Joseph Franklin Carter

He Was Captured—Then He Took the Enemy's Flag

He was captured in battle—then turned the tables on his enemies and seized a Confederate battle flag. On March 25, 1865, during the desperate struggle for Fort Stedman, Virginia, Captain Joseph Franklin Carter of the 3rd Maryland Volunteer Infantry demonstrated remarkable courage, determination, and battlefield leadership. After falling into Confederate hands, he regained his freedom and helped bring enemy prisoners into Union custody. His extraordinary actions earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place among the distinguished soldiers of the American Civil War.

Joseph Franklin Carter was born on September 11, 1842, in Baltimore, Maryland. He belonged to a Maryland family whose roots extended into the state's commercial and professional life. His father, Durus Carter, worked as a builder and civil engineer and was associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Growing up in Maryland during the decades preceding the Civil War, Joseph witnessed an increasingly divided nation, where questions of slavery, states' rights, and the preservation of the Union created profound political and social tensions.

When the American Civil War erupted in April 1861, Maryland occupied a particularly sensitive position. Although the state remained in the Union, divided loyalties made military service a deeply consequential decision. Carter eventually joined the Union Army, beginning a military career that would involve imprisonment, renewed service, and extraordinary bravery during the final weeks of the conflict.

On July 9, 1863, Carter entered Company D of the 9th Maryland Volunteer Infantry as a Second Lieutenant. The regiment was organized for temporary Federal service and assigned to military operations in western Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley region. Its responsibilities included protecting important transportation routes, maintaining military positions, and supporting Union operations near Harpers Ferry and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

Carter's first period of service was interrupted by a devastating encounter with Confederate forces. On October 18, 1863, Confederate troops under Brigadier General John D. Imboden attacked Union positions at Charles Town, in present-day West Virginia. Several companies of the 9th Maryland Infantry were overwhelmed and captured. Carter was among the prisoners taken during the engagement.

He was subsequently imprisoned in Richmond, Virginia, where he endured several months of captivity. His imprisonment became an important chapter in his military experience, exposing him to the hardships faced by Union officers held in Confederate custody. He was eventually paroled and returned to Annapolis, Maryland, in March 1864.

Following his release, Carter's service with the 9th Maryland Infantry formally ended on March 31, 1864. Rather than remaining outside military service, he returned to the Union cause. On April 5, 1864, he entered Company D of the 3rd Maryland Volunteer Infantry as a Captain, taking responsibility for leading soldiers during a particularly demanding stage of the war.

The 3rd Maryland Infantry served with the Union Army of the Potomac and participated in operations surrounding Petersburg, Virginia. By 1864, Petersburg had become one of the most strategically important Confederate defensive positions. Its railroads and transportation connections supported Richmond, the Confederate capital, making control of the city essential to the Union's efforts to bring the war to an end.

Throughout the prolonged Petersburg Campaign, Union and Confederate forces occupied extensive networks of trenches, fortifications, and artillery positions. Soldiers endured constant danger from rifle fire, shelling, raids, and sudden assaults. The 3rd Maryland Infantry served in this demanding environment, taking part in operations intended to weaken Confederate defenses and gradually isolate Petersburg.

By March 1865, the Confederate military position was becoming increasingly desperate. General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia faced severe shortages of supplies and mounting pressure from Union forces. Seeking to disrupt the Federal siege lines and create an opportunity for maneuver, Confederate Lieutenant General John B. Gordon organized a surprise attack against Fort Stedman, a Union stronghold east of Petersburg.

Before dawn on March 25, 1865, Confederate troops launched their assault. The attackers penetrated the Union picket line, overwhelmed portions of the defenses, and captured Fort Stedman along with several nearby artillery positions. Their initial success threatened the stability of the Federal line and created confusion among the defending troops.

Union commanders quickly organized a counterattack. Reinforcements moved toward the threatened positions, while soldiers from nearby fortifications resisted further Confederate advances. Captain Carter and the 3rd Maryland Infantry participated in the fighting as Federal troops worked to recover the lost ground.

As the Union counterattack succeeded, Carter moved beyond the recaptured fortifications toward Confederate soldiers who had become separated from their main force. In an account published years after the battle, he described encountering a large group of Confederates sheltering in a sunken road. Realizing that their retreat had been cut off, he demanded their surrender and persuaded their commanding officer that further resistance was hopeless.

While attempting to secure the prisoners, Carter noticed a Confederate officer and color guard trying to escape with a battle flag. He approached and demanded their surrender, but the armed Confederates refused and instead took Carter prisoner. Once again, the Union officer found himself in enemy custody.

The situation changed when Carter and his captors approached Union soldiers from the 100th Pennsylvania Infantry. Carter called for assistance, and the Pennsylvania soldiers intervened, forcing his captors to surrender. Carter regained his freedom and took possession of the Confederate battle flag.

The official Medal of Honor citation identifies the captured colors as those of the 51st Virginia Infantry. The citation also recognizes Carter's capture, escape, and return with Confederate prisoners. These actions distinguished him during an engagement in which rapidly changing battlefield conditions created extraordinary risks for officers and enlisted soldiers alike.

The Union counterattack ultimately succeeded in retaking Fort Stedman and restoring the defensive line. Confederate forces suffered substantial losses, including numerous prisoners, and the failed offensive further weakened Lee's army. The battle represented one of the Confederacy's final major attempts to break the Union siege of Petersburg.

Carter's conduct during the engagement demonstrated both personal courage and an ability to respond decisively under pressure. His capture of enemy colors carried particular military significance. During the Civil War, regimental flags served as important symbols of identity, pride, and battlefield organization. Capturing an opponent's colors was therefore regarded as a distinguished achievement, especially when accomplished under fire.

For his gallantry at Fort Stedman, Carter received the brevet rank of Major, dated March 25, 1865. This honorary promotion recognized his distinguished wartime service while preserving the distinction between his substantive rank of Captain and the higher brevet rank awarded for bravery.

Following the battle, the 3rd Maryland Infantry continued serving during the final operations around Petersburg. Confederate defenses collapsed in early April 1865, leading to the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. On April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, marking a decisive turning point in the conclusion of the Civil War.

Carter remained in military service until July 31, 1865, when the 3rd Maryland Infantry was mustered out of Federal service. His military career had taken him from the early responsibilities of a young lieutenant through the hardships of captivity and eventually to battlefield distinction as a captain and brevet major.

After leaving the Army, Carter returned to Maryland and resumed civilian life. On January 16, 1866, he married Mary Jane Latchford of Prince George's County. Later that year, the couple settled near Elkridge in Howard County, on property previously acquired by Carter's father. He remained connected to Maryland's civic and political life for many years.

More than twenty-six years after the Battle of Fort Stedman, Carter's wartime heroism received one of the nation's highest forms of recognition. On July 9, 1891, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 25, 1865.

Established during the American Civil War, the Medal of Honor was intended to recognize extraordinary acts of military courage. Carter's award acknowledged his capture of Confederate colors and his remarkable escape from enemy custody while bringing prisoners into Union hands. It permanently associated his name with one of the final major battles of the Petersburg Campaign.

During his later years, Carter moved to Washington, D.C., where he spent the closing period of his life. Having survived the Civil War and witnessed the profound transformation of the United States in the decades that followed, he remained among the generation of veterans whose sacrifices helped preserve the Union.

Joseph Franklin Carter died on April 10, 1922, in Washington, D.C., at the age of seventy-nine. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in Section 3, Grave 1550, alongside his wife, Mary Jane Carter.

His legacy remains closely connected to the dramatic events at Fort Stedman on March 25, 1865. From enduring Confederate imprisonment early in his military career to escaping capture and securing enemy colors during the closing weeks of the war, Carter demonstrated resilience and extraordinary battlefield courage.

The Medal of Honor awarded to Joseph Franklin Carter stands as a lasting tribute to his bravery, leadership, and service to the United States. His story preserves the memory of a Union officer who faced captivity more than once, continued to serve despite adversity, and emerged from one of the Civil War's final major engagements with an achievement that would be remembered for generations.