Nothing to do with slavery, my ass.

as an "in your face" gesture. Tell them that they shouldn't display it makes them WANT to do it.

Human nature.

It will all die down soon.

This is Minnesota even if some cities have their share of conservative asshats.

especially those from Minnesota. The flag should be burned in public and Brian Nielsen should be displayed behind glassed in a museum.

My G-G-G and G-G grandfathers (father and son) fought with the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The father was wounded at Vicksburg and permanently disabled, while the son served from 1861-1865. Studio photos taken of him before and after the war suggest the toll almost four years of campaigning could take on a person. I can only guess at what they would think about that rag flying in a Fourth of July parade.

Or, any of the members of the First Minnesota who happened to survive their role at Gettysburg on the second day of the battle.

Given the tenor of the times it is likely that many of them, including my relatives, might not have cared much about the racism associated with that flag. To them it would certainly have been a symbol of treasonous rebellion, and rejected as such.

slavery since they must has seen slaves.

The Fourth Minnesota operated in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and across the Carolinas. Their regimental history talks about their interactions with freed slaves, and a letter in our possession from the G-G-G grandfather to his wife speaks with some empathy about the plight and condition of former slaves freeing themselves by making their way into the regimental/army lines.

I just know that these guys volunteered at the end of the first year of the war, when the "stamp out the rebellion" sentiment was still very high.

Do you know what regiment your relatives fought with? I find it interesting that both yours and mine were father-son teams. I wonder how common that was?

German descent and just came from Germany a few years before. At that time Germany was not consolidated and had a kind of system that the people thought of a slavery. When they got here they had no intention of living in another country were people were not free.

As to the father-son thing I know that the father was quite old so I think the son may have gone along to take care of him. The father ended up disabled and was sent to a unit behind lines. He was disabled for the rest of his life. The son went fought his way down the Mississippi River and was captured and help in a confederate prison in Texas. I think he was exchanged for a southern prisoner in our prisons.

This site has a search function:

http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm

This site's search function is pretty basic, but there is a good chance your relatives will be in there. They won't tell you much, but usually they will provide at least the regiment in which your relatives served, and very basic details about their service (date enlisted, rank at enlistment, rank at discharge, number of their regiment).

There are other ways to go about it, but this is one good way to start. It will depend on whether or not you know how they spelled their last names, as there may have been a variant spelling from those guys to their direct modern descendants.

If you can identify their regiment then you may be able to locate (on line) one of the multitude of regimental unit histories written by veterans, often in the period 1880-1900. This will usually give you a very detailed account of their unit's actions during the war. These histories usually have personnel rosters of the various companies forming the regiment. Chances are good that they would be named there, and they may be named by the author within the body of the text, depending upon what he's talking about. The relative who became a POW and was later exchanged would be a good bet for being mentioned, especially if he rejoined the unit after release.

Good luck should you choose to explore it! I'd be very interested to know what you find out.

I entered my g-g-grandfather's name and up he popped along with a 2nd link to a brief history of the Minnesota 2nd.

Thanks!

I live in California, but three years ago my wife and I took a two week road trip through Virginia and the Carolinas. Paid visits to some of the battlefields at which my relatives were present along the way. Very cool experience.

You mentioned the First Minnesota at Gettysburg. I first heard that story when I was a kid, and it has remained one of my favorite stories from the war. When I visited Gettysburg about 10 years ago I made certain to seek out that place on the battlefield. It was a very sobering experience, having been told stories and read books about the Civil War since I was a kid, to finally be able to walk around on that battlefield.

In particular, the 1st Minnesota and fight it made the 2nd day of the Gettysburg battle.

The only place that flag belongs in Minnesota is at the history museum where they have a Confederate battle flag captured at Gettysburg - and that every now and then Virginia whines and cries about getting back. To the best of my knowledge, Minnesota continues to refuse to return it.

(One of my g-g-grandfathers was in the 2nd Minnesota. He enlisted at Fort Snelling in December 1861 - nearly 70 years to the day that my dad, his great-grandson, would enlist there for WWII.)

Maybe this guy needs to visit the GAR section at Lakewood Cemetery.

An individual firefighter does NOT have the right to decide what is being publicly displayed on a vehicle belonging to a tax-funded governmental unit.

The firefighter certainly has a right to express his own opinion as a citizen, but not as a public employee driving a governmental vehicle.

Firing the employee seems to be an over-reaction, but unless and until the Town of Hartland officially condemns this act, it stands as a public statement of their town government.

(Albert Lea and Erhard MN) who allowed this to happen. All three make me want to puke. PC my ass.

1. The 4th of July has absolutely nothing to do with the Confederate States of American or its flag. In fact it is the flag belonging to a country that went to war against the USA. So much for patriotism.

2. To fly that flag in a northern state that sent Union troops to fight in that war is an insult to those soldiers - and make no mistake about it - many of our families have a civil war soldier in our tree. If I had been there I would have turned my back on him and his truck. Apparently no one did that. (My ancestor served with the MN Union Troops along with his 16 year old son who was taken prisoner of war and held in a confederate prison for about a year.)

3. Next 4th of July I want to borrow the Nazi flag that is in our museum so I can take it down there to fly it. Maybe I can even find a bunch of people who will march with me. But I would hope if I do that I would find myself rejected by the parade committees and by the watchers. That is what should have happened to that flag. It has no history in MN.

4. Poor Mr. Neilsen thinks taking the flag down from a government flag pole in SC is taking it out of history. Hey buddy - history is in books and museums - not being a part of current government. As to my objection to using it in the 4th of July parade. In MN what does that have to do with history? Not one damned thing. If it has something to do with your personal history you have the right to hang it in front of your own house.

5. NAPA must be crazy.

Got a bunch of idiots - even in my own family - who fly that goddamn rag around here down in Iowa and they don't realize that they have ancestors in their family tree that fought FOR the Union.

"PC"

It's a pity the spectators didn't start singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic or Rally 'Round the Flag.

with the next line being,

"probably not, but this guy sure is"

followed by the article