Charles Henry Ilgenfritz

He Raised the Fallen Flag Under Deadly Enemy Fire

Charles Henry Ilgenfritz was an American Union Army soldier who received the United States Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a sergeant in Company E of the 207th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Ilgenfritz distinguished himself during the Union assault on Confederate defenses at Fort Sedgwick, Virginia, on April 2, 1865. When his regiment's color bearer fell after being struck by seven projectiles, Ilgenfritz immediately seized the fallen flag and planted it upon the enemy's fortifications despite intense artillery and musket fire. His courageous action earned him the nation's highest military decoration nearly fifty-two years later.

Born on March 4, 1837, in York County, Pennsylvania, Ilgenfritz grew up in the region that would remain closely associated with his life and military service. Relatively little verified information survives concerning his childhood, education, family background, or civilian activities before the Civil War.

Ilgenfritz entered Union military service during the final year of the conflict. On August 27, 1864, he enlisted in York, Pennsylvania, as first sergeant of Company E of the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was formally mustered into service on September 3, 1864.

The 207th Pennsylvania Infantry subsequently became associated with the nickname Cox's Tioga Tigers. The regiment served in Virginia during the closing campaigns of the Civil War, participating in operations against Confederate forces defending Petersburg.

By the autumn of 1864, Petersburg had become the center of a prolonged military struggle. Union forces under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant sought to break the Confederate defensive positions protecting the city and the important transportation routes supporting General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

The 207th Pennsylvania Infantry participated in operations associated with the siege. As the fighting continued into the spring of 1865, Union commanders prepared renewed assaults intended to overcome the Confederate fortifications.

On April 2, 1865, Union forces launched a major offensive against the Confederate lines at Petersburg. The attack followed months of siege operations and contributed to the collapse of the Confederate defensive system around the city.

Ilgenfritz participated in the assault against the Confederate defenses at Fort Sedgwick, a fortified Union position commonly known as Fort Hell. The fighting occurred in the heavily defended sector surrounding the Petersburg fortifications.

During the advance, soldiers of the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry encountered difficult terrain and defensive obstacles. A contemporary account, later reproduced in historical narratives of his service, described concealed pits and other hazards along the route toward the Confederate works.

According to that account, Ilgenfritz fell into one of the pits while advancing with his regiment. Fortunately, the pit did not contain the sharpened stakes described as hazards in some of the defensive obstacles. He climbed out and hurried forward to rejoin his advancing company.

As the Union soldiers approached the enemy position, the regiment's color bearer was struck by enemy fire and fell. The official Medal of Honor citation records that the soldier had been pierced by seven projectiles.

The fall of the color bearer created a dangerous moment during the assault. Regimental colors identified military units on the battlefield and served as important visual references for soldiers moving through smoke, artillery fire, and confusion.

Recognizing what had happened, Ilgenfritz immediately moved forward and seized the fallen colors. Rather than leaving the flag behind as the attack continued, he took responsibility for carrying it toward the Confederate defenses.

Ilgenfritz advanced under concentrated enemy fire. Confederate defenders directed grape, canister, and musketry against the attacking Union soldiers as they approached the fortifications.

Despite the danger, he continued forward with the flag and planted the colors upon the enemy's works. His action placed the regimental flag at the Confederate position during the assault and became the defining achievement of his military career.

A historical account of the engagement also described another soldier, J. R. Hutchinson, advancing near Ilgenfritz. Hutchinson reportedly suffered a wound to his thigh from a projectile that had passed through Ilgenfritz's clothing, illustrating the close danger encountered by soldiers during the attack.

Ilgenfritz's bravery attracted the attention of his fellow soldiers and was subsequently brought to the attention of Brigadier General John F. Hartranft. The incident became part of the historical record of the Union assault at Petersburg.

His official Medal of Honor citation recognized his immediate response when the color bearer fell, his recovery of the flag, and his decision to plant the colors on the enemy's fortifications while exposed to heavy fire.

The action was particularly significant because it occurred during the final Union offensive against Petersburg. On April 3, 1865, Confederate forces abandoned Petersburg and Richmond as Lee's army withdrew westward.

Six days after Ilgenfritz's heroic action, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The surrender marked the effective end of major Confederate military resistance in Virginia.

Ilgenfritz's recognized conduct took place during these decisive final operations. His courage was demonstrated not through command of a large formation but through an immediate personal decision to recover and carry his regiment's fallen colors under enemy fire.

Although the action occurred in April 1865, his Medal of Honor recognition came many decades later. On March 20, 1917, Charles Henry Ilgenfritz received the Medal of Honor for his bravery at Fort Sedgwick.

The presentation took place nearly fifty-two years after the engagement, when Ilgenfritz was approaching the end of his life. His decoration formally acknowledged the extraordinary courage he had demonstrated as a Union Army sergeant during the Petersburg Campaign.

His military service records identify First Sergeant as the highest rank associated with his career, while his Medal of Honor citation records his action rank as Sergeant. His service with Company E of the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry remains central to his documented military history.

Ilgenfritz's actions were also commemorated in the historical interpretation of the Petersburg battlefield. Accounts describe a bronze representation of his bravery associated with a battlefield monument, preserving the story of the soldier who recovered and planted the colors during the assault.

After the Civil War, Ilgenfritz lived for more than five decades. He remained associated with York, Pennsylvania, although detailed information concerning his civilian occupation, family activities, and professional life is limited in the available historical accounts.

Charles Henry Ilgenfritz died on March 31, 1920, in York, Pennsylvania, at the age of 83. He was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, where his grave is located in Section E, Lot 115, Graves 4–7.

His legacy is defined by his bravery during the Union assault at Petersburg on April 2, 1865. When the color bearer of his regiment fell under enemy fire, Ilgenfritz moved forward, recovered the colors, and carried them onto the Confederate fortifications.

His Medal of Honor, presented in 1917, preserves the recognition of a soldier whose courageous action occurred during the final days of the American Civil War. Charles Henry Ilgenfritz remains remembered for his determination, presence of mind, and willingness to expose himself to deadly enemy fire while carrying his regiment's flag into battle.