Charles M. Holton

Charles Maynard Holton was a Union cavalryman of the United States Army whose courage during the Gettysburg Campaign earned him the Medal of Honor. He was born on May 25, 1838, in Potter, Yates County, New York, and later became associated with Battle Creek, Michigan, the community to which his military service was officially credited. During the Civil War he served with Company A, 7th Michigan Cavalry, first becoming known in the record as a senior enlisted soldier and ultimately reaching the verified highest rank of Second Lieutenant. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Holton’s regiment belonged to the mounted arm of the Union Army. The 7th Michigan Cavalry became part of the hard-fighting Michigan cavalry contingent that participated in the Gettysburg Campaign and numerous later operations. The regiment’s official National Park Service service record places it at Gettysburg from July 1–3, 1863, followed by operations through Maryland and toward the Potomac as Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia withdrew from Pennsylvania. National Park Service The situation following Gettysburg was extremely fluid. Lee’s army began moving toward the Potomac River while Union forces pursued. Heavy rain and a swollen river complicated the Confederate withdrawal, and Federal cavalry pressed the retreating columns while Confederate units tried to protect crossings and rear-guard positions. The campaign produced fighting around Williamsport, Hagerstown, and finally Falling Waters on July 14, 1863. The National Park Service identifies the 7th Michigan Cavalry among the Union formations engaged there. National Park Service At Falling Waters, Holton was serving as First Sergeant of Company A. That distinction matters for the database: his rank at the Medal of Honor action was First Sergeant, while his highest verified later rank was Second Lieutenant. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society explicitly preserves both ranks, and the National Medal of Honor Museum also identifies Second Lieutenant as his higher rank. Congressional Medal of Honor Society The fighting at Falling Waters became the defining episode of Holton’s military career. Confederate infantry was covering the withdrawal toward the Potomac when Union cavalry attacked. During that combat, Holton saw the flag of the 55th Virginia Infantry and took the extraordinary step of leaving his horse in the middle of fighting involving infantry troops. He dismounted and captured the Confederate flag. The official Army Medal of Honor citation specifically emphasizes both elements: the capture of the 55th Virginia Infantry’s colors and the fact that he dismounted in the midst of battle to seize them. Army Capturing an enemy regimental flag carried exceptional military significance during the Civil War. Colors were more than ceremonial objects; they marked a regiment’s position, acted as rallying points amid smoke and confusion, and symbolized the unit’s identity and honor. Because color bearers and their guards were obvious targets, reaching an enemy standard generally meant entering one of the most dangerous parts of an engagement. Holton’s decision to dismount from the mobility and relative advantage of cavalry and enter close fighting among foot soldiers made his action particularly hazardous. The larger engagement at Falling Waters formed part of the final stage of Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg. Confederate troops were trying to cross the Potomac while rear-guard formations attempted to delay Federal pursuit. Contemporary official reports describe Union cavalry suddenly striking Confederate infantry as the withdrawal continued. Holton’s capture of the 55th Virginia Infantry flag therefore occurred not in an isolated skirmish but within the closing combat of one of the most consequential campaigns of the Civil War. National Park Service After Falling Waters, the 7th Michigan Cavalry continued active service. Its documented operations included further campaigning in Virginia during 1863 and extensive combat afterward. The unit would go on to take part in major cavalry operations during the later phases of the war. Holton’s personal Medal of Honor record, however, is centered firmly on the action of July 14, 1863; unsupported assumptions about his participation in every subsequent regimental engagement should therefore be avoided. National Park Service At some point after serving as First Sergeant, Holton advanced into the officer ranks and ultimately attained Second Lieutenant, which is his highest verified rank according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. This is why your database entry should continue to show Second Lieutenant as his main rank while retaining First Sergeant as his rank during the heroic action. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Medal of Honor The principal verified military decoration of Charles Maynard Holton is the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration for valor. His verified award details are: Decoration: Medal of Honor Branch: United States Army Rank at Action: First Sergeant Highest Verified Rank: Second Lieutenant Unit: Company A, 7th Michigan Cavalry Action Date: July 14, 1863 Action Location: Falling Waters, Virginia Recognized Act: Capture of the flag of the 55th Virginia Infantry after dismounting during close fighting Presentation / Issue Date: March 21, 1889 Posthumous: No Congressional Medal of Honor Society The Medal of Honor itself originated during the Civil War. Congress authorized an Army Medal of Honor in 1862, following the creation of the naval award in 1861. The original Army decoration used a five-pointed star suspended beneath military emblems, and during the Civil War the award was intended to recognize conspicuous gallantry and soldierly conduct. Congress expanded eligibility to commissioned officers in 1863. Army Holton did not receive the Medal immediately after Falling Waters. More than twenty-five years passed before the United States formally recognized his 1863 action. His Medal was issued on March 21, 1889, while he was still alive. This long delay was not unusual among Civil War Medal of Honor recipients; many actions were formally recognized years after the conflict. Army For the historical ribbon system in your database, the correct selection is: Medal of Honor 1862–1895 Army ✅ That classification is correct because Holton’s Medal was issued in 1889. The Army did not change the Medal of Honor ribbon to the later vertically striped red-white-blue design until 1896. Therefore, the 1896–1903 version would be historically wrong for his presentation period. Army No clasp, star, or other device has been verified for Holton’s Medal of Honor. Under the client’s rules, nothing additional should be placed on the ribbon without recipient-specific evidence. Later Life and Legacy Holton lived for roughly another decade after receiving the Medal of Honor. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records that he died in Yakima, Washington, on August 25, 1899, and that he was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan. This burial location is also independently preserved in Michigan Civil War burial records and Medal of Honor historical research. Congressional Medal of Honor Society There is a small date discrepancy in later secondary material: some sources give his death a few days earlier in August 1899. For this profile, August 25, 1899 is the safest date to retain because it is the date currently used by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. That avoids silently following the conflicting Wikipedia date. Charles Maynard Holton’s place in American military history rests on a highly specific act of battlefield courage. As First Sergeant of Company A, 7th Michigan Cavalry, he participated in the Union pursuit following Gettysburg and, at Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, deliberately dismounted amid fighting with Confederate infantry to seize the colors of the 55th Virginia Infantry. His action was eventually recognized with the Medal of Honor on March 21, 1889, and his later advancement to Second Lieutenant completed a military career that had taken him from senior enlisted leadership into the officer ranks. His story also illustrates the importance of regimental colors in Civil War combat and the unusual risks cavalrymen sometimes accepted when mounted warfare dissolved into close fighting on foot. More than a century later, Holton remains remembered through the official Army Medal of Honor roll, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and his burial at Oak Hill Cemetery—a Michigan soldier whose individual action during the final days of the Gettysburg Campaign secured a permanent place in the history of the United States Army.