The Eighth Minnesota mustered into service in August 1862 and spent two years occupying posts around the state, due to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Company E, pictured here, was composed mainly of men from Wright County. Not a single Company E soldier was born in Minnesota; most were from the East Coast, and 13 were born in other countries, including England, Canada, Ireland and Germany. At enlistment, the youngest man was 16 and the oldest was 42.The Eighth traveled hundreds of miles in its war years and participated in a variety of conflicts, including battles in the West against American Indians, and the Battle of Ta-ka-houty (Killdeer Mountain) in Dakota Territory.