Residence Wabasha MN; 37 years old.

Enlisted on 4/29/1861 at Wabasha, Wabasha County, MN as a Private.

On 4/29/1861 he mustered into "I" Co. MN 1st Infantry 

He was discharged (date not stated)

Promotions:

 Hospital Steward 

Intra Regimental Company Transfers:

 from company I to Field & Staff 

Other Information:

died in 1866 in Onion Creek, TX

Sources:

 - Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-65

 - Research by Roger Norland

 - Minnesota Adjutant General's Report of 1866

NOTES:

EXTRACT FROM JULY 15, 1862 LETTER REGARDING JAMES KIRKMAN 
LEAVING REGIMENT……………………….

 James Kirkman, our Hospital Steward has received his discharge since we came 

here and has received the appointment as Sutler to the 69th New York Regiment. 

I understand sutlers are the ones who make this war pay, many of them making $25 

to $50 per day; even daily papers sell at 15 cents each.

                 Yours, etc..  Oliver M Knight, Sergeant, 1st Minnesota Inf, Co I

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Saturday, July 26, Page 1

***********************************

PERSONAL - James Kirkman, Esquire, one of the pioneer settlers of this city, who has 

been connected wit the army since the commencement of the war, is now in town paying 

a short visit to his friends, and living over old times.  

He enlisted first under the call for three months, and after the expiration of his 

time went for three years. He was subsequently appointed Hospital Steward of his 

regiment, in which capacity he served for some time, and is now Sutler of Light 

Company I, First U S Infantry, in the Potomac Army (Army of the Potomac).

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Thursday, May 21, 1863, Page 3

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                            W A R    C O R R E S  P O N D E N C E

We have on file a communication from James Kirkman, formerly of this city, who is 

now Hospital Steward of the 1st Minnesota Regiment. It represents the health of the 

regiment as being good. He predicts an immediate advance, as he has been packing 

instruments, bandages and other hospital stores necessary for field service for two 

days before writing. He promises us a regular series of letters, giving a list of all 

hospital patients, as well as a general summary of news pertaining to the regiment 

and army. We shall publish his letter in our next issue.

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Saturday, February 1, 1862, Page 3

                         F R O M    T H E    F I R S T    R E G I M E N T

                                   Headquarters 1st Minnesota Regiment,

                                   Camp Stone, Maryland, February 8, 1862

Friend Stevens:

There has been no stir in camp since I last wrote. The rain has continued ever since, 

and we are getting tired of being cooped up in houses that are very small. The roads 

are in such a condition that it is barely possible to draw subsistence for the troops, 

and if the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal had not been kept clear of ice by two steam tugs, 

from this place to Georgetown, I do not think that the Government could have kept the 

troops in supplies. A forward movement of any kind will be impossible until the roads 

dry up. Lieutenant Hammond arrived here last night with fifty-two recruits for the 

1st. He had to leave two on the road on account of sickness, one at Harrisburg and 

one at Washington. I will give you their names in my next letter.

The sick report is much the same as the last one, only two have been admitted since 

last report – Peter Hall, Company B, residence, Stillwater; and Charles H Gove, of 

the same Company. Complaint, pleurisy, residence, Lakeland, Washington County. He is 

getting better. Returned to duty, Ole Nelson, Company A; Peter Hall, Company B; and 

Lafayette W Snow, Company B. Total remaining in Hospital, six and all doing well.

Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Miller who has been absent on sick leave at Harrisburg for 

some time, has returned to duty, but is not very well yet. He talks some of returning 

to Minnesota for his health. Dr Morton has returned today from a short visit to New 

Jersey, where he was called on account of sickness in his family. I am afraid if 

Governor Ramsey does not hurry up his commissions as full Surgeon of this regiment, 

he will leave us, as he is offered charge of one of the Hospitals in Washington City. 

If he leaves us it will be hard to fill his place, and a great loss to the regiment. 

Dr LeBlond of Houston County, arrived here about eight days ago as acting Assistant 

Surgeon. He seems to be much of a gentleman and a good physician, so we are well off 

for Doctors. If we have an engagement, there will be use for them all.

It is with regret that we see the name of our worthy Chaplain, the Rev Mr Neill, used 

in the N Y TRIBUNE by some correspondent to that paper, who says that the funds that 

are sent by the people of Minnesota for the use of the sick of the 1st Regiment, have 

been used for other purposes, etc.  I can assure the people of Minnesota, that such is 

not the  case. That our Chaplain has money in his hands for the use of the sick is 

true, and whenever we want it we get it once on the Surgeon’s order. I also certify 

that he is always ready to help the sick and wounded with any means at his disposal. 

The thanks of the Regiment are due to our Chaplain for his bravery at Bull Run, and it 

is due to him that several of our wounded were taken from the field. There are some 

men in the Regiment who dislike him because they cannot get commissions; therefore 

they must vent their spite on General Gorman and Chaplain Neill. Chaplain Neill is 

not going to throw the money away that he has in his hands to ratify the few in the 

Regiment who have got sore heads. The Hospital is well supplied with all necessaries 

as all the sick will testify, and they are the best judges.

                           James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, 1st Minnesota Regiment

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Wednesday, February 19, 1862, Page 2

                F R O M     T H E     F I R S T     R E G I M E N T

                                       Headquarters, 1st Minnesota Regiment,

                                               Harper’s Ferry, March 1st, 1862

Friend Stevens:

Gorman’s Brigade, which is composed of the Minnesota 1st, New York 2nd and 34th 

(New York), and the Massachusetts 15th, left Camp Stone on the 24th of February, 

which is about thirty miles from here. The roads were very bad, and it took us until 

the 27th to get to this place. Banks’ Division crossed on the 26th. We have over 

thirty thousand men, besides a large amount of artillery and cavalry. Yesterday we 

took six pieces of artillery with thirty rebels, besides five or six spies. The 

rebels are fortified at Winchester, about thirty miles from here. They say the roads 

are good to that place and we expect to have quite a fight, as they are strongly 

posted and have about thirty thousand men. The Minnesota 1st and the Massachusetts 

15th, are assigned to the advance to support Rickett’s (Battery) and other batteries, 

which will be a hard place, but the men feel rejoiced that so much confidence is 

placed in them, and it is certain, that if the rebels get the batteries, it will be 

over a pile of dead men. We feel confident of success.

General McClellan is present, and the troops put every confidence in him. We have 

orders to advance to Charlestown, about six miles from here, and will start in about 

an hour. We left six of our sick at Poolsville, and we are going to leave five here. 

There is none of the Wabashaw boys on sick report. The health of the Regiment is good, 

and the men are in fine spirits. The weather is cold, but dry and clear. I will write 

to you as soon as anything of note occurs.

                                       Truly yours,

                            James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, 1st Minnesota Regiment

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Saturday, March 8, 1862, Page 2

              F R O M     T H E     M I N N E S O T A     F I R S T

                                     Headquarters 1st Minnesota Regiment,

                                      Berryville, Virginia, March 11th, 1862

Friend Stevens:

The brigades of Generals’ Gorman and Burns, which compose General Sedgwick’s Division, 

took possession of Bolivar Heights on the 1st of March, where we established a general 

hospital, where all the sick of the division is to be left. On the 7th of March we 

took Charlestown, VA, a town of about three thousand inhabitants, where we remained 

until the 10th instant, when we took up the line of march for Berryville, a distance 

of 12 miles, where we arrived at 3PM, and roiled about three hundred rebels, taking 

6 prisoners. This morning Van Allen’s Cavalry took 4 prisoners with their horses and 

killed one. The road is now clear of rebels for seven miles towards Winchester. We 

are now 12 miles from Winchester, and twenty miles from Harper’s Ferry. They are 

strengthening Winchester, and have about 35 to 40 thousand men. They say the position 

is a strong one, but we will be able for them. The troops are in good spirits and only 

want to see the enemy, which I think will not be long, as we advance toward Winchester 

tomorrow. General Gorman took the BERRYVILLE CONSERVTOR, the only paper and press in 

this town. The editor left with one side of the paper struck off and the typos of the 

1st Minnesota Regiment are now striking off the other side, a copy of which I hereby 

send you; I also send you an old piece of manuscript which I picked up in a house at 

Bolivar Heights. On Sunday last, I visited four different burying grounds. I saw where 

one of the victims of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry was buried. The inscription 

on his monument, was as follows:  Dedicated to the memory of George W Turner, who fell 

at Harper’s Ferry, Oct 17th, 1859, nobly defending the rights of his State, age 45. 

It was very cold last night. We dare not keep fires and can thin shoddy blankets, 

without tents, did not protect us much against the cold and wind. The 1st Minnesota 

is in high repute, and is the leading regiment; being in the advance with Rickett’s 

Battery. The duty is very hard, but the men do not grumble. We have 4 sick at Bolivar 

General Hospital; one only is dangerous, Private Henry Parsons, of Company I, of 

typhoid pneumonia, but I think he will recover.

                                               Yours,

                            James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, 1st Minnesota Regiment

P.S. March 12th, 1862  The Stars and Stripes float over Winchester. The rebels are 

moved to Strawburgh, 18 miles from Winchester, where they say they are going to stand. 

General Napoleon Dana will be here tonight with his brigade, three thousand strong.  

When we are going to advance on Strawsburgh, I do not know.

                                                     J  K

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabasha, Minnesota

Saturday, March 22nd, 1862, Page 1

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         F R O M    T H E    M I N N E S O T A     F I R S T

           James Kirkman, Hospital Steward

                                 Headquarters Minnesota First,

                                 Near Yorktown, Virginia, April 11th, 1862

Friend Stevens:

The Minnesota First has been moving about so fast of late that I have not had time to 

write. The last time I wrote you we were at Berryville, under marching orders for 

Winchester, where we went on the 13th of March, but had not time to take dinner before 

we were ordered to Harper’s Ferry, where we arrived on the 15th, and on the 22nd we 

took the cars for Washington, where we arrived on the 23rd. On the 29th we marched 

for Alexandria, and encamped on the 3rd of July last. On the 29th took shipping 

arrived at Fortress Monroe on the 1st instant. At this place we left four sick in the 

General Hospital and started for the once thrifty and enterprising city of Hampton, 

which is now a vast ruin, but two buildings – the residence of ex-President Tyler, 

and the Seminary – being left. Hampton must have contained about three thousand 

inhabitants, and the loss to the citizens must have been immense. The place is famed 

for its great oyster and fish trade. The country around here is poor, the land being 

level, wet and sandy. The timber is red pine and chestnut, with a little mixture of 

oak.

On the 4th of April General McClellan, with about one hundred thousand men, started 

for Yorktown. On the same evening we encamped on the battleground of Big Bethel. On 

the 5th we took up the line of march and bivouacked about a mile from the enemy’s 

batteries, after driving in their pickets. We have had some skirmishes and both sides 

have lost some men, but our regiment has lost none as yet. We are now engaged in 

building roads in order to get our cannon up, the mud being so deep that we cannot 

haul empty wagons, without corduroy bridges.

The Minnesota First is engaged in road making and has to work very hard. In two or 

three days I think we will be ready to commence operations. Professor Lowe made a 

balloon ascension a day or two since, and reports the rebels about fifty thousand 

strong and still reinforcing. We have already taken two of their forts. The whole 

country is one net work of forts and breast works. I think this will be the largest 

battle of the war. It is about twenty miles from here to Fortress Monroe. The houses 

along the road between the two points have been burnt except two or three. The rebels 

have burnt houses and fences and took everything. You cannot hear the crowing of a 

chicken nor the barking of a dog in the whole country around. No sound breaks the 

stillness of the day except the singing of the birds, and an occasional shot from our 

sharpshooters.

This is a hard country, but our troops are in good health, and I am in hopes we will 

get out of these swamps before long, or our sick reports will be large. We have to 

sleep without tents, as all are turned in at Hampton. It rained on the 6th, 7th and 

8th without intermission, which made it very disagreeable with no covering but the 

canopy of heaven. The men are in good spirits, and perform their duty with alacrity 

and cheerfulness. The boys from Wabashaw, Lake City and Read’s Landing are in good 

health. Our hospital is well supplied with stores; indeed we cannot take all our 

stores with us, so you see we do not need any help from the Aid Societies of 

Minnesota. All they send hereafter will be lost, as we cannot get transportation for 

it.

 We have a new Colonel. Colonel Napoleon Dana, as you are aware, was promoted, and his 

place has been supplied by the appointment of Captain Sully, of the Regular Army. 

Colonel Sully is loved by his men, and in turn is proud of them. He says their 

discipline is equal to the Regulars. Our regiment stood dress parade twice in Capitol 

Square, Washington, and elicited the admiration of all who witnessed their soldierly 

bearing.

                                  Yours,

                               James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, Minnesota First

THE WABASHA COUNTY HERALD

Wabashaw, Minnesota

Saturday, April 26, 1862, Page 1

        F  R  O  M     T  H  E     M  I  N  N  E  S  O  T  A      F  I  R  S  T

                                  Headquarters 1st Minnesota Regiment,

                                   Camp near Yorktown, Virginia, April 20th, 1862

Friend Stevens:

The 1st Minnesota Regiment is bivouacked within three hundred yards of the rebels’ 

works and has been so for the last five days. General Sedgwick’s Division, of which 

we are apart, is on the advance, supporting the batteries that are occasionally 

firing on the rebels’ works and has done them considerable damage in the way of 

leveling their front batteries and barracks and killing a number of the enemy. Two 

companies of our Regiment go on picket duty and post themselves behind trees within 

one hundred and fifty yards of the rebel batteries, and pick off their gunners as 

soon as they attempt to load or fire their cannon, so that our artillery have it all 

their own way. Yesterday the rebels sent in a flag of truce asking us to take off our 

sharpshooters and stop firing so that they could bury their dead. The truce was 

agreed to on the ground that they would allow us to bury our dead and get our wounded 

which close to their batteries which they consented to.

There was a most unfortunate mistake happened to us on the 16th instant, the 3rd and 

5th Maine regiments were ordered to storm the batteries on our left, which they done 

with a bravery not to be excelled by any in the history of war. They took at the point 

of the bayonet, two tiers of breastworks, bayoneting the rebels in their ditches and 

driving twice their number before them without hardly losing a man; but this was not 

to last long, as the rebels on their flanks poured a murderous fire, and no 

reinforcements at hand they obliged to return leaving nearly two hundred dead and 

wounded on the field, most them inside of the works of the enemy. There were fifteen 

wounded left on the field three days without help.

We have had skirmishes every night except last night, the rebels always coming out 

second best. I think they got tired of such work and gave us a good chance to sleep, 

which we needed very much. So you see we have lost about two hundred men and the 

battle has not commenced yet. The enemy’s loss is more than double ours and we feel 

confident of success, but it may be some time yet before a battle.

Our regiment has lost none yet though many of them have had narrow escapes and have 

done the rebels some terrible harm by sharpshooting. The regiment is in good health 

and most of the sick that we left behind at the hospitals, have joined us in good 

health. William Worthington, known in Wabashaw by the name of “Duke” is the sickest 

man we have. His complaint is pneumonia, we have sent him to Shipping Point, and he 

is recovering but will not be able to take part in the coming battle, which he will 

regret very much as he is a good soldier. We have here about a hundred thousand men, 

they are stretched out from the York to the James Rivers. Piles of cannon and 

ammunition are only hid from the enemy by the pine woods. If it was not for the 

occasional booming of artillery and the few skirmishes we have, the most casual 

hearer could not detect that there was a single man in the vicinity. All is silence, 

no sound but the croaking of frogs and the singing of birds.

It has been raining for the last 24 hours and there are no signs of it stopping yet. 

In so close proximity to the enemy, we are often alarmed. The regiment falls in 

without noise, with their brave Colonel at their head, whom they think the world of 

and wind their way through the woods as solemn as a funeral procession. I in the 

hospital department brings up the rear carrying instruments, bandages and medicines, 

followed by the band, carrying stretchers to take the wounded off the field. The men 

eye the stretchers with horror, but still they are satisfied that it is necessary and 

if it will be their turn to need them, thus it will be an honorable wound in an 

honorable cause. Our new Colonel is a gentleman and a soldier, he has served his 

country in the regular army nearly twenty years. He has served at Fort Ridgley and 

Fort Ripley for the last eight years in the 2nd US Infantry, the same regiment that 

the lamented General Lyon belonged to. We have General Dana to thank for this 

selection and he has  doubly endeared himself to this regiment for regimenting to us 

so good an officer. The men say they have made two Generals already and that if 

Colonel Sully is spared to them they will make him a General also.

I am sorry to see by the report of the Chaplain of our Second Lieutenant that they 

have suffered so much by sickness in Kentucky and Tennessee. They certainly were not 

exposed to a worse climate than the Potomac Valley. I am afraid the Gallant Second 

has seen some hard times. The First has had measles, mumps and bilious complaints to 

contend against and have lost only three by sickness. They have been exposed to 

picket duty on the Potomac all the fall and winter through rain and without tents. We 

have been under heavy marches through rain and mud to Winchester and back. The 7th 

Michigan regiment camped alongside us since September and is with us yet, they have 

lost seventy-two by sickness. This regiment is as fine a body of men as is in the 

service, consequently something is wrong, men ought not be made do duty when they are 

unable. They ought to be left behind at good hospitals when heavy marches are to be 

made, with good nurses of the same regiment, not among strangers who are careless. A 

regiment of six hundred able bodied men in good health will do more than a regiment of 

eight hundred men encumbered by fifty sick. I may have said too much on this subject 

and it may give offense to some officers, but nevertheless this is my experience and 

I am glad that our regiment has had two good experienced officers of the Regular Army 

as Colonels, who have brought us to a standard with the regulars. All the wars have 

shown that volunteers have suffered more from sickness than regulars, we have to 

thank Colonels Dana and Sully for this efficiency and also Governor Ramsey to handling 

and getting experienced Surgeons. There more that I could write you that would be of 

interest but regulations forbid it at some future if I am able it shall be written. 

Enough for the present.

                        James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, 1st Minn Regt

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabashaw, Minnesota

Wednesday, May 7, 1862, Page 1

                               F R O M    T H E    F I R S T    R E G I M E N T

                             Headquarters First Minnesota Regiment,

                                     Camp Fair Oaks, June 15, 1862

Friend Stevens:

I have not had time to write to you since leaving the White House shortly before the 

Battle of Fair Oaks, of May 31st and June 1st. After battle, persons connected with 

the Hospital Department have no time to write and but little time to sleep. This has 

been the case with me up    to this time. A history of the battle I will not attempt 

to give, as the correspondents of papers in the East give them more correctly and 

quicker by one week, than you could receive them from me, even if I was to write 

immediately, as they have time to gather information. I was an eye witness to that 

portion of the battle where Sumner’s Corps was engaged, composed of Gorman’s Dana’s 

and Burns’ Brigades under General Sedgwick supported by the famous Rickett’s Battery. 

The battle raged with awful fury. The 1st Minnesota had the advance of Sumner’s Corps,

but was not much exposed, as they had a rye field that was nearly ripe to hide them, 

and could see the enemy without being seen. Their firing was steady and did awful 

execution to the rebels. General Gorman and his whole Brigade behaved like heroes. 

Colonel Sully, of our regiment, was on his horse and behaved as cool as if he was on 

dress parade, to him is due the credit of so small a loss in the Minnesota First, 

under such desperate fire, as the official reports will show when they come out. It 

is useless to say which was bravest in Gorman’s Brigade. Regiments vied with each 

other to be the best. The horrors of the battlefield of which you have read, are not 

half told, nor can they ever be painted. A battle is nothing; the field afterwards is 

the horror of all horrors. As we had not much to do in our regiment, I went on the 

field to help Surgeon Morton to do what we could for any sufferer, and for three days 

and three nights, we worked dressing wounds, amputating, and giving water to the 

dying. All the Surgeons of the army were at work and did all they could for the rebels 

as well as our own. Our nurses worked with a will, carrying the wounded to us, and it 

is a wonder to me now they stood so long without anything to eat but hard crackers 

(no time to cook).

In the battle of Fair Oaks, the 1st Minnesota lost two killed and five wounded the 

names of the killed are: Henry Hammer, Company F, of Red Wing; and Ornesdorf, 

Company C of St Paul. The wounded were not severely hurt and are all again on duty.

Died by sickness since last report, Joseph Olden, Company B, at Hampton; Irvin W 

Northrup, 1st Sergeant Company G, at Yorktown, and Corwin Pickett, Company I, at 

Washington, the latter is a son of Daniel Pickett, of Cochrane’s Valley. The dates of 

their deaths I cannot give, as they were all left behind. The sickness has increased 

to twenty in Hospital, but it is not considered unhealthy for the season.

Augustus Ellison, Bugler, of Company I, was killed by a stray shell from the enemy 

while he was on duty in the hospital, on the 13th instant. I was talking to him at 

the time he was struck down. He was killed by a 12 pound spiral shell which hit him 

on the back of the head, killing him instantly. He was much regretted by all who knew 

him. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Bull Run, and was slightly wounded at 

the Battle of Fair Oaks on the evening of the 31st of May, but still continued to do 

duty as a nurse until he was killed. He has two sisters living in St Paul, and was a 

nephew of Colonel Nobles, of the same city.

                                     Respectfully yours,

                              James Kirkman, Hospital Steward, 1st Minn Regt

THE WABASHAW COUNTY HERALD

Wabashaw, Minnesota

Wednesday, July 2, 1862, Page 2

Submitted by Roger Norland

********************************

James Kirkman

His Obituary from the Perth Courier in Bathurst, Ontario Canada

Perth Courier April 6, 1877

Kirkman-Died in September of the year Eighteen Hundred and Sixty Six, of cholera at 

Onion Creek, Texas, James Kirkman, 40.  He was born on the 3rd Line Bathurst and 
will be remembered by his many friends and acquaintances there. He served his time
 at blacksmithing in Pakenham and afterwards had a shop of his own near his home in 

Bathurst. He served five and one half years in the American Army during the Mexican 

war and then removed to the county of Wabasha Minnesota, of which he was one of 
the early settlers. He was a representative in the territorial legislature for Wabasha 

county in 1855. In 1861 he enlisted in the 1st Minnesota Regiment and served as a 

hospital Stewart and later as a clerk in the war department in Washington DC.  At 

the time of his death he was a soldier in the 6th Cavalry. His friends here received 

a letter from him shortly before his death and though sparing neither pains nor 

money, could receive no later tidings of him until the news came two months ago
 from  the Adjutant Generals Office, Washington, of his death ten years ago. His three 

children, the eldest of whom was 12 years, were left orphans, their mother having 

died when he was in the War of the Rebellion, but they were brought up by their 

grandmother, Mrs. John Mackie.

G. Leslie Gray, Glasgow, Minnesota, March 17, 1877

George Leslie Gray was his nephew.

Received from Pat Pasmore a descendant of James Kirkman