Alexander Wilkin
Alexander Wilkin (December 1, 1819 – July 14, 1864) was a soldier during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Wilkin also played a role in the development of the Minnesota Territory, having been its second territorial secretary from 1851 till 1853. In 1861, he was deployed in the Civil War, where he would die at the Battle of Tupelo.
Life
Wilkin was born on December 1, 1819, in Goshen, New York. His father Samuel J. Wilkin as well as his grandfather James W. Wilkin were politicians. Alexander studied law at Yale and became an attorney. In 1847, he joined the Tenth United States Army and became a captain. The army was deployed to Northern Mexico. Wilkin saw little action during his deployment, but gained a reputation as a serious soldier, and a man not to trifle with. However, on January 20, 1848, he shot and killed Joshua W. Collett in a duel. Despite his later regrets, he quoted that he "never felt cooler in his life".[1]
On March 6, 1848, he resigned his post and moved to
When the Civil War began in April 1861, he was elected head of the "Pioneer Guard", the name of a St. Paul–based militia unit. On July 21, 1861, Wilkin fought in the ill-fated
In October 1863, the Ninth Minnesota were sent to