Field & Staff Roster Battle of Chickamauga 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry The Scandinavian Regiment

Lieutenant Colonel Ole C. Johnson of 15th Field & Staff
In command of the regiment at Chickamauga until captured September 20, 1863
Image RG985-CWP-161.72, Wm. Schultz College, U.S. Army Military History Institute
Picture appearing above has been electronically enhanced by Deep Vee Productions

The Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19-20, 1863, was the second bloodiest battle of the American Civil War (1861-1865).  According to official reports, the 15th Wisconsin in Heg's Brigade (3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 20th Corps) took 176 officers and enlisted men into the fight and suffered 111 killed, wounded, or missing (mostly prisoners of war, many of who died in prison) -- a staggering 63% casualty rate.

Considerable efforts have been made to determine, to the extent that records permit, where each 15th soldier was, and what happened to him, at Chickamauga.  This was one of a number of efforts made to provide a detailed historical background for the reenactors who portrayed the Scandinavian Regiment at the Chickamauga reenactment, which took place September 17-19, 1999, in northern Georgia near the site of the original fighting.  It is hoped that this information will also prove of value to descendants of 15th soldiers.  

This page contains what is believed to be a nearly complete list of all the soldiers who were members of the 15th's Field & Staff or who were assigned regimental duties at the time of Chickamauga.  By the end of 2 hellish days there, all of the 15th's Field Officers were either killed, wounded, or captured, leaving the regiment in command of Captain Mons Grinager of Company K.

The table below contains the names and fates of soldiers who are known or believed to have been in action with the 15th Field & Staff during the fighting.  After the table is a list of 15th soldiers whose location during the battle is not known.  Following that is a list of 15th soldiers who are known or believed not to have been on the field with the regiment during the battle.  Clicking on a soldier's name that is underlined and in color will bring up a detailed military profile of him.  To see a list of definitions for the abbreviations and terms used, click HERE.  

Based on a careful review of the sources cited below, it is confirmed that the 15th went into the Battle of Chickamauga with 3 of its 4 Field Officers (Colonel Heg being in command of the brigade).

Sources: Civil War Compiled Military Service Records by Office of Adjutant General of the United States (Washington, DC); Regimental Descriptive Rolls, Volume 20 by Office of Adjutant General State of Wisconsin, (Madison, Wisconsin, 1885); MUSTER ROLL of the Field and Staff of the 15th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers by Captain Albert Skofstad (Sand Mountain, Alabama, August 31, 1863); MUSTER ROLL of the Field and Staff of the 15th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers by Captain Mons Grinager (near Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 31, 1863); Return of Killed, Wounded, and Missing in Action in the 15th Regt. Wis. Vol. Inf. at Chickamauga, Ga. on the 19th & 20th of September 1863 (no author, location or date listed); Report of Missing From the 15th Regt. Wisconsin Vols. (Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 16, 1863); and RETURN of the 15th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers, Army of the United States, for the month of September 1863 by Adjutant Lewis G. Nelson (Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 12, 1863).

The following 15th soldiers were assigned to regimental positions or duties, but are known or believed to have been at the Federal hospital at Crawfish Springs, Georgia, (which was captured on Sept. 20th) rather than with the regiment on the battlefield.

Surgeon Stephen O. Himoe known to have been at 1st Division Field Hospital, Crawfish Springs, Ga. Attended Colonel Heg as he died. Survived battle. Res. Nov. 13, '63.
1st Assistant Surgeon John F. Mehlhorn believed to have been at 1st Division Field Hospital, Crawfish Springs, Ga. Survived battle. Died Oct., '63. Exact date, cause of death, and location unknown.
Hospital Steward Anthon O. Oyen known to have been at the regimental hospital at Crawfish Springs. Wounded and captured Sept. 20th. Held prisoner 18 months, including 1 year at Andersonville, Ga. M.O. May 25, '65, Madison, Wisc., term exp.
Private Peter Bjerk (Co. K) assigned as Cook in 15th's Field Hospital. Believed to have been at Crawfish Springs, Ga., during battle. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Feb. 10, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Anders Erickson (Co. B) assigned as Nurse in 15th's Field Hospital. Believed to have been at Crawfish Springs, Ga., during battle. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Dec. 2, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Peter Johnson (1st) (Co. E) assigned as Cook in 15th's Field Hospital. Believed to have been at Crawfish Springs, Ga., during battle. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Wounded May 27, '64, Pickett's Mill, Ga. Survived wounds. M.O. Dec. 20, '64, term exp.
Private Halvor Museus (Co. D) assigned as Nurse in 15th's Field Hospital. Believed to have been at Crawfish Springs, Ga., during battle. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Feb. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Johannes Tysdahl (Co. E) assigned as Nurse in 15th's Field Hospital. Believed to have been at Crawfish Springs, Ga., during battle. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Jan. 27, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Regimental Quartermaster 1st Lieutenant Selah Mathews believed to have spent most of the battle at Crawfish Springs. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Escorted Colonel Heg's remains from Crawfish Springs, Ga., to Chattanooga, Tenn., Sept. 20, '63.
Quartermaster Sergeant Jarvis L. Rice survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Dec. 31, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Sergeant William A. Fisher (Co. F) was assigned duty as the 15th's Acting Commissary Sergeant. Spent most of battle at Crawfish Springs. Survived unhurt. M.O. Jan. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Sergeant Olaus H. Lokken (Co. H) was assigned duty with the regimental commissary. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Feb. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Corporal Lars Johannesen on duty as the regiment's Baker, probably with the commissary staff at Crawfish Springs. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Dec. 20, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.

The following 15th soldiers were assigned regimental positions or duties, but their whereabouts during the the Battle of Chickamauga are not known.

Private Ole Evenson (Co. H) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Jan. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp. Awarded rank of Brevet Captain in 1867 for his actions on June 27, '64.
Wagoner Ole L. Fosse (Co. H) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Wounded May 27, '64, Pickett's Mill, Ga. Survived wounds. M.O. Jan. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Ross Fredenburg (Co. F) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Jan. 13, '65, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Hans Halvorsen (Co. D) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Captured May 27, '64, Pickett's Mill, Ga. M.O. Mar. 25, '65, term exp.
Private Hans C. Hanson (Co. A) was assigned as regimental Horsler. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Veteranized. Trans. Feb. 13, '65, to 24th Wisc. Vet. Vol. Inf. Regt.
Wagoner Soren Houge (Co. B) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Dec. 2, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Ludvig Houge (Co. B) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. M.O. Dec. 2, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Peter Peterson (Co. B) was assigned as a regimental teamster. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Wounded May 27, '64, Pickett's Mill, Ga. Survived wounds. M.O. Dec. 2, '64, Chattanooga, Tenn., term exp.
Private Jacob Syvertsen (Co. A) was assigned as the regimental Blacksmith. Survived battle, apparently unhurt. Killed May 27, '64, Pickett's Mill, Ga.

The following 15th soldier was assigned to the 15th Field & Staff, but is known to have been absent from the regiment during the Battle of Chickamauga.

Commissary Sergeant John Gysler sent sick to hospital Aug. 7, '63, Nashville, Tenn. M.O. Dec. 19, '64, term exp.

This page Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created January 24, 1999. Last updated January 12, 2001.

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