Local Civil War Re-enactment Training

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 A group of Civil War reenactors here in the valley is training some of its newer members.

The 5th Minnesota Infantry Company D travels across the area to showcase how military life was in the Civil War era.

The sounds of shouting commands and loading muskets mark a time in history where war raged on here on U.S. soil.

The 5th Minnesota Infantry Company D is training on drills from the Civil War era that they will showcase at community events.
 
“Really sets your mind back to 1862, actually what happened, what was going on in this area,” said Fort Abercrombie Site Supervisor Lenny Krueger.
 
The goal is to teach as many people as they can about the history of the Civil War and Dakota War here in the valley.

David Couch is an active member of the military and he’s also a new member of the re–enactment group.

He joined only a few months ago and says it’s been well worth it.
 
“Weekends like this of Memorial Day, it’s nice to kind of get out of your house and  try to see what it would have been like and what these guys would have done,” said Couch.
 
The re–enactment training ranges from using bayonets to reading war letters, and even yeah, getting paid.

Naturally the group had me try out some of the training, but I think I might stick to reporting.
 
The re–enactments aren’t just for fun; organizers say it’s a way to show the public how people used to live in the past.
 
“Being out here, being able to interact with folks like us that strive to do impressions and show what life was like as close to as possible, you know opens a whole new window to people,” said the group Lieutenant Daniel Sauerwein.

A group of local reenactors and even active military, training so that future generations know what life was like here in the U.S. only a few generations ago.
 
The next appearance for the 5th Minnesota Infantry Company D is at the Bonanzaville Fourth of July Festival.