History 21 The Podcast - 3.13 James Groat Fan Fiction

An expanded partnership between the Anoka Middle School for the Arts in Anoka and ACHS created a surprisingly fun result—fan fiction from the diary of a local Civil War veteran. Listen to the Creative Writing students as they explored the historical fiction genre and how each of their characters met, interacted with, or were related to James Groat who served for a time with the 1st Minnesota.

Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.

James Groat

James W. Groat was the great-grandson of John Groat, who immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1700s, eventually settling in upstate New York. Born in 1824, James married Rebecca and the family came west, settling in Anoka in 1854. 

A carpenter by trade, Groat began building the first hotel in Anoka, then formed a company to run a ferry between Anoka and Champlin across the Mississippi. He even tried farming before building a house in Slaughter and Creighton’s Addition in 1857.

Groat signed up as one of the first volunteers for the Civil War from Anoka, and over three years of journeying, he logged at least one night at 81 different locations.

While serving with the 1st Minnesota, Groat accumulated many interesting stories. The fact that he was not allowed to assist fellow Union soldiers at the Battle of Balls Bluff made Groat angry (he refers to the battle as a “slaughter” and considered General Stone to be a “rank traitor”), though he continued to hold a picket line along the north bank of the Potomac River throughout the winter of 1861-1862. Another group of Union soldiers, the 82nd New York, suffered many casualties from Confederate soldiers across the river due to their “buck and ball” muskets. These weapons could not shoot across the river, so the Confederates could stand openly on the bank and pick off the Union soldiers. The regiment’s commander, General Gorman, sent in several of the 1st Minnesota (who all carried newer, Springfield rifles) at night. “The rebels next morning at break of day lined the bank of the river, looking for heads of the boys in the rifle pits and at a given signal the Minnesota boys pulled triggers, down went some eight or ten of the enemy,” recalled Groat. “Some tall running followed and in a few moments not a rebel could be seen on the opposite bank of the river.”

Anoka Middle School for the Arts

AMSA is an arts specialty/magnet school in the Anoka-Hennepin School District serving grades six, seven and eight.

They have two campuses; the Washington campus houses the 6th grade students, and the Fred Moore campus houses the 7th and 8th grade students. The school is a Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD) specialty/magnet school.

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Anoka County Library Minute

Further Reading: 

History can provide lots of material for creative writing endeavors. A particular event or person can be the basis for posing speculative questions, like what if this event never happened, or happened differently? Facts about the time period or event can shape the traits of the story’s characters and their development. The following list of resources, all available from Anoka County Library, may appeal to history buffs and writers alike. There are several nonfiction titles for both kids and adults specifically about the First Minnesota Volunteers. If writing is where your interest lies, there are several guides listed that are devoted to the craft. And don’t forget to check out MN Writes MN Reads, a handy online resource for those who want to publish their own work and read the works of other published local writers.

• Every Man Did His Duty: pictures & stories of the men of the First Minnesota by Wayne D. Jorgenson (973.74760924 JOR JOR)

• Pale Horse at Plum Run: the First Minnesota at Gettysburg by Brian Leehan (973.7349 LEE)

• No More Gallant a Deed: a Civil War memoir of the First Minnesota volunteers by James A. Wright; edited by Steven J. Keillor (973.7476 WRI)

• The Last Full Measure: the life and death of the First Minnesota volunteers by Richard Moe (973.7476 MOE)

• Soldier’s Heart: being the story of the enlistment and due service of the boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota volunteers by Gary Paulsen (YA FICTION PAU)

• At the Battle of Bull Run: an interactive battlefield adventure by Eric Braun (J973.73 BRA)

• The Biggest Battles of the Civil War by Molly Kolpin (J973.73 KOL)

• Creative Writing by Casey Clabough (808.042 CLA)

• The Creative Compass: writing your way from inspiration to publication by Dan Millman (808.02 MIL)

• You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: the complete guide to creative nonfiction from memoir to literary journalism and everything in between by Lee Gutkind (808.02 GUT)

• Just Write: here’s how by Walter Dean Myers (YA808.02 MYE)

• MN Writes MN Reads (online resource)