Madison Reporter

A statute outside the Wisconsin State Capitol dedicated to the memory of the state’s highest-ranking soldier to die in the Civil War again proudly stands where it was first erected nearly a century ago.  

After being torn down by protesters in the summer of 2020, the sculpture of Col. Hans Christian was recently rededicated during a ceremony attended by his descendants and others his story has inspired.

“He gave me a good name and I am always, every day grateful for that good name he gave to me and my family,” Major James Patrick Heg told Channel3000.com. As the ceremony unfolded, Major Heg shared snapshots of the stories he’s heard over the years about legendary ancestor.

“[I’m] honored and humbled that an ancestor of mine became a symbol for so many others of what it means to find your way in America,” Heg, now a Marine, added of his fifth great-grandfather.

Throughout the day, event organizer Fred Campbell made it a point of spending time reflecting on Col. Heg’s history as an abolitionist who fought for his country.

“He stood up against a lot of powerful forces against that and people don’t know that,” Campbell said. “That person is the last person that should’ve been torn down."

After driving 13 hours from Virginia to be at the Capitol, Major Heg added that he hoped the day would come to be known as one that inspired others to follow in his great-grandfather’s footsteps by doing all they can to help others.

“I don’t think I could hold a candle to what he did so many years ago today, but I’m honored to have done my part to keep that tradition alive in the Heg family,” he said.