Samuel Bloomer

Samuel Bloomer (November 30, 1835 – October 4, 1917) was a Swiss American carpenter who served in Company B of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. He was the regiment's color sergeant, and after the war he was deeply involved in civic life and the Grand Army of the Republic.

Early life Bloomer was born in Switzerland on November 30, 1835. He immigrated to the United States in 1846 with family, including his first cousin, Adam Marty. The family settled in St. Louis in Missouri for a time before moving to Stillwater, Minnesota. Bloomer worked on the Henry Jackman farm as a carpenter. He was a member of the "Wide Awakes", a group that supported Lincoln during the 1860 election.

While carrying the colors during the Battle of Antietam, Bloomer received a gunshot wound below his right knee. He crawled to safety behind a nearby oak tree as the First Minnesota retreated. Bloomer lay there until the next day when Confederate soldiers carried him to a barn. Eventually Bloomer came into the care of his comrades when the Confederates retreated. On September 20, 1862, his leg was amputated. Bloomer spent the rest of his service in military hospitals until he was discharged on December 2, 1862. He returned to Stillwater, but became very restless and heartbroken when a local woman refused his proposal of marriage. He accepted a commission as a lieutenant in the Veteran Reserve Corps, Bloomer served in the 36th and 120th companies of the 2nd Battalion while in the VRC. Bloomer also briefly worked with the Freedmen's Bureau while stationed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Bloomer served until September 19, 1866, when he was mustered out of service.

Later life During his Reserve Corps service he met Matilda J. Burns and married her on December 6, 1863. They had four children together. The couple resided in Stillwater after Bloomer's service. The veteran worked as a guard at the Stillwater Prison, as an insurance agent, and sewing machine salesman. In September 1875 Bloomer caught his wife committing adultery. They were divorced in 1878 and Bloomer received custody of the children. He married his second wife, Ellen Pressell, in 1882. Bloomer was subsequently employed as Washington County Treasurer for six years, and established a summer camp on White Bear Lake afterward.

Like his cousin Adam Marty, Bloomer was deeply involved in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). He was appointed Assistant Adjutant General of the GAR by Marty in 1881 and played a pivotal role in reestablishing the organization in Minnesota. He was a member of both Acker Post in St. Paul and Muller Post in Stillwater. In addition to the Grand Army of the Republic, Bloomer was a member of the Last Man's Club along with most of Stillwater's Company B veterans.

Bloomer was also involved in veterans' affairs outside these two organizations. In 1905 he was given the honor of carrying the First Minnesota's battle flag from the old state capitol to the new. He also formed an organization which raised money and erected a soldier's monument on the grounds of the Washington County Courthouse in 1916. By 1915 Bloomer could barely walk and needed two canes to do so. He died on October 4, 1917, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Stillwater. An imposing monument of Bloomer as the First Minnesota's color bearer marks the site of his burial.