Gustavus A Holtzborn was born in Germany. He served as an officer in the Prussian army. After emigrating to America he settled in Winona, where he served as the town's deputy sheriff. At age 32, he volunteered to serve his newly adopted country. He was mustered in to Company K along with the other men from the Winona area. They elected him their 1st lieutenant. On November 15, 1861, he was promoted to captain, to replace Henry Lester who had been promoted to become the colonel of the 3rd Minnesota Infantry. On Sept 17, 1862, a battle occurred at Antietam Creek in Virginia. Company K was flanked by Company G on its right and Company D on its left. They had just completed a retreat from a cornfield, through a woods, to their current position. Colonel Sully, seeing that the regiment was in danger of being flanked on the right and surrounded had ordered the men to retreat. However, not seeing many rebels in front of them some of the men and officers were mistakenly hesitant to leave. Lt Holtzborn wanted to lead his men back into the woods to pursue the enemy. Not heeding orders he began to do so and had just mounted a stone wall, ready to move into the woods, when he was shot. Colonel Sully, in a flash of anger shouted, "It serves him right!" Ed Bassett, of Company G, reported that he was about two feet from him, when Gustavus was shot through the body and killed. His disobedience had cost him his life. In a letter home Bassett wrote about the battle, "The fighting that day was terrible and the bullets flew around like hail and the roar of the cannon would almost deafen you...the rebels came cheering and firing and seemed to be certain of success but we would rally...and meet them with a volley. At one time they were out a few rods and I stood up on a little ridge where I could get a fair shot at them and I done my best. While I was loading and firing there the captain of the company that is next to us on the left (Holtzborn) was shot down within a few feet of where I stood. The ball passed in on his right side killing him in a short time." Charles Goddard wrote:"We very much regret the loss of our good and brave captain; the boys thought all the world of him. We buried him at midnight, the night after the battle, and for the life of me I could not help but think of the burial of Sir John Moore." Lt Holtzborn was decently buried near a farmhouse in the neighborhood of the battlefield. 2nd Lt Christ Heffelfinger, of Company D, described him as, "an excellent officer and a good soldier." Sources: The Winona Daily Republican, Winona, MN, Sept 26, 1862, p 2. The Stillwater Messenger, September 30, 1862. Letter from Ed Bassett to his sisters, Sept 25, 1862, private collection. Letter from Ed Walker to George Knight, Feb 7, 1904. From Bull Run to Bristow Station, M H Bassett, p 22. Memoirs of Christopher B Heffelfinger, Lucia Heffelfinger, 1922, p 20. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
