By Thomas Zei
Shortly after the start of the Civil War, 875 recent immigrants from Scandinavia took up arms and enlisted in a volunteer unit in Wisconsin. The Scandinavian Unit was designated as the Wisconsin 15th Regiment. Most were from Norway but also contained immigrants from Denmark and Sweden.
An article from The Chicago Tribune in the early part of March, 1862, stated they finished their basic training in Madison and prepared for deployment to St. Louis. Before leaving, they finally received the back pay they had earned up to that point. They boarded two trains filling twenty-two cars for their trip but were hit by the result of a massive snowfall. The soldiers helped shovel out the train engines on their way to Janesville, WI and finally reached Chicago many hours late. Despite the late arrival, they were paraded through the streets cheered on by fellow Scandinavians. A unit flag was presented by the Chicago Chapter of the Nona Society emblazed with the motto “For God and Our Country.”
There were 875 men in the regiment. All were equipped with Belgian Rifles. Most of the officers and men had previous experience with the armies of their home country. They were led by Colonel Hans Heg. Colonel Heg was later killed at the Battle of Chickamauga.
The first action seen by the Wisconsin 15th Regiment was the battle for Island Number 10 in the Mississippi River. They later participated in the Battle of Perryville after joining what became the Army of the Cumberland. They were assigned to the brigade under Colonel William Carlin in the division commanded by Brig. General Jefferson Davis. Christmas 1862 found the unit in Nashville as they prepared for deployment the next day as the army moved towards Murfreesboro.
The Right Wing under the command of Major General Alexander McCook fought skirmishes numerous times on their march along the back roads. They finally arrived on the outskirts of Murfreesboro the morning of December 30th to find the Confederates already in position for the upcoming battle. McCook set up his right flank opposite the opposing forces anchoring his line on Franklin Road and the lane leading up to the Gresham House which was converted into a field hospital for the Union medical corps.
Although the prevailing story line of the Battle of Stones River states that the battle started on the morning of December 31st, this overlooks the initial action prior to that date as the armies jockeyed for position. Although most of the Union Army just fell into position opposite of their counterparts, one section of the forces took a more aggressive stance on December 30th. General Davis directed his forces to move forward.
Around noon, Colonel Carlin gave initial orders to commence action against the line of Confederate pickets positioned ahead of the Rebel forces. He wanted two companies deployed, one from the Illinois 21st and one from Wisconsin 15th. Company E of the Wisconsin unit under the command of Captain John Ingmundson was assigned the task of clearing the pickets hiding in the woods. They entered the dense forest in front of Carlin’s position to try to locate the hidden enemy.
The Confederate pickets had sufficient time to prepare for any upcoming fight. They had felled trees to hinder any advance and to provide a fortified defensive position for their riflemen. They were there for the duration. Before the Union position by Gresham Lane was a cotton field with no protection before coming up to the woods.
The full Carlin Brigade moved forward at 2PM across the cotton field. As they entered the woods, Colonel Heg came upon the body of Captain Ingmundson as well as a severely wounded soldier from the company. They had the bodies taken back to the Gresham House. [Note: Military maps of the time spelled Gresham as Grison, Griscom and other similar phonetic ways. The correct spelling of the Gresham family is used for this article.] Carlin’s Brigade continued to advance towards the Widow Smith’s House and came within 100 yards of the Confederate brigades of Colonel J. Q. Loomis and Brig. Gen. Sterling Wood positioned near the house. The brigade encountered heavy canister and shelling from the Confederate artillery as they advanced across a cotton field. Confederate infantry was positioned by a stone fence line. As the Wisconsin 15th advanced, Colonel Heg’s horse was killed under him. Private William Patterson of the 38th Illinois Regiment wrote “The Norwegians fought like tigers, and held their position with scandinavian (sic) tenacity, though often wavering before the deadly fire.” Although the unit advanced to within sight of the Confederates, the other brigade units started to retreat and Heg ordered his troops to also withdraw.
The Illinois 21st and Wisconsin 15th regiments suffered significant casualties on December 30th. The units were replaced by other brigade units in the evening allowing a brief respite from the front line. Despite the losses, Colonel Carlin’s brigade ended the day in a position that placed his troops ahead of the other brigades on either side. Despite trying to get General Davis to order the other brigades to move forward, Carlin spent the night in a position vulnerable on three sides of a future attack by the enemy.
When the Battle of Stones River began on December 31st, the Confederate forces completely overwhelmed the Union right flank’s anchor position and then rapidly moved up the Union lines. Colonel Carlin’s Brigade was collapsed by the Confederate advance despite a valiant effort to slow them down. Eventually the Confederates advanced up Gresham Lane past the Gresham House holding the Union field hospital. Despite being in Confederate hands, the Union doctors and medical corps continued to provide care to all the soldiers coming from the battle.
To learn more about the burial of Captain Ingmundson, read the related article on Ingmundson.
Shortly after the start of the Civil War, 875 recent immigrants from Scandinavia took up arms and enlisted in a volunteer unit in Wisconsin. The Scandinavian Unit was designated as the Wisconsin 15th Regiment. Most were from Norway but also contained immigrants from Denmark and Sweden.
An article from The Chicago Tribune in the early part of March, 1862, stated they finished their basic training in Madison and prepared for deployment to St. Louis. Before leaving, they finally received the back pay they had earned up to that point. They boarded two trains filling twenty-two cars for their trip but were hit by the result of a massive snowfall. The soldiers helped shovel out the train engines on their way to Janesville, WI and finally reached Chicago many hours late. Despite the late arrival, they were paraded through the streets cheered on by fellow Scandinavians. A unit flag was presented by the Chicago Chapter of the Nona Society emblazed with the motto “For God and Our Country.”
There were 875 men in the regiment. All were equipped with Belgian Rifles. Most of the officers and men had previous experience with the armies of their home country. They were led by Colonel Hans Heg. Colonel Heg was later killed at the Battle of Chickamauga.
The first action seen by the Wisconsin 15th Regiment was the battle for Island Number 10 in the Mississippi River. They later participated in the Battle of Perryville after joining what became the Army of the Cumberland. They were assigned to the brigade under Colonel William Carlin in the division commanded by Brig. General Jefferson Davis. Christmas 1862 found the unit in Nashville as they prepared for deployment the next day as the army moved towards Murfreesboro.
The Right Wing under the command of Major General Alexander McCook fought skirmishes numerous times on their march along the back roads. They finally arrived on the outskirts of Murfreesboro the morning of December 30th to find the Confederates already in position for the upcoming battle. McCook set up his right flank opposite the opposing forces anchoring his line on Franklin Road and the lane leading up to the Gresham House which was converted into a field hospital for the Union medical corps.
Although the prevailing story line of the Battle of Stones River states that the battle started on the morning of December 31st, this overlooks the initial action prior to that date as the armies jockeyed for position. Although most of the Union Army just fell into position opposite of their counterparts, one section of the forces took a more aggressive stance on December 30th. General Davis directed his forces to move forward.
Around noon, Colonel Carlin gave initial orders to commence action against the line of Confederate pickets positioned ahead of the Rebel forces. He wanted two companies deployed, one from the Illinois 21st and one from Wisconsin 15th. Company E of the Wisconsin unit under the command of Captain John Ingmundson was assigned the task of clearing the pickets hiding in the woods. They entered the dense forest in front of Carlin’s position to try to locate the hidden enemy.
The Confederate pickets had sufficient time to prepare for any upcoming fight. They had felled trees to hinder any advance and to provide a fortified defensive position for their riflemen. They were there for the duration. Before the Union position by Gresham Lane was a cotton field with no protection before coming up to the woods.
The full Carlin Brigade moved forward at 2PM across the cotton field. As they entered the woods, Colonel Heg came upon the body of Captain Ingmundson as well as a severely wounded soldier from the company. They had the bodies taken back to the Gresham House. [Note: Military maps of the time spelled Gresham as Grison, Griscom and other similar phonetic ways. The correct spelling of the Gresham family is used for this article.] Carlin’s Brigade continued to advance towards the Widow Smith’s House and came within 100 yards of the Confederate brigades of Colonel J. Q. Loomis and Brig. Gen. Sterling Wood positioned near the house. The brigade encountered heavy canister and shelling from the Confederate artillery as they advanced across a cotton field. Confederate infantry was positioned by a stone fence line. As the Wisconsin 15th advanced, Colonel Heg’s horse was killed under him. Private William Patterson of the 38th Illinois Regiment wrote “The Norwegians fought like tigers, and held their position with scandinavian (sic) tenacity, though often wavering before the deadly fire.” Although the unit advanced to within sight of the Confederates, the other brigade units started to retreat and Heg ordered his troops to also withdraw.
The Illinois 21st and Wisconsin 15th regiments suffered significant casualties on December 30th. The units were replaced by other brigade units in the evening allowing a brief respite from the front line. Despite the losses, Colonel Carlin’s brigade ended the day in a position that placed his troops ahead of the other brigades on either side. Despite trying to get General Davis to order the other brigades to move forward, Carlin spent the night in a position vulnerable on three sides of a future attack by the enemy.
When the Battle of Stones River began on December 31st, the Confederate forces completely overwhelmed the Union right flank’s anchor position and then rapidly moved up the Union lines. Colonel Carlin’s Brigade was collapsed by the Confederate advance despite a valiant effort to slow them down. Eventually the Confederates advanced up Gresham Lane past the Gresham House holding the Union field hospital. Despite being in Confederate hands, the Union doctors and medical corps continued to provide care to all the soldiers coming from the battle.
To learn more about the burial of Captain Ingmundson, read the related article on Ingmundson.
Preserving The Battle Before the Battle
Unfortunately, much of the land near the Widow Smith House lies under the I-24 interchange with Old Fort Parkway. The good news is that American Battlefield Trust is working with the City of Murfreesboro to preserve property nearby. This property straddles Agri-Park Drive and will preserve lands crossed on December 30th and the Confederate assault on the Union Right Flank. Once finalized, the city will work with the National Park Service on interpreting the events along trails created on the property. This property will be the first opportunity to tell the story at the beginning of the Battle of Stones River.
Unfortunately, much of the land near the Widow Smith House lies under the I-24 interchange with Old Fort Parkway. The good news is that American Battlefield Trust is working with the City of Murfreesboro to preserve property nearby. This property straddles Agri-Park Drive and will preserve lands crossed on December 30th and the Confederate assault on the Union Right Flank. Once finalized, the city will work with the National Park Service on interpreting the events along trails created on the property. This property will be the first opportunity to tell the story at the beginning of the Battle of Stones River.
Map courtesy of the American Battle Trust