Louis Erickson
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| Name at Enlist | Louis Erickson |
| Birth Name | |
| Other Names | Lars Erickson, Lasss Erickson |
| Lived | Nov 1845 – 11 Oct 1928 |
| Birth Place | Hafslo, Hardalen |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Buffalo City, Buffalo County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | B |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 17 Feb 1864 |
| Death Location | Modena, Buffalo County, WI |
| Immigration | 1860 |
| Spouse | Johanna Larson |
| Spouse Lived | Nov 1854- |
| Married On | 1873 |
Louis Erickson was born in Hafslo, Hardalen, Norway in November 1845. He came to Viroqua, WI in 1860. He joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company B. The men of the company called themselves the “Wergeland Guards” in honor of Henrik Wergeland, the famous Norwegian writer and poet.
The army listed Erickson as living in Buffalo City, Buffalo County, WI, a farmer, and age 18. Family stories say he was 16 and lied about his age. He had blue eyes, light hair, light complexion, and stood 5’8”. He enlisted for three years on February 17, 1864 at La Crosse, WI, and mustered there the same day as a Private (Menig). He entered as a substitute for a man from Buffalo City. He joined B Company in Knoxville, TN. He was sick on July 13, 1864. He was assigned temporarily to Company H on December 1, 1864. He was assigned temporarily to the WI 24th Infantry and then transferred on June 10, 1865 to WI 13th Infantry K Company. He mustered out on November 24, 1865 at San Antonio, TX.
After the war, he married Johanna Larson in 1873. Johanna was born in Norway in November 1854 and immigrated in 1868. They settled on a farm in Modena, Buffalo County, WI and had twelve children. Some of their children included: Peter (1883), Susie (1886), Eric (1888), Clara (1890), Louis (1893), and Josie (1895). He died at his daughter’s home in Modena on October 11, 1928.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office box 76-13; Regimental Muster and Descriptive Rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office vol.18, p.194, vol.20, p.30; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett, Decorah, IA, 1894, p.381; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Pub. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.275, photo, p.295; Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vol I & II, Compiled under direction of the Adjutant General, Madison WI, 1886, p.808; Blaine Hedberg, NAGC&NL; Email, Bill Bethke wdbethke@tds.net [One Regimental Muster and Descriptive Rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office entry shows residence as Stanley, Vernon County]; 1900 Census, Roll: 1779, Page: 6B, Enumeration District: 0011, FHL microfilm: 1241779.