--- title: "What happened when two Civil War flag bearers fought each other" description: "For the Civil War flag bearers, the job was an incredibly important honor. The color bearers always had to be in front towards the enemy." date: "2022-10-10" modified: "2023-10-10" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/civil-war-flag-bearer/" categories: - "Civil War" - "History" - "War History" --- # What happened when two Civil War flag bearers fought each other ![Civil War flag bearers]() *"A gun and gunners that repulsed Pickett's Charge" (from The Photographic History of the Civil War). This was Andrew Cowan's 1st New York Artillery Battery.* It was the third day of the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg. Everyone involved in this Southern invasion of the Union knew how critical a victory would be for either side – and everyone was willing to risk everything to get the upper hand. That's when Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered Lt. Gen. James Longstreet to charge the Union lines and take Cemetery Hill from Union Gen. George G. Meade. Among the Union defenders was flag bearer Joseph H. DeCastro – and he was about to become the first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient. ![one of the civil war flag bearers]() *Sergeant Alex Rogers with Battle Flag, Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, Third Brigade, First Division, Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac. (Public domain)* DeCastro was the Union's [flag bearer]() for the 19th Massachusetts Infantry, a job that was arguably one of the most important in any unit. Troops put a lot of faith on their flag and the man who held it. They would give their lives to protect their regimental flag, and there were few humiliations worse than losing the unit colors to an enemy. In practical use, the flags told the men attached to those units where they were on the battlefield. When they couldn't hear commands over the din of the fighting, they would still be able to see their colors. For the Civil War flag bearers, the job was an incredibly important honor. Walking the battlefields unarmed, the color bearers could never run away from the fighting and always had to be in front towards the enemy. If the colors broke and ran for safety, the rest of the entire unit might instinctively follow. This is why Joseph H. DeCastro was so brave: He spent the [entire Civil War]() as a bright-colored, slow-moving artillery target. ![picket's charge civil war flag bearers]() *General Pickett's famous charge at Gettysburg. Note: An engraving of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg by Alfred Swinton after Alfred Waud. (Wikipedia)* But the flag bearer for the 19th Virginia infantry didn't know that. So when Pickett's Charge slammed right into the Union lines near Cpl. DeCastro's position, the two unarmed Civil War flag bearers began to go at it like everyone else in the melee around them. DeCastro used the staff of his regimental flag, knocked out the opposing flag bearer, stole the 19th Virginia's flag, and then left the battlefield to present it to Gen. Alexander Webb. Webb remembered the event: "At the instant a man broke through my lines and thrust a rebel battle flag into my hands. He never said a word and darted back. It was Corporal Joseph H. De Castro, one of my color bearers. He had knocked down a color bearer in the enemy's line with the staff of the Massachusetts State colors, seized the falling flag and dashed it to me." Color guards used to be serious business, guys. DeCastro then went right back into the fighting at Gettysburg, again taking up his position as regimental flag bearer in the fighting. He would survive Gettysburg and the Civil War, but not before being awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous capture of the enemy's colors in the middle of a battle that became well-known as the Confederacy's high water mark, in a victory that ensured the Confederate Army could never again mount an invasion of the North, that sealed the South's fate forever. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()