Fort Ridgely

The War Department hired Mr. Jessie H. Pomeroy of St. Paul to build both Fort Ridgely and Fort Ripley. At Ridgely there were two Companies of troops that assisted in quarrying the granite two miles away, transporting it to the site, and the erection of a 400-man stone barracks. It formed one side of the 90 square yard parade ground of the wall-less fort.

In 1854–55, Congress approved $10,000 for the clearing of timber on a military road from St Anthony Falls to Fort Ridgely. On July 22, 1856, Congress approved another $50,000 to build a wagon road from Fort Ridgely to South Pass, Nebraska Territory.[3] William H. Nobles was appointed superintendent of the road's construction. He encountered problems receiving disbursements to cover the basic labor costs incurred.

The fort played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862.[4] On August 18th Captain Marsh took most of the garrison to the Lower Sioux Agency upon receiving reports that the Agency had been attacked. Second Lt. Gere and a few men were on duty there. Marsh and his men came under attack when they stopped for water. That action became known as the Battle of Redwood Ferry. Prior, Capt. Marsh had sent 1st Lt. Sheehan and his Fort Ripley C Company detachment to the Upper Sioux agency. After some disagreement, Lt. Sheehan was able to get the Indian agent to distribute food. Thinking their task was completed, the troop departed to return to their own post.

At roughly the same time Capt. Marsh was being informed of the problems at the Lower Sioux Agency. He sent a runner to catch up with Lt Sheehan's detachment for their support before leaving for Redwood ferry.[5] Lt. Sheehan and his men had gone 40 miles before they were caught up with.[5] Sheehan marched his men all night and made it back to Ridgely by noon the next day. When 2nd Lt. Gere learned of Capt. March's death he sent a Private William Sturgis to inform Fort Snelling. Sturgis rode through the night covering the 125 miles in eighteen hours.[5] The Sioux attacked Ridgely's combined military/civilian force twice, on August 20 and August 22. B and C Companies of the 5th Minnesota together with settlers of the Minnesota River valley (totaling 230) versus 800 Sioux lead by Little Crow.[5] Some of the civilians were native Métis members of the Renville Rangers militia. They had been just departing for Fort Snelling and the Civil War when Private Sturgis gave them word they were needed.[5] Fort artillery is credited with repulsing the overwhelming force. Ordinance Sargent John Jones was the sole regular Army at the fort. He is credited with Fort Ridgely's successful defense by training the 5th Minnesota infantrymen to be artillery men of the three cannon [5] that had not been sent east. C Company remained at the fort until after Col. Sibley arrived with the 6th Minnesota, Companies A, B, F, G 7th Minnesota,Company A 9th Minnesota and Companies G & I 10th Minnesota. With dead laying all over the frontier, Sibley dispatched 170 men as burial parties. Two of those burial parties met and bivouacked 16 miles from Fort Ridgely. On Sept 2nd they were ambushed in the Battle of Birch Coulee. Lt. Sheehan and his men were part of the relief force. Afterwards Sibley ordered them back to Fort Ripley to get their garrison back to strength with the frontier in turmoil.

On 4 September the 3rd Minnesota arrived back at Fort Snelling and joined Sibley at Fort Ridgely on the 12th.

As the war against the Sioux expanded, three Companies of the 30th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment later transitioned Fort Ridgely and New Ulm enroute to Fort Wadsworth (Sisseton).[6] For a period a battery of the 3rd Minnesota light Artillery was posted to the fort. Sargent Jones resigned from the U.S. Army for a Captain's commission in the 3rd Minn. Artillery. Postwar Capt. Jones served one term as the Chief of police in St. Paul.

Notable officers posted to Fort Ridgely included:

• Major Samuel Woods (6th U.S. Infantry), first post commander 1852–53, would become a Lt. Colonel and paymaster of the Department of Dakota.
• Major George W. Patten, post commander twice, 1856 and 1861. Lost a hand at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, Mexico and became a Lt. Colonel.
• Lt. Alfred Sulley[7] 1855 made Major General by end of Indian Wars.
• Lt. John C. Kelton[7] (6th U.S. Infantry) 1852 would become the Adjunct General United States Army
• Lt. Winfield Scott Hancock[7] 1853 would become a Major General and commander of the Department of Dakota
• Lt. Henry E. Maynadier (10th U.S. Infantry) 1856–57, became a brevet Major General[8]
• Lt. Frederick Steele[7] 1854, became a Major General
• Capt. John J. Abercrombie[7] 1854, also served at Fort Ripley and established Fort Abercrombie. Became a Brigadier General.
• Colonel Edmund Brooke Alexander, post commander, 10th U.S. Infantry 1857[9] would become a brevet Brigadier General
• Major Thomas W. Sherman (3rd U.S. Artillery) at post when the post was made the Artillery School for Practice Fort Ridgely. He was there 1858–1861 except while commander of an expedition to Kettle Lake in Dakota Territory in 1859. He would become a brevet Major General
• Major William W. Morris (4th U.S. Artillery) at post 1861 became a brevet Major General
• Capt. John S. Marsh replaced Major Morris and was killed in action at Redwood ferry 1862, (B Co. 5th Minnesota Infantry)
• 2nd Lt. Thomas P. Gere (B Co. 5th Minnesota) assumed command when Capt. Marsh was killed. He received the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Nashville
• 1st Lt. Timothy J. Sheehan assumed post command from 2nd Lt. Gere 1862 (C Co. 5th Minnesota Infantry) wounded twice defending the post, made Lt. Colonel by end of Civil War, wounded 2 twice more
• Major John Parker post commander, 1st Minnesota Mounted Rangers
• Capt. Bernard Bee became Brigadier General CSA and is credited with giving Stonewall Jackson his nickname at the First Battle of Bullrun, where he was killed in action.
• Major J.C. Pemberton post commander 1859–61[7] became a CSA Lt. General and would surrender to Ulysses Grant at Vicksburg.
• Lt. Lewis A. Armistead[7] post commander (6th Infantry), became a CSA Lt. General
• Corporal Daniel W. Burke(Companies B & E 2nd U.S. Infantry) 1858–59 would become Brigadier General. He received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War at the Battle of Shepherdstown.
• Capt. James L. Fisk (3rd Minnesota Infantry special assignment Quartermaster Corps) 1863,64.

In its time, numerous units were assigned to the outpost. From the U.S. Army: Companies of the 2nd, 6th, and 10th Infantry Regiments as well as batteries of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th Artillery Regiments, as well as I Co. 1st U.S. Volunteer Regiment.[7]

Until 1859 the garrison was typically three companies of infantry of 30-40 men each. That year the Army designated the fort as an Artillery School for Practice and supplied six pieces of various calibers: two M1841 6-pounder field guns, 12 pounder, M1841 mountain howitzer, 12 pound Napoleon, and M1841 24-pounder howitzer.[7]

From 1857 to 1861, Companies G, I, L 2nd Artillery were variously posted to northern forts: Snelling, Ridgely, and Ripley.[10] In 1859, Companies F and K of the 4th Artillery were posted to the Fort. May of 1861 saw E Company 3rd Artillery withdrawn to the east because of the rebellion.

During the civil war Companies from Minnesota Volunteer Regiments served in place of the regular army. These included the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th regiments, 2nd Cavalry, 1st Mounted Rangers, Brackett's Cavalry and a battery from the 3rd light artillery.[7]

On July 15, 1864 Capt. James L. Fisk of the Quartermaster Corps lead 97 wagons of pioneers out of Fort Ridgely to meet Gen. Sulley at Fort Rice for escort to the gold fields in Montana Territory.[13] Gen.Sulley departed early, so Fort Rice provided a 40 man escort. On September 2nd, one hundred eighty miles west, the train ran into Sitting bull's warriors. The wagon train made a 300' diameter defense of sod that was named Fort Dilts. The cavalry rescued them on the 20th, but a wagon of poisoned food was left by Minnesotans that had lost family in the 1862 uprising.[14] Upon reaching Fort Rice the wagon expedition disbanded.[13]

The Army abandoned Fort Ridgely in 1867 and posted the garrison to Fort Wadsworth (Sisseton). Civilians occupied the vacant buildings and later dismantled them for the building materials. In 1863 one of the 6 pounders from the fort was given to the New Ulm Battery by General Sibley.[15]