Nathaniel M. Allen

He Turned Back Into Enemy Fire to Save Two Flags

Nathaniel M. Allen (April 29, 1840 – July 30, 1900) was an American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the Battle of Gettysburg. Serving as a corporal in Company B of the 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, he risked his life on July 2, 1863, to recover his regiment's fallen colors while Confederate troops advanced against the Union position. Already carrying the national flag, Allen returned through enemy fire to retrieve the regimental flag from beneath its fallen bearer. He successfully brought both standards off the battlefield, an act of courage for which he received the Medal of Honor in 1899.

Allen was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 29, 1840. His father, Gaius W. Allen, was originally from Maine, and the family lived in Boston during Nathaniel's childhood. The 1850 United States census recorded him in the family household alongside his siblings. His brother George W. Allen would also serve in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Before entering military service, Allen worked as a watchmaker, a skilled occupation involving the repair and maintenance of mechanical timepieces. He was employed in this trade when the outbreak of the Civil War led him to enlist in the Union Army.

On May 22, 1861, Allen enlisted as a private in Company B of the 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at East Boston. He was mustered into federal service the following day. The regiment was among the early Massachusetts volunteer units organized for three years of service after President Abraham Lincoln called for troops to suppress the rebellion.

The 1st Massachusetts Infantry subsequently served with Union forces in Virginia and became part of the Army of the Potomac. Its early wartime experience included the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, followed by further operations as the Union Army attempted to advance against Confederate forces.

Allen continued serving with Company B as the regiment participated in the campaigns of 1862. His military responsibilities increased when he was appointed corporal, a promotion recorded in his service summary as taking effect on January 26, 1863. He subsequently served with the regiment's color guard, whose duty was to protect and carry the unit's national and regimental flags during military operations.

The position of color bearer required soldiers to carry highly visible standards on the battlefield. These flags helped identify a regiment's location and provided a point around which soldiers could maintain formation. Their bearers were particularly exposed to enemy fire, and the loss of a regiment's colors was considered a serious military event.

In the summer of 1863, the 1st Massachusetts Infantry marched north with the Army of the Potomac as Union forces moved to confront General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army during its invasion of Pennsylvania. The opposing armies met at Gettysburg, where the fighting developed into one of the largest battles of the Civil War.

On July 2, 1863, the second day of the battle, the 1st Massachusetts occupied a forward position near the Emmitsburg Road as part of the Union Third Corps. Lieutenant Colonel Clark B. Baldwin commanded the regiment, which was assigned to the division of Major General David B. Birney.

During the afternoon, Confederate infantry advanced against the Union line. The 1st Massachusetts came under heavy attack, and its position became increasingly difficult to maintain as Confederate troops pressed forward.

Allen was serving with the color guard when Color Sergeant William Eaton, who carried the national colors, was wounded. Allen took possession of the flag and continued carrying it as the fighting intensified.

As the Union line began to fall back, Allen saw another color bearer, Sergeant William Kelren, fall with the regimental flag. The fallen standard lay beneath its bearer's body, exposed to capture by the advancing Confederate soldiers.

Although Allen was already carrying the national flag, he turned back toward the enemy position rather than continuing his withdrawal. Moving through Confederate fire, he reached the fallen color bearer and pulled the regimental flag and its staff from beneath the body.

With both flags in his possession, Allen returned to the withdrawing Union troops and successfully carried the standards away from the battlefield. His actions prevented the regimental colors from falling into Confederate hands during the retreat.

The fighting inflicted severe losses on the 1st Massachusetts Infantry. Of the approximately 384 men the regiment brought to Gettysburg, its recorded casualties included 16 killed, 83 wounded, and 21 missing. Allen survived the engagement without being wounded.

His family also experienced the consequences of the battle. His brother George W. Allen, who served in Company A of the same regiment, was captured at Gettysburg and subsequently held in Confederate prisons, including Belle Isle and Libby Prison.

Following Gettysburg, Nathaniel Allen remained in military service with the 1st Massachusetts Infantry. The regiment continued participating in the Army of the Potomac's campaigns, including the operations of the autumn of 1863 and the opening stages of the Overland Campaign in 1864.

Allen completed his three-year enlistment and was mustered out of federal service on May 25, 1864. His surviving service records indicate that he was never wounded, hospitalized, or captured during his military career, despite his duties with the color guard.

After leaving the Army, Allen returned to civilian life in Massachusetts and resumed working as a watchmaker. He initially lived in Boston and later resided in Marblehead. The 1880 United States census recorded him as an unmarried watchmaker living in Marblehead.

As he grew older, deteriorating eyesight made it increasingly difficult for him to continue his trade. The precision required for watch repair depended on clear vision, and his declining ability to perform that work affected his livelihood.

Allen eventually moved to South Acton, Massachusetts, where he lived with his sisters, Charlotte and Nancy Allen. He remained connected with fellow Union veterans and became a member of Isaac Davis Post No. 138 of the Grand Army of the Republic, a national organization established for veterans of the Union armed forces.

On August 19, 1892, Allen submitted an application for an invalid pension based on his military service. The surviving pension records document his continuing connection with the federal government through the veterans' benefits system.

More than thirty-five years after Gettysburg, Allen received formal recognition for his wartime gallantry. On March 29, 1899, the Medal of Honor was officially issued to him for his actions on July 2, 1863.

The award recognized his decision to return under enemy fire, recover the fallen regimental flag, and carry both the national and regimental colors to safety. Allen acknowledged receipt of the decoration in correspondence dated March 31, 1899. His recognition was also commemorated at a gathering associated with veterans of his former regiment.

Allen continued living in South Acton during his final years. The 1900 United States census recorded him in the household of his sisters Charlotte and Nancy.

Nathaniel M. Allen died in Acton, Massachusetts, on July 30, 1900, at the age of sixty. His death record identified nervous exhaustion and heart disease as contributing causes. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Acton, where his grave remains part of the community's Civil War history.

Allen's military distinction is preserved in his official Medal of Honor citation, service records, and the historical accounts maintained by his community. His actions at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, remain the defining event of his military career: while his regiment withdrew under Confederate fire, he returned to recover a fallen flag and brought both regimental standards safely from the field.