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 REGIMENTAL COLOR "The Color Episode" Recruited in nine Pennsylvania counties, the 149th Infantry was one of two "Bucktail" units recruited in August 1862 by Roy Stone, major of the original Bucktails (42nd Infantry). Immediately upon organization at Camp Curtin, the 149th, company with the 150th Infantry, proceeded to Washington, where the regiment remained on provost duty until it was assigned to the Third Division, First Corps, Army of the Potomac, in mid-Febrary 1863. On October 21, 1862, Colonel Samuel B. Thomas presented State colors to both Bucktail regiments. The 149th took part in the Chancellorsville Campaign of April-May 1863, but was not engaged with the enemy. Colonel Stone's brigade arrived at Gettysburg on July 1st, 1863, and took position near the McPherson farm on the ridge of the same name west of town. There was a lull in the fighting as the Pennsylvanians took position about noon. By 1:30p.m., newly-arriving Confederate troops were deploying and artillery fire began to descend on the Bucktails. To prevent needless casualties, Colonel Stone ordered Captain John C. Bassler, commanding Company C (the color-company), to send his flags off into a wheatfield located between the Chambersburg Pike and the unfinished railroad cut to the northwest of the brigade battle line. By doing so, the enemy noticed the movement of the colors and shifted the artillery to shoot at the flags, all alone in the wheat except for the bearers and guards. Captain Bassler's Company C was recruited in the Myerstown area of Lebanon County. The regimental colr-guard included two flag-bearers and four guards that fateful day. Sergeant Henry Brehm, a twenty-nine-year-old tailor, carried the state color. Corporal Franklin Lehman carried a regimental color, while four corporals - Frederick Hoffman, John Hammel, Henry Spayd and John Friddell - comprised the guards present for duty. When ordered to take the flags out into the wheatfield, Brehm led his squad through the tall stalks until he found a pile of fence rails that apparently had been heaped together by some of Buford's cavalrymen earlier in the day. The guard placed the flags upright and then crouched down behind the rails for protection as artillery projectiles began to fall in the field.  As the color-guard nervously awaited events, Confederate troops began to attack the position of the First Corps. By 3:15 p.m., Stone's brigade was attacked from the north and west and forced to retreat to Seminary Ridge to avoid destruction. When it became apparent that troops were moving about and it looked like confederate infantry was appraoching, several members of the guard asked Brehm to return to the regiment. But Brehm, a good soldier, said he had orders and would not retire unless Captain Bassler approved. Since the sergeant also was a bit apprehensive over their lack of subsequent orders, he allowed Corporal Hoffman to leave, find the regiment, and obtain fresh instructions. Hoffman finally located the 149th as it was beginning to retreat, but since enemy soldiers could be seen between the regiment and the colors, Hoffman had no opportunity to return and order his comrades to retreat. Meanwhile, advancing Mississippians of Joseph C. Davis's brigade saw two Yankee colors floating above the wheatfield. Soon, five volunteers led by Sergeant Frank Price of the 42nd Mississippi cautiously approached the wheatfield, crawling on all fours to avoid detection. The grayclad soldiers expected to see a line of Federal infantry protecting their silk banners. As they came nearer and nearer to the flags, they spied the rail pile and surprisingly saw no defending yankees. With a Rebel yell, the Mississippians sprang forward to the rail pile and the priczed flags. The sudden yelling startled the color-guards, still waiting behind the rails. Corporal Lehman stooed up to run, but colided with Sergeant Brehm. Lehman fell as one of the Mississippians grabbed the staff of the regimental flag and tried to wrench the banner from Lehman's grasp. A second enemy soldier rammed his musket into the bearer's chest. Before he could shoot, Corporal Spayd fired his Enfield and dropped the Confederate. Spayd then clubbed his musket and threw it at the Rebel who had seized the flagstaff, causing the enemy soldier to drop the flag. Lehman apparently was deafened by the rifle shot and had relaxed his grip on the flag. Spayd, now weaponless, grabbed the flag and sprinted toward the rear with Lehman close behind him. Meanwhile, Sergeant Price lunged forward for the state color, but Brehm retained his grip and the two antagonists pitched forward together into the fence rails. Brehm let go of the flag and began to fisticuffs with Price. Another Rebel seized the fallen banner but was shot by Corporal Friddell while Hammel fired point-blank at yet another assailant. By this time, Brehm had knocked down price and reclaimed the state color. The three surviving members of the guard then took off for the rear as Spayd and Lehman had already done. As Spayd and Lehman had ran toward the last noted position of the 149th, they saw nothing but the advancing battleline of Colonel J. M. Brockenbrough's Virginia brigade. The two fleeing Yankees veered off to the north toward the railroad cut, hoping to pass around the enemy left flank. However, the flag proved a tempting target. Quickly, both men were hit in the legs and fell less then a hundred feet from the rail pile. Spayd fell on the flag and hoped to shield it from view, but it was pulled out from underneath him by pursuing Confederates. The flag was later given to Sergeant Price for his efforts to capture both colors. The captured regimental color has not reappeared since 1863. Sergeant Brehm, followed by Corporals Hammel and Friddell, also sprinted for the last reported position of the 149th. The three ran south across the Chambersburg Pike, then cut through the meadow behind the McPherson Barn. Here, they saw a battle line directly ahead of them, half-hidden by musketry smoke. As Brehm's party approached at a run, they discovered that the line of battle was Confederate, not Union. It was too late to stop, so the three Yankees bowled into the rebel line. As they passed through and continued their flight across the meadow, Hammel was shot in the bowels (he died on September 23) and Friddell fell with a hideous chest wound. Brehm miraculously escaped the hail of gunfire and ran on toward the retreating Union line. However, a piece of a nearby exploding shell struck Brehm in the back and knocked him down. The flagstaff was also broken. The shell fragment severely bruised the plucky sergeant's back and also must have caused some internal injuries, for Brehm died on August 9th. Captain Bassler was lying wounded by the McPherson barn and witnessed Sergeant Brehm's attempt to save the colors. Brehm passed out of Bassler's view before he was wounded. Shortly thereafter, Bassler saw "a red haired rebel approaching on his way to the rear bearing aloft our beloved colors." This soldier was apparently Private John Lumpkin of the 55th Virginia, who received full credit for the capture of the State Color. The postbattle history of this flag is somewhat confused. The flag was returned to Pennsylvania in 1905. In 1907, Ralph E. Gambell wrote to Bassler and included the statement that the state color was recaptured at Falling Waters, Maryland, by the 6th Michigan Cavalry on July 14th, when Lee's rearguard was attached by Union cavalrymen. No other documentation has been located to corroborate Gambell's letter. The 149th Pennsylvania suffered seventy-five percent casualties at Gettysburg-336 or 450 officers and men enaged. The wounded Corporal Spayd returned to duty in November 1863 just before the regiment went into winter quarters near Culpeper. During Spayd's absence, the decimated 149th took part in the Bristoe Station campaign. The regiment had also procured a replacement flag from a source unknown to Spayd. This flag resembled the state color, but there are no bills for it in the State Archives. The lists of state-issued flags indicated that only one was issued to the 149th, so this color was probably bought by subscriptioni within the regiment, or so theorized Spayd in 1907.  Spayd was promoted to sergeant and carried this flag throughout the remainder of the 149th's term of service. During the 1864 capmpaign, the regiment fought in the Wilderness on May 5-6 suffering 215 casualties. The regiment then engaged the enemy at Spotsylvania (May 8-18), North Anna River (May 23-26), and Cold Harbor (June 1-5) before crossing the James River to take part in the June 18 attack on Petersburg. Thereafter, the 149th fought in the August 18-21 Weldon Railroad engagement, at the Boydton Plank Road (October 27), adn finally at Hatcher's Run (February 6-7, 1865). At this time, the 149th and 150th were detached from active service and sent to Elmira, New York, to guard the draft rendezvous located there. The regiment remained on this duty until mustered out of service on June 24th, 1865. The replacement color was given to state care in 1866. "Advance the Colors!" - Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags. Volume I, Pages 112-114. Author Richard A. Sauers ~ Capitol Preservation Committee  |
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