Charles E. Morse

He Returned Into Enemy Fire to Save a Fallen Battle Flag

Charles E. Morse was a French-born Union Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a sergeant in Company I of the 62nd New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Anderson Zouaves, Morse distinguished himself at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia on May 5, 1864. When his regiment's color sergeant was mortally wounded during fierce fighting, Morse voluntarily rushed back toward enemy lines to recover the fallen flag. Although wounded himself, he carried the colors through the remainder of the engagement, an act of courage that earned him the nation's highest military decoration.

Born on May 5, 1841, in Marseille, France, Morse eventually immigrated to the United States. Little is documented about his early childhood, family background, education, or the circumstances surrounding his move to America. His surviving military history begins in New York City, where he enlisted in the Union Army on June 24, 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War.

Morse entered military service as a private and was mustered into Company I of the Anderson Zouaves on June 30, 1861. The organization subsequently became part of the 62nd New York Infantry. His progression through the enlisted ranks began early in his military career. Around August 21, 1861, when the regiment departed New York for Washington, he was promoted to corporal. On September 20, 1861, he advanced to sergeant.

His military service brought him into combat during the Union Army's operations in Virginia. On May 31, 1862, during the Battle of Fair Oaks, Morse suffered a wound to his hand. Despite this injury, he continued serving with his regiment.

The following year, on May 4, 1863, Morse was captured by Confederate forces during the Battle of Salem Church, also known as Salem Heights. He was subsequently exchanged and returned to Union military service. These experiences meant that by the spring of 1864, he had already endured both battlefield injury and captivity.

On May 5, 1864, Morse's twenty-third birthday, Union and Confederate forces confronted one another in the dense woodland of Virginia during the opening of the Battle of the Wilderness. The engagement marked the beginning of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

At the time of the battle, Morse was commanding his company, which had been reduced to approximately fifteen men and had no commissioned officers remaining to lead it. As a sergeant, he carried the responsibility of directing these soldiers during an engagement that would become the defining moment of his military career.

Morse and his company occupied a position near the center-left of the 62nd New York Infantry, close to the regimental color guard. During the fighting, the regiment advanced against Confederate positions near the Orange Plank Road, west of its intersection with Brock Road.

The Union troops initially pushed Confederate forces backward, but the advance eventually encountered stronger resistance. Intense enemy fire forced the regiment to halt, and an order was given to withdraw toward its rifle pits.

As the regiment fell back, Confederate soldiers advanced in pursuit. The retreat took place under dangerous conditions as Union troops attempted to maintain their organization and resist the approaching enemy.

During this withdrawal, Color Sergeant John H. L. Gilmore, who carried the regiment's flag, was struck by enemy fire and mortally wounded. He fell with the colors, leaving the flag exposed as Confederate forces continued their advance.

Recognizing the danger, Morse voluntarily rushed back toward the fallen color bearer. Corporal Michael Ditzel of Company F also moved forward to assist in recovering the colors.

Morse reached the wounded color sergeant and took possession of the flag. While attempting to return to the Union lines, he was shot in the knee by a Confederate officer. Despite his injury, he refused to abandon the colors and continued carrying them.

With Ditzel's assistance, Morse returned to his regiment. He maintained possession of the flag through the remainder of the engagement until the regiment was relieved from the fighting.

Regimental flags held considerable importance during the American Civil War. They identified military units, provided visible points of reference on the battlefield, and helped soldiers maintain their organization amid smoke, confusion, and enemy fire. The loss of a regiment's colors could therefore have consequences beyond the loss of the flag itself.

Morse's decision to return toward enemy lines demonstrated exceptional courage. He placed himself in danger to recover the colors from a mortally wounded fellow soldier and continued fulfilling that responsibility even after suffering another battlefield wound.

His official Medal of Honor citation recognized his voluntary return into enemy lines, his recovery of the colors, and his determination to carry them through the engagement despite being wounded.

The action occurred on May 5, 1864, exactly twenty-three years after his birth. Although he had already experienced several difficult engagements during his military career, his bravery at the Wilderness became the achievement for which he would receive national recognition.

On January 14, 1890, more than twenty-five years after the battle, Charles E. Morse received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary conduct. The decoration formally recognized the courage he demonstrated as a Union Army sergeant during one of the major engagements of the Civil War.

Morse's documented military service extended from 1861 to 1864. After leaving the Army, he lived for several decades, although reliable details concerning his civilian occupation, family life, and activities during the postwar years remain limited.

Charles E. Morse died on August 31, 1920, in Bath, New York, at the age of 79. He was buried at Bath National Cemetery in Bath, New York, where his grave is located in Section J, Row 24, Grave 4.

Morse's military legacy is defined by his service with the 62nd New York Infantry and his exceptional bravery during the Battle of the Wilderness. Having already suffered wounds and endured captivity, he demonstrated remarkable determination when he returned toward enemy lines to recover his regiment's fallen colors.

His actions on May 5, 1864, remain a documented example of personal courage under fire. Charles E. Morse is remembered as a Union Army sergeant who risked his life to preserve his regiment's flag, continued carrying it despite being wounded, and earned a permanent place among America's Medal of Honor recipients.