"A Pioneer History of Becker County Minnesota" by Alvin H. Wilcox (1907),
Chapter XXI, History of Detroit Township, pages 333-334.


John O. French 

Johnny French, as he is familiarly called, was born at New Market, 
Rockingham County, New Hamshire, on the 31st day of October, 1842.
Probably no other man in Becker County has had a more adventurous career,
or been through more dangers than he.

At the beginning of the Civil War he enlisted in the First Minnesota
Regiment of Volunteers, and remained with his regiment until the close of
his three year term of enlistment. He says he never missed a meal or a
single battle. He was at the first battle of Bull Run, Antietam and all
the other bloody battles in which the Frist Minnesota was engaged,
including the famous charge at Gettysburg, in which two-thirds of the men
in his regiment were either killed or wounded.

Murdock Pattison, of Cormorant was in this charge. French had his clothing
pierced with bullets in three different battles but never received a
scratch himself.

In 1864 he enlisted in Brackett's Battalion and crossed the plains in
Sully's expedition against the Sioux Indians, and took part in the bloody
battle of the Bad Lands, which was fought on the ninth and tenth of
August, 1864. Clem. Mayer of Frazee, was also in this battle.

French went with the Northern Pacific Railroad exploring expedition as
assistant guide and was an assistant in the party of engineers that
located the line through Becker County.

He is now (1905) the only man living in Detroit Township who was living
there previous to the spring of 1871.


Submitted by Dick Campbell <campbell45@juno.com>