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History FAQ - Part 215th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry
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Brevet Captain Ole K. Hanson of Company A
Called the
bravest man in the regiment by his
comrades
Image WHi (X3) 30028, State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Picture above
has been electronically enhanced by Deep Vee Productions
This frequently asked questions (FAQ) file provides answers to the commonly
asked questions below. If you believe that one of the answers below is
incorrect, incomplete, or misleading, then please email
Scott Meeker at s.c.meeker@15thwisconsin.net
6. -- Who were some of the heroes in the 15th
Wisconsin?
A. -- It is not possible to list all of the 15th's soldiers
who were recognized for bravery, much less do any of them justice in a FAQ, but
here are a few who were awarded the honorary rank of Brevet Captain for their
bravery. [Note: this list is not all-inclusive.]
Sergeant Ole K. Hanson
of Company A from Boone County, Illinois, was cited for gallantry at the Battle
of Pickett's Mill, Georgia, May 27, 1864, where he was wounded 5 times and taken
prisoner. In the 15th's histories he is referred to as "the
bravest man in the regiment." He survived his wounds, and an extended
imprisonment in the infamous Andersonville Prison, only to die after the war in
a farm accident.
Corporal Albert
Emmonson of Company C from Norway Township, Racine County, Wisconsin,
was cited for "distinguished personal gallantry" at
the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 20, 1863. He survived to muster
out with the rest of his company in December 1864.
Corporal James Overson (Oversen)
of Company C from Norway Township, Racine County, Wisconsin,
was cited for "distinguished gallantry" at the Battle
of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 20, 1863. He was severely wounded at the
battle, leading to his disability discharge from the Army on August 9, 1864.
Private
Ole Bendixsen of Company D
from Columbia County, Wisconsin, was cited for "conspicuous
gallantry" during the October 8, 1862, Battle of Perryville,
Kentucky. There he was confined to the regimental hospital, but when he heard that
the 15th was ordered into the fight he grabbed his rifle and joined his company for the
battle.
Private Jens Hanson
of Company K from Calumet County, Wisconsin, was cited for "conspicuous
gallantry" for
rescuing the 15th's national flag from capture at the Battle of Chickamauga,
Georgia, September 19-20, 1863, where he was later taken prisoner. He died of
chronic diarrhea in Andersonville Prison, Georgia, on June 23, 1864.
Private Sivert Pederson
of Company K from Winneshiek County, Iowa, was cited for "distinguished gallantry"
at the Battle of Stone River, Tennessee, December 31, 1862. He was subsequently
captured at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 1863, and died of
chronic diarrhea in Andersonville Prison, Georgia, on September 5, 1864.
Wagoner
Torry Larson of Company F from
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, was cited for "distinguished
gallantry" at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19, 1863.
He survived the war, got married, had 7 children, and lived until 1926, becoming one of
the very last 15th veterans to pass away.
7. -- Who was the youngest soldier in the 15th Wisconsin?
A. -- Sergeant Otto F. Steen of
Winneshiek County, Iowa, is said to have become the youngest soldier in the 15th
when he enlisted in Company K at age 16. He was known as "the
Baby of the Regiment." In July, 1862, he was promoted to Corporal
at age 16 1/2, becoming the youngest Corporal in the regiment and, he claimed,
the youngest Corporal in the entire US Army. Later Steen was the only
non-commissioned officer (NCO) left standing in Company K after the Battle of
Chickamauga, Georgia. In April, 1864, he was promoted to Sergeant, becoming the
youngest Sergeant in the regiment. The next month Sergeant Steen was captured
at the Battle of Picketts Mill, Georgia. Steen then spent 5 months in the
infamous Andersonville Prison where he was tasked with carrying the dead out of
the stockade each morning. He stated that during his time at Andersonville not
a single man who got sick survived. Sergeant Steen was later transferred to a
series of other Confederate prison camps before being paroled in North Carolina
in February, 1865. Upon his release he was described as looking like "a
bunch of skin and bones." However, Steen survived the experience
and lived to be 84 years old.
8. -- Who was the last surviving member of the 15th
Wisconsin?
A. -- The last surviving member of the 15th Wisconsin is
often identified as Private Louis
Rolfson of Company C. In an interview printed in the Milwaukee Journal
newspaper on January 22, 1933, Rolfson stated there were 4 surviving members of
the 15th at the 1926 unveiling of Colonel Heg's statue in Madison, Wisconsin,
but that he was the only one still alive by the 1931 unveiling of an identical
statue in the Town of Norway, Racine County, Wisconsin, near where Colonel Heg
is buried. Rolfson died in 1936 just before his 95th birthday and is buried
near Colonel Heg's grave. He was survived by Private Andrew
Torkildson of Company I, who passed away January 26, 1838, near the Town of
Glenwood, Pope County, State of Minnesota, at 95 years of age. Surviving him was Private Syver A. Anderson of
Company B who lived until December 24, 1938, when he passed away at the Town of
Cove, State of Oregon, and was buried at the Town of Dawson, Lac Qui Parle
County, Minnesota. At the time of his death at age 96 Anderson was
said to be the last living Civil War veteran in Lac Qui Parle County. At this time
we do not know for certain who the last surviving member of the 15th was.
Some of the other long-lived members of
the 15th include those who attended the 1917 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
and Scandinavian Veterans Association reunion in Madison, Wisconsin. In
addition to Rolfson and Anderson, they included:
Otto F. Steen of
Company K from Wahoo, Nebraska; Anon Kjelavig of Company E from Blanchardville,
Wisconsin; A. Tofte of Company B from Pine City, Minnesota;
Thorkild A. Rossing of
Company E from Decorah, Iowa;
Joseph Mathisen of
Company B from Evansville, Minnesota; Edlen P. Sime of Company H from Madison,
Wisconsin; and
Nils J. Gilbert of Company A from Eleva, Wisconsin. To see a photo
of these veterans at the 1917 reunion, click
HERE.
9. -- Wasn't the 15th Wisconsin an all-Norwegian outfit?
A.
-- It is said that about 90% of the 15th's soldiers were born in Norway.
10. -- Who were some of the 15th's Norwegians?
A. -- It
is impossible to list them all in a FAQ, much less do any of them justice, but
here are 3 who played prominent roles in the 15th.
Hans Christian Heg. He
was born in 1829 in Lier, near Drammen, and came to Wisconsin in 1840 at age 10,
settling at Lake Muskego, now Norway Township, in Racine County. He spent a
year panning for gold in California before returning to Wisconsin and marrying. He became fluent in English and was an early member of the then new Republican
party (started in Ripon, Wisconsin), sharing its firm anti-slavery view. In
1859 he was the first Norwegian elected to a statewide office, Prison
Commissioner, earning a reputation as a pragmatic reformer. In 1861 he resigned
to accept the Governor's appointment as Colonel in command of the then forming
15th Wisconsin. He was 31 years old and his only prior military experience was
in the Wisconsin Militia (a forerunner of the state's National Guard). After
distinguished service at Stone('s) River, Colonel Heg was assigned to lead the
15th's brigade. Colonel Heg died of wounds sustained while leading his brigade
on September 19, 1863, at Chickamauga, Georgia, becoming, at age 33, the highest
ranked Wisconsin officer killed in the war. He is buried in Norway, Racine
County, Wisconsin, and his statue is on the grounds of the State Capitol.
Ole C. Johnson (Skipness).
He was born in 1838 at Skipness Tavern, Holla, Telemark, and came to Wisconsin
at age 6, settling near Whitewater. He was a 24 years old school teacher living
in Stoughton and studying law at Beloit College when he joined the 15th and
helped recruit Company B. He had no prior military experience. Starting as Captain of
Co. B, he was promoted to Major and Lieutenant
Colonel of the 15th, which he took command of when Colonel Heg left to run the
15th's brigade. He was captured at Chickamauga, Georgia, September 20, 1863,
and held for 8 months, mostly in the infamous Libby Prison. In May 1864 he
escaped Confederates guarding a prison train and walked for a month to Federal lines.
In
July he resumed command of the 15th, leading it till it finished mustering out
in February 1865. Afterwards he was appointed by Wisconsin's Governor as
Colonel of the 53rd Wisconsin. After the war he married and was elected
Wisconsin's Immigration Commissioner and then Mayor of Beloit. He was also a
partner in an agricultural implements manufacturing firm in Beloit and later a
banker in what is now South Dakota. He died in Beloit in 1886 at age 48.
Stephen Oliver Himoe. He was
born in Norway in 1832 and came to Wisconsin at age 14, settling at Norway
Township, Racine County. He was a brother-in-law and close friend of Hans Heg.
As a young man he taught school and worked in the Platteville, Wisconsin, Post
Office. He attended the National Medical College in Washington, DC, and then
the St. Louis Medical College, in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating in 1856. After interning for a year in Arkansas, Himoe married Hans Heg's sister and
moved to Mapleton, Bourbon County, Kansas, where they were living when the Civil
War broke out in 1861. Before then though, his anti-slavery sentiments
motivated him to volunteer as the Surgeon of the 6th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry,
then engaged in fighting with pro-slavery partisans. In November, 1861, Heg,
now Colonel of the 15th, got Governor Randall of Wisconsin to appointment Himoe
as the regiment's Surgeon. He was 29 years old. In the Army he earned a
reputation as an excellent physician and his efforts saved the lives of many
soldiers. He and Heg were close friends and usually tented together. When Heg
was promoted to command of the 15th's brigade, he appointed Himoe as Brigade
Surgeon. As such he had the unenviable task of attending to Colonel Heg as he
lay dying at Chickamauga. Shortly afterwards Himoe resigned from the Army. He
returned to Kansas where he spent the rest of his life working as a physician. He died in 1904 at age 72 in Kansas City, Missouri.
11.
-- How many Ole Olsons were there really?
A. -- One of the great myths
about the 15th is that a large number of its soldiers were named Ole Olson. It's a great, stereotypical story.
However, a review of Roster of Wisconsin
Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 (Volume 1, Madison, Wisconsin,
1886) reveals that the 15th had 128 men whose first name was Ole, 75 men whose
last name was Olson, Olsen, or Oleson, but just 15 whose names were Ole Olson,
Ole Olsen, or Ole Oleson.
This page Copyright by
Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep
Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created January 24, 1999. Last updated July 15, 2001.
Forward to 15th History FAQ Part 3