As part of Spring Valley’s annual Loyalty Days observance, the Civil War reenactment group known as the “Boys of ‘61” camped in Spring Valley’s Spring Creek Park, and gave demonstrations of practices used by the soldiers during the Civil War. One especially popular part of their demonstrations was the cannon firing.
Corporal Jason Grimm explained that he is a member of the Battery I, First US artillery group. Their stated goals include education about the Civil War, as well as honoring and preserving the memory of those who fought in the war. But at several events throughout the year, he and other re-enactors come together as the Boys of ’61. One of their goals, he explained, is to raise awareness and funds, to help create a state memorial to all of the Minnesotans who fought in the Civil War. “We’re basically portraying living history, firing demonstrations, teaching people what is was like to man these cannons, and then also some of the daily life of the soldiers… We’re interpreting Civil War soldiers as kind of a memorial and to raise awareness and raise funds for the Boys of ’61, which is a non-profit group dedicated to honoring the memory of Civil War soldiers, particularly from Minnesota.” Grimm said.
Corporal Grimm said his group participates in actual target competitions with their cannons, some of which weigh over a ton. He said to prepare for the competition, they practice by honing in on a target roughly the size of a door, at a range of 1,000 yards. He said his team can often hit 12 or 13 out of 15 during this practice. During the actual competition, the range is still 1,000 yards, but the target is about the size of a sheet of legal paper. This, he explains, takes a lot of skill, and some luck.
Corporal Grimm also noted an interesting bit of Minnesota history. He explained, “By happenstance, our Governor at the time was in Washington D.C. when Lincoln put out his call for troops after Fort Sumter was fired upon. The Governor went to the Secretary of War and said, ‘I volunteer 1,000 troops for the defense of the country.’” In that way, Minnesota was the very first state to volunteer troops to fight for the Union in the Civil War.
Grimm summarized that somewhere around 15,000 Minnesotans served in the Civil War. He said many joined due to patriotism (Minnesota had become a state just a few years before the war) while simple economics was another reason. Young farmers realized they would get a decent wage for joining, and they saw it as a way to get ahead financially before returning to farming. Unfortunately, many never returned from the war.
Grimm stated that more Americans died in the Civil War than all other wars combined, with roughly 2% of the population dying during the four years of the war. He also noted that many more died of disease or infection than from the immediate damage of war wounds.
Grimm welcomes anyone interested to check out their website (minnesotaboysof61.org) and Facebook page, and to attend more of their events. He said he believes this type of “living history” has particular value, because whereas a person can read a book about history, “If it’s something that you can physically see and interact with, that has way more meaning.”
Sarah Kohn, one of the local organizers and volunteers for Loyalty Days, explained that the Boys of ’61 was just one part of Spring Valley’s Loyalty Days. She said the events included a golf tournament, VFW banquet, flag ceremonies, and a grand parade on Sunday (including a visit from President and Mrs. Lincoln). She added that the whole purpose of Loyalty Days is to show appreciation for all veterans who have served our country.
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