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Pickett's Mill Prisoners List15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry
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1st Lieutenant Thor
Simonson
of Company F
Captured at Pickett's Mill, Georgia, and held 4 months before being
paroled
Photo Collection PH2361, State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Picture shown
above has been enhanced electronically by Deep Vee Productions
What follows is an alphabetical list of the 15th Wisconsin soldiers who, according to military records, were taken prisoner during the Battle of Pickett's Mill in the State of Georgia (often mistakenly referred to as the Battle of New Hope Church or the Battle of Dallas).
There at 4:00 PM on the afternoon of May 27, 1864, the 15th was ordered forward to capture the enemy's entrenchments. They charged right up to them, but were unable to get in. They then lay down as close as 15 yards away and exchanged fire with the Confederates for nearly 5 hours until they ran out of ammunition. When it got dark around 9:00 PM, the surviving 15th soldiers began to withdraw, but the enemy suddenly charged them in a rare night action. Unable to effectively resist, the following 29 officers and enlisted men were taken prisoner. Many of them ended up in the infamous Andersonville Prison Camp. Very few of them survived incarceration.
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); Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillage [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers] by Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1895); and, Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Volume 1 by Office of Adjutant General State of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin, 1886).
AMUNDSEN, Arne, Corporal in Company G. Held for a time in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Listed as "absent prisoner of war" at the muster out of Company G in February, 1865. Survived imprisonment, was released near the end of the war, and mustered out of the Army on April 18, 1865.
ARNESON, Lawrence, Private in Company E. Died June 24, 1864, of "wounds" while a Prisoner of War at Atlanta, Georgia.
BJORNSON, Nils, Private in Company I. "N. Bohnson" died September 14, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (now known as Scurvy, which is caused by the lack of common vitamins contained in vegetables) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
BRITTON, Harvey, 1st Sergeant in Company B. Died October 11, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
BRONESS, Olaus, Private in Company G. Died June 20 or 20, 1864, of "Chronic Diarrhea" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
ERICKSEN, Christian, Private in Company G. Died July 12, 1864, of "wounds" while a Prisoner of War at Atlanta, Georgia.
ERRICKSON, Ellend, 2nd Lieutenant in Company K. Held in officer prisons at both Macon and Savannah, Georgia, and at Charleston, South Carolina. Released September 28, 1864, at Rough and Ready, Georgia. Mustered out of the Army on February 10, 1865.
FAESTAD, Hans, Private in Company B. Released on date and at location not known. Mustered out of the Army on February 13, 1865.
FEGAN, Michael, Private in Company I. Died October 2, 1864, of "Diarrhea" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
GJERDE, Andrew P., Musician in Company H. Said to have died January 18, 1865, of "wounds" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia, but not listed as buried there. Fate not known.
GUND, Lewis, Private in Company I. Died August 31, 1864, of "Chronic Diarrhea" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
GUNDERSON, Hans, Sergeant in Company I. Died October 11, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
HANSON, Ole, Private in Company K. Held for a time in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Fate not known.
HANSON, Ole K., Sergeant in Company A. Led the 15th's advance at Pickett's Mill before being severely wounded, and captured. His actions there earned him the title of "the bravest man in the regiment." Listed as "absent prisoner of war" when Company A mustered out of the Army in December, 1864. Believed by his comrades to have died of his wounds while a Prisoner of War, but he actually survived his wounds and prison, and was released April 15, 1865, at end of the war. Awarded rank of Brevet Captain in 1867 for his bravery at Pickett's Mill.
HOUGNESS, Ole S., Private in Company H. Said to have died January 18, 1865, of "wounds" at Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia, but is not listed as buried there. Fate not known.
LEE, Sivert, Private in Company H. Released on date and at place not known. Returned August 4, 1864, to Company H and served with it until February, 1865, when it was mustered out of the Army.
LODGAARD, Elias, Private in Company A. Died September 24 or 29, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
MYHRE, Simon A., Corporal in Company I. "S. Myers" died October 4, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
NILSON, Knud, Private in Company H. Died July 30, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
OLSON, Michael, Private in Company B. Died November 9, 1864, of "Diarrhea" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
PEDERSON, Soren, Private in Company K. Erroneously reported to have died September 5, 1864, in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Was transferred from there to prisons near Charleston and Florence, South Carolina, and then Charlotte, North Carolina, where he escaped twice, the second time successfully. Never formally mustered out of the Army.
PETERSON, Ole, Private in Company I. Listed as "absent prisoner of war" when Company I mustered out. Died September 21, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
PETERSON, Simon, Corporal in Company I. Died September 27, 1864, of "Scorbutus" (Scurvy) in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
ROSSUM, Mads, Private in Company E. Said to have died of "wounds" received in the battle. Date and location of death not known.
SIMONSON, Thor, 1st Lieutenant in Company F. Held for a time in officer prisons in Georgia and South Carolina. Released September 28, 1864, at Rough & Ready, Georgia. Mustered out of the Army on January 13, 1865.
SOMME, Gabriel, Private in Company A. Held for a time in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Released on a date and at a place not known. Mustered out of the Army on January 1, 1865.
STEEN, Otto F., Sergeant in Company K. Spent 11 months as a Prisoner of War, 5 of which were in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Also held in prisons at Savannah, Georgia, and Florence, South Carolina. Released February 26, 1865, near Wilmington, North Carolina. At release he described himself as "a bunch of skin and bones." Mustered out of the Army on April 14, 1865.
THORESON, Fingar, Private in Company G. Held for a time in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia. Fate not known.
TORGERSON, Torger, Sergeant in Company G. Died September 24, 1864, of "Diarrhea" in Andersonville Prison Camp, Georgia.
This page Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker
of Deep
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All Rights Reserved. Created May 15, 2001. Last updated April
28, 2002.