It is quite easy, when searching about Swedes who fought and fell at the Western Front in The Great War, to also come across other facts in history. In this case I today came across some stories about Swedes who was involved in some fightings during the American Civil war.
It is earlier mentioned by the famous Swedish author, Lars Gyllenhaal, and his cowriter Lennart Westerberg, in their book about “Swedes in War” (Svenskar i Krig), that they assess that about 3500 Swedish born individuals who had emigrated from Sweden to the America fought for the union, and that about a couple of hundred Swedish born fought for the other side, the southern.
Earlier this evening, when searching for facts about another soldier, who fell at the Western Front, I came across some facts from another book, “Swedes in Illinois – historical notes” by the Swede John Ericson from New York.
A small story mention how a battery in the union, named and commanded by the Captain Silfversparre, who participated in the fightings around Shiloh, for a couple of days. Later on Captain Silfversparre left the unit for several reason, but there were no doubts that he did a great job commanding the battery.
The fight went on, and they fought nearby the cities of Corinth and Vicksburg, and later on Jackson, Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountains. In 1864 theyt also fought in Resacka, Kingston, Dallas, Altoona and Kenesaw Moutains.
In the fightings June 22nd 1864, around Atlanta, the battery with their new commander did a great job for the union troops. But they also lost a Swedish born sergeant named Peter S Wyman.
Peter was the commander of one of the units cannons, no 2, and they formed up in a half circle againts a five time larger unit, and therefor the commander ordered a retreat, but the commander of the battery, De Graas, and Peter, stayed by their weapon just to give the enemy their last loaded bullets, but Peter was not satisfied and reloaded one of the cannons, shot it at the enemy, spiked the gun and turned around to run back, but in that moment he was hit by three bullets and died on the spot.
If he just had lived for another day, he would have been promoted. The text says he is buried in an unmarked spot in the area where he fell. May he rest in peace.
Peter was born in Sweden , and it is stated in the text I found that he was born in 1836 in the parish of Ysanna, Blekinge, Sweden, but I assume it is the parish Ysane today.
It is also mentioned that his surname was Yman, and then logically became Wyman in the states, but I can’t, for the moment, find anyone called Yman in Sweden, and probably it was another name, and he took the surname Wyman when he arrived to the states, maybe after his home in Ysane?
I will look further to see if I can find the person behind the name Peter S Wyman, I will come back.
Source: History of the Swedes of Illinois.
