During the 1860s, Major General John Pope needed additional troops in the Trans-Mississippi West, but the Union Army was preoccupied with the Civil War. General Ulysses S. Grant sent the only troops he felt he could spare: the 1st U.S. Volunteer Regiment, made up of former Confederate soldiers who had been taken prisoner and were willing to trade their gray uniforms for blue.
Confederates who enlisted in the Union Army became known as Galvanized Yankees, a term taken from the practice of galvanizing metal to prevent rust. While the exterior looks shiny and new, underneath, the metal remains its original color.
The 1st U.S. Volunteers, made up of these Galvanized Yankees, arrived in St. Louis and boarded the steamboat Effie Deans to head for Dakota Territory. The boat was supposed to take the regiment to Fort Rice, but the Missouri River was low, and the men had to march over two hundred miles.
They lacked tents and had no wagons to transport their gear. Still, they made it to Fort Rice on this date in 1864. Although the soldiers survived on salt pork, hardtack, and coffee, many suffered from scurvy and there were remarkably few desertions.
The commander at the fort was Colonel Charles A.R. Dimon. He was a stellar officer who had quickly risen through the ranks. Dimon understood the challenge of commanding a unit of former Confederates and was determined to shape them into a first-rate force.
The soldiers faced steep odds. They had to finish constructing the fort before winter set in. They also faced a formidable opponent in the local Indigenous tribes. The regiment used single-shot muzzle-loaders that took fifteen seconds to reload, while the opposing warriors could fire many arrows in the same amount of time.
Over time, the Galvanized Yankees of Fort Rice turned into a seasoned and effective unit. They grew so devoted to their commander that they raised money to present him with a sword, a silk sash, a silver-inlaid revolver, and a set of field glasses.
When they surprised him with the gift, Colonel Dimon said he was barely able to speak.
The regiment was mustered out on November 13, 1866.
Fort Rice was abandoned in November of 1878. Today, it’s a State Historical Site. Although none of the original buildings remain, a brief history of the fort and a map appear on a site marker.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Historical Marker Data Base. “The Founding of Fort Rice.” https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=154247Accessed 8/28/2025.
- National Archives. “Trading Gray for Blue.” https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2005/winter/galvanized.htmlAccessed 8/28/2025.
- Legends of America. “Galvanized Yankees in the Civil War.” https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-galvanizedyankees/Accessed 9/10/2025.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota. “Fort Rice State Historic Site.” https://www.history.nd.gov/historicsites/rice/index.htmlAccessed 9/10/2025.
