About This Web Site 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry The Scandinavian Regiment
Private Andrew Mikkelsen of Company D Rare painted tintype photo believed taken circa January, 1862, at Madison, Wisconsin Image courtesy of his Great Grandsons Dennis and Gary Gronfor Picture shown above has been enhanced electronically by Deep Vee Productions

This web site is dedicated to Oberst Heg og hans gutter (Colonel Heg and his boys). It exists because their compelling deeds, now nearly forgotten, have captivated and motivated us. One result was the recreation of the 15th and Heg's Brigade at the September 1999 reenactment of the Battle of Chickamauga. Another result is this site, which would not exist without the efforts of the following volunteers and organizations.

Scott Meeker. This site is his labor of love (his wife might say obsession). Building it combines his affection for Scandinavia, his interest in Civil War history, and his desire to be a webmaster. Scott was instrumental in organizing the 1999 reunion of 15th descendants and the 1999 portrayal of the 15th at the Chickamauga reenactment. He has studied in Denmark and traveled in Norway and Sweden. Scott is a member of the Civil War reenacting group that portrays Company E of the 33rd Wisconsin. He is also the great, great grandson of 2 Union Army Civil War veterans.  For more information about Scott, click HERE.

Forrest Brown. Yet another excellent source is the Norwegian-American History Association. Forrest Brown, former NAHA Archivist, has been very generous with his time and knowledge to help round out the genealogical data on a number of the site's soldier profiles.

Dee Anna Grimsrud, MLIS, CGRS. As one might expect, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Archives are a treasure trove of 15th-related documents. And the person who has been of immeasurable help in finding those treasures is Dee 'All Things Norwegian' Grimsrud, who has unearthed a lot of the historical data that this site is built on. Dee is also a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist who conducts paid genealogical research on her own time. She can be reached for this purpose at DeeGrimsrud@hotmail.com.

Blaine Hedberg. As one might also expect, the Vesterheim Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library has a lot of data on the origins and later lives of 15th soldiers. Blaine's enthusiastic sharing of his knowledge and the center's collection has enriched this web site.

Tove Dahl Johansen.  A generous Norwegian volunteer whose considerable research skills have enabled her to document the 'roots' of many of the 15th's soldiers.  Thanks to Tove we now know where these men were born, who their parents were, and when they left Norway for America.  This knowledge allows their American descendants to re-connect to their Norwegian roots.  The information also allows the Norwegian relatives of these men to discover what happened to them after they went to America.

Tom Redman.  Here is a gifted artist whose carefully researched and meticulously rendered portrait of Colonel Heg and paintings of the 15th at Chickamauga have a gritty realism that reflects Tom's experience both as a U.S. Army combat veteran and as a Civil War reenactor.  Tom's generosity is reflected in his having created and provided these wonderful works of art, without charge, for display on the 15th website.  Persons interested in contacting Tom about his art can email him at tomredman@lycos.com

Mike Thorson. This is the second website created to honor the 15th.  The first (which is no longer online) was done by Mike, who is the great, great grandson of a Civil War soldier -- Private Ellend Olson (Brager), of the 15th's Company B.  Mike is a commercial artist of considerable talent, and a very knowledgeable Civil War living historian.

Some Modern 15th Wisconsin Volunteers

While the broad facts about the 15th Wisconsin are hidden away in obscure books and fading records, it is the photos of its soldiers and the details of their lives that makes this site come alive.  Those images and that information were contributed by the following 'Modern 15th Wisconsin Volunteers.'  Each of them deserves special thanks for their contributions.  Without their generosity, the lives and deeds of Oberst Heg og hans gutter would be known only to a few, or lost completely. 

This site and its webmaster are also indebted to the following organizations.

SecurePipe Communications. This provider of managed firewall security services to small and mid-size businesses also hosts this site. Their staff helped me renew the 15thwisconsin.net domain name at the lowest possible price, and have patiently provided technical support at all hours. In addition, SecurePipe has generously waived its normal monthly site hosting fee, making this website financially feasible.

Norwegian American Historical Association. More than perhaps any other organization, the NAHA is responsible for having kept the history of the 15th Wisconsin publicly alive. Over the years they have published a number of articles in their periodical Norwegian-American Studies and Records about individual 15th soldiers, as well as the book The Civil War Letters of Colonel Hans C. Heg. It is said NAHA plans to publish an English translation of Waldemar Ager's 15th regimental history, Oberst Hans Heg og Hans Gutter. We hope they do!

State Historical Society of Wisconsin (SHSW). The SHSW Archives contain a large collection of original documents, letters, and personal narratives related to the 15th. The Visual Materials Archives contains over 200 images of 15th soldiers. Without the active and generous cooperation of the SHSW, this site would be immeasurably poorer.

Vesterheim Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library. This is a treasure trove of genealogical materials relating to 15th soldiers, and the staff are both friendly and generous with their knowledge.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Contains a computer database of the 90,000+ men who served in the Civil War from Wisconsin, as well as a number of 15th artifacts, including its 1862 and 1864-issue national and state regimental flags.

Constructive comments and suggestions about the site are always welcome, as are contributions of information and images. Please direct them to Scott Meeker at s.c.meeker@15thwisconsin.net.

This page Copyright by Scott Cantwell Meeker of Deep Vee Productions.
All rights reserved. Created January 24, 1999. Last updated February 25, 2005.

Back to 15th Home Page