Alexander Wilkin was a St. Paul lawyer and businessman who served as secretary of Minnesota Territory. He was the highest ranking officer from Minnesota killed during the Civil War.
Wilkin was born December 1, 1819 in Goshen, New York. His father Samuel J. Wilkin, and grandfather James W. Wilkin, were politicians. Alexander studied law at Yale and became an attorney. In 1847 he joined the Tenth Unites States Infantry Regiment and was commissioned a captain. The unit was deployed to northern Mexico during the Mexican-American War.
Wilkin saw little action during his deployment, but gained a reputation as a serious soldier, and a man not to trifle with. On January 20, 1848 he shot and killed Captain Joshua W. Collett in a duel. Despite his later regrets, Wilkin wrote at the time that he never felt cooler in his life. Though he was little more than five feet tall, and weighed less than one hundred pounds, he commanded respect.
Wilkin resigned his commission on March 6, 1848. In 1849 he moved to St. Paul. President Millard Fillmore appointed him secretary of Minnesota Territory. Wilkin was given the position because he was a Whig, and the Wilkin name was known in Washington. Wilkin held this position from 1851 to 1853. He also served as a United States Marshal. While living in St. Paul, Wilkin invested in land, railroads, and newspapers. He worked as a lawyer and insurance agent. Wilkin was a founder of the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, which eventually became Travelers Insurance.
When the Civil War began in April of 1861 Wilkin was elected captain of a St. Paul militia unit known as the "Pioneer Guard." The unit was enlisted as Company A of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on April 29, 1861. On July 21, 1861 Wilkin and the First Minnesota fought in the Battle of Bull Run, where Union Army forces were defeated. For his bravery during the battle Wilkin was made a captain in the regular army. Before he could report, he received a promotion to major with the Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Wilkin joined his new regiment in Lebanon, Kentucky, where it was assigned to the Army of the Ohio. On January 18, 1862 the Second Minnesota played a leading role in the Battle of Mill Springs. Wilkin was cited for his "valor and judgment" during the battle, which ended in a Union victory. Then the Second Minnesota joined the siege of Corinth, Mississippi. Wilkin was on detached service for much of his time with the Second Minnesota. Brevetted a lieutenant colonel, he served on General William Tecumseh Sherman's staff.
Shortly thereafter he was appointed colonel of the Ninth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. When Wilkin took command, the regiment was engaged in the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 and scattered across West-Central Minnesota. On December 26, 1862 Wilkin commanded nearly two hundred fifty soldiers at the execution of thirty-eight Dakota men in Mankato. Afterward, Wilkin established his headquarters and a military training school at St. Peter.
In October 1863, the Ninth Minnesota was sent to Missouri. The following May the regiment marched to Memphis, Tennessee and joined a force tasked with eliminating the threat of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry. Before leaving Memphis, Wilkin was given command of a brigade. On June 10, 1864 the Ninth Minnesota fought in the Battle of Brice's Crossroads. The battle ended in a rout of all Union forces, save Wilkin's brigade. As before, Wilkin received praise for his bravery.
The Ninth Minnesota was then assigned to another expeditionary force ordered to operate against Forrest. On July 14, Wilkin and the Ninth Minnesota engaged Forrest's forces at the Battle of Tupelo. While speaking with a member of his staff, Wilkin was shot and killed. Wilkin was buried near where he fell, but his family recovered his remains and reburied them in Goshen, New York. Minnesota honored Wilkin by naming Wilkin County after him in 1868 and erecting a statue of him in the state capitol in 1910.