Luther Kaltenbach

Seized the 44th Mississippi’s flag in the rout at Nashville!

Luther Kaltenbach (August 16, 1843 – September 1, 1922) was a German-born American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the American Civil War. Serving as a corporal in Company F of the 12th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he captured a Confederate battle flag during the Battle of Nashville on December 16, 1864. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor on February 24, 1865, establishing his place among the Union soldiers formally recognized for battlefield gallantry.

Kaltenbach was born in Germany on August 16, 1843, during a period when the region consisted of several independent German states. He immigrated to the United States as a child and eventually settled in Iowa. His early years were associated with rural life, although few independently documented details survive concerning his family, education, and childhood experiences.

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Kaltenbach entered Union military service, joining Company F of the 12th Iowa Infantry. His enlistment was associated with Honey Creek in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. The regiment was organized during the opening months of the conflict and became part of the Union forces operating in the Western Theater.

The 12th Iowa Infantry participated in several important campaigns, including operations in Tennessee and Mississippi. The regiment experienced severe fighting and heavy losses during the early years of the war. At the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, substantial portions of the regiment were captured by Confederate forces. The unit's subsequent history included reorganization and continued service in Union operations across the western states.

By December 1864, Kaltenbach was serving as a corporal in the regiment. The 12th Iowa formed part of the Union forces defending Nashville, Tennessee, against the Confederate Army of Tennessee commanded by General John Bell Hood.

The Battle of Nashville took place on December 15 and 16, 1864, when Union forces under Major General George H. Thomas launched a major offensive against Hood's army. On the first day, Union troops attacked and captured several Confederate defensive positions. The fighting continued the following day as Union formations advanced against the remaining fortified lines.

On December 16, the 12th Iowa Infantry occupied a position near the Granny White Pike, facing Confederate defenses protected by stone walls, earthworks, and artillery. The regiment spent much of the day under enemy fire while awaiting orders to advance.

Late that afternoon, Union forces launched a coordinated assault against the Confederate line. The 12th Iowa advanced rapidly with neighboring regiments, crossing the open ground and attacking the fortified position. The Confederate defenders were forced from their works, abandoning artillery, equipment, prisoners, and battle flags as their line collapsed.

During this charge, Corporal Kaltenbach performed the action that earned him the Medal of Honor.

As the 12th Iowa advanced, the color bearer of a Confederate Mississippi regiment was shot down. Kaltenbach moved forward ahead of the advancing soldiers and recovered the fallen battle flag. The flag was identified in his regiment's contemporary military report as probably belonging to the 44th Mississippi Infantry.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John H. Stibbs, documented the incident in reports dated December 28 and 29, 1864. Stibbs specifically identified Kaltenbach as the soldier who captured the large Confederate regimental flag during the afternoon assault. The report also recorded that Private Andrew J. Sloan of Company H captured a separate Confederate battery flag during the same engagement.

The capture was significant because regimental colors served as important symbols of a military unit's identity and organization. Taking an enemy battle flag during an engagement was recognized as an act of military distinction.

Kaltenbach's conduct received official recognition on February 24, 1865, when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His citation stated:

"Capture of flag, of 44th Mississippi Infantry (C.S.A.)."

The award recognized his specific action at Nashville while serving as a corporal in Company F of the 12th Iowa Infantry. His documented achievement rested upon the capture of the Confederate colors during the successful Union assault rather than upon any unverified account of additional individual combat.

Following the Battle of Nashville, the 12th Iowa continued serving in the final campaigns of the Civil War. Its subsequent assignments included operations along the Tennessee River and participation in the campaign against Mobile, Alabama. The regiment remained in federal service after the principal Confederate armies had surrendered and was eventually mustered out in January 1866.

Kaltenbach later attained the rank of sergeant, the highest military rank recorded for him. His wartime experience remained an important part of his documented personal history long after the conflict ended.

Following the war, Kaltenbach lived in several parts of the American West. His later life included periods in Colorado, Arizona, and California. Historical accounts of his postwar years describe continuing physical difficulties associated with wartime injuries, although the available evidence does not establish a complete chronology of his medical treatment and civilian occupations.

Kaltenbach maintained connections with fellow veterans of the 12th Iowa Infantry. Correspondence preserved in the regiment's reunion records demonstrates his continuing association with former comrades decades after the war. These records provide evidence of the relationships maintained among surviving members of the regiment as they grew older.

His military service also became the subject of federal pension proceedings. In 1905, Congress considered legislation to increase his pension. The Congressional Record identified him as a former member of Company F, 12th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and documented a proposed pension rate of twenty-four dollars per month.

The proceedings provide additional confirmation of his military identity and continuing recognition as a Civil War veteran. They also form part of the surviving administrative record of his life after active service.

Kaltenbach spent his final years in California. He died in Los Angeles on September 1, 1922, at the age of seventy-nine.

He was buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, in Section 43, Row A, Site 15. His cemetery records identify him as a sergeant and recognize his service with Company F of the 12th Iowa Infantry.

Luther Kaltenbach's documented military distinction remains his capture of a Confederate battle flag during the Union assault at Nashville on December 16, 1864. His Medal of Honor, contemporary regimental reports, and surviving military records preserve the circumstances of the action for which he received one of the United States' highest military honors.