15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 15th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment", was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
at Camp Randall, near Madison, Wisconsin. The majority of its members were Norwegians immigrants (some records state as many as 90%), with the rest mainly Danish, Swedish and Dutch 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.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment was originally formed by Col. Hans Christian HegHans Christian Heg
Hans Christian Heg was a Norwegian- American politician and soldier in the American Civil War from Wisconsin.-Background:...
at Camp Randall, near Madison, Wisconsin. The majority of its members were Norwegians immigrants (some records state as many as 90%), with the rest mainly Danish, Swedish and Dutch immigrants. The regiment was organized at Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
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.
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.- The Battle of Island Number TenBattle of Island Number TenThe Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
- The Battle of PerryvilleBattle of PerryvilleThe Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
(October 8, 1862) - The Battle of Stones RiverBattle of Stones RiverThe Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
(December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863) - The Tullahoma CampaignTullahoma CampaignThe Tullahoma Campaign or Middle Tennessee Campaign was fought between June 24 and July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Union Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Maj. Gen. William S...
(June 24 - July 3, 1863) - Battle of ChickamaugaBattle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
(September 19 – 20, 1863) - Battle of ResacaBattle of ResacaThe Battle of Resaca was part of the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle was waged in both Gordon and Whitfield counties, Georgia, from May 13 - 15, 1864. It ended inconclusively with the Confederate Army retreating. The engagement was fought between the Military Division of the...
(May 13 – May 15, 1864) - The Battle of Peachtree CreekBattle of Peachtree CreekThe Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Lt. Gen. John B. Hood since taking command of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The attack was against Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's...
(July 20, 1864) - Battle of AtlantaBattle of AtlantaThe Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed...
(July 22 - August 25. 1864) - Battle of JonesboroughBattle of Jonesborough-Further reading:...
(August 31 – September 1, 1864)
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.Hans Christian Heg
- Colonel Hans Christian HegHans Christian HegHans Christian Heg was a Norwegian- American politician and soldier in the American Civil War from Wisconsin.-Background:...
served from September 30, 1861 until his death on September 20, 1863. Colonel Heg was killed in actionKilled in actionKilled in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in the Battle of ChickamaugaBattle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
.
Other sources
- Buslett, Ole Amundsen Det Femtende Regiment Wisconsin Frivillige (Decorah, Iowa, 1894) Norwegian
- Estabrook, Charles E, ed. Records and sketches of military organizations: population, legislation, election and other statistics relating to Wisconsin in the period of the Civil War (Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 1914)
- Current, Richard Nelson The History of Wisconsin, The Civil War Era, 1848-1873 (Madison, Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 1976)
Further reading
- Ager, WaldemarWaldemar AgerWaldemar Ager , was a Norwegian-American newspaperman and author.-Early life:...
Colonel Heg and His Boys: A Norwegian Regiment in the American Civil War (Northfield, Minnesota: The Norwegian-American Historical Association. 2000) English translation by Della Kittleson Catuna and Clarence A. Clausen