IA 12th Inf Co G. Residence: Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Born 20 Oct 1841 near Oslo, Norway, one of the six Civil War sons of Throne and Ingeborg (Terptad) Steen of Glenwood Township, east of Decorah, Iowa. Civil War: Age 20. Enlisted for three years on 21 Oct 1861. Mustered 1 Nov 1861 at Dubuque, Iowa. Private. Took part in the battles for Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Tennessee, in Feb 1862. Missing in action in the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, 6 Apr 1862. He had been captured and sent to Libby prison in Richmond, Virginia. Exchanged 31 Oct 1862. Promoted Corporal 29 Apr 1863. Took part in the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Jul 1863. Re-enlisted as a Veteran Volunteer on 31 Dec 1863. Promoted Quartermaster Sergeant 1 Jan 1864. Fought in the battles of Tupelo, Mississippi, 13-15 Jul 1864; Spanish Fort, Alabama, 12 Apr 1864; Fort Blakeley, Alabama, and the capture of Mobile, Alabama. Mustered out 20 Jan 1866, at Memphis, Tennessee. Post war: He married Marie Louise Hough on 10 Sep 1870 at Decorah. Four children. Went to Omaha, Nebraska, after the war and worked as a mail clerk on an Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa, train. In 1877, he moved to Wahoo, Nebraska, and opened a hardware store with his brother, Otto. He became Postmaster of Wahoo in the early Eighties. After retiring from his post office career and his hardware business, he moved to Boise, Idaho. Died 23 Mar 1923 at Wahoo. Buried at Sunrise Cemetery in Wahoo. Sources: (ISW-II p531) (Ulvestad p261) (DGA) (“Steen Family History” by Orlando C. Scholl, publ. 1964)
