Charles Shambaugh

The Corporal Who Captured the Confederate Colors

Charles Shambaugh was a Prussian-born Union Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a Corporal in the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves, also designated the 40th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, he distinguished himself at Charles City Crossroads, Virginia, on June 30, 1862. During the fighting, Shambaugh captured a Confederate battle flag, an act of courage that earned him the nation's highest military decoration on July 17, 1866.

Shambaugh was born on August 25, 1839, in Prussia, in present-day Germany. According to biographical accounts preserved by Prospect Hill Cemetery, he immigrated to the United States in 1847, when he was approximately eight years old. Limited information survives concerning his childhood and his activities in America before the Civil War.

When the conflict began in 1861, Shambaugh entered Union military service in Pennsylvania. On June 10, 1861, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Reserves, joining the infantry forces being organized to support the Union war effort.

Shambaugh served as a Corporal in the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves, a regiment that participated in major military operations in Virginia. The regiment was also known as the 40th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

During the spring and summer of 1862, Union forces under Major General George B. McClellan conducted the Peninsula Campaign against Confederate defenses near Richmond, Virginia. The campaign culminated in the Seven Days Battles, a series of engagements that forced the Union Army to withdraw from its advanced positions.

The 11th Pennsylvania Reserves participated in this campaign and experienced severe fighting. On June 27, 1862, the regiment suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Gaines' Mill, where a large portion of the unit was captured.

Three days later, Shambaugh took part in the Battle of Charles City Crossroads, also known as the Battle of Glendale.

On June 30, 1862, Confederate forces attacked Union positions as the Army of the Potomac continued its withdrawal toward the James River. Fighting developed across fields, wooded areas, and roads near Glendale as Union troops attempted to hold their positions against Confederate assaults.

Shambaugh served in the infantry line during the engagement.

An early historical account describes Shambaugh observing Confederate colors and discussing their possible capture with Sergeant Henderson C. Howard, another soldier of the Pennsylvania Reserves.

The account relates that Shambaugh and Howard moved ahead of the Union battle line in anticipation of an approaching Confederate attack.

As Confederate troops advanced, the two soldiers became separated in the confusion of the fighting.

Shambaugh nevertheless continued his attempt to capture the enemy colors.

When the Confederate force charged, he seized the flag from its bearer and managed to return to the Union position with it.

His action involved considerable danger. Moving ahead of his own line exposed him to Confederate troops advancing toward the Union position. Capturing the colors required approaching the enemy closely enough to seize the flag and then returning through the battlefield.

Shambaugh succeeded in bringing the captured flag back to the Union line.

His official Medal of Honor citation recognizes the achievement with the words "Capture of flag."

The action occurred during a difficult phase of the Peninsula Campaign, when Union forces were attempting to withstand Confederate attacks while continuing their withdrawal.

The capture of an opposing military unit's colors was regarded as a significant achievement during the Civil War. Battle flags represented regimental identity and served as rallying points for soldiers during combat.

Shambaugh's capture of the Confederate flag therefore became a distinguished individual achievement during the engagement at Charles City Crossroads.

His military service continued after the battle, but his time in the Army was cut short by injury.

On August 30, 1862, Shambaugh was wounded during the Second Battle of Bull Run in northern Virginia. Historical accounts record that he lost a leg as a result of his wartime injury.

The wound ended his active military career. On October 13, 1862, he received a disability discharge from Union service.

Although his military service lasted less than two years, it included participation in major engagements of the 1862 Virginia campaigns and the action that would later earn him national recognition.

On July 17, 1866, more than four years after the Battle of Charles City Crossroads, Charles Shambaugh was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The decoration formally recognized his capture of the Confederate flag on June 30, 1862.

Shambaugh returned to civilian life following his discharge. Surviving biographical information indicates that he spent time in Pennsylvania and Kansas before eventually settling in the Washington, D.C., area.

Records identify two daughters, Jennie, born in Pennsylvania in 1873, and Lizzie, born in Kansas in 1877.

By 1890, Shambaugh was living in Washington, D.C. City directory records from that period identify him as a watchman in 1890 and an elevator operator in 1891.

A contemporary historical publication also described him as employed in the War Department in Washington. These records document his continued working life decades after the injury that had ended his military service.

Shambaugh remained associated with the nation's capital during his later years.

He died on October 12, 1913, in Hyattsville, Maryland, at the age of 74. He was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

His military legacy is connected to the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves and the Battle of Charles City Crossroads, where he captured an enemy flag while serving as a Corporal.

The battlefield achievement, followed by his severe wounding at Second Bull Run and subsequent disability discharge, marked a brief but significant period of his life.

Charles Shambaugh is remembered as a Union Army soldier whose courage on June 30, 1862, earned him the Medal of Honor and a lasting place among the recognized heroes of the American Civil War.