Roster of Company B 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry The Scandinavian Regiment

Captain Ole C. Johnson (Shipness) of Company B
Recruited and led Co. B and later commanded the 15th as its Lieutenant Colonel
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

Below is a roster of the officers and enlisted men of Company B of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which served with distinction in the Federal Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865).  

Company B called itself the "Wergeland Guards" after Henrik Wergeland, the famous Norwegian poet and writer.  Company B was recruited by Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel) Ole C. Johnson (Shipness) from the Scandinavian communities in: the City of Madison and Towns of Black Earth, Christiana, McFarland, and Stoughton in Dane County; Town of Winchester in Winnebago County; and the Town of Koshkonong -- all in the State of Wisconsin.  

The 15th was known as the "Scandinavian Regiment" because its officers and enlisted men were almost all immigrants, predominantly from Norway, but also from Denmark and Sweden.  While men form these countries served in many different Civil War units, Federal and Confederate, the 15th was the only 'all Scandinavian' regiment on either side.

Here are some things you should know before you use this roster. 

• It is based on the official roster published by the State of Wisconsin in 1886.  It includes a list of all the officers and enlisted men officially assigned to this company of the 15th Wisconsin at one time or another during its 3 year existence.  The 1886 roster was issued, in part, for use in securing military service pensions.  It is considered to be the most accurate roster available of Wisconsin's Civil War soldiers and sailors. 
  
  
• Beware of factual and spelling errors in this roster.  Some have been identified; others have not.  Some errors result from mistakes made when the official roster was transcribed to this page; when identified these errors are corrected by this site's webmaster.  Other errors are present in the original official roster published by the State of Wisconsin; none of these errors have been corrected on this page.  When an error in the official roster has been identified and documented, this site's webmaster will add the correct information [within brackets] where the error appears on this page.  If you suspect or are aware of an error on this page, please contact the webmaster.  Thank you.  
  
  
• Beware of variations in soldiers' names.  While some of the 15th's soldiers used their birth names when they enlisted, many dropped their farm name and others enlisted using 'Americanized' first names.  Some enlisted under different names at the urging of Army officials, who suggested this as a way to eliminate duplicate names.
  
  
• The left column lists the military ranks and the names of the men who held them in this company.  Like the official roster, the roster on this page is arranged by military rank, from highest to lowest.  Officers are listed in the order they held a specific rank; enlisted men are arranged alphabetically by last name.  Note: names that appear in the color blue and are underlined are links that can be clicked on to open a separate page containing a detailed profile of that soldier. 
  
  
• The Residence column lists the town or city where the soldier was living when he joined the 15th.  All are located in the State of Wisconsin, unless otherwise noted.
   
• The Rank From/Enlisted column lists the date each officer first officially held the rank shown (rank from) and the date each enlisted man enlisted in the 15th.
  
  
• The Remarks column includes official notations on the soldiers' military service in this company.  Remarks listed in the color red indicate that the soldier died or was killed while serving in the 15th Wisconsin.

To read a list of definitions for the abbreviations and terms used in this roster, click HERE

Source: "Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Volume I," pages 808-810, State of Wisconsin, Democrat Printing Company, Madison, Wisconsin, 1886.

This page Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All Rights Reserved. Created January 24, 1999. Last updated April 6, 2002.

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