of 38 Dakota men in Mankato, Minnesota. He then established his headquarters as well as a military training school in St. Peter. In October 1863, the Ninth Minnesota were sent to Missouri. The following May, the regiment marched to Memphis, Tennessee, and raised an army tasked with eliminating the threat that Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry was posing to the area. On June 10, 1864, Wilkin fought at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads which earned him praise for his bravery despite the Confederate victory. On July 14, 1864, he would face the battle that would come to be his last. Another expeditionary force decided to operate against Forrest. This force, operated by Wilkin, headed to Tupelo, Mississippi, where he was shot to death while speaking to another soldier. He was buried near where he fell, but his family recovered his remains and brought them to Goshen, where he was born. His father, Samuel Wilkin, outlived him by 20 months before he died in 1866. In 1868, Wilkin County, Minnesota, was formed as a way to honor the leader. A statue of him was erected in the state capitol in 1910. References 1819 births 1864 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Minnesota in the American Civil War People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Saint Paul, Minnesota People from Goshen, New York Yale Law School alumni Businesspeople from Minnesota Minnesota lawyers New York (state) lawyers Minnesota Whigs 19th-century American politicians New York (state) Whigs Minnesota Territory officials Union Army colonels United States politicians killed during the Civil War 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers