Charles L. Russell

Charles L. Russell was a United States Army soldier who earned the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War for capturing the flag of the 42nd Virginia Infantry at Spotsylvania, Virginia, on May 12, 1864. A native of Malone, New York, he served in the ranks before becoming a commissioned officer. Although his Medal of Honor citation identifies him as a corporal, his highest verified military rank was Second Lieutenant.

Russell’s military service included an earlier period with Company B of the 98th New York Infantry. He subsequently joined the 93rd New York Volunteer Infantry, a regiment also known as the Morgan Rifles. The official New York regimental roster records his enrollment at Cambridge, New York, on December 18, 1863, for a three-year term, followed by his muster into Company H as a private on December 21. These records establish that his service with the 93rd followed previous experience in another New York regiment.

During the spring of 1864, the 93rd New York Infantry became part of the Second Brigade, Third Division, Second Corps, in the Army of the Potomac. The regiment entered a demanding period of frontline service during the Overland Campaign, the Union offensive against General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Its fighting at the Wilderness was followed by further action at Spotsylvania Court House, where entrenched Confederate positions presented a formidable obstacle to the Union advance.

On May 12, 1864, Union forces launched a major assault against the Confederate defensive position known as the Mule Shoe salient. The fighting developed into one of the most intense struggles of the campaign, with repeated attacks and counterattacks around the earthworks. It was during the battle at Spotsylvania that Russell, serving as a corporal in Company H, captured the flag of the Confederate 42nd Virginia Infantry. This specific achievement became the basis of his Medal of Honor award.

Regimental flags held both practical and symbolic importance during the Civil War. They helped soldiers recognize their units and maintain their position amid the confusion of battle, while also representing the identity and honor of a regiment. Capturing an opposing regiment’s flag was consequently regarded as a significant battlefield achievement. Russell’s official citation records his deed with the brief statement: “Capture of flag of 42d Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).” The surviving citation does not describe the precise sequence of his encounter, but it clearly identifies the flag, the place, and the date of his distinguished action.

Russell was awarded the Medal of Honor on December 1, 1864. The Army version of the decoration had been established on July 12, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the legislation creating it. Introduced during the Civil War to recognize exceptional military gallantry, the Medal of Honor became the nation’s highest military decoration. Russell’s award belongs to this early Army period and commemorates his individual achievement at Spotsylvania.

His advancement continued after the award. On December 24, 1864, he was promoted to Commissary Sergeant, a position concerned with the administration and distribution of provisions. He was then commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on January 30, 1865, with rank dating from January 14. The official roster records his muster as a Second Lieutenant in Company E on May 3, 1865. These separate dates distinguish the granting of his commission and seniority from his formal muster in the officer grade.

The 93rd New York Infantry’s later wartime history included operations around Petersburg and participation in the Appomattox Campaign. Russell remained in service through the closing period of the war and was mustered out with his company near Washington, D.C., on June 29, 1865. His documented military career thus extended from enlisted service to the responsibilities of a commissioned officer.

Russell survived the Civil War by forty-five years. He died on June 7, 1910, at Hot Springs, South Dakota, and was buried in Hot Springs National Cemetery, where the Department of Veterans Affairs identifies his resting place as Section 3, Row 1, Site 12. His grave preserves the memory of a Union veteran whose courage at Spotsylvania earned national recognition.

Charles L. Russell’s legacy rests on a clearly documented act of battlefield bravery and a military career that continued beyond it. Remembered as a Medal of Honor recipient and a Second Lieutenant, he represents the soldiers whose individual actions formed an enduring part of the history of the American Civil War.