William B. Hutchinson

Name: William B. Hutchinson Company: B Veteran; promoted Corporal, Sergeant
Birth Date: February 19, 1842 Place: Middletown, Logan County, Illinois	Mustered In Date: February 10, 1862 Rank: Private Age: 21 Residence prior to military service: Middletown, Logan County, Illinois
Death Date: Unknown Place: Unknown Burial: Unknown	Mustered Out Date: September 6, 1865 Rank: Sergeant Age: about 24 Residence following military service: Bristol, Fillmore County, Minnesota (1880) Vocation following military service: Farmer

William B. Hutchinson Biography and Civil War Narrative

William Byron Hutchinson was born February 19, 1842, in Middletown, Logan County, Illinois, the son of a blacksmith and bell maker, William Hutchinson, and his wife, Mary Jane née Hendrickson.

William Hutchinson enlisted in Company B of the 5th Minnesota on February 10, 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 through Belle 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 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 men, including Private Hutchinson, 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, the Indian warriors across the river opened fire on the men from Company B. Soon after, the Indians who had crossed the river also joined in the attack. The battle continued until about 4:00 pm with many of the soldiers killed. At that time 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.

Sergeant John F. 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 Hutchinson and the rest of the soldiers 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, Sergeant Bishop sent Hutchinson and another private, James Dunn, ahead of the remainder of the band to Fort Ridgely so that they might ascertain the situation at the lightly guarded fort or else inform the garrison of the disaster at Redwood. Hutchinson and Dunn arrived at the fort about 10:00 pm finding it safe, and about an hour later, the rest of the group led by Bishop arrived. In all, 24 of Marsh's men had died.

The following days (August 20 and 22) Hutchinson assisted in defending Fort Ridgely. 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. At some point during his service he was promoted to Sergeant. In early 1864, his original term of enlistment drawing to a close, Hutchinson re-enlisted. Reciving a veterans home leave, he married Angeline Crowell on July 12, 1864. Angeline had been born in 1845 in Cook County, Illinois. William returned to the 5th Minnesota along with the rest of the veterans and some new recruits; he continued with Company B until the Regiment was mustered out on September 6, 1865.

At the time of the 1870 U.S. Census, 28-year-old William Hutchinson was a farmer living in Bristol, Fillmore County, Minnesota. With him were his wife, Angeline (age 25, born in Illinois), a daughter, Ann D. (age 3, born in Minnesota), and a son, William (born in Minnesota).

In the 1880 Census, 38-year-old William was still farming in Bristol, Fillmore County, Minnesota. William and Angeline then had five children: three daughters: Amie (age 12), Effie J. (age 4, born in Minnesota), and Anna L. (age 1, born in Minnesota); and two sons: Willie (age 10) and Daniel (age 7, born in Minnesota).

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