Oliver Percy Rood

The Confederate Flag Recovered at Gettysburg

Oliver Percy Rood (c. 1844–1885) was an American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient who distinguished himself during the Battle of Gettysburg. Serving as a private in the 14th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, he recovered the battle flag of the 21st North Carolina Infantry on July 3, 1863. His action earned him the Medal of Honor on December 1, 1864, making him one of the Union soldiers formally recognized for capturing Confederate colors during the battle.

Rood was born in Franklin County, Kentucky, in the mid-1840s. Historical records differ on his exact birth year, with accounts identifying either 1844 or April 25, 1845. During the 1850s, he moved with his family to Indiana, where he spent part of his youth before entering military service.

By 1860, Rood was living in Carlisle, Sullivan County, Indiana, where he worked as an apprentice tinner. The occupation involved learning to manufacture and repair objects made from tin and other thin sheet metals, a common trade in nineteenth-century American communities.

When the American Civil War began in April 1861, Indiana became an important source of volunteer soldiers for the Union Army. Rood entered military service the following year. On August 27, 1862, he enlisted at Terre Haute, Indiana, joining Company F of the 14th Indiana Volunteer Infantry with the rank of private.

The 14th Indiana was an established Union regiment that had entered federal service in June 1861. By the time Rood joined, it had already participated in military operations in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. The regiment subsequently served with the Army of the Potomac in several major campaigns of the Eastern Theater.

During the autumn of 1862, the 14th Indiana participated in the Maryland Campaign, including the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. The regiment later took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Chancellorsville Campaign in the spring of 1863.

By the summer of 1863, the regiment belonged to the Third Division of the Union Second Corps, commanded by Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. The Army of the Potomac was moving north to confront General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army, which had advanced into Pennsylvania.

The opposing armies met at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. During the first day's fighting, Union forces withdrew through the town and established defensive positions on the high ground to the south. Cemetery Hill became a critical part of the Union defensive line.

The 14th Indiana arrived at Gettysburg on July 1 and was positioned with the Second Corps as the battle continued. On the following evening, Confederate troops launched a determined attack against East Cemetery Hill, threatening the Union artillery batteries stationed there.

The Confederate assault included troops from the brigade commanded by Colonel Isaac E. Avery. Among them was the 21st North Carolina Infantry, whose soldiers advanced toward the Union position under heavy fire.

As Confederate troops reached the crest of the hill, the fighting became intense around the Union artillery. The 14th Indiana, serving in Colonel Samuel S. Carroll's brigade, moved rapidly to reinforce the threatened position.

The brigade advanced through the cemetery and joined the fighting near the guns. After a fierce struggle, Union troops forced the Confederate attackers to withdraw from East Cemetery Hill.

The engagement caused substantial casualties among the attacking and defending soldiers. Several Confederate units lost men during the withdrawal, and some of their equipment and battle flags were left behind.

The flag of the 21st North Carolina Infantry was among the colors lost during the fighting. Historical research into the battle indicates that the regiment's color bearer had been killed and that the flag was abandoned during the Confederate withdrawal from Cemetery Hill.

On the morning of July 3, Private Rood recovered the 21st North Carolina's battle flag. His action was officially recorded as the capture of the Confederate regiment's colors at Gettysburg.

The recovery of the flag became the defining achievement of Rood's military service. His official Medal of Honor citation specifically identified the captured standard as belonging to the 21st North Carolina Infantry.

The 14th Indiana remained on Cemetery Hill during the final day of the battle. Confederate forces launched another major assault against the Union center on July 3, but the attack was repulsed. Following the Union victory, the Army of the Potomac pursued Lee's retreating army toward Virginia.

Rood continued his military service with the 14th Indiana after Gettysburg. The regiment participated in further Army of the Potomac operations during the remainder of 1863, including the Bristoe and Mine Run campaigns.

In the spring of 1864, the regiment served during the opening stages of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign. Its recorded operations included the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor.

By June 1864, the 14th Indiana's original three-year enlistment was approaching its conclusion. The regiment left the front, and those soldiers whose terms had expired were mustered out. Veterans and recruits with remaining service obligations were transferred to the 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

Rood transferred to the 20th Indiana in June 1864, after having served with the 14th Indiana at Gettysburg the previous year. His subsequent military association with the 20th Indiana explains why his Medal of Honor records identify that regiment, although the transfer occurred after the action for which he was decorated.

On December 1, 1864, Rood received the Medal of Honor for his capture of the Confederate battle flag at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. He held the rank of private, and the decoration formally recognized his individual contribution during the battle.

The surviving historical record contains comparatively little information about Rood's civilian life following the Civil War. His later residence and employment are not documented as extensively as his wartime service, and details of his family and personal activities remain uncertain.

Rood eventually lived in Nashville, Tennessee, where he died in June 1885, approximately forty years of age. Historical records differ on the precise day of his death, with June 1 and June 11 appearing in separate accounts.

He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rood's connection to Gettysburg was subsequently commemorated in his birthplace of Franklin County, Kentucky. A historical marker dedicated in 2007 at Leslie Morris Park on Fort Hill in Frankfort identifies his service with the 14th Indiana Infantry and recognizes his Medal of Honor.

Oliver Percy Rood's military distinction rests on his documented recovery of the 21st North Carolina Infantry's battle flag at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. His service with the 14th Indiana, subsequent transfer to the 20th Indiana, and Medal of Honor award establish the essential chronology of his military career and his recognized contribution to the Union victory at Gettysburg.