Ole Westby Goes to War

By Bob Tosterud, Professor of Norskonomics

Ole Westby

Living in Virginia for 12 years, Karen and I became very interested in the people, places, and events of this most horrendous event in US history. Evidence of it is everywhere: battle fields, statues, reenactments, museums, and attractions of all varieties. This was the war that pitted American versus American, father versus son, brother versus brother. I found one of the most interesting aspects of the Civil War was the large and important role immigrants played in this North American conflict.

In addition to the critical role immigrants played in the election of Abraham Lincoln (Some historians believe that Lincoln would not have been elected President without the strong support of immigrants. You may want to give that a second thought given today’s circumstances.), over 400,000 served with the Union army predominately Germans, Irish, and Scandinavians. The Confederate army had relatively few immigrants in its ranks. 

Learning that Scandinavians were eager volunteers for the Union, and even though “my people” didn’t arrive until the 1880s, I remember how anxious I was to search for any Tosterud’s in the “Soldiers and Sailors System” of the National Park Service website (http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/). I admit I was disappointed to find none. The closest I could get was an Ole Tostenson in the roster of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry.

Much to my delight, I soon discovered that the 15th Wisconsin was also known as the Scandinavian Regiment and the nationally recognized abolitionist Hans Christian Heg was the Colonel of the 15th.  There were over 2000 soldiers in the 15th almost 90 percent being Norwegian, the rest Danish and Swedish. I must admit that my heritage pride grew as I learned more and more about the 15th.  I had my personal Civil War “connection” I was looking for.

The 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment was organized near Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service on February 14, 1862. Passing through Chicago two weeks later, on March 1, the 15th was presented with a beautiful flag by the Scandinavian “Society Nora.” The motto on the flag was “For God and Country.” On one side were the American colors, with gilt stars on a blue field. On the reverse were the American and Norwegian arms, united; the Norwegian arms representing a lion with an axe, on a red field. Colonel Heg officially accepted the flag on behalf of the regiment, thanked the Society, and loaded his regiment on the train headed to St. Louis. The regiment engaged the enemy for the first time at Island No. 10, Mississippi River, on March 15. Here they captured their first rebel flag and sent it as a trophy to the governor of Wisconsin. Much of that summer and fall was spent in pursuit of Confederate General Bragg and Morgan’s gorillas in and around Kentucky.

Along with dozens of skirmishes, some of the more famous battles during which the 15th was engaged in 1863-64 were the Battle of Stone’s River, Tullahoma Campaign, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga Campaign, Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign, Atlanta  Campaign, Rocky Faced Ridge, Battle of Resaca, New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, Pine Hill, Peach Tree Creek, and the Battle of Jonesboro. The regiment was mustered out of service by company between December 1, 1864 and February 13, 1865. The 15th Wisconsin Regiment lost during service eight Officers and 86 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and one Officer and 241 Enlisted men by disease. Total 336. Included in this total was Colonel Heg, KIA at Chickamauga. Colonel Heg was the highest ranking officer from Wisconsin to die in battle during the Civil War.

My “affiliation” with the Westby Times caused me to look a little further into the roster of the 15th   to see if I could find a Westbian or two. I wouldn’t of course because Westby hadn’t been settled yet. I must admit that I was more than a little tickled however to discover that “my” Ole Tostenson fought along side Ole Tostenson Westby, namesake of Westby, Wisconsin, in Company H. Small world.

For a good history of the 15th Wisconsin see: http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/quiner&CISOPTR=16496&REC=7