Eagan Man Dedicated to Finding, Honoring Bodies of Minnesotans Killed in Civil War

Ken Fliés, a 70-year-old Eagan man and historical researcher, has dedicated himself to locating and identifying the bodies of Minnesotans killed in the Civil War.

"There are so many Civil War guys that nobody knows; their graves have gone totally unmarked," Fliés told the Star Tribune. "Records are gone. Cemetery stones are gone."

To date, Fliés said he has found 450 burial sites of the 800 Minnesotan soldiers who died in the war, including 18 whose bodies were returned to the state for burial—a rare and expensive occurrence.

“At least give them the dignity of having their names and burial spots recorded,” Fliés told the Mankato Free Press.

The Free Press has more about Fliés, a descendant of two men who perished in the war:

Fliés (pronounced Fleece) said special state funding will enable the placement of new granite markers at the burial sites of the 18.

Moreover, it’s his hope a comprehensive list can eventually be compiled of all state soldiers who died, along with data on where they were killed and the U.S. sites of their graves. ...

Fliés, an original Peace Corps volunteer (1962) who served in Brazil and still does consulting work there, became hooked on delving into state Civil War deaths after hearing about two men from his hometown of Plainview who died at Nashville.

Read more at the Mankato Free Press's website.