Erastus Timothy Cressey: Witness to a Divided Nation
Before ever setting foot on the front lines, Erastus Timothy Cressey had already roamed the American nation, from the river towns of Minnesota to the printing houses of Boston. But it was during his time in the 2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment that his life intersected with one of the most important events of American history: the U.S. Civil War.
Erastus Timothy Cressey was born on February 14, 1838, in Columbus, Ohio, into a religious household shaped by his father’s role as a pastor in the First Baptist Church in Saint Paul. At the age of fourteen, Cressey began a two-year stint at St. Anthony Express as an apprentice for the printing trade. Afterward, he drifted through various cities and states of the country including Minneapolis, St Paul, Shakopee, Winona, Omaha, Indianapolis, Boston, Cambridge, and Burlington, polishing his editorial skills. On September 30, 1861, he returned to Nebraska, where he enlisted in the Regiment at Fort Snelling, serving as a private for four years. The Regiment itself was congregated into service earlier that year.
The Regiment’s first major altercation was at Mill
Springs, Kentucky, on January 19, 1862. During the skirmish, the
Regiment took position against a rail fence as the Confederate
army approached. Neither side knew how close they were to each
other. The result was an engagement that involved hand-to-and
combat. Fortunately for Cressey, his unit gained the upper hand in
the struggle. During the next eighteen months, the Regiment traversed the states of Kentucky and Tennessee and played a small role in the Battle of Perryville.
On September 19-20 of 1863, the 2nd Minnesota found themselves at the Battle of Chickamauga. Facing off against General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee, Cressey and his fellow Minnesotans repeatedly held back Confederate attacks. In all, the regiment lost 35 soldiers to death while another 113 were wounded. The tenacity of men like Cressey earned his corps commander, Major General George H. Thomas the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga.” On November 24, 1863, the Regiment engaged with the Confederate army at Missionary Ridge outside Chattanooga and captured the Confederate Army’s position. This battle was a victory for the Union army. In 1864, the Regiment partook in the Atlantic Campaign and marched alongside Sherman to the sea. After the war’s denouement, the Regiment was discharged on July 20, 1865.
After the war, Cressey married Julia P. Brooks in 1868, and resumed his printing career. He worked in the offices of Des Moines, Iowa, for six years, before taking the job of an assistant index clerk in the House of Representatives in Washington. He later published a newspaper in Mitchellville (state) before moving to Dakota Territory. In 1882, he settled in Huron, where he started the Daily and Weekly Leader newspaper. In 1883, he became the assistant clerk for the Dakota Territory legislature, which met in Yankton.
In 1888, Cressey was appointed as the assistant librarian of the United States Senate, a position for which he moved to Washington, D.C., where he resided for four years. In 1892, he and his family relocated to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he stayed until his death on February 2, 1917. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Cressey’s life followed the spark of an ordinary individual thrusted into extraordinary times. From a printer’s apprentice to a Union Soldier, he fought at Chickamauga, Mill Springs and Sherman’s march, surviving through years of bloodshed and showing incredible grit and resilience. His journey reminds us that history is not only written by generals and politicians but also by ordinary citizens like Cressey.
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