The 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. It was popularly known as the Norwegian Regiment or the Scandinavian Regiment, due to its composition of mostly

Norwegian American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

Swedish American Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

, and

Danish American Danish Americans () are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danes who came to the United States after 1865 did so for e ...

immigrants.

Service

The 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was originally formed by Col. Hans Christian Heg at

Camp Randall Camp Randall was a United States Army base in Madison, Wisconsin, the largest staging point for Wisconsin troops entering the American Civil War. At this camp fresh volunteers received quick training before heading off to join the Union Army. Al ...

, near

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The majority of its members were Norwegian immigrants with the rest being mainly

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and Danish immigrants. The regiment was organized at

, 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 Ten The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi Riverforming the border between Missouri and Tennesseeduring the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. Island Numbe ...

*The

Battle of Perryville The 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 (Kentucky Campaign) during the Ame ...

(October 8, 1862) *The

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the 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 Ci ...

(December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863) *The Tullahoma Campaign (June 24 - July 3, 1863) *

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

(September 19 – 20, 1863) *

Battle of Resaca The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...

(May 13–15, 1864) *The

Battle of Peachtree Creek The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Lieutenant General, Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood since taking comma ...

(July 20, 1864) *

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces ...

(July 22 - August 25. 1864) *

Battle of Jonesborough The Battle of Jonesborough (August 31–September 1, 1864) was fought between Union Army forces led by William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces under William J. Hardee during the Atlanta Campaign in the Am ...

(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. On September 20, 1863 Colonel Hans Christian Heg

died of wounds Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, say ...

he received in action in the

on September 19, 1863.

Commanders

* Colonel Hans Christian Heg (February 14, 1862September 20, 1863) died of wounds after Chickamauga. Before the war, he had served as the 6th prison commissioner of Wisconsin. * Major Jurgen Wilson (September 20, 1863July 24, 1864) commanded the regiment after many senior officers were killed or captured at Chickamauga. Earlier in the war, he had been captain of Co. H. He was also wounded at Chickamauga. He received an honorary brevet to lieutenant colonel after the war. * Lt. Colonel Ole C. Johnson (July 24, 1864February 10, 1865) was captured at Chickamauga and was prisoner of war until making his escape in May 1864. He commanded the regiment through the end of the war and was designated for promotion to colonel, but was never mustered at that rank. Earlier in the war, he had been captain of Co. B. After the war he became mayor of

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit ( ) is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock Co ...

, and immigration commissioner of Wisconsin.

Notable people

Hans Borchsenius Hans Borchsenius (September 19, 1832 – April 20, 1908) was an American politician and newspaperman. Biography Hans Theodor Sophus Borchsenius was born at Næstved in Zealand, Denmark. His parents Carl Wilhelm Borchsenius (1803–1858) and ...

was adjutant of the regiment for one year. He resigned due to illness. He later served as a Wisconsin state legislator, and served several appointed roles in the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

. *

Claus Lauritz Clausen Claus Lauritz Clausen (November 3, 1820 – February 20, 1892) was an American pioneer Lutheran minister, church leader, military chaplain and politician. Biography Claus Clausen was born at Borgnæs in Tranderup Parish, on the island of � ...

was chaplain of the regiment for one year. Before the war he had served in the Iowa state legislature. After the war he was a prominent religious leader in the Scandinavian American Lutheran community. *

David McKee David John McKee (2 January 1935 – 6 April 2022), was a British writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books and animations. For his contribution as a children's illustrator, he was UK nominee for the biennial international Hans Chris ...

was lieutenant colonel of the regiment and died at the Battle of Stones River. Earlier in the war, he had been captain of Co. C in the

2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a member of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. It suffered the largest numbe ...

. * John T. Rice was first lieutenant and later captain of Co. C, serving nearly the entire war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin state legislator. * Otto A. Risum was enlisted in Co. G and rose to the rank of sergeant. He was later promoted to sergeant major and then adjutant, serving through the entire war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin state legislator. *

Svend Samuelson Svend Samuelson (January 24, 1825 – January 15, 1891) was a Norwegian American immigrant, farmer, and Republican politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Manitowoc County in the 1871 session. Biography Sam ...

was 2nd lieutenant of Co. F and resigned due to illness in November 1863. He later served as a Wisconsin state legislator.

References

{{Reflist

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)

External links

Camp of the 15th Regiment of the Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry

Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union army from Wisconsin Norwegian-American culture in Wisconsin 1862 establishments in Wisconsin