Ole C. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Ole Johnson was a Norwegian-American soldier in the American Civil War
who served with the Scandinavian Regiment.
, Norway
. He came to the United States with his parents and four siblings, arriving in New York on board the Salvator, on July 6, 1844. The family went to Whitewater
, Walworth County
, Wisconsin
. In 1852, they moved to Koshkonong, Wisconsin
. Johnson studied law at Beloit College
. He became a school teacher in Stoughton
.
, Johnson was promoted to the rank of major. He took part in the battle of Murfreesboro and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in March 1863. The Scandavian Regiment was heavily mauled at the battle of Chickamauga
with approximately 63% killed, wounded or captured. Colonel Hans Christian Heg
who had commanded the Regiment since its formation was killed and Johnson was captured.
Johnson was held in Libby Prison
in Virginia before it was decided in May 1864 to move him to another prison. At Chesterville
, Johnson and two others escaped from the railroad car they were being transported in. After a month, the men were able to rejoin the Union Army at Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
. Johnson was promoted to colonel and took command of the Scandinavian Regiment on July 24, 1864, remaining with the regiment until the end of the war.
, Rock County
, Wisconsin
, becoming active in the Republican Party
and was elected mayor of Beloit. Johnson was appointed Immigration Commissioner of the state of Wisconsin. Later he became president of the Watertown Bank.
Johnson married on January 3, 1867 to Caroline Freie Bödtker. They had one child, a son, named Wilfor Chickamauga Shipness. In his later years, Johnson had adopted the last name “Skipnes”, the name of his family farm in Norway. Ole Johnson died in Beloit, Wisconsin.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
who served with the Scandinavian Regiment.
Background
Ole Johnson was born on the Skipnes Farm, (Skibsnes), near Nordsjo, in Helgen Parish, TelemarkTelemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He came to the United States with his parents and four siblings, arriving in New York on board the Salvator, on July 6, 1844. The family went to Whitewater
Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater is a city in Jefferson and Walworth Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.-Geography:...
, Walworth County
Walworth County, Wisconsin
Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 102,228. Its county seat is Elkhorn.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. In 1852, they moved to Koshkonong, Wisconsin
Koshkonong, Wisconsin
Koshkonong is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,395 at the 2000 census. The town entirely surrounds the city of Fort Atkinson. The unincorporated communities of Blackhawk Island, Koshkonong Mounds, and Vinnie Ha Ha are located in the town...
. Johnson studied law at Beloit College
Beloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
. He became a school teacher in Stoughton
Stoughton, Wisconsin
Stoughton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States and is a neighbor of Madison. It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of the capital, Madison. Stoughton is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Civil War
When the Civil War broke out, Johnson joined the Scandinavian Regiment (15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment) and was appointed captain of Company B. After the battle at PerryvilleBattle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
, Johnson was promoted to the rank of major. He took part in the battle of Murfreesboro and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in March 1863. The Scandavian Regiment was heavily mauled at the battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
with approximately 63% killed, wounded or captured. Colonel Hans Christian Heg
Hans Christian Heg
Hans Christian Heg was a Norwegian- American politician and soldier in the American Civil War from Wisconsin.-Background:...
who had commanded the Regiment since its formation was killed and Johnson was captured.
Johnson was held in Libby Prison
Libby Prison
Libby Prison was a Confederate Prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the harsh conditions under which prisoners from the Union Army were kept.- Overview :...
in Virginia before it was decided in May 1864 to move him to another prison. At Chesterville
Chesterville
Chesterville may refer to a location in North America:United States* Chesterville, Indiana* Chesterville, Maine* Chesterville, Maryland* Chesterville, OhioCanada* Chesterville, Ontario...
, Johnson and two others escaped from the railroad car they were being transported in. After a month, the men were able to rejoin the Union Army at Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
Strawberry Plains is an unincorporated community straddling the boundary between Jefferson and Sevier and Knox counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Strawberry Plains as a populated place....
. Johnson was promoted to colonel and took command of the Scandinavian Regiment on July 24, 1864, remaining with the regiment until the end of the war.
Post Civil War
After the war Johnson went into business and settled in BeloitBeloit
Beloit generally refers to Beloit, Wisconsin, a city in Rock County. Other uses of "Beloit" include:-Places:United States*Beloit, Alabama*Beloit, Iowa*Beloit, Kansas*Beloit, Ohio*Beloit , Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Beloit...
, Rock County
Rock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, becoming active in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and was elected mayor of Beloit. Johnson was appointed Immigration Commissioner of the state of Wisconsin. Later he became president of the Watertown Bank.
Johnson married on January 3, 1867 to Caroline Freie Bödtker. They had one child, a son, named Wilfor Chickamauga Shipness. In his later years, Johnson had adopted the last name “Skipnes”, the name of his family farm in Norway. Ole Johnson died in Beloit, Wisconsin.
External links
- 15th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment
- Wisconsin Board of Immigration
- http://www.dokpro.uio.no/perl/navnegransking/rygh_ng/rygh_visetekst.prl?s=e&Vise=Show&KRYSS120756%4027459=onNorske GaardnavneNorske GaardnavneNorske Gaardnavne is a 19 volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924 by Professor Oluf Rygh, a noted professor of archeology, philology and history at the University of Oslo...
(v.7, p. 174 Bratsberg Amt by O. Rygh with A. Kjær. 1914)]