Indian warriors across the river opened fire on the men from Company B. Soon after, the Indians who had crossed the river joined in the attack.

In his report on the Battle of Redwood (dated September 5, 1887), Sergeant Bishop described an incident early in the fight involving himself and Private Dunn:

A little beyond the ferry-house I met an Indian with a double shotgun; he gave me the contents of both barrels, which struck the sand in the road at my feet; he was excited, I suppose, as well as my self. We both commenced loading; he had both barrels loaded as I rammed my cartridge home. A gun barrel then came up under my left arm. Supposing it to be an Indian in my rear about to use his hatchet, I did not turn to see how it was to be done; the gun went off and the Indian fell and the road was clear once more. Young James Dunn of Chatfield, afterward killed at Nashville, spoke up and said, "Is your gun loaded?" "Yes, as soon as I can cap it." He said, "You lead, my gun is empty." We went about three hundred feet farther, and 5 Indians jumped into the road from the grass. We then turned off to the south, in hopes to find an opening, but they bore down on us, and others joined them, and we were pressed or crowded to the south and west in a kind of circle, until we reached the thicket just below the ferry. This thicket, at that time, varied from one rod to ten in width, and ran along the edge of the river about one mile to nearly opposite the Faribault house, where it ended in an open bottom beyond. When we entered it we found Captain Marsh and 11 men had reached it before us.

About 4:00 pm, Captain Marsh concluded that their best plan was to cross the river. In his attempt to lead them, Marsh was overcome and swept under the water, drowning in spite of attempts to rescue him.

Although wounded himself, Sergeant Bishop then took command of Company B's rescue party. He immediately decided to stay on the north side of the river. The Indians apparently thought that Dunn, Bishop, and the rest of the survivors of the rescue party had continued to the other side, so they crossed back and prepared for another ambush. But by nightfall, the remnant of the rescue party found better protected ground downstream. Not knowing the status of Fort Ridgely, and with the group having their progress slowed by transporting badly wounded Ole Svendson, Bishop sent James Dunn and another private, William B. Hutchinson, ahead of the remainder of the band to Fort Ridgely so that they might ascertain the situation at the lightly guarded fort or inform the garrison of the disaster at Redwood. Dunn and Hutchinson arrived at the fort about 10:00 pm finding it safe, and about an hour later, the rest of the group arrived. In all, 24 of Marsh's men had died.

Mrs. Margaret Hern gave an account of Jim Dunn's arrival at Fort Ridgely in 1858. It was preserved in a collection of pioneer accounts under the title of Old Rail Fence Corners: The A. B. C's. of Minnesota History (Lucy Leavenworth Wilder Morris, ed.):

We knew nothing of what was happening to this little handful of soldiers, but as more and more refugees came in with the terribly mutilated, our fears increased. We knew a small group of the savages could finish us. Just at dusk, Jim Dunn, a soldier of nineteen who always helped us about our work, came reeling in, caked with blood and sweat. I said, "For God's sake, what is the news, Jim?" He only panted, "Give me something to eat quick." After he had swallowed a few mouthfuls, he told us that nearly all of the boys had been killed by the Indians. He said, "The devils got us in the marsh by the river. Quinn told the Captain not to go down there, but he held his sword above his head and said, 'All but cowards will follow me.'" The Indians on the other side of the river were challenging us to come by throwing up their blankets way above their heads.

After one day of respite, the Sioux re-organized and attacked Fort Ridgely on Wednesday, August 20. About 1:00 pm, Indians hidden in the wooded ravine to the northeast of the Fort attacked. Sergeant James G. McGrew manned a 12-pound mountain howitzer at the northwest corner of the garrison. According to Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, author of The History of Renville County, Minnesota, "James Dunn, a merry Irishman, whose wit and humor did much to keep the defenders in good spirits, helped McGrew." When repelled by McGrew's howitzer defending the north side of the Fort, the Indians also attacked from another wooded ravine to the southwest, but the combined efforts of Companies B & C along with the Renville Rangers held off the attackers until nightfall. No attack was made on Thursday, August 21, but on Friday, August 22, the battle was started again with a still larger Indian contingency. The Indians finally withdrew at nightfall, and although the defenders of Fort Ridgely did not know it at the time, the battle was over.

On November 9, Company B escorted captured Indians to Fort Snelling, and on December 12, they joined up with the rest of the 5th Minnesota near Oxford, Mississippi, to serve in the Civil War. The Fifth Minnesota was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 8th Division, 16th Army Corps (Hurlbut), Army of the Tennessee (Grant) when Company B arrived in Mississippi.

In April the regiment was attached to the 2nd Brigade (Mower), 3rd Division (Tuttle), 15th Army Corps (Sherman), Army of the Tennessee (Grant) and participated in the Siege of Vicksburg (May 18-July 4, 1863). The following December they were attached to the 16th Army Corps (Hurlbut), still under the command of Mower (2nd Brigade) and Tuttle (1st Division).

Early in 1864, the 5th Minnesota Volunteers were given the opportunity to continue as veterans, and James Dunn re-enlisted. They participated in the Meridian Campaign (February 3-March 2, 1864) and in the Red River Campaign (March 10-May 22, 1864). Dunn and the other veterans were given a Veterans' Furlough from June 17 to August 17 while the non-veterans participated in Smith's Expedition to Tupelo (July 5 - 21, 1864). In September 1864 the 5th Minnesota participate in Mower's Expedition to Brownsville, Arkansas, then pursued Confederate General Price through Arkansas and Missouri (September 17 - November 15, 1864).

On November 24, 1864, Dunn and the 5th Minnesota Regiment left St. Louis, Missouri, aboard steamers which took them down the Mississippi to Cairo, Illinois, then up the Ohio River, and from there on the Cumberland to Nashville, Tennessee, arriving November 30. They joined Major General George H. Thomas' army encamped in a defensive line south of Nashville. Confederate General Hood had brought his army up to Nashville following the Battle of Franklin on November 30.

Though urged by General Grant in Washington to attack Hood, General Thomas was delayed by weather. Finally on Thursday, December 15, Thomas ordered his union army to take action against Hood. Proceeding as part of the main attack on Hood's left flank, the 5th Minnesota followed an arced path along the Charlotte Pike under the command of Major John Becht (5th Minnesota), Colonel Lucius F. Hubbard (2nd Brigade), Brigadier General John McArthur (1st Division), and Major General Andrew J. Smith. That afternoon the 5th Minnesota led the attack and capture of one of several armed dirt forts along the confederate line.

After camping on the battleground that night, the 5th Minnesota re-positioned themselves the next morning. They advanced under heavy fire to a line about a quarter mile from the re-entrenched confederate soldiers. About 4:15 pm the 5th Minnesota fixed their bayonets, and the volunteers abandoned their makeshift fortifications in a charge across an open, muddy cornfield, crossing stone walls and fences as they advanced. Lieutenant Colonel William B. Gere described the Confederate's response as "the most terrific and withering fire of musketry and artillery it has ever been my fortune to behold or encounter." Many Union soldiers were wounded or killed in the charge. One of the wounded from the 5th Minnesota was James Dunn. He was likely wounded in this main charge, and his wounds proved fatal. James Dunn died on December 18, 1864, and was buried in Nashville National Cemetery, section F, grave 3575.

The Union army routed the Confederates at the Battle of Nashville. Hood retreated to the south and was pursued by Thomas' army for 10 days until they crossed the Tennessee River on December 26th.

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