Col. Heg Statue Rededication

The STATUE OF COL. Heg was erected in October 1926, when citizens of Norwegian descent presented it to the people of Wisconsin. Fred J. Campbell, chair of the committee planning the REDEDICATION, said, "The people who paid for this monument were celebrating the fact that Col. Heg was a Norwegian immigrant, fervent abolitionist, and organizer of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. They called it a debt of gratitude."  The ceremony will include members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in replica uniforms performing military honors and color guard duties. Historic music and marches will be played by the 1st Brigade Band, and choral pieces in English and Norwegian will be performed by the Edvard Grieg Chorus. Several speakers will honor Col. Heg, including a third great granddaughter, and Heg descendants will travel from afar to attend this special tribute to their ancestor...a loving husband and father, civic and military leader, and true American patriot. Hans Christian Heg was born in 1829 in Lier, Norway, and emigrated with his family to Racine County in 1840. In 1861 he left his job as State Prison Commissioner at Waupun to raise volunteers to form the 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, composed almost exclusively of Norwegian-born men from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois. At only 33 years of age, Col. Heg was fatally wounded while leading his troops on horseback at the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, on September 19, 1863, and died the next day. He was the highest-ranking Wisconsin soldier to give his life in battle during the Civil War. CATEGORY: Community | History