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Dobmeier Visits Gettsyburg On Battle’s 150th Anniversary

Barnesville resident and Moorhead High School instructor John Dobmeier poses as a general of the Union Army during his visit to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania during the 150th anniversary of the three-day battle on July 1-3, 2013.

The Gettysburg National Military Park is filled with monuments to individuals as well as the states that sent soldiers to fight for each side. Dobmeier noted that the Minnesota monument was larger than some other state monuments, perhaps due to the actions of the Minnesota 1st Volunteer Infantry, which saw an 83 percent casualty in its actions during battle.

By: Jacob UnderleeAs an instructor at Moorhead

High School John Dobmeier earns his living by sharing information about the past. However, the longtime Barnesville resident was able to see one noteworthy portion of United States history

firsthand when he visited Gettysburg National Military Park for the 150th anniversary of the three-day battle in July 2013.

The last few years have seen the 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial, of the many battles of the American Civil War that pitted

North against South and brother against brother from 1861 to 1865.

“That time period is a fascination of mine,” Dobmeier said, explaining that his planning and research to attend the famous battlefield began in 2011. By 2012 he began making the necessary purchases

and reservations to ensure he had a spot in the anticipated crowds that would descend on the area as the anniversary drew near.

As a history buff who has shared his passion in the classroom since 2011, it was the culmination of a lifetime of anticipation and years of planning.

“My intent was to be on those sites as close as possible to the actual time this was happening 150 years ago,” he said.

Dobmeier first drove out of Minnesota in late June 2013, traveling to Pennsylvania to soak up more sites of United States history in Philadelphia. He eventually arrived at Gettysburg a day before the 150th anniversary celebrations were to begin on July 1, 2013.

A frequent camper, Dobmeier decided to spend his entire week at Gettysburg in a tent on a campground near the Big Round Top Hill on the edge of the national park. He spent July 1, 2, and 3 exploring the national park and visiting the many monuments and historical markers commemoriating the actions taken there years ago.

For three days the history instructor was able to experience the park firsthand, using a bicycle to move around the grounds and sometimes staying late into the evening in order to soak in all the history of the battles that served as the turning point in the Civil War.

“The first three days of the battle I was at the actual site,” he said. “I was at the battlefield all day and all evening. I was so close that I went back to my campsite to eat, and then headed back up. I just absorbed it all.”

The area was filled with actors portraying soldiers in authentic dress who remained in character when spoken to.

“They were marvelous,” Dobmeier said, adding that each actor portrayed a different soldier and was a wealth of information.

At times it was hard to tell who was officially part of the demonstrations and who was a visitor.

“It was not uncommon to walk around and see men and women who weren’t part of the re-enactment but were still in period dress,” he said. “Some people spent thousands of dollars on their outfits.”

Dobmeier did his best to ‘look the part’ and grew a beard to match many soldiers of the time period. After his first day it was clear to Dobmeier that he wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the unique time to be at the battlefield.

“They estimated somewhere in the vicinity of 50,000 people were in the National Military Park on any given day of July 1, 2 or 3,” he said.

To celebrate the Fourth of July, Dobmeier enjoyed fireworks in the city of Gettysburg, because any explosions, gunfire or other eruptions aren’t permitted in the National Military Park. The only exception

seemed to be some limited cannon fire during the three-day anniversary.

“This was the only time they did some kind of cannon fire,” Dobmeier

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Barnesville Record-ReviewBarnesville, Minnesota 56514

STREETLIGHT 2014

Streetlight 2014 Progress Report6C