The 150th anniversary of the Civil War

In April 1861, Minnesota became the first state to offer up soldiers for the Union effort in the launch of the Civil War. News of Confederate forces firing upon Fort Sumter, S.C., traveled to Minnesota Gov. Alexander Ramsey, who was in Washington, D.C. The governor telegraphed Lt. Gov. Ignatius Donnelly to gather volunteers across the state to establish the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment.

On April 9 at the State Capitol, actors dressed in uniform as part of a Civil War Flag Day event hosted by the Minnesota Historical Society.