Remembering Col. Hans Christian Heg

Civil War walk, roundtable, lectures, and music

Photo courtesy of Dave Johnston
Dave Johnston will speak on how the outcome of the Civil War affects Minnesotans today.

Carstens Smith
Minneapolis

On Sept. 14, Norway House will host the Col. Heg Civil War Remembrance Day. Norwegian immigrant Hans Christian Heg led a brigade of Norwegian immigrants, the 15th Wisconsin Regiment, through some of the worst fighting in the Civil War until he was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863.

In honor of Col. Heg and the 15th Wisconsin, there will be a series of events throughout the day.

All except the cemetery walk will be in the Sundet Aula at Norway House and are free. Here’s a rundown of some of the events:

Cemetery Walk: Minneapolis historian Susan Hunter-Weir will lead a walk through the Pioneer and Soldier’s Cemetery at Cedar Avenue and East Lake Street at 10 a.m. She will tell the story of the Civil War veterans and Norwegian immigrants buried there. This is a ticketed event. To attend, check the calendar at norwayhouse.org to purchase tickets.

Photo courtesy of Dave Johnston
Dave and Jeanie Johnston will discuss and play music of the Civil War era.

Music of the Civil War and Immigrant Soldier: The soldiers of the 15th Wisconsin would have heard the popular tunes of the day around the campfire, as well as Norwegian folk tunes. Dave and Jeanie Johnston will discuss and play the music of the era, both American and Norwegian, in two half-hour programs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Why should we care about the Civil War now? Dave Johnston will speak on how the outcome of the Civil War still affects the citizens of Minnesota today.  This half-hour presentation with time for questions traces how the groundwork for laws and policies of today grew out of the aftermath of the Civil War. This will be presented in the morning and afternoon.

Twin Cities Civil War Roundtable: Members of the Twin Cities Civil War Roundtable will have a table in the Sundet Aula throughout the day. There will be Civil War artifacts, and the members will be available to discuss many aspects of the war with other history lovers.

Other events and speakers are being scheduled. Check back at norwayhouse.org for the most up-to-date information.

To learn more about the exceptional life of Col. Heg, read the recent biography by Odd S. Lovoll, Colonel Hans Christian Heg and the Norwegian American Experience, Minnesota Historical Society Press.

History of hardtack

Photo: Stephen Osman
Hardtack was a staple on board the Restauration in 1825 and for soldiers during the Civil War.

Mix together flour, water, and salt. Shape. Then bake until there is no moisture remaining. That was the core recipe for a staple food for Norwegian immigrants, the Sloopers,  on the Restauration, as they journeyed from Stavanger to New York. It was also a staple food for the Norwegian-American soldiers in Col. Heg’s 15th Wisconsin Regiment.

It was the “shape” part of the recipe that differed. The Sloopers on the Restauration ate large, thin, crisp rounds of flatbread. They baked their own two-month supply and brought it on board.

The soldiers knew the bread as hardtack, rectangular biscuits that were issued to them by the Army.

In either form, it was a vital part of their diet. In the early 1800s, Nordic people ate one to two pounds of bread daily. That amount is similar to the ration given to soldiers, which for Union soldiers was one pound daily of hardtack.

The Sloopers had an easier time eating their portion. Cracker-thin, the bread could be readily eaten with the cheese, dried beef, and smoked fish they also brought on board.

For a soldier to eat a hardtack biscuit, he would have to soak it in his coffee or any water or broth that was being boiled. Or, he could pound it into a powder with a hammer or the butt of his rifle, then mix the powder with water. If he was fortunate, he added brown sugar and whiskey, then fried it in a skillet.

Stephen Osman, retired senior historian, Minnesota Historical Society, has a deep appreciation of hardtack’s role in history. He points out that it had a multitude of nicknames—all unflattering. Some soldiers even kept pieces as souvenirs from various battles.

His own collection includes a piece of hardtack, complete with dead wheat weevils, labeled, “Climax, Michigan January 18th, 1913. This piece of hardtack has been in my possession since Nov. 1863. It went through the siege of Knoxville in East Tennessee from Oct. 18 to Nov. 5 1863 when we lived on quarter rations for 19 days. Henry Percy.”

Mix together flour, water, and salt. Shape. Then bake until there is no moisture remaining. It’s a powerful recipe that sustained people through some of the most difficult periods of history.

To learn more about hardtack and a soldier’s life, please visit with Stephen Osman on Sept. 14 at Norway House in Minnepolis. Steven and other members of the Twin Cities Civil War Roundtable will be available to discuss war-related artifacts.

A thank you to Dave Johnston, board president of the Norske Museum in Norway, Ill.,  for background information.

To purchase a copy of The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity by J. Hart Rosdail, visit norskmuseum.org.

This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of  The Norwegian American.