John Henry Moffitt

When the Color Bearers Fell, He Took the Flag

John Henry Moffitt was born on January 8, 1843, near Chazy in Clinton County, New York. Raised in northern New York, he attended local district schools and Plattsburg Academy before the outbreak of the American Civil War changed the direction of his life. Still only eighteen years old, Moffitt entered Union service on April 27, 1861, joining Company C of the 16th New York Infantry.

The 16th New York was among the volunteer regiments raised during the first months of the war. Moffitt enlisted as a private, beginning his military career in the ranks. As the regiment trained and entered active operations, he advanced in responsibility, and by the time of the action that would define his military service he held the rank of Corporal.

In 1862, the 16th New York Infantry became involved in the Peninsula Campaign, Major General George B. McClellan's attempt to advance toward the Confederate capital at Richmond. The campaign exposed Union troops to a series of difficult battles as Confederate forces sought to halt the Federal advance.

On June 27, 1862, the two armies collided in the Battle of Gaines' Mill, one of the largest and most violent engagements of the Seven Days Battles.

The Union position came under repeated Confederate attacks. Infantry regiments fought amid heavy musketry and artillery fire as the Federal line struggled to hold. In Civil War combat, a regiment's colors were essential. They served as a visible rallying point through smoke, confusion, and noise, allowing soldiers to identify the location and direction of their unit.

Because of their importance and visibility, color bearers faced extraordinary danger.

During the fighting at Gaines' Mill, several of the 16th New York Infantry's color bearers were shot down. As the men carrying the regimental colors fell, Corporal John Henry Moffitt voluntarily stepped forward.

He took up the colors himself.

Moffitt carried the flag while the battle continued around him, remaining with it until he too was wounded. His decision ensured that the regiment's colors remained visible at a critical moment in the fighting.

The act later formed the basis of his Medal of Honor citation: he voluntarily took up the regimental colors after several color bearers had been shot down and carried them until he was himself wounded.

Moffitt was only nineteen years old.

The importance of his action went beyond possession of the flag. A Civil War regiment's colors represented the organization itself. Soldiers used them to rally and maintain formation, and their loss could create confusion during the chaos of battle. Taking responsibility for the colors after other bearers had already been struck required a soldier to assume one of the most exposed positions in the regiment.

Moffitt did so voluntarily.

He survived his wound and continued serving with the 16th New York Infantry. During his military career he eventually attained the rank of Sergeant, the highest verified rank associated with his service.

On May 18, 1863, Moffitt was mustered out with his regiment. His active Civil War service had lasted just over two years, but those years had already given him a permanent place in the history of the 16th New York Infantry.

After leaving the Army, Moffitt returned to education. He graduated from the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute in 1864 and then began a long civilian career that eventually carried him into government, industry, transportation, banking, and national politics.

From 1866 to 1872, he served as a deputy collector of customs at Rouses Point, New York. He subsequently became involved in the manufacture of charcoal bloom iron, conducting business at Moffitsville in Clinton County and later at Belmont.

His involvement in local public affairs also grew. In 1877 he was elected supervisor of the town of Saranac, beginning a political career that would eventually take him to Washington.

Moffitt was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served New York in the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses from March 4, 1887, until March 3, 1891. He did not seek renomination in 1890.

Remarkably, while Moffitt was serving his final years in Congress, official recognition of his Civil War courage was still pending.

Nearly twenty-nine years had passed since Gaines' Mill when his battlefield action was formally honored.

On March 3, 1891, John Henry Moffitt received the Medal of Honor for his conduct on June 27, 1862. The award recognized the moment when, after several color bearers had fallen, he voluntarily seized the regimental colors and carried them until he was wounded.

No additional clasp, bar, star, or other device accompanied his Medal of Honor.

His wartime record was also represented by the Army Civil War Campaign Medal, recognizing his qualifying service in the Union Army during the Civil War. The campaign decoration reflected his broader military service, while the Medal of Honor commemorated the specific act of courage that occurred at Gaines' Mill.

After leaving Congress, Moffitt continued an active civilian career. From 1891 to 1899 he managed the Syracuse Street Railway Company. He later served as superintendent of the Plattsburg city water department from 1900 to 1902.

His professional life then moved into banking. Moffitt became cashier of the Plattsburg National Bank in 1902 and, beginning in 1904, served as president of the Plattsburg National Bank and Trust Company. He remained associated with the institution for the rest of his life.

His public involvement also continued through political and civic activities in Clinton County. Over the decades, the teenage volunteer of 1861 had become a businessman, local official, congressman, banker, and prominent member of his community.

John Henry Moffitt died in Plattsburg, New York, on August 14, 1926. He was buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery.

His life stretched across more than six decades after the battle that made him a Medal of Honor recipient. Yet the defining moment of his military service remained remarkably simple.

At Gaines' Mill, the men carrying his regiment's colors were being shot down one after another. Moffitt saw the flag fall and chose to take their place.

He carried it until enemy fire struck him too.

That decision, made by a nineteen-year-old Corporal in the chaos of battle, became the foundation of his Medal of Honor and the enduring military legacy of John Henry Moffitt.