5th Minnesota Battle Flag Lyman A. Eggleston

Name: Lyman A. Eggleston
Company: C
Died July 6, 1863, at Young's Point, Louisiana
Birth
  • Date: about 1842
  • Place: Ohio
 Mustered In
  • Date: February 7, 1862
  • Rank: Private
  • Age: 20
  • Residence prior to military service: Auburn, Geauga County, Ohio; Galena, Illinois; Geneva Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota
  • Vocation prior to military service: Laborer
Death
  • Date: July 5 or 6, 1863
  • Place: Young's Point, Louisiana

Lyman Eggleston Biography and Civil War Narrative

Albanus Lyman Eggleston was born in 1841 in Auburn, Geauga County, Ohio. He was the fourth child (third son) of Eliab and Esther (Chapman) Eggleston. Eliab Eggleston Jr. was born July 29, 1808, in Whitehall, Washington County, New York; Esther Chapman was born August 19, 1810, in Connecticut. Lyman's grandfather, Eliab Eggleston, was a 14-year-old drummer boy in the Revolutionary War. Lyman's siblings included:
 Olive Ann died when she was just 2 and a half years old. From about 1849 to 1856 the Eggleston family lived in Galena, Illinois. Then they moved to Geneva Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota. Lyman's brother Burdette died on November 28, 1857, and Seymour died a month later on December 24.

The 1860 Census shows 52-year-old Eliab working as a Farmer and Carpenter. Charles (age 25) and Elmer (age 24) also worked as Farmers. Albanus (age 18) worked as a Laborer.

Lyman A. Eggleston enlisted in Company C of the Fifth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on February 7, 1862, at the age of 20. Six weeks later, on March 18, 1862, Lyman's older brother Charles also enlisted, but in Company F of the 4th Minnesota Infantry.

Company C began its active service with garrison duty at Fort Ripley, north of Little Falls, Minnesota. On June 19, Private Eggleston left Fort Ripley with a detachment of 50 men under the command of Lieutenant Timothy Sheehan to report to Fort Ridgely near the Minnesota River. Marching about 200 miles via Elk River and Henderson, they reached Fort Ridgely 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 the soldiers defended. After annuity goods were distributed to the Indians, the detachment marched back to Fort Ridgely, arriving on the evening of August 12th. Five days later (August 17th), Private Eggleston and Lieutenant Sheehan's 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 Ridgely the next morning (Monday, August 18th) so Captain Marsh quickly sent a dispatch to the Company C detachment calling them back to Fort Ridgely.      

Marsh left Fort Ridgely leading a rescue team to the Lower Sioux Agency and left Lieutenant Thomas P. Gere in command at the fort. When the orders reached Eggleston's Company C on Monday evening, they had already marched 42 miles from Fort Ridgely and were setting up camp between New Auburn and Glencoe. Sheehan immediately led a forced march back to Fort Ridgely and arrived back at the fort on Tuesday. They had marched 42 miles in 9 1/2 hours. Upon their arrival at Fort Ridgely, Lieutenant Sheehan took command of the fort. 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 Ridgely, 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. On the monument at Fort Ridgely, "L. A. Eggleston" is inscribed as one of the privates of Company C who defended the fort.

Eggleston and the Company C detachment once again left Fort Ridgely on September 18th to return to their companions at Fort Ripley. When they had concluded their service at Fort Ripley, Company C joined the rest of the 5th Minnesota on December 12, 1862, near Oxford, Mississippi.
From mid-May to early July 1863, the 5th Minnesota participated in the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, serving in Mower's 2nd Brigade in the 3rd Division (Tuttle) of the 15th Army Corps (Sherman), Army of the Tennessee (Grant). On May 22nd they participated in a large assault on Vicksburg. While the siege was going on they went on expeditions to Sartaria and Mechanicsburg, Mississippi, and to Richmond, Louisiana. They also toiled in a failed attempt to divert the Mississippi River through a canal. Immediately following the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, Private Lyman A. Eggleston died July 6, 1863, at Young's Point, Louisiana. Camp conditions were very poor for the 5th Minnesota during the Siege of Vicksburg, and Eggleston most likely died of illness.

Lyman's brother Charles also participated in the Siege of Vicksburg. After the siege, Charles was home at Geneva, Minnesota, on furlough--perhaps illness related. He died at Geneva on October 29, 1863.

The 1870 census shows Lyman's parents farming in Geneva Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota. The 1880 census which lists Eliab and Esther was enumerated on June 23. Although Eliab had died on June 9, 1880, he was still named on the census because instructions were to include "all persons . . . who were living on the 1st day of June." Immediately following Eliab and Esther Eggleston on the 1880 census were Elmer Eggleston (44-year-old Farmer) and his family: wife Katie (age 40), son Burdett (age 15), and song Eliab J. (age 12). Esther Eggleston died January 7, 1892 in Geneva, Freeborn County, Minnesota, at the age of 81.



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