Governor Alexander Ramsey makes Minnesota the first state to pledge its militia to the Union

Alexander Ramsey, governor of Minnesota, and a Dickinson College alumni, was visiting Washington when the news from Fort Sumter reached the capital.  That morning, he went to the War Department and offered the services of Minnesota militia to Secretary Simon Cameron.  Knowing that Lincoln would call the next day for 75,000 volunteers, Cameron accepted Ramsey's written pledge and Minnesota became the first state to volunteer its men for the Union.  (By John Osborne)