Christian
Morbeck was born in Vanse, Norway,
on 25th August, 1842. His family emigrated to America when he was
six years old and settled in Door County, Wisconsin.
On the outbreak of the Civil War Morbeck
joined the the Scandinavian Regiment that was commanded by fellow
Norwegian, Colonel Hans Heg. Morbeck took
part in the successful raid on Union City, Tennessee. After an extensive
campaign in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, Morbeck also took
part in the Battle of Chaplin Hills (8th October, 1862).
Morbeck helped capture a Confederate artillery battery at Knob Gap,
Tennessee on 15th December, 1862. At the Battle of Murfreesboro he
was wounded and taken prisoner. Morbeck was released by the Confederate
Army and after recovering from his wounds he rejoined the Scandinavian
Regiment.
Morbeck missed the Battle of Chickamauga (19th - 20th September, 1863)
where the regiment suffered heavy casualties including the loss of
its commander, Colonel Hans Heg. The regiment
was now led by Lieutenant Colonel Ole Johnson
and after the Battle of Pickett's Mill (27th May, 1864) Morbeck was
promoted to the rank of corporal.
After the war Morbeck worked as a clerk in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Later
he acquired a sailboat and traded with people living on the islands
around Door County.
Morbeck married Constance Anderson on 11th March, 1875. The couple
moved to Ingalls, Michigan, where they ran a general store. As a result
of wounds received during the Civil War,
Morbeck was granted an invalid's pension. Christian Morbeck
died of pneumonia on 19th June, 1908.
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