Civil War Soldiers Record Database

Christian Knudson was enlisted by Captain Knud J. Sime in Company H of the 15th WI on December 7, 1861. Christian joined up for a 3-year term of service at La Crosse, La Crosse County, WI. The men of the company called themselves “Heg’s Rifles” after the 15th’s first commander, Colonel Hans C. Heg. It was also known as the “Voss Company” because so many of its members came from that region of Norway.

Christian was mustered into Federal service at the rank of Private (Menig) on February 13, 1862 at Camp Randall near Madison, Dane County, WI. At the time he was listed as 21 years old and not married. The Army recorded his residence as Spring Grove, Green County, WI. In actuality he was from Spring Grove, Houston County, MN.

After less than a month at Camp Randall learning to be a soldier, Private Knudson left there on March 2, 1862 with his company and regiment to join the war. From then until August 1862, he was listed as “present” with the 15th. As such he would have participated in the successful siege of Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River in TN and the surprise raid on Union City, TN in March and April 1862. That summer he would have been with the 15th on campaign through TN, MS, and AL.

Starting August 20, 1862, Private Knudson was “left sick at” a U.S. Army hospital at Iuka, MS when the 15th marched away. At some point, the regiment lost track of his whereabouts. Starting March 31, 1863, the 15th began listing him as a deserter. In actuality, he had been honorably mustered out of Federal service on October 14, 1862 at Nashville, TN due to physical disability resulting from his illness.

After his discharge, Christian Knudson lived and worked as a farmer in Fillmore County, MN. He applied for and received a veteran’s pension from the government. Unfortunately, confusion lingered over whether he had left the Army honorably or dishonorably. Christian was still erroneously listed as a deserter in the official Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. And there was even confusion in Buslett’s 1895 history of the 15th, Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillage. Its biography of Christian states that he “was reported as a deserter on 31 March 1863, but is thought to have been discharged.” The following appears elsewhere in Buslett’s book:

“During the war several members of the Regiment went missing without this being recorded. In order to avoid keeping the names on the Rolls, they were written off as deserters. Captain [Andrew A.] Brown of Company H, with help from Colonel [Ole C.] Johnson, has provided proof that the following missing men in his company were not deserters. These are: Ole Helgeson, Christian Knudson, Nils A. Johnson, Erik Evenson, Sylfest Thompson, and Ole O. Nerford.”

After the war, Christian and Bergit (Berit) were living in Preble, Filmore County, MN. Bergit immigrated in 1860. They had at least 10 children: Caroline (1865), Knut (1869), Louris (1871), Carl (1873), Christina (1876), Martin (1877), Clara (1879), Clarence (1880), Nelius (1882), and Cornelia (1885). In 1910, they were living in Spring Grove, Houston County, MN. He died on August 31, 1919 and is buried in Saviour’s Church Cemetery, Riceford, Houston County, MN.

Sources:  Civil War Compiled Veteran Pension Records, Pension Office, Dept. of the Interior (Washington, DC); Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, Iowa, 1894); Regimental Descriptive Rolls, Volume 20 Office of the Adjutant General State of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin, 1885); Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Volume I, Office of the Adjutant General State of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin, 1886); 1880 Census, Roll: 619, Family History Film: 1254619, Page: 190A, Enumeration District: 067, Image: 0262; 1900 Census, Roll: 763, Page: 3A, Enumeration District: 0033, FHL microfilm: 1240763; 1910 Census, Roll: T624_706, Page: 3A, Enumeration District: 0074, FHL microfilm: 1374719; genealogical data from his great granddaughter, Carolyn J. Storlie, and from Dee Anna Grimsrud, MLIS, CGRS;