15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment

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15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment
Flag of Wisconsin.svg
ActiveFebruary 14, 1862 February 13, 1865
Country United States
Allegiance Union
Branch Union Army
Role Infantry
Size Regiment
Nickname(s)Scandinavian Regiment
Motto(s)För Gud og Vårt Land!(For God and Our Country!)
Engagements American Civil War
Commanders
Colonel Hans Christian Heg
Major Jurgen Wilson
Lt. Col. Ole C. Johnson

The 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was popularly known as the Norwegian Regiment or the Scandinavian Regiment, due to its composition of mostly Norwegian American, Swedish American, and Danish American immigrants. [1] [2]

Contents

Service

The 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was originally formed by Col. Hans Christian Heg at Camp Randall, near Madison, Wisconsin. The majority of its members were Norwegian [3] immigrants with the rest being mainly Swedish and Danish immigrants. The regiment was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into federal service January 31, 1862. The regiment was mustered out of service by company between December 1, 1864, and February 13, 1865. [4]

15th Wisconsin Company Organization [5] [6]
CompanyEarliest MonikerPrimary Place of RecruitmentCompany Commander
ASt. Olaf's GuardsChicago, Illinois and Boone County, IllinoisAndrew Torkildson
BWergeland GuardsDane County Ole C. Johnson
CNorway Bear HuntersRacine CountyF. B. Berg
DWolf HuntersWaukesha CountyC. Campbell
EOdin's GuardsDane CountyJ. Ingmundsen
FK.K.'s ProtectorsManitowoc CountyCharles Gustavson
GRock River RangersRock CountyJohn J. Gordon
HHeg's RiflesDane County, Wisconsin and Clermont, Fayette Counties from IowaK. J. Sime
IScandinavian MountaineersWaupaca County and Pepin CountyA. Gaassman
KFreeborn County, Minnesota, Winneshiek County, Iowa, Worth County, Iowa, and Fillmore County, MinnesotaMons Grinager

Major campaigns

The 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment was a participant in a number of major battles conducted by the Union Army during the Civil War. [7]

Casualties

The 15th Wisconsin suffered eight officers and 86 enlisted men who were killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another one officer and 241 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 336 fatalities. [4] On September 20, 1863 Colonel Hans Christian Heg died of wounds he received in action in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19, 1863. [8]

Commanders

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (Wisconsin Trails) Accessed 2009-05-17. Archived 2009-05-18.
  2. "Swedish History - Hans Högman". www.hhogman.se.
  3. "Why Did Scandinavians Volunteer for the Union Army during the Civil War - DailyHistory.org". dailyhistory.org.
  4. 1 2 "Union Regiments - Wisconsin". www.civilwararchive.com.
  5. Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office (1886). Roster of Wisconsin volunteers, war of the rebellion, 1861-1865. The Library of Congress. Madison, Democrat printing co., state printers.
  6. Eastabrook, Charles E. (1912). Annual Reports of the Adjutant General of the State of Wisconsin for the Years 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Co. pp. 69–71.
  7. Norsemen weren’t afraid to fight at Stones River (by: By Mike West, Managing Editor. Murfreesboro Post. June 8, 2008) Accessed 2009-05-17. Archived 2009-05-18.
  8. Klement, Frank L. (1997). Wisconsin in the Civil War: The Home Front and the Battle Front, 1861-1865. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin. ISBN   978-0870202865.

Other sources

Further reading