Book Review: Carrying the Flag by Gordon C Rhea

Carrying the Flag: The Story of Private Charles Whilden, the Confederacy's Most Unlikely Hero

Gordon C. Rhea

Copyright 2004

Basic Books

In this fine narrative, Gordon C. Rhea describes the life story of a truly "common" Confederate soldier, with the battles and campaign that gave him the chance to go from "ordinary" to "hero" in a matter of minutes. 

Writing in a style of a story teller, Rhea tells of the frustrations that Charles Whilden experienced for much of his life, including in the early 1860s when his health issues kept him from being accepted into the Confederate Army. Whether at home in Charleston, in Detroit or in New Mexico, Whilden struggled to achieve success, personally (he never married, and racked up various debts) and professionally (not finding a satisfying job that rewarded him financially.) Eventually, Whilden got his break when Confederate manpower shortages allowed the 1st South Carolina Regiment to accept him into their ranks.

Rhea uncovered many sources to describe Whilden's life, and the regions in which he lived, and combined that with his knowledge and research of  two early battles in the 1864 Overland Campaign that exposed Whilden to the so-called "glories" of war, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the Battle of Spotsylvania. Rhea describes how the armies approached each other and met in ferocious combat in both battles, describing the intensity of the fighting and suffering the men did. He paints a grim picture of these early May days, in both locations, describing the sights and sounds that men like Charles Whilden saw and heard. The vivid descriptions of these scenes do a terrific job of letting the reader understand - as much as we can - the type of horror these men experienced.

I will not describe in this review the actions Whilden took to earn the name hero, as Rhea does that in the book much better than I can, but the story he tells is one I'm glad to be familiar with now and one that I certainly recommend others read. Even seemingly small steps can lead to big accomplishments and inspire other people. (Granted, the title of the book does give a big hint about Whilden's actions.) 

I do wish the book had included some illustrations or photographs and maybe a couple more maps. It did have one map each of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania at the front of the book, but some more detailed images of the areas would have been nice, especially later in the book when actions in these areas were being described.

Despite that minor criticism, I found this to be a very enjoyable, readable book that tells a wonderful story, illuminating a small, heroic-yet-unknown action that took place during one of the more terrible blood-lettings of the war. How many more heroes like Whilden made such courageous moves during the war, only to have their actions disappear into the fog of time and history? We may never know, but thanks to some surviving family papers, and Gordon Rhea's research and writing abilities, we can know realize and appreciate what Chalres Whilden did and the courage he showed in that one moment in May of 1864. This book does fine justice to Mr. Whilden's bravery.

Fighting for the Bloody Angle, courtesy nps.gov

The Hero of Corinth

Here's another interesting story from The Civil War in Song and Story 1860-1865, collected and arranged by Frank Moore. It is from the 1882 version and this story comes from page 465 (with links, of course, added by me.)

It is an example of how much importance was placed on a unit's battle flag, the pride that soldiers took in protecting their own or capturing their enemy's.



The Hero of Corinth - Private Orrin B Gould, of company G, Twenty-seventh Ohio, was the hero of the battle of Corinth. The following letter to Governor Tod, from Colonel John W. Fuller, commanding the Ohio Brigade, embodies a history of young Gould's resplendent conduct.

      Headquarters, First Brigade, Second
              Division, Army of the Mississippi,
                        Near Ripley, Miss., Oct. 9, 1862

To the Governor of Ohio:

   SIR:  I have the honor of forwarding to your Excellency the "Battle-Flag" of the Ninth Texas regiment, which was captured by a private of the Twenty-Seventh Ohio infantry, at the battle of Corinth, Oct. 4, 1862.

   The rebels, in four close columns, were pressing with gallantry, amounting to recklessness, upon the Ohio brigade, with the evident intention of breaking our lines, when the terrible and incessant fire of our men drove them back in the utmost confusion.

   The Sixth Texas bore down upon the left centre of the 27th Ohio, with this flag at the head of their column, and advanced to within six or eight yards of our lines, when Orrin B. Gould, a private of company G, shot down the color-bearer, and rushed forward for the rebel flag. A rebel officer shouted to his men to "save the colors," and at the same moment put a bullet into the breast of Gould; but the young hero was not to be intimidated. With the flagstaff in his hand and the bullet in his breast, he returned to his  regiment, waving the former defiantly in the faces of the enemy.

   After the battle, when visiting the hospitals, I found young Gould stretched upon a cot, evidently in great pain. Upon seeing me, his pale face was instantly radiant with smiles, and pointing to his wound, he said, "Colonel, I don't care for this, since I got their flag."

   I have the honor to be, your Excellency's obedient servant,
    JOHN W. FULLER
    Colonel, Twenty-seventh Ohio, commanding
    First Brigade, Second Division
                                

Here is a  story about the 9th Texas Infantry which claims theirs was not the flag Private Gould captured.

 The below photograph is of Colonel John Fuller, courtesy of http://www.parkerscrossroads.com/Battle_Information/forces/fuller.htm