Henning Von Minden

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Major

Henning Von Minden
(Minnesota) Minden, Henning Von - Brackett's Battalion, Cavalry, Company A - DPLA - 1990a8c759460c8320bfa83c7076cec4.jpg
Henning Von Minden's Service Reference Card from the National Archives and Records Administration
BornDecember 30, 1826
Schleswig–Holstein
DiedDecember 25, 1871
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Buried
Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Allegiance
Branch
Years of service
  • 1848-1851
  • 1861-1866
Rank
Unit
Commands
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War

Sully's Expedition Against the Sioux

Alma mater Leibniz University Hannover (Polytechnische Schule)
Children3

Henning Von Minden (December 30, 1826 - December 25, 1871) was a German American civil engineer, surveyor, and military officer from Schleswig-Holstein and a prominent citizen of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Von Minden was responsible for the platting of Chisago City, Minnesota and was an associate of Ignatius L. Donnelly.

Contents

Early life

Henning Von Minden was born on December 30, 1826 in Schleswig-Holstein, not much is known about Von Minden and his upbringing. [1] At the time the Duchy of Schleswig was a highly contested region of Europe between the German Confederation and Denmark. [1] Von Minden was educated as a civil engineer at the Leibniz University Hannover (at the time the Polytechnische Schule) and later was a volunteer in the First Schleswig War as a cavalryman. [2] [3] Around November 1, 1855 Von Minden emigrated to the United States electing to settle in Minnesota Territory and lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [1]

Civil engineering career

As a civil engineer, drafter, and cartographer Von Minden worked as a surveyor, architect, and consultant in St. Paul alongside Fredric Wippermann, this partnership lasted from 1857 until September 13, 1860. [3] [4] Von Minden later partnered with C. Meyer to draft an 1856 map of Minnesota and St. Paul which is still held by the Minnesota Historical Society. [5] In June 1857 Von Minden assisted Ignatius L. Donnelly in the platting of Chisago City, Minnesota alongside Isaac Bernheimer and Samuel W. Arnold of Philadelphia. [6] In 1858 Von Minden was elected as the surveyor of St. Paul, the very same year Minnesota was admitted to the Union as the 32nd State. [1]

American Civil War

The Curtis Horse and the 5th Iowa Cavalry Regiment

When the American Civil War began Von Minden immediately organized a unit of United States Volunteer cavalry on October 9, 1861 which was named the 1st Company of Minnesota Light Cavalry or "Von Minden's Company". [7] [8] This unit was raised at Fort Snelling alongside the 2nd and 3rd Companies of Minnesota Light Cavalry under D. Mortimer West and Alfred Bruce Brackett. [7] The Minnesota Light Cavalry companies were eventually merged with other cavalry units being organized in Nebraska Territory and Iowa, the unit was named the "Curtis Horse" after Samuel Ryan Curtis, the name was later changed to the 5th Iowa Cavalry Regiment. [9] Von Minden would serve with the 5th Iowa Cavalry from 1861-1864. During his time as the Captain of Company G he was captured twice; once during the Battle of Lockridge Mill and again during the Battle of Dover near Fort Donelson. [10] [11] Von Minden was eventually paroled along with his men and was transferred along with the rest of the Minnesota companies G, I, and K back to Minnesota where they were reformed as Brackett's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion. [10]

Brackett's Battalion

When companies G, I, and K of the 5th Iowa Cavalry Regiment were detached and sent back to Minnesota on February 25, 1864 they were reorganized as Brackett's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion in order to serve in the Sioux Wars under the command of Alfred Sully under the military district of Iowa. [12] Von Minden was elected as the Captain of Company A in Brackett's Battalion while it was deployed to the Dakota Territory. [13] During the ensuing campaigns against the Dakota people the unit would ultimately take part in the Battle of Killdeer Mountain and the Battle of the Badlands. Minden was later assigned to Major general John Pope's staff as a topographical engineer. [14]

Hatch's Battalion

In September 1864 Von Minden was promoted to the rank of Major and reassigned to Hatch's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion under the command of Colonel Charles Powell Adams. While assigned to Hatch's Battalion Von Minden was headquartered at Sauk Centre, Minnesota. [1] Von Minden was discharged with the rest of the battalion in the summer of 1866. [15]

Later life

After the war Von Minden worked as a clerk and bookkeeper for William Dawson and the Dawson & Company Bank in St. Paul. Dawson later became the president of the Bank of Minnesota, as well as the 20th mayor of St. Paul. [10] [16] Von Minden was later appointed as the Chief Draftsman for the Surveyor General's Office of Minnesota. [1] [10]

Legacy

Von Minden's home still survives to this day as the Barnum-Von Minden House located at 262 Banfil Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [17] Von Minden Street in West Seventh, Saint Paul was named in honor of Von Minden, the street was later renamed to West Michigan Street. [18] [19] [20] Minden Township in Benton County, Minnesota is likely named after Von Minden, another likely candidate is the German city of Minden. "Von Minden" Post 105 of the Grand Army of the Republic was named in honor of Henning Von Minden, it was located in Jordan, Minnesota and existed from 1884 to 1918. [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 G.A.F. (1872-01-06). "The Alexandria post". Minnesota Historical Society: 4.
  2. ↑ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1861-10-03). "St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, October 03, 1861, Image 1". ISSN   2326-7569 . Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  3. 1 2 Humanities, National Endowment for the (1858-06-12). "Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, June 12, 1858, Image 4". ISSN   2694-4308 . Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  4. ↑ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1860-09-28). "The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, September 28, 1860, Image 7". ISSN   2694-4251 . Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  5. ↑ "Map of Minnesota. | Collections Record | Minnesota Historical Society". www.mnhs.org. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  6. ↑ White, Helen M. (1996). "Ignatius Donnelly Meets the Swedes" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society Press: 23 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
  7. 1 2 Iowa. Adjutant General's Office. cn (1908). Roster and record of Iowa soldiers in the War of the Rebellion : together with historical sketches of volunteer organizations, 1861-1866. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Des Moines : E.H. English, state printer : E.D. Chassell, state binder. p. 846.
  8. ↑ United States. Adjutant-General's Office; Fallon, John T. (1885). List of synonyms of organizations in the volunteer service of the United States during the years 1861, '62, '63, '64, and '65. New York Public Library. Washington, Govt. Print. Off. p. 63.
  9. ↑ Iowa. Adjutant General's Office. cn (1908). Roster and record of Iowa soldiers in the War of the Rebellion : together with historical sketches of volunteer organizations, 1861-1866. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Des Moines : E.H. English, state printer : E.D. Chassell, state binder. p. 845.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Major Henning Von Minden". www.scriptoriumnovum.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  11. ↑ Ullrich, Dieter C. (1997). "They Met at Lockridge's Mill". The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers. 51 (1): 1–20 – via West Tennessee Historical Society.
  12. ↑ "Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  13. ↑ Minnesota. Adjutant General's Office (1862). Annual report. The Library of Congress. Saint Paul. p. 684.
  14. ↑ Humanities, National Endowment for the (1865-03-10). "The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, March 10, 1865, Image 5". ISSN   2694-4251 . Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  15. ↑ Minnesota. Adjutant General's Office (1862). Annual report. The Library of Congress. Saint Paul. p. 758.
  16. ↑ "William Dawson, Sr. – Founder of Gladstone | Maplewood, MN". maplewoodmn.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  17. ↑ Hanc, John (19 March 2014). "Minnesota Makes Do Without a Civil War Battlefield". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  18. ↑ "Schneider-Bulera House, 365 Michigan Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota - Placeography". www.placeography.net. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  19. ↑ "Ramsey County Minnesota Genealogy and History". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  20. ↑ Garland, Bob (2001). "Growing up in St. Paul: All for Under $11,000: 'Add-Ons, 'Deductions' - The Growing Pains of Two 'Queen Annes'" (PDF). Ramsey County History. 36 (1): 25–27 – via Ramsey County Historical Society.
  21. ↑ Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. "Historical Summary of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Posts by State: Minnesota" (PDF). Grand Army of the Republic Records Project. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
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