The Minnesota Connection to the Civil War

Everyone is
invited to attend the Burnsville Historical Society monthly meeting 10:30 a.m.
to noon Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Burnhaven Library on County Road 42 in
Burnsville. Bring any stories, artifacts, and questions you might have about
the Civil War. The coffee will be hot, so come in out of the cold and relax
with your neighbors!  

Our guest
speaker will be Eagan resident Ken Flies, a frequent presenter on Minnesota in
the Civil War. Flies became interested in the Civil War through his family
history and the historical nurturing of his mother and grandmother. Having
grown up in Plainview, Minnesota (near Rochester), he tells people that on Dec.
16, 1864 at the Battle of Nashville, nine men from Plainview were killed and
two of them are buried in the Plainview Cemetery today.

Flies agrees
with the adage, “If you don’t observe history you are bound to repeat it.” The
Civil War had more than 750,000 casualties, more than any other war in U.S.
history. When asked why we should continue to remember the Civil War, Flies
said, because it was such a devastating event that bonded the country and made
it into one overlapping experience and into one republic. He also said that
one-third of Americans today can tie themselves to an ancestor who fought in
the Civil War.

Flies
invites anyone who has an interest in current day events to honor those who
fought in the Civil War and all those who are interested in its history to
attend this meeting. He plans to show a short video and talk about his
involvement in celebrating the history of this war.

For more
information or if you have questions, call Bonnie Boberg at 952-890-5089. We
look forward to seeing you on Feb. 22.