Southern Wisconsin Times

WASHINGTON (June 3, 2024) — Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) released a statement following the House of Representatives' passage of bipartisan legislation to designate a U.S. Postal Service facility in Muskego as the "Colonel Hans Christian Heg Post Office." Steil spoke on the House Floor in support of its passage.

“Colonel Heg was an abolitionist, an immigrant, and military leader who died fighting to end slavery,” said Steil. “The destruction of his statue in Madison was a sad chapter of the 2020 riots. I’m proud to have helped lead legislation that will honor Col. Heg for generations to come. Thank you to Rep. Fitzgerald, our local officials, and my colleagues in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation for their work to preserve Col. Heg’s legacy.”

“Colonel Hans Christian Heg is an American patriot in the truest sense. He was called to a higher purpose, serving as both a Colonel of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War and as a staunch abolitionist,” said Fitzgerald. “To ensure Colonel Heg’s legacy remains an enduring one, I was proud to receive the support of the entire Wisconsin delegation in passing my bill to rename the U.S. Post Office in Muskego after Colonel Heg. It is my hope that when Wisconsinites see his name at the post office, they come to learn and know exactly who Colonel Hans Christian Heg was and what he stood for. May his legendary story of bravely serving our nation live on for generations to come.”

The legislation was led by Congressman Fitzgerald and cosponsored by Steil and Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to honor Col. Heg's sacrifice and service.

During the June 2020 riots in Madison, the statue of Colonel Heg that stood on Wisconsin Capitol grounds was destroyed by protestors.

Col. Heg was a Norwegian immigrant who spent his childhood in Muskego, Wisconsin. The Heg family immigrated to America and settled on the shores of Lake Muskego. Heg led his community and state as an anti-slavery activist. A staunch abolitionist throughout his life, Heg also led an anti-slave catching militia in effort to protect escaped slaves.

In 1861, Heg was appointed Colonel of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry, a Scandinavian regiment recruited to fight for the Union against the Confederacy. The regiment shipped out from Camp Randall to the South in 1862 and quickly gained attention for their bravery on the battlefield.

In 1863, Heg was mortally wounded in Chickamauga, Georgia leading a charge against Confederate lines. After his death, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that "The State has sent no braver soldier, and no truer patriot to aid in this mighty struggle for national unity than Hans Christian Heg." Col. Heg was the highest-ranked Wisconsin officer killed in combat during the Civil War.

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