Don the War Horse galloped into the Civil War -- and rests in Roselawn Cemetery. He's worth a visit.
Aug. 14—The simple headstone under a gnarled oak tree marks the resting place of a warrior who saw fierce battles in the American Civil War. Sometimes there's a small U.S. flag stuck in the ground next to the memorial.
His name was Don. The gravestone says he was faithful. According to some accounts, Union soldiers were heartened when they saw him charging into battle.
He's the only one of his kind in Roselawn Cemetery in Roseville.
Don was a horse.
The grave marker calls him "My Faithful War Horse." Don died Dec. 16, 1886, at the age of 29. He's the only non-human buried at Roselawn, according to Amanda Thoreson, general manager of the cemetery.
Don was the faithful steed of William Rainey Marshall, who enlisted in the Civil War as a private and rose in ranks to lieutenant colonel with the 7th Minnesota. Marshall was the fifth governor of Minnesota, serving two terms from Jan. 8, 1866, to Jan. 9, 1870.
According to the Roseville Heritage Trail map, Marshall lived in a house that now sits diagonally across Victoria from Roselawn Cemetery from 1865-1869. The house is possibly the oldest in Roseville — perhaps more than 150 years old, according to the Roseville Historical Society. (It's No. 29 on the Heritage Trail Map, available at rhsmn.org.)
The house was located on cemetery grounds, but was moved to its present site in 1901.
According to a 2012 piece in the Roseville Historical Society newsletter, when the war steed died, he was wrapped in a flag and buried on Gov. Marshall's property. When the property became part of Roselawn Cemetery, it was with the stipulation that Don would remain.
"Don was a horse of unusual intelligence and docility and Marshall was greatly attached to him," writes Roseville historical Herb Dickhudt in the 2012 historical society newsletter. Don was a 7-year-old sorrel when Marshall bought him in St. Louis.
In 1960, Pioneer Press/Dispatch columnist Oliver Towne wrote: "The horse was his (Marshall's) favorite chestnut sorrel. In the pages of Civil War history, Don appears more than once, for he galloped over the field of many battles, carrying his master, one of Minnesota's most illustrious officers and troop leaders. Historians remember seeing Don and General Marshall riding into the battle
of Tupelo."
Roselawn Cemetery grounds are open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset; the office is open from 8 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. General manager Thoreson says directions to "War Horse Oak" and Don's gravesite are available at the office. They can even direct visitors to Don via GPS.
If you want to go in search of Don's grave yourself, it's a little tricky to find, but take the cemetery's back entrance off Roselawn Avenue (just east of Victoria by the big barn — also of historical significance, it was built in 1869 and recently repainted in its original soft yellow color). Take the first right after the entrance and then the next right just beyond the caretaker's residence driveway. About halfway down that road, park and walk toward the northwest corner of the cemetery. (Hint, there's a water spigot on the north side of the road near the point where you should start walking.)
And while you're there:
— Famous people buried at Roselawn include comedian Mitch Hedberg, who died in 2005, and hockey coach Herb Brooks (2003).
— Check out the beautiful chapel at the cemetery's main entrance, 803 W. Larpenteur. It was designed by famous architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Minnesota State Capitol.