The mini starter came into being in 1988 on the 3.9L V6, well pre-Magnum and was revised several times between then and 2003. Later starters are a tick more powerful (2.9HP v. 2.7HP as I recall), but since you're not starting a high-compression race engine, it really doesn't make any difference. Starting in 1999, the wiring connection changed on the trigger wire from a stud-mounted cable lug to a plug-in terminal. In other words, you missed by
one year.
The Genco (BBB) part number for the one I've always used is
17466, which is listed for everything with a V6 or V8 from 1991-'95. If your local dum-dums can't cross the number, just tell 'em it's a '95 Ram/B-van/Dakota with a 5.2L. That being said, if you really feel you need the extra power for some reason (you don't), use the same application between 1996-'98 (Genco/BBB #17573). The 17466 should be noticeably less expensive than the 17573, though.
You may find that the terminals on the mini-starter are spaced a bit further apart than those on the OE starter, but this shouldn't be a problem for you since it's already had one in place.
If I had to guess, I'd say your armature corroded itself fast (solid) after sitting for a decade and a half, hence the huge amp draw/voltage drop and no crank.
For clarification:
The "classic" Chrysler starter used on everything muscle-era except 1966-'69 4-speed Hemi cars had 1.5HP. During the emissions era, Chrysler introduced a 1.7HP version of the same unit, primarily because of the air pump on emissions-era V8s. That starter uses a longer field coil (and is a nightmare with headers). By comparison, the "weak sister" of the Nintendo (Nippondenso) mini-starters is the 1988-1990 unit with 2.5HP. That means even the "worst" of the bunch still has a full extra HP--67% more cranking power--than the OE starter that worked just fine on high-compression Hemi and Six Pack engines.
