Charles W. Dolloff

He Captured an Enemy Flag in the Final Assault on Petersburg

Charles W. Dolloff was an American Union Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War. Serving as a corporal in Company K of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery, Dolloff distinguished himself during the Union assault on Confederate defenses at Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2, 1865. His capture of an enemy flag during the fighting earned him the nation's highest military decoration in the final weeks of the war.

Born on May 10, 1844, in Parishville, St. Lawrence County, New York, Dolloff grew up during the years preceding the American Civil War. Surviving records provide limited information about his childhood, education, and family circumstances. His documented military history begins with his enlistment in the Union Army during the conflict.

On December 5, 1863, Dolloff enlisted in Company K of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery. The regiment had originally been organized as the 11th Vermont Infantry before receiving its heavy artillery designation. Although organized for artillery service, the regiment also performed infantry duties during Union military operations in Virginia.

Dolloff's enlistment was credited to St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His assignment placed him among the Vermont volunteers serving in the Union Army during the later campaigns of the Civil War.

The 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery served in the defenses of Washington before joining the Army of the Potomac's field operations in 1864. As part of the VI Corps, the regiment participated in the prolonged military struggle against Confederate forces in Virginia.

Dolloff continued his service as the regiment became involved in increasingly demanding operations. On December 23, 1864, he was promoted to corporal, advancing from his original enlisted position.

By early 1865, the Union Army had maintained pressure against Petersburg for several months. The city was a major Confederate transportation and supply center, and its defensive lines played an important role in protecting Richmond, the Confederate capital.

Union forces under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant continued efforts to weaken and break through the Confederate defenses. The campaign involved extensive trench systems, fortified positions, artillery bombardments, and repeated infantry engagements.

On April 2, 1865, the Union Army launched a major assault against Confederate fortifications southwest of Petersburg. The attack became part of the Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Petersburg Breakthrough.

The VI Corps participated in the offensive, advancing against the Confederate defensive line during the early hours of the morning. The operation sought to penetrate the entrenched positions that had resisted Union forces during the preceding months.

The attacking formations included soldiers from the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery. Dolloff was serving as a corporal in Company K when he performed the action that would earn him the Medal of Honor.

During the fighting, Dolloff captured an enemy flag.

His official Medal of Honor citation records the achievement in the concise words, "Capture of flag."

The capture of a Confederate flag was a notable battlefield accomplishment. Regimental colors represented a military unit's identity and served as important visual reference points during combat. Soldiers carrying the colors often occupied exposed positions, particularly during assaults against fortified defenses.

Dolloff's action occurred during the Union breakthrough at Petersburg, when attacking troops advanced against Confederate positions and engaged the defenders along their fortified line.

Although the official citation confirms his capture of an enemy flag, it does not identify the Confederate regiment to which the colors belonged or describe the exact circumstances of the seizure.

His documented achievement must therefore be understood through the specific recognition preserved in his Medal of Honor citation: he captured an enemy flag during the fighting at Petersburg on April 2, 1865.

The wider Union assault succeeded in breaking through important sections of the Confederate defensive system. The defeat forced Confederate commanders to abandon Petersburg, and Richmond was evacuated as General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia withdrew westward.

Union troops entered Petersburg and Richmond on April 3, 1865. Lee's retreat ended with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on April 9, only seven days after Dolloff's recognized action.

The breakthrough at Petersburg was therefore among the decisive military developments of the Civil War's final days.

Dolloff's personal achievement received formal recognition shortly after the engagement. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records May 10, 1865, as the presentation date of his Medal of Honor, coinciding with his twenty-first birthday.

His decoration recognized the bravery he demonstrated as a corporal in Company K of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery during the Union assault at Petersburg.

Dolloff continued serving after his Medal of Honor action. On June 2, 1865, he was promoted to sergeant, the highest rank recorded in his military career.

This advancement followed his recognized battlefield achievement. Although Sergeant became his highest rank, Corporal remained the rank he held when he captured the enemy flag on April 2, 1865.

The end of the Civil War brought the gradual demobilization of Union volunteer regiments. Dolloff's service with the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery formed part of the regiment's final wartime history.

His correspondence with his brother John C. Dolloff, who served in the 15th Vermont Infantry, survives in a collection of Civil War letters. These documents preserve a personal connection to the military experiences of the two brothers and provide historical evidence of their service.

Following the war, Dolloff moved westward. Historical records describe his relocation first to Dakota Territory and subsequently to Wisconsin.

His later civilian life is less extensively documented than his military service. Available biographical accounts establish his movements after the war but provide limited detail concerning his occupation, family responsibilities, and activities during his remaining years.

Charles W. Dolloff died on August 2, 1884, near Canton, Wisconsin, at the age of 40. He was buried at Forest Cemetery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where his grave preserves the memory of his military service and Medal of Honor recognition.

Dolloff's military legacy is closely associated with Company K of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery and the Union breakthrough at Petersburg on April 2, 1865.

His capture of an enemy flag occurred during one of the final major offensives against Confederate forces in Virginia. The act earned him the Medal of Honor and established his place among the Union soldiers formally recognized for bravery during the American Civil War.

From his enlistment in December 1863 to his promotion to sergeant in June 1865, Dolloff's documented military career reflects his service during the closing campaigns of the conflict.

Charles W. Dolloff remains remembered for his courage at Petersburg, where his actions as a corporal in the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery earned him a lasting place among the recipients of America's highest military decoration.