Marshall Sherman (c. 1823 – April 19, 1896) was an American soldier who fought with the Union Army in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Sherman received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

, for actions taken on July 3, 1863, during the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

Early life

Sherman was born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, in about 1823, and in 1849 moved to

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, Minnesota Territory, in search of work as a painter. At the outset of the Civil War, at the age of 37, Sherman mustered into the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Regiment.

Civil War service

The 1st Minnesota was the very first group of volunteers the Union Army received at the beginning of the Civil War. Fabled for taking part in almost every major engagement in the eastern theater of the war, Sherman was therefore involved in many battles during his three-year enlistment. During the

, Sherman and the rest of Company C joined the rest of their regiment at the East Cavalry Field. The days before saw the regiment lose roughly 80% of its troops after a deadly action at Plum Run. On July 3, while engaging with the 28th Virginia Infantry, Sherman captured the enemy flag, though stories of how he came to attain it differ. According to Sherman's own reports following the war, he ran down the enemy flag bearer and forced him to hand over the flag on threat of death. Sherman then took the flag and the enemy as prisoner. However, fellow private Daniel Bond remembered seeing the flag leaning against a tree, but lost a footrace to it after Sherman, who was closer, spotted it as well. Marshall Sherman 1867 public domain USGov

Marshall Sherman 1867 public domain USGov

Following Gettysburg, Sherman remained in the army for another year. He lost his leg in 1864 in a skirmish near Petersburg and was mustered out of the army.

Medal of Honor citation

Later years

Sherman had no apparent descendants, and very little of his life is known. He died in 1896, and the banner that he captured was displayed at his funeral. It eventually was added to the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society.

References

External links

Marshall Sherman on Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Marshall 1820s births 1896 deaths People from Minnesota Territory American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Burlington, Vermont People of Minnesota in the American Civil War People of Vermont in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients