Who was Hans Heg, whose statue was torn down in Madison? Here's why the Civil War hero was memorialized. Teryl Franklin | Wisconsin State Journal 20 hrs ago The statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg, torn down by protesters at the state Capitol on June 23, honored a Norwegian immigrant from Wisconsin who died fighting for the Union Army in the Civil War. “The State has sent no braver soldier, and no truer patriot to aid in this mighty struggle for national unity, than Hans Christian Heg,” the State Journal wrote Sept. 29, 1863, reporting word of his death. “The valorous blood of the old Vikings ran in his veins, united with the gentler virtues of a Christian and a gentlemen.” Heg was mortally wounded in the bloody Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19 of that year and died the next day. The highest-ranked Wisconsin officer killed in combat during the Civil War, Heg commanded a regiment largely composed of other Scandinavian immigrants. He was 33 years old. Heg settled in the Racine area with his parents in 1840 and lived in Wisconsin for all but one year, when he mined for Gold in the West before moving home to take over his family's farm. In 1859, he was elected to the statewide office of prison commander, "earning a reputation as a pragmatic reformer," according to the state Historical Society. Heg found an outlet for his anti-slavery views when he was tapped to lead his Union brigade. The monument to Heg was unveiled on Capitol Square in October 1926 before a crowd of about 2,000 people. In late June, a group of anti-police protesters tore it down, along with Wisconsin's "Forward" statue. A state board recently voted to restore both statues. Here's a look at coverage of Heg and the statue over the years. Anniversary of death, 2008 The statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg, a soldier who fought for the Union Army, is photographed on the anniversary of his death, Sept. 19, 2008, in Madison. JOHN MANIACI, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES Outside the Capitol, 1950 The statue of Colonel Hans Christian Heg, commander of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War, pictured here in 1950. Wisconsin Historical Society image 34301 Closeup of statue, 1990 Norwegian-born Col. Hans Christian Heg of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry was mortally wounded fighting for the Union Army on Sept. 19, 1863, and died the next day. This statue of Heg by Norwegian-American sculptor Paul Fjelde, shown here in 1990, was erected in 1926. Wisconsin Historical Society image 44095 Portrait of Heg Portrait of Col. Hans Christan Heg, commander of the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. Wisconsin Historical Society image 47408 Lithograph of mortal wounding A lithograph titled "Charge of the 15th Wisconsin Regiment at Chickamauga; death of Colonel Heg," shows the mortal wounding of Hans Christian Heg. Wisconsin Historical Society image 70325 Heg's death reported, Sept. 29, 1863 Hans Christian Heg's death is reported in the State Journal on Sept. 29 1863. Site of battlefield, 2013 Chickamauga National Military Park in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, is pictured here in 2013. The location is near where Wisconsin's Col. Hans Christian Heg would have fallen on the battlefield. MARC CHASE, LEE ENTERPRISES State Journal story Sept. 23, 1924 State Journal story on Sept. 23, 1924 State Journal story, Oct. 18, 1926 Story from the State Journal on Oct. 18, 1926 Heg statue, circa 1936 View from the east corner of the state Capitol looking past the Hans Christian Heg statue with King Street in the background, circa 1936. Wisconsin Historical Society image 34427 Statue in 1997 The statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg pictured outside the Capitol on Nov. 11, 1997. STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES Getting cleaned up, 2002 Giorgio Gikas, president of Venus Bronze Works Inc., Detroit, uses a pressure washer July 15, 2002, to clean the statue of Hans Christian Heg that sits on the Capitol Square on the corner of South Pinckney Street and Main Street. This is the first stage of the cleaning and then waxing that takes almost a day to complete. Heg was the most noted Norwegian- American to serve in the Civil War. STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES Act 10 protests, 2011 Lisa McLaughin of Madison tries to fit a Solidarity T-shirt on the statue of Hans Christian Heg on Capitol Square on March 12, 2011. Tens of thousands of people crowded outside the Capitol during Act 10 protests. STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES Dusting of snow, 2016 The statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg is covered in at the State Capitol is covered in snow in Madison on Feb. 2, 2016. M.P. KING, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES Defacing statue, 2020 Two protesters carry a leg from a statue of Hans Christian Heg, a Union Civil War colonel who fought for the end of slavery, during demonstrations in Madison on Tuesday. Protesters also tore down the state's "Forward" statue, assaulted a state senator and set a small fire in a city building Downtown. EMILY HAMER, STATE JOURNAL An empty base, 2020 The base of a statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg, a Union Civil War colonel who fought for the end of slavery, remains after it was torn down by protesters during demonstrations in Madison on Tuesday night. EMILY HAMER STATE JOURNAL Dumping into the lake, 2020 Protesters dump a statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg into Lake Monona on Tuesday night in Madison. EMILY HAMER, STATE JOURNAL Empty pedestal, 2020 An empty pedestal where the statue of famed abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg once stood. It was a scene from around the State Capitol on Wednesday after a destructive night of protests. STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL Defaced statue, 2020 The head of the Col. Hans Christian Heg statue is still missing and will likely need to be recast from an existing statue in the Racine County town of Norway. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION Remains of statue, 2020 The recovered remains of the statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg, after it was torn down last month. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION .