Marshall Sherman (1823 – April 19, 1896) was an American soldier who fought with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. 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 military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

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

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

Early life

Sherman was born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, in 1823, and in 1849 moved to

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, 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. Sherman is interred at Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

References

External links

Marshall Sherman on Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Marshall 1823 births 1896 deaths 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