Alphonso Lunt

As the Confederate Army made its final desperate stand in the spring of 1865, victory depended on the courage of ordinary soldiers willing to risk everything. Among them was Sergeant Alphonso Lunt, a Massachusetts volunteer whose fearless capture of an enemy battle flag during the Battle of Sailor's Creek earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place in American military history.

Born on March 18, 1837, in Newbury, Massachusetts, Lunt answered the Union's call during the American Civil War by enlisting in Company F, 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Originally serving in the Gulf Coast campaigns, the regiment later joined Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's forces during the final operations against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. By the spring of 1865, the 38th Massachusetts was advancing through Virginia as the Confederacy neared collapse.

On April 6, 1865, Union forces intercepted Lee's retreat at the Battle of Sailor's Creek, one of the decisive engagements of the Appomattox Campaign. During the fierce fighting, Sergeant Lunt charged into the enemy's ranks and captured the colors of the 18th Georgia Infantry. In Civil War combat, regimental flags were powerful symbols of command, morale, and unit identity. They were heavily defended, making their capture one of the most dangerous and respected acts a soldier could accomplish. In recognition of his extraordinary bravery, Lunt was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 10, 1865. His official citation records the action in simple but powerful words:

"Capture of flag."

While only two words long, the citation reflects an act that required exceptional courage under direct enemy fire. Lunt's gallantry came just three days before the surrender at Appomattox Court House, placing his heroism among the final Medal of Honor actions of the Civil War.

After returning home to Massachusetts, Lunt resumed civilian life but remained part of a generation whose service preserved the Union and shaped the future of the United States. As a surviving Union veteran, he was also entitled to the Civil War Campaign Medal, recognizing his honorable wartime service. He passed away on July 17, 1917, leaving behind a legacy defined not by rank or fame, but by extraordinary courage when it mattered most. Today, Sergeant Alphonso Lunt is remembered as one of the many citizen soldiers whose valor during the Civil War earned the nation's highest military decoration and helped bring the conflict to its historic conclusion.