Knut Larson Gjermo, Company H, 15th Wisconsin Infantry (WHi-25425)

Wisconsin soldiers fought in every major battle of the Civil War. By the end of the war, 91,327 men had served in fifty-six regiments. Recruits were trained in Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Racine, and Madison. Camp Randall, Wisconsin's major training facility in Madison, also housed Confederate prisoners. Many of Wisconsin's regiments were composed primarily of single ethnic groups: the 9th, 26th, 27th, and 45th were mainly German, while Norwegians filled the ranks of the 15th regiment. The 8th Wisconsin became known as the "Eagle Regiment" because of a pet bald eagle, named Old Abe, that they carried into battle on a perch with an American flag. 12,301 Wisconsin soldiers died, and thousands more were wounded or confined in Southern military prisons.

Visit our Turning Points in Wisconsin History collection for more information about Wisconsin troops in the Civil War.

Estabrook, Charles. Records and sketches of military organizations... (Madison, 1914?); Adjutant-General's Office. Roster of Wisconsin volunteers..., 1861-1865 (Madison, 1886); Wisconsin Census Enumeration 1895 (Madison, 1896).

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