Ole Christian Branstad
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| Name at Enlist | Ole Christian Branstad |
| Birth Name | Ole Christian Andersen Brandstad |
| Other Names | Branstead |
| Lived | 18 May 1839 – 10 Feb 1906 |
| Birth Place | Voss |
| Birth Country | Norway |
| Resident of Muster-In | Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | A |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 30 Aug 1862 |
| Death Location | Grantsburg, Burnett County, WI |
| Burial Location | Grantsburg, Burnett County, WI |
| Mother | Helen Maria |
| Father | Anders Petersen Brandstad |
| Spouse | Sophia Karen Anderson |
| Spouse Lived | 23 Mar 1851- 15 Jan 1929 |
| Married On | 3 Feb 1870 |
Ole Christian Branstad was born on May 18, 1839 in Voss, Norway, the son of Anders Petersen Brandstad and Helen Maria. He joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company A. The men of the company called themselves the “St. Olaf’s Rifles.” They were also known as the “Sailor Company” because of the large number of seamen in its ranks, and as the “Chicago Company” because so many of its members were residents of that city.
The army listed Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI, age 23, and a sailor. He had blue eyes, blond hair, fair complexion, and stood 5’4½”. He enlisted for three years on August 30, 1862 at Milwaukee, and mustered there the same day as a Private (Menig) with a bounty of $100. He was listed as a marine soldier. The first report after the battle of Chickamauga, GA incorrectly listed him among those killed on September 20, 1863. He had instead been captured by rebel forces. He was held in Libby Prison, Richmond, VA and in Andersonville Prison, GA, a total of 19 months. He was paroled at Vicksburg, VA on April 17, 1865. On June 16, 1865, he was discharged from the service at Madison, WI.
After the war, he settled at Grantsburg, WI. He married Sophia Karen Anderson on February 3, 1870. She was born on March 23, 1851 in Hassel Island, Norway. She was the daughter of Peter Andreas Anderson Skamfer and Anna Martha Eliasdatter Haue. Ole and Sophia had ten children. Ole died at Grantsburg on February 10, 1906 and is buried in Grantsburg. His widow died on January 15, 1929.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, box 76-15; Regimental Muster and Descriptive Rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.14; Regimental Muster and Descriptive Rolls, 1861-1865, compiled circa 1885, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.12; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett, Decorah, IA, 1894, p.347; Oberst Heg og hans gutter, Waldemar Ager, 1916, Fremad Publ. Co., Eau Claire, WI, p.291; Nordmændene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.273; e-mail, Gloria Hanson, Daly City, California.