Philipp Schlachter

Capturing the Colors at Spotsylvania

Philipp Schlachter was a German-born Union Army soldier and recipient of the United States Medal of Honor whose courage during the American Civil War earned him recognition for capturing a Confederate regimental flag. Serving as a private in Company F of the 73rd New York Volunteer Infantry, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, on May 12, 1864. During the fierce fighting, Schlachter captured the colors of the Confederate 15th Louisiana Infantry. His extraordinary battlefield achievement earned him the Medal of Honor on December 1, 1864.

Schlachter was born on June 17, 1841, in Germany. Details concerning his birthplace beyond the country, his parents, childhood, education, and early civilian occupation have not been reliably established. He later came to the United States, where his military service became associated with New York City.

During the American Civil War, Schlachter joined the Union Army and served in Company F of the 73rd New York Infantry. The regiment was one of the volunteer units organized in New York during the opening months of the conflict.

The 73rd New York Infantry was commonly known as the Fourth Excelsior Regiment and the Second Fire Zouaves. Organized principally in New York City, the regiment included men recruited from the city's volunteer fire companies. It formed part of the celebrated Excelsior Brigade, associated with Brigadier General Daniel E. Sickles.

The regiment was organized during the summer and autumn of 1861 and entered federal service as part of the Army of the Potomac. Its military history included operations in Virginia and participation in some of the major campaigns of the eastern theater.

During 1862, the regiment participated in the Peninsula Campaign, including the fighting at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, and the Seven Days Battles. It subsequently served during the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Fredericksburg.

In 1863, the 73rd New York continued operating with the Army of the Potomac. The regiment participated in the Battle of Chancellorsville and suffered particularly severe losses at Gettysburg, where it fought on July 2.

These engagements formed part of the regiment's documented history. However, the surviving Medal of Honor records do not establish Schlachter's individual participation in every earlier campaign or battle.

By the spring of 1864, the 73rd New York Infantry was serving in the Army of the Potomac's II Corps. Union forces had begun a major campaign under the overall direction of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, with Major General George G. Meade commanding the Army of the Potomac.

The campaign sought to maintain continuous pressure against General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Following the Battle of the Wilderness in early May 1864, the opposing armies maneuvered toward Spotsylvania Court House. Confederate forces established a series of defensive positions, including a prominent projecting line of earthworks known as the Mule Shoe Salient.

The fortifications provided the defenders with cover and presented a formidable obstacle to attacking Union infantry.

On May 12, 1864, Union forces launched a major assault against the Confederate positions. The attack began before dawn, with troops advancing toward the Mule Shoe Salient.

The initial Union breakthrough captured a substantial portion of the Confederate defenses. However, Confederate counterattacks followed, and the fighting continued at close quarters as both sides struggled for control of the earthworks.

One of the most heavily contested sections became known as the Bloody Angle.

The engagement involved sustained musket fire, artillery bombardment, and desperate infantry combat. Soldiers fought around defensive obstacles and earthworks in conditions that made coordinated movement extremely difficult.

The 73rd New York Infantry participated in the fighting around Spotsylvania on May 12. It was during this engagement that Private Philipp Schlachter performed the action for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Schlachter captured the battle flag of the Confederate 15th Louisiana Infantry.

Regimental colors held considerable importance during the Civil War. They represented a unit's identity and served as a visible rallying point during battle. Soldiers relied upon their flags to help maintain formation and recognize the position of their regiment amid battlefield smoke and confusion.

Because of this significance, the capture of an opposing regiment's colors was considered an exceptional military accomplishment.

Schlachter's seizure of the 15th Louisiana Infantry's flag was officially recorded as an act of extraordinary heroism.

His Medal of Honor citation identifies the captured regiment and the date and location of the action. However, it does not provide a detailed account of how he approached the flag, identify its bearer, or establish the precise circumstances of the capture. Those details therefore remain undocumented.

The 73rd New York experienced significant casualties during the Battle of Spotsylvania. Its officers and enlisted men faced intense fighting as the Union forces attempted to overcome Confederate resistance.

Schlachter was not the only member of the regiment recognized for extraordinary bravery during the engagement.

First Sergeant William Jones of Company A received the Medal of Honor for capturing the flag of the Confederate 65th Virginia Infantry. Jones was killed during the battle, and his decoration was awarded posthumously.

Private Christopher W. Wilson of Company E was also recognized for carrying his regiment's colors during the assault and capturing the flag of the Confederate 56th Virginia Infantry.

Together, these three Medal of Honor actions reflected the exceptional dangers faced by soldiers of the 73rd New York during the fighting at Spotsylvania.

The Battle of Spotsylvania continued beyond May 12, with Union and Confederate forces engaging in repeated assaults and defensive operations. Although the Union Army achieved a significant penetration of the Confederate line, Lee's forces eventually established new defensive positions.

Grant continued the campaign southward, maintaining pressure on the Confederate army through additional operations in Virginia.

The 73rd New York subsequently participated in further campaigning, including operations leading toward Petersburg. The regiment remained in federal service until June 29, 1865.

Schlachter's individual service after his Medal of Honor action, including his precise discharge date, is not sufficiently documented in the readily available records to establish every subsequent assignment.

On December 1, 1864, Philipp Schlachter received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Spotsylvania.

The award recognized his capture of the 15th Louisiana Infantry's flag on May 12, 1864, while serving as a private in Company F of the 73rd New York Infantry.

Unlike many Civil War soldiers whose acts of bravery were recognized decades after the conflict, Schlachter received his decoration during the war itself.

His military achievement was preserved in the official records of the United States Army and later in the historical registers of Medal of Honor recipients.

Following the Civil War, Schlachter lived for nearly six decades. The surviving biographical record places him in Sturgis, Michigan, during the final period of his life.

Reliable details concerning his civilian occupation, family relationships, and personal activities after military service remain limited.

Philipp Schlachter died on September 9, 1923, in Sturgis, Michigan, at the age of eighty-two. He was buried in Sturgis, where his grave is recorded in Medal of Honor burial records.

His legacy is closely associated with the courage he demonstrated at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. As a private in the 73rd New York Infantry, he captured the Confederate 15th Louisiana Infantry's colors during one of the most fiercely contested battles of the Overland Campaign.

That achievement earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place among the Union soldiers whose individual actions received the nation's highest military recognition. Philipp Schlachter's service remains part of the history of the Army of the Potomac and the sacrifices made by its soldiers during the American Civil War.