John Wallace Scott

He Took the Enemy Flag in Hand-to-Hand Combat

John Wallace Scott was born on August 31, 1832. During the American Civil War, he entered Union service and became an officer in the Pennsylvania infantry, eventually serving as captain of Company D, 157th Pennsylvania Infantry.

As the war entered its final year, Scott and his regiment continued campaigning in Virginia. In March 1865, the remaining men of the 157th Pennsylvania Infantry were transferred into the 191st Pennsylvania Infantry, placing Scott within the reorganized regiment as the Union armies began the final operations against Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

On April 1, 1865, Scott fought at the Battle of Five Forks, Virginia. The battle formed part of the final Union offensive against Confederate positions southwest of Petersburg and became one of the decisive engagements of the Appomattox Campaign.

During the fighting, Scott became involved in a direct struggle for the colors of the 16th South Carolina Infantry. In hand-to-hand combat, he captured the Confederate flag.

The seizure of an enemy battle flag carried exceptional significance during the Civil War. Regimental colors marked a unit’s position on the battlefield and served as a powerful symbol of its identity and cohesion. Capturing such a flag in close combat required Scott to place himself directly among opposing soldiers at one of the most dangerous points of the fight.

The Union victory at Five Forks helped force the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. Within days, Confederate forces were retreating westward, and on April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House.

Scott’s courage at Five Forks was recognized almost immediately. On April 27, 1865, less than a month after the battle, he received the Medal of Honor for capturing the flag of the 16th South Carolina Infantry in hand-to-hand combat.

During his military career, Scott also received the brevet rank of major, the highest verified rank associated with his service. His Medal of Honor action, however, had taken place while he was serving as a captain.

After the war, Scott returned to civilian life. He lived for nearly four more decades before dying on May 12, 1903, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John Wallace Scott’s military legacy rests on a single violent moment at Five Forks. In the confusion of close combat, he fought for an enemy regimental flag and took it. That act of personal courage, performed during one of the final decisive battles of the Civil War, earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place among the recognized heroes of the Union Army.