Charles Stuart Fall

He Captured a Confederate Flag, Then Threw It Away

Charles Stuart Fall 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 26th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Fall distinguished himself at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, on May 12, 1864. During a fierce assault against Confederate fortifications, he was among the first Union soldiers to reach the enemy's defensive works. There, he bayoneted two Confederate soldiers and captured an enemy flag, but discarded the colors to continue pursuing the retreating enemy. His actions earned him the nation's highest military decoration thirty-five years later.

Born in 1842 in Noble County, Indiana, Fall eventually moved to Michigan, where he entered military service during the Civil War. Some historical accounts identify November 12, 1840, as his birth date, although official Medal of Honor recipient information records his birth year as 1842. His childhood, education, family circumstances, and early civilian occupation are not extensively documented in the available historical accounts.

Fall entered the Union Army from Hamburg, Livingston County, Michigan, and served with Company E of the 26th Michigan Infantry. The regiment was organized during the Civil War and became part of the Union forces operating in the eastern theater.

The 26th Michigan Infantry was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and participated in military operations in Virginia. Its service brought the regiment into the prolonged struggle between Union and Confederate forces during the later years of the war.

Fall held the rank of sergeant, a noncommissioned officer responsible for assisting with the leadership and organization of enlisted soldiers. His documented military distinction occurred during the spring of 1864, when Union forces began a major campaign against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

In May 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant launched the Overland Campaign, advancing Union forces southward through Virginia. After the bloody Battle of the Wilderness, the opposing armies moved toward Spotsylvania Court House, where Confederate troops occupied extensive defensive fortifications.

The Confederate defensive system included trenches, earthworks, and fortified positions intended to resist Union infantry attacks. One of the most heavily contested areas was a projecting section of the Confederate line known as the Mule Shoe salient.

On May 12, 1864, Union forces launched a major assault against the Confederate defenses at Spotsylvania Court House. The attack developed into one of the most intense engagements of the Overland Campaign as Union troops advanced toward fortified positions defended by Confederate infantry.

Fall participated in the assault as a sergeant of Company E, 26th Michigan Infantry. During the advance, he moved toward the Confederate works with the attacking Union soldiers.

His official Medal of Honor citation identifies him as one of the first men to mount the enemy's fortifications. Reaching the Confederate defensive works placed him in direct contact with soldiers attempting to resist the Union attack.

In the close fighting that followed, Fall bayoneted two Confederate soldiers. His actions occurred at the enemy's works, where the opposing forces were engaged at extremely close range.

During the same engagement, Fall captured a Confederate flag. Regimental colors were important symbols of military identity during the Civil War, and their capture was frequently regarded as a significant battlefield achievement.

Fall's actions, however, took an unusual turn. Rather than retain the captured flag, he threw it away so that he could continue pursuing the enemy.

This decision became a distinctive part of his Medal of Honor citation. Although capturing enemy colors was itself a recognized military accomplishment, Fall chose to continue the fighting rather than stop to preserve the flag he had seized.

His official citation records that he was among the first to reach the Confederate works, bayoneted two enemy soldiers, captured a Confederate flag, and discarded it to continue the pursuit.

The surviving citation does not identify the specific Confederate regiment to which the flag belonged or establish the precise location where Fall discarded it. His documented achievement remains the series of actions recorded during the assault on May 12, 1864.

The fighting at Spotsylvania continued as Union and Confederate soldiers struggled for control of the defensive positions. Repeated assaults and counterattacks produced heavy casualties, particularly around the Confederate salient.

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House did not produce an immediate decisive victory for either army. Nevertheless, the engagement formed an important part of Grant's continuing campaign against Confederate forces in Virginia.

Fall's individual conduct was later recognized independently of the broader outcome of the battle. His bravery was distinguished by his early advance onto the Confederate fortifications, his participation in close combat, and his continued pursuit after capturing an enemy flag.

The official recognition of these actions came many years after the Civil War had ended.

On May 13, 1899, Charles Stuart Fall received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary conduct at Spotsylvania Court House. The presentation occurred thirty-five years and one day after the battle.

The award formally acknowledged his courage as a Union Army sergeant during the May 12, 1864, assault. His citation preserved the specific circumstances of his action, including the unusual decision to abandon the captured colors and continue pursuing Confederate troops.

Fall's military service with the 26th Michigan Infantry remains the central documented portion of his historical record. Detailed information concerning his subsequent wartime assignments, exact discharge circumstances, and civilian occupation after the war is limited in the available recipient accounts.

After the Civil War, Fall lived for more than five decades. His later life brought him to California, where he spent his final years.

Charles Stuart Fall died on June 4, 1918, in Pasadena, California. He was buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery, also known as Odd Fellows Cemetery, in Alhambra, California.

His military legacy is closely associated with the 26th Michigan Infantry and the Union assault at Spotsylvania Court House. On May 12, 1864, Fall demonstrated extraordinary courage during fighting at the Confederate defensive works, engaging enemy soldiers at close range and capturing a Confederate flag.

His decision to discard the flag and continue pursuing the enemy distinguished his action from many other Civil War Medal of Honor citations involving the capture of regimental colors.

Through his Medal of Honor, presented in 1899, Charles Stuart Fall earned lasting recognition for his conduct during one of the most fiercely contested engagements of the American Civil War. His documented bravery at Spotsylvania Court House preserves the memory of a Michigan infantry sergeant who advanced onto enemy fortifications and continued fighting despite the dangers of close combat.