Carte-de-visite
2026.013.002
Title
Benjamin Franklin Work, c.1875.Creation Date
circa 1875Dimensions
4" H x 2.5" W
Description
Benjamin Franklin Work, Saint Paul, c.1875.
Work mustered in Iowa in 1861. He was wounded in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, deserted the Army. He rejoined under the name Benjamin Franklin and served with the 1st and 2nd Minnesota Cavalry units, taking part in raids in the Dakota Territory. In December 1865, while traveling to visit his wife, his stagecoach got stuck in a Minnesota blizzard. He was rescued by some Dakota men, who took him to Ft. Ridgely, but he gangrene from the frostbite resulted in the loss of all four limbs.
Nicollet County connections are that Company K, 1st Minnesota Mounted Rangers and his Company H, 2nd Minnesota Cavalry were both stationed in St. Peter and both had members die here, per the MN Civil and Indian War Book rosters.