 |
| Hans C. Heg (National Archives) |
Allegiance: USA
Rank: Colonel
Age: 33
State of Origin: Wisconsin (Lier, Norway)
Command: 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XX Corps, Army of the Cumberland
Hans Christian Heg was born Norway in 1829 where he lived with his parents and three younger siblings until his family immigrated to America in 1840. The family settled down by Lake Muskego, Wisconsin, a place noted for its Norwegian immigration. He spent time learning English and making a living for himself. When the Civil War broke out, Heg, an out-spoken abolitionist, was appointed to be Colonel, receiving the 15th Wisconsin, which, under Heg’s leadership, would swell to a recruitment of over eight hundred soldiers and officers, all with some Scandinavian connection.
Though the regiment was formed in late October of 1861, it did not see hard battle until nearly a year later, at the Battle of Perryville. His men were highly successful and suffered a very low casualty rate, including no fatalities. The 15th Wisconsin’s next big engagement would come at Nashville and then at Stones River, where his men were truly tested. The Battle of Stones River was the Scandinavian’s first experience with heavy casualties of their own, but they were all commended for their bravery and their gall in the face of battle. Upon recommendations, Heg was, at this point, given command of the 3rd Brigade in the Army of the Cumberland (this was in May, 1863).
Heg remained an excellent leader for his men up through his last battle, the Battle of Chickamauga, the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Heg and his men fought in brutal conditions in the swampy woods surrounding Viniard Field in a back and forth fighting pattern with the Confederate soldiers. Heg had been pushing east from the LaFayette Road on September 19th when they had surprised a group of Confederates under Major General Johnson’s command. The Confederates quickly pushed Heg back nearly to the LaFayette Road where support reached Heg and they were able to stop the Confederate attack.
As the afternoon and early evening progressed, the battle-weary soldiers broke under the constant pressure of continuous Confederate advances and broke in an upheaving panic, retreating across the LaFayette Road and through the field behind it, back to more secure Union lines. In the midst of the confusion, Heg, trying to rally his troops, was mortally wounded by a shot to the abdomen, knocking him off his horse, (Colonel John A. Martin of the 8th Kansas took command). He succumbed to his wound late the following morning in a field hospital at Crawfish Springs.
Today, a triangular pyramid monument ten feet high, a monument used to remember the high-ranking officers who were killed during the Battle of Chickamauga, marks the place where Heg was mortally wounded in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Heg left behind a wife and three children. The 15th Wisconsin went on to fight in battles including the siege of Chattanooga and the Atlanta Campaign.
Author: Haley Thistlethwaite, February 26, 2015
Further Reading:
Steven E. Woodworth, Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns. Bison Books, 1999.
William L. White, Bushwhacking on a Grand Scale: The Battle of Chickamauga, September 18-20, 1863. Savas Beatie, 2013.
“Hans Christian Heg” Norwegian American Hall of Fame
“Hans Heg” National Park Service, Chickamauga & Chattanooga,
No comments:
Post a Comment