Herman Anderson Private in Company I 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry The Scandinavian Regiment

Believed to have been taken late 1861 or early 1862 in Madison, Wisconsin
He is holding his Belgian rifle musket, also called a Dresden rifle musket
Image WHi (X3) 28859, State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Image courtesy of Herman's Great Great Granddaughter Sheryl Grove
Picture shown above has been electronically enhanced by Deep Vee Productions
To view a larger, un-retouched copy of the original photograph, click HERE

Born December 3, 1826, at Skjber, Kingdom of Norway
Parents were Andrew __________ (1781-18__) and Carrie Sophia __________ (1791-18__)
Immigrated to America, 1861
Married ___________, 1853, to Annetta __________ (18__-1866) at Christiania (Oslo), Norway
Married ___________, 1867, to Parmelia Johnson (18__-1873) at ___________, State of Wisconsin
Married ___________, 18__, to Carrie Knutson (1830-1___) at Richland County, Wisconsin
Died __________, 1916, of __________ at _______________________________________
Buried in Basswood Cemetery, Richland County, Wisconsin

Herman Anderson enlisted under Captain August Gasman in Company I of the 15th Wisconsin on November 4, 1861, for a 3 year term of service.  The men of Company I called themselves the "Scandinavian Mountaineers."  They were also known as the "Waupaca Company" because so many of its members were living in that Wisconsin county when they enlisted.  It is said that Herman had only been in America for 3 months when he enlisted.  

Herman was mustered into Federal service at the rank of "Private" on December 20, 1861, at Camp Randall, near the City of Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin.  At the time he was listed as 35 years old and married.  His residence was recorded as the Town of Scandinavia, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.

On January 14, 1862, the men of the 15th Wisconsin were issued Belgian rifled muskets.  After over 2 months at Camp Randall learning to be a soldier, Private Anderson left there on March 2, 1862, with his company and regiment to join the war.  From then until September, 1862, he was listed as "present" with his company.  As such he would have participated in the successful siege of Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River in the State of Tennessee, and the surprise raid on Union City, Tennessee, in March and April, 1862.  

That summer when 8 companies of the regiment left Island No. 10, he remained behind with his company and Company G on extended guard duty at the island.  These 2 companies would not rejoin the rest of the regiment for 15 months.  The men left behind were generally not happy about their assignment.  The area around Island No. 10 was considered to be unhealthy and many of the 15th soldiers had already become ill there, with several dying of disease. 

Initially these 15th soldiers were camped across the Mississippi River from Island No. 10 on the Tennessee side at what was called New Madrid Bend.  There they were engaged in rounding up Confederate soldiers who had escaped when the island was captured, and in hunting down, sometimes on horseback, local groups of rebel guerrillas who were resisting the Union occupation.  

In early October, 1862, their camp, which consisted of 150 men, was attacked just before dawn by 300 Confederate Cavalry.  The attack was badly managed and quickly repulsed with virtually no loss, but afterwards the Union camp was moved over to Island No. 10.  There the 15th soldiers were safe from attack behind the Confederate-built fortifications with their 80 cannons.  A drawing of the 15th's camp on the island can be viewed by clicking HERE [use the Back button on your browser to return to this page].  

In December, 1862, a curious incident threatened their safety and caused the 15th's soldiers to repeatedly refuse orders.  Union General Thomas E. Davis sent an order to the Island ordering the soldiers to spike the cannons and throw their ammunition into the Mississippi River to keep it from being captured by the Confederates. In reality there were no Confederates nearby and the 15th soldiers were safe from attack on the island, so they repeatedly refused to obey the orders.  Finally the General sent an officer to the island who forced the men to obey. On the sly the 15th soldiers managed to save a great deal of the ammunition and to 'destroy' the cannons in such a way that they could still be repaired, though for 3 days afterward the island was almost completely defenseless.  Once General U. S. Grant heard of these strange orders he relieved General Davies of command and life returned to normal at the island.

On August 19, 1863, Companies G and I exchanged their old Belgian weapons for new British Enfield .58 caliber rifled muskets.  On September 2, 1863, the 2 companies were ordered to rejoin the rest of the 15th.  After a 3 week trip by steamboat, railroad train, and on foot they were reunited with the remnants of the regiment at the Town of Chattanooga in the State of Tennessee.  They arrived on the morning after the September 19-20, 1863, fighting at Chickamauga, Georgia -- the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War.  Some 63% of the 15th's soldiers who were at Chickamauga were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.  In fact together the 2 companies had more than twice the number of men than answered roll call that morning in all the other 8 companies combined.  

However, Private Anderson did not accompany his comrades as far as Chattanooga.  Starting September 15, 1863, he was reported as "sick" in a U.S. Army hospital at the Town of Stevenson, State of Alabama.  It is believed that he was left there by his company when it passed through there in mid-September on its way to Chattanooga.  Private Anderson recovered from his illness well enough that on December 20, 1963, he was assigned as a "Baker" at Stevenson.  This was a trade he had worked at in Norway before coming to America. 

Private Anderson returned to the 15th in late April or early May, 1864, in time to take part in the famous campaign to capture the City of Atlanta, Georgia, led by U.S. Major General William T. Sherman.  This campaign was marked by almost daily marching and/or combat for 4 months.  The 15th took part in the fighting at Rocky Face Ridge, Georgia, in early May, 1864, at the bloody Battle of Resaca, Georgia, on May 14-15, and at the disastrous Battle of Pickett's Mill (often called Dallas or New Hope Church), Georgia, on May 27, 1864.  There the 15th suffered 50% casualties, including 29 soldiers who were captured, most of whom ended up dying of malnutrition-related disease in the infamous Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia.

The 15th also took part in the fighting at Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, on June 23, 1864.  Private Anderson was then listed as "absent sick" in July, 1864.  He apparently returned to the 15th in time to take part in the fighting at Jonesboro, Georgia, on September 1, and at Lovejoy Station, Georgia, on September 4, 1864.  After a rest following the capture of Atlanta in early September, 1864, the 15th was briefly assigned to Provost (police) duty in Chattanooga in early October.  This was followed by several months of guarding a railroad bridge at Whitesides, Tennessee, near Chattanooga.  Some of the 15th's soldiers felt that this was the easiest duty of their entire war service.

On February 8, 1865, Private Anderson and the other survivors who were still with Company I handed in their weapons at Whitesides.  At 4:00 AM on February 10th the company started by railroad train to Chattanooga, where at 9 AM that morning Private Anderson and the others were mustered out of Federal service upon the end of their 3 year terms of service. 

Later that same day the men who had been mustered out of Company I departed by railroad train to Nashville, Tennessee, where they arrived the next day at 11 AM and departed there the same day at 3 PM by train for Louisville, Kentucky.  They arrived there at 3 PM on the 13th and were sent across the Ohio River to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where they were paid off and sent by train to Indianapolis, Indiana that afternoon.  They reached Chicago, Illinois, the next day and were finally back in Wisconsin on February 15, 1865, where they were released to return to their homes.

Herman Anderson returned to Wisconsin and moved to Richland County, where he bought 40 acres in Eagle township for $400.  He improved this land into a well-cultivated farm, where he is believed to have lived the rest of his life.  The following is from Miner's 1906 "History of Richland County."

It is said that in his later years Herman Anderson would sometimes give voice to old Norwegian songs that had been sung in the 15th, and weep.

Sources: Genealogical data from his Great Great Granddaughter Lynda Knobeloch; History of Richland County by Judge James H. Miner (1906); Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillage [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers] by Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1895); Regimental Descriptive Rolls, Volume 20 Office of the Adjutant General State of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin, 1885); and, Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Volume I Office of the Adjutant General State of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin, 1886).

This page Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created November 26, 2001. Last updated April 6, 2002.

Back to Profiles Page

Back to 15th Wisconsin Home Page