Fort Ridgely celebrates history

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

FORT RIDGELY -- Civilian soldiers fired cannons, teams of draft horses tested their strength against ever-increasing loads, and Bishop Henry Whipple convinced President Abe Lincoln to spare the lives of most of the Indians sentenced to death for their part in the Dakota Conflict at the Fort Ridgely Festival held at Fort Ridgely State Park Saturday.

The New Ulm Battery depicted a day in the lives of members of the 2nd Minnesota Regiment that had marched off to bolster the Union forces in the Civil War.

"The civilian militia was formed in 1863 to defend New Ulm," following the Dakota Conflict of 1862, Battery 1st Lt. John Fritsche of New Ulm explained. "The militia was supplied with four cannons and three caissons by Cincinnati, Ohio, sister city of the old Turner Society. Today, we are the only horse-drawn artillery still using original equipment in the nation."

In addition to his work with the battery, Fritsche is chairman of the board of Friends of Fort Ridgely which was created in March of this year to help promote tourism and Fort Ridgely and chairman of the Fort Ridgely Festival Group.

Because of financial setbacks in previous years, the festival was cut back to just one day, Fritsche said. "However, we're hoping to getting back to having a two-day show."

For Bryce Stenzel of Janesville, who portrays President Abe Lincoln, "One of my highlights is coming out here and helping people understand that what was happening in the Civil War and the Dakota uprising were connected. It brings people back together.

Stenzel who teaches social studies and history at Waseca High School began portraying the 16th president of the U.S. 11 years ago. He does a number of appearances each year in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

He's also written a play, titled "Lincoln Lore," that takes Lincoln's life from his birth on Feb. 12, 1809, to his death April 15, 1865 after being shot by actor John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theatre the night before.

In giving Lincoln's "four score and seven years ago" speech, Stenzel notes that the speech at the time received mixed reviews in Union North publications and received virtually no ink at all in the Confederate South newspapers.

"It was only many years later, after Lincoln had died, that it received the attention it deserved," Stenzel said.

Stenzel and Bruce Dowlin, Mankato, as Bishop Whipple, recreated Saturday the meeting between Lincoln and the Bishop, at which time Whipple sought mercy for the 303 Indians who had been convicted and sentenced to death for their parts in the Dakota Conflict.

Dowlin, who owns an insurance agency, marvels at how the bishop was able to influence Lincoln to spare the lives of all but 38.

"In meeting with Lincoln, Bishop Whipple had six main points to tell Lincoln as to why the Indians' lives should be spared," Dowlin recounted. "Obviously, those six points had tremendous impact on Lincoln. Whipple had worked side by side with Dr. Asa W. Daniels stitching up soldiers and settlers in a makeshift hospital created out of the courthouse in St. Peter. The man had tremendous compassion."

An old-fashioned horse pull added spice to the festival as over a half-dozen teams from the area competed for bragging rights in the first ever Fort Ridgely horse pull.

Taking the championship trophy were a pair of Belgians, owned by Roger Schneider of Sleepy Eye and driven by Jason Furley of Fairfax. The horses pulled 2,800 pounds on a tractor-tire sled 27 feet for the victory, over a pair of white Percherons driven by Doug Bunting, Redwood Falls.

Then, to further their bragging rights, the Belgians pulled 3,000 pounds just to show they could.

John Polkowski, Fairfax, finished third with his Percheron/Welch cross horses who weighed in at a far slimmer 1,300-pound average than the Belgians but managed to pull 2,400 pounds. Polkowski amused the crowd by whispering in the ears of both horses before giving them the command to pull.

The horse pull was done "for just good old, pure fun," said its organizer, Chuck Firle of Fairfax.

Adding musical flavor to the festival was the Sweetgrass band out of Mankato. Playing guitars, mandolins, a fiddle and singing were Dean and Rose Bixenman of Mankato and Doug Becken of Hanska.