IN NOVEMBER OF 2009, I met Brandon Peeters. He’s an extraordinary kid. Tomorrow he’ll be at the Minnesota State Capitol, leading the Pledge of Allegiance as our state celebrates Civil War Sesquicentennial Day.
That’s quite an honor for this seventh grader from Owatonna who has a passion for the Civil War. He teaches Owatonna students and others about the war, has visited many Civil War battlefields and belongs to the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment re-enactment group and the Cannon Valley Civil War Roundtable.
Brandon Peeters, front center, marches with Civil War re-enactors.
When Brandon discovered while working on a third grade family history project that his great-great-great grandfather, Valentine Katzung, served with the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment from 1861-1864, fought at Gettysburg and was shot in the left heel, he was hooked on history.
“Brandon is so excited and very honored to be included in the program,” says his mom, Cindy Hokanson. “Needless to say, Brandon’s passion for the Civil War has only gotten stronger. He actually has applied to be one of the nine citizen members of the Governor’s Civil War Commemoration Task Force.” He’ll learn in June whether he has been selected to serve on that board.
Civil War buffs aplenty will gather at the Capitol on Wednesday to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Events begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. with a noon program in the rotunda that will include speakers (Governor Mark Dayton, former Governor Al Quie and others) during dedication of the 2011-2012 Minnesota Legislative Manual, aka the “Blue Book.” This year’s edition is packed with Minnesota-related Civil War history and trivia.
Several members of the Faribault-based Cannon Valley Civil War Roundtable will participate in a Civil War Information Fair in the Capitol basement Great Hall. “We will have Civil War memorabilia, books, brochures and a Civil War band poster,” says CVCWR member Dan Peterson of Faribault. “It should be fun sharing with the public, other roundtables and some re-enactors.”
Several roundtables, authors, historical organizations and others will present educational materials and information to attendees. Some will dress as Civil War re-enactors.
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul H. Anderson will dress in period costume during a presentation in court chambers. Civil War Capitol tours are also available at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Three Civil War cannons given to the First Minnesota Infantry Regiment in 1862 by Major-General A. H. Sanford, the American Ambassador to Belgium, are sure to be a hit with Capitol visitors on Wednesday.
It is the first time in decades that the trio of cannons—kept at Camp Ripley, the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley and in Montevideo—will be showcased in one location, according to information from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. Two will be displayed in the rotunda and the third on the upper mall in front of the Capitol.
I’m certain tomorrow’s event will pack the Capitol with Minnesotans interested in the Civil War. Having attended one Cannon Valley Roundtable meeting and a recent Civil War event in Faribault, I know the passion people possess for this time in our nation’s history. I have yet to meet a young person more interested in the Civil War than Brandon Peeters. If anyone deserves to serve on the Governor’s Civil War Commemoration Task Force, it would be this self-proclaimed history freak.
If you’re at the Capitol tomorrow, look for Brandon. I expect he’ll be in his Civil War costume and sporting a smile a mile wide.
© Capitol photo copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Brandon Peeters photo courtesy of Cindy Hokanson
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Good for him! Its wonderful to hear about a kid excited about history. I’m sure he is going to be grinning from ear to ear.
Brandon’s mom will be sending me some photos from today’s big event at the Minnesota State Capitol. So maybe she’ll allow me to share some here. Big, big day for this Civil War buff.
Good for the young lad. I am glad to see him take such a avid interest in the tragic chapter of American History. Any of you traveling “down south” check to see if there is an SCV (Sons of Confederate Veterans) chapter to see if they are having any events you might want to attend, They have a differing view of what is usually taught in schools. We (yes I are one) often have touch and play questions and answer sessions of uniforms,, canteens, guns and equipment on Civil War soldiers. Usually Confederates but not always limited to them. Kerrville, Texas – just west of San Antonio, has a museum, and is not far from Camp Verde. On the Court House lawn is a Confederate Civil War cannon – open to all. Camp Verde – The ACTUAL camp is not far from where most visitors show up which is the location of the old Camp Verde Post Office, Camp Verde is the site of the U.S. Army’s Camel Corps (pronounced core and not corpse). Camp Verde also is near the location where the Confederates had a Prisoner of War Camp. A cemetery across from the actual gates (now replaced with markers) looks to be fairly modern but actually has the graves of Confederates who were buried there. In San Antonio, the Texas Center of ??? – History is also close to the Confederate Cemetery where famed Texas Ranger RIP Ford is buried. Fredricksburg, Texas has its roots in German immigration and they cut a deal with the local Native Americans, survived the Civil War and is home to the Museum of the War in the Pacific. Save a day to tour this place. They have several structures located in a portion of a city block show casing a farmer’s Town Home, wagons houses of the 1800s, early 1900s as well as a welcome center that has more plus retails several books telling of many events that took place there and on the nearby frontier.