Horace B. Wilson

Horace Brown Wilson (March 30, 1821 – January 31, 1908), sometimes referred to as H.B. Wilson, was a politician, military officer, professor, civil engineer, mathematician, and prominent citizen of New Albany, Indiana, and Red Wing, Minnesota. During his lifetime Wilson worked as the professor of mathematics and civil engineering at Hamline University. Wilson served in both the American Civil War and Dakota War of 1862 as the Captain Company F of the 6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment under William Crooks. In his later life Wilson served as a legislator representing the area of Red Wing and Goodhue County as part of the 16th District of Minnesota in the 19th Minnesota Legislature, the 21st Minnesota Legislature, and the 22nd Minnesota Legislature from 1877 to 1883. Wilson later served on the Board of Regents for the University of Minnesota.

Early life Horace Brown Wilson was born in Bingham, Maine on March 30, 1821. He was the son of Episcopal Reverend Obed Wilson and Christiana Gray. Wilson was educated in the Maine public school system and eventually studied at Maine Wesleyan Seminary in Kents Hill, Maine and graduated in the summer of 1841. Wilson eventually moved west to Cincinnati and taught school, later moving to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where he took charge of the Dearborn County, Indiana seminary. While living in New Albany, Indiana, in 1844 Wilson served as the Superintendent of Schools from 1844 to 1850 and served in the Municipal Government of New Albany as the city civil engineer from 1850 to 1856. Besides pedagogy, Wilson served as an alderman and member of the municipal city council in Red Wing, Minnesota. The majority of Company F came from Goodhue county and even included some of Wilson's students from Hamline University. Wilson, along with the rest of Company F of the 6th Minnesota had originally been raised to fight in the Western theater of the American Civil War, however, due to domestic disputes with the Dakota people, broken promises from the Minnesota and United States Government, and late annuity payments to the Dakota, several companies of the 6th Minnesota would end up fighting in the Dakota War of 1862. Company F was raised in August 1862 in Goodhue county and mustered into service at Camp Release and was subsequently posted on outpost duty at Forest City, Minnesota. According to Adjutant General of Minnesota Oscar Malmros the 6th Minnesota was overwhelmingly armed with lower quality firearms, primarily smoothbore Belgian and French muskets, along with the Springfield Model 1842.

The 6th Minnesota's first battle was at the Battle of Birch Coulee which ended in disaster. Wilson's Company F acted as the relief force commanded by Henry Hastings Sibley and Samuel McPhail to rescue Captain Hiram Perry Grant of Company A, Major Joseph R. Brown, and Captain Joseph Anderson of the Cullen Frontier Guard mounted militia who were all ambushed by Big Eagle while as a part of a burial detail to recover and bury the bodies of the victims of the attack at the Lower Sioux Agency. Company F's first formal engagement was the Battle of Wood Lake, during the battle Wilson was shot through his shoulder and gravely wounded. According to Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge's book The History of Goodhue County Wilson never fully recovered from the wound in his shoulder. Wilson and members of Company F were the guard detail which escorted the Dakota prisoners during the 1862 Mankato mass execution.

Superintendent of Minnesota Schools Following his service in the military Wilson was elected to the position of Superintendent of Schools for the school board and administration of Goodhue County, serving from 1866 to 1870. Wilson was later appointed as the Minnesota State Superintendent of Public Instruction, serving from 1870 to 1877. During this time Wilson also served on the Board of Regents for the University of Minnesota from August 1, 1870, to April, 1875. In the postwar era Wilson was a member of the Freemasons order and for several years was Masonic High Priest of La Grange Royal Arch Chapter. Wilson was also a member of A.E. Welch Post #075 of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) located in Red Wing. The post was named in honor of Major Abraham Edward Welch (1839–1864) of the 4th Minnesota Infantry Regiment who died of disease at Nashville, Tennessee, on February 1, 1864. Wilson died on January 31, 1908, in Red Wing.