04/14/2026
On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began with the firing of cannons at Fort Sumter, dividing our country for almost four long, bloody years. At the time of the war’s beginning, however, many believed that the war would be very short. In fact, the first calls for volunteers was only for 3 months or the duration of the war, whichever was shorter!
This ad for volunteers ran in the St. Paul Daily Press on April 18, 1861. By the time it ran, Minnesota had already cemented its place in history by offering volunteers. Governor Alexander Ramsey happened to be in Washington, D.C. at the time, and offered troops to the Secretary of War, becoming the first state to offer volunteers to the Union. And who was that 1st man to sign up for the 1st company of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment?
The acknowledged answer is Josias R. King, a citizen of St. Paul who stood forth at a meeting on April 15 after the news of the war’s start had reached St. Paul. (This is disputed by some in Anoka, but that is another post).
Originally born in the District of Columbia, King had come to Minnesota in about 1860, working in St. Paul as a civil engineer. He had been married less than two years, to Mary Louisa King. The couple did not have any children.
In the days after, meetings were held throughout the state, and more volunteers joined. The 1st Minnesota regiment was to be made up of 10 companies consisting of 64 privates, 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 4 sergeants, 4 corporals, and 1 bugler each. There would also be a full regimental band. They were to report to Fort Snelling on April 29, 1861, to be officially mustered into service, as noted in the St. Paul Daily Press of April 30, 1861.
By the time the unit left Minnesota, King had already become a first sergeant, and was elected a captain after the first battle of Bull Run in July of 1861.
King was involved in many battles with the 1st Minnesota, including Antietam, the bloodiest day of American history, where his horse was shot out from under him. He stayed in the military after the war ended, working with the army units in the south to curtail the violence of the Ku Klux Klan. He returned to St. Paul in 1870, working again as a civil engineer.
The story of his stepping forward to volunteer as told in a Pioneer Press article about him, November 21, 1915. Josias R. King passed away on February 10, 1916.
Image: Lieutenant Josias R. King, Company A, 1st Minnesota Infantry, 1862 (MNHS locator number: por 10699 r2)
