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Medal of Honor for capturing the enemy flag

As I was doing my research on the Civil War Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio, I can’t help but notice that many of the citations read “Capture of Flag”. I wanted to look into this a little deeper as it seemed such a small action as capturing the flag didn’t seem worthy of such an honor.

In the American Civil War, flags were used as a guide or rallying point for soldiers in battle. A battlefield can a very loud place, making it extremely difficult or even impossible to hear bugle calls or vocal commands. A visual rallying point was essential, and soldiers were trained to follow the flag. So it would be natural to assume that there would always be a good amount of men near the flag, and thus harder to capture. Also, only the most courageous of men carried the colors, as he would have to be prominently in view of not only his comrades, but also the enemy. Therefore, the carrier of the flag presents an ideal target in full view of the opposing army. More importantly, color bearers had to face the enemy and never break and run in retreat, or the entire regiment might follow. So capturing the flag meant confronting a very determined, brave soldier who is determined to protect the colors at all costs.

From an artist’s perspective, the attempted capture of the enemies colors then becomes a great subject for a painting. I am always interested in the moment when the bodies are in full motion, when the tension is at it’s highest. Trying to seize the colors of the enemy then becomes the epic battle within a battle. A savage combat between a courageous flag bearer valiantly trying to hold on to an object of great reverence, and a equally brave and daring opponent who is trying to add to his own regiment’s glory.

For further reading, I found the following:

Why Were Flags So Important in the Civil War?

The 104th Ohio at the Battle of Franklin (1864)

While I was trying to come up with new ideas for my paintings, I thought it might be a good idea to create oil paintings of Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio during the American Civil War. As I was doing my research, I found out that 6 members of the 104th Ohio received this honor during the Battle of Franklin. I did not know much at all about the battle, so I dug a little deeper.

To quickly summarize, at 4:00 p.m. on November 30th, 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee launched numerous assaults against fortified Union positions under Maj. Gen. John Schofield in a desperate attempt seize the important manufacturing and supply center of Nashville, currently occupied by Union forces under the command General George H. Thomas, commander of the Army of the Cumberland. Hood almost succeeded at Franklin, launching a frontal assault consisting of 20,000 men against the firmly entrenched Union forces. But around 9:00 p.m., and after many failed attempts to dislodge the Union defenders, the battle is over. The Confederates fall back, the army of Tennessee decimated by huge losses.

It was during a critical time during the battle that the 104th Ohio was able to distinguish itself. Positioned just south of a large cotton gin near the Union Center along with other units, the 104th was able to repulse multiple confederate charges, with the fighting sometimes hand-to-hand. It was at this time that the actions of Joseph Davis, John C. Gaunt, Abraham Greenawalt, Newton H. Hall, George V. Kelleyand and John H. Ricksecker, all of the 104th, would result in them receiving the Medal of Honor.

I am really excited about painting a scene of the 104th Ohio at Franklin. Lots of material and potential scenarios. I will keep updating the progress whenever I can.

Here are some links to Youtube videos produced by the American Battlefield Trust that I found about the Battle of Franklin. Great in giving you an understanding of the battle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNB6bONePaY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19z6ku_C0vA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsiVBN9gbho

Civil War artilery pieces at the Civil War and Artillery show in Mansfield, Ohio.

My wife and I attended the Civil War and Artillery Show in Mansfield, Ohio today. It was a lot of fun, although we didn’t get to stay as long we would have liked because we had to be home when our new refrigerator is delivered. This was to replace our other new refrigerator that lasted 5 weeks! Still, it was a great place to view and maybe purchase military items, relics, and memorabilia, as well as meeting the experts and learning a thing or two.

Anyway, took some good reference photos of civil war artillery pieces that were part of the firing demonstrations. I always make it a point to always take photos for reference purposes. Now days, you can find many excellent references on the internet. Still, taking the photos yourself when you have the opportunity saves you lots of time looking for the right reference in the future. Another great reference source for taking photos are Civil War reenactments. I try to attend as many as I can and take as many photos as possible. I also make it point to jot down in my notes at what time and direction the photographs are taken, as well as noting the weather conditions. Doesn’t do much good if I am painting a scene that occurred during the early morning on a cloudy day, when the reference photos used were taken at noon on a sunny day! I would like to point out that I never take the photos and copy exactly from them to create a piece of art, unless it is for my own personal enjoyment. Reference photos are used to learn about the characteristics of your subject. A certain way the clothes fold when a subject is in a sitting position, or how the light reflects off an artillery soldier when cannon is fired, for example. And I also never copy a re-enactor’s likeness, unless I have clear permission from the subject to do so.

Custer at Hunterstown

Pictured above is the underpainting stage of an oil painting I am working on depicting George Custer at the battle of Hunterstown in 1863. During this engagement, as he led a charge of Company A, 6th Michigan Cavalry, against the Confederate rear guard, Custer’s horse was shot from underneath him and, though uninjured, found himself dismounted with enemy forces closing in. The painting shows the moment he was rescued by Norvell F. Churchill, Company L of the 1st Michigan Cavalry, who grabbed Custer by the arm and pulled him up onto the saddle behind him.
Even though I feel that I have pretty good knowledge about all things related to the Civil War, I had never heard of this incident until about a few weeks ago. Almost immediately I felt this event would make for a really interesting subject for a painting. I had no problem obtaining research material for this action, even though there is a slight discrepancy about what happened when a Confederate bore down on Custer. One account stated that Churchill took down the assailant with his Sabre. Other accounts reported he used his revolver to shoot the attacker. Whatever the method, if not for Churchill’s actions on this warm summer day, Custer would have surely been captured or even killed.
Another reason I chose this subject matter is that Custer had just been promoted to General a few weeks prior, and he wore a unique uniform to properly display his new rank. It consisted of a black velveteen jacket rimmed with gold piping, a sailor’s shirt trimmed in white with a star sewn on each collar, a bright red scarf or tie, black pants, and a broad-brimmed soft hat, Confederate, that he had picked up the field. This outfit, along with his distinctive long curly blonde hair, certainly made him stand out in the field, and become an easily identifiable centerpiece of the painting.
I hope to have this painting done soon, and will post the final artwork to my portfolio page as soon as I am done.