Norwegians (and Scandinavians) in the Confederate Armies.

Joined
Oct 26, 2018
Location
Norway
Hello.
Around 6-700 hundered known Norwegians served in the Confederate armies. Mostly in Louisiana and Texas regiments, since many of them where sailors arriving in New Orleans and there was a Norwegian settlement in Texas, near Waco. Most of them fought in the western theatre, many in Texas Cavalry units, but a few in the eastern theatre. Two fell at Antietam, one in the cornfield with the 1st Texas and another in the 8th Lousiana (Hays brigade) near the cornfield.
A fellow Civil War buff and a companion US traveler of mine in the 90's, have done extensively research on this subject and have made this page with bio's of most of the known ones sorted after states. (including some Danes and Swedes) It has not been updated in ages, since he is a professional military and are currently in Afghanistan as a Lt.Col.
Click on the states for name-list and bio's.
http://www.scandinavianconfederates.borgerkrigen.info/units.htm

There was also a Scandinavian company in the Chalmette Regiment, a Louisiana Militia Regiment. I made an entry for that regiment on wikipedia..

Deo Vindice
 
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When he wishes to update his list, I will be pleased to give him my information on my G-G-Grandfather; Salem Emmanuel Kierolf, Captain 27th Tennessee Infantry, POW Johnson's Island 1863-1865.
 
When he wishes to update his list, I will be pleased to give him my information on my G-G-Grandfather; Salem Emmanuel Kierolf, Captain 27th Tennessee Infantry, POW Johnson's Island 1863-1865.
I will let him know. I am curious about him myself, since he is not on the list on that page. :smile:
 
Most of what I know about him is from his letters from prison and on his application for a pension.
Quite a few records in Fold3. This card is a synopsis of the records.

Fold3_Page_3_Compiled_Service_Records.jpg
 
Quite a few records in Fold3. This card is a synopsis of the records.
Great! But captured at Lexington, TN July 27. That was three weeks after the Tullahoma Campaign, and Lexington is further west than the area that campaign took place. On July 27, the entire Army of Tennessee was camped near Lookout Mountain, so wonder what he was doing in Lexington. Furlough?
 
Great! But captured at Lexington, TN July 27. That was three weeks after the Tullahoma Campaign, and Lexington is further west than the area that campaign took place. On July 27, the entire Army of Tennessee was camped near Lookout Mountain, so wonder what he was doing in Lexington. Furlough?
I wonder if the captain was on some type of detached duty in his capacity in the QM department.
 
Great! But captured at Lexington, TN July 27. That was three weeks after the Tullahoma Campaign, and Lexington is further west than the area that campaign took place. On July 27, the entire Army of Tennessee was camped near Lookout Mountain, so wonder what he was doing in Lexington. Furlough?
You may be on to something there, he was from Cageville (now Alamo) in Crockett county which is only a couple of counties over from Lexington. Also, he may have been on recruiting duty. My Great grandmother once said that his Enfield Rifle stood in the corner of his bedroom until the day that he died.
 
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Another document, this one from ancestry.com. Whatever Captain Keirolf was doing, the provost marshal was interested.

View attachment 208817
After capture, he was sent to Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis and then on to Johnson's Island. Sometimes you have to be careful when you research your ancestors, I discovered in the Official Records that I was descended from a notorious horse thief (not Captain Kierolf) whom the Yankees wanted to hang on sight.
 
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After capture, he was sent to Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis and then on to Johnson's Island. Sometimes you have to be careful when you research your ancestors, I discovered in the Official Records that I was descended from a notorious horse thief (not Captain Kierolf) whom the Yankees wanted to hang on sight.
I can relate. I found one ancestor was called as a witness in the Lincoln Assassination Trial. Another climbed out a window, slid down a drain pipe and left town as his girlfriend's husband was coming up the stairs. I suspect there's as many of those type discoveries as there are OMG I'm George Washington's long lost step cousin.
 
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