Color Sergeant Thomas W. Shiflett, color bearer for the 14th Virginia

Broadfoot: VA 14th Inf. Co. C

Excerpt from "The Virginia Regimental Histories Series 14th Virginia Infantry"

Written by Edward R. Crews, Timothy A. Parrish

Submitted by Warren D. Shiflett

Pickett's Division reached the Stone wall about 3:30 PM. Although Garnett was dead at this point and Kemper was wounded, Armistead still was up and leading his men. He crossed the stone wall, his hat on his sword, and headed into the enemy lines. "It's the Philadelphia Brigade," Armistead told his men as he jumped into the Federal position. "Give them the cold steel, boys." All integrity within the Confederate units now was gone as the men fought hand-to-hand with the federal troops. Color Sergeant Thomas W. Shiflett, color bearer for the 14th Virginia, attempted to cross the stone wall with Armistead. As the sergeant went over the wall, he was shot below the eye and the ball exited the back of his head. Amazingly enough, Shiflett survived his wound, and his savior was the Federal who shot him.

Immediately after being hit, Shiflett fell unconscious and remained so until the next morning. He awakened when kicked by a Federal soldier. The wounded Confederate heard the man, who was combing the field for souvenirs, tell a comrade that he had killed Shiflett the day before. When Shiflett moved, the enemy soldier realized he was alive and took him to a hospital. Shiflett recovered there. Pickett's Charge evidently had not diminished his willingness to fight. While recuperating, Shiflett was in a cot beside a patient from the Army of the Potomac. The Union soldier began taunting the Confederate about the Southern defeat at Gettysburg. "Shiflett told him he had not been whipped, and if his cot could be placed near enough for him to get hold of him he could then whip him," a comrade recalled after the war. Shiflett apparently was paroled and exchanged in September. He rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia, was paroled in 1865, and died not long afterward from the affects of his wound.

After Shiflett went down, somebody else took the 14th Virginia's battle flag across the wall and leaned it against an artillery piece. A regiment's flag was it's proudest possession; it's capture the worst humiliation. When they spotted the unguarded flag, several Confederates rushed to save it and died doing so. Their efforts were in vain. Corporal Joseph DeCastro grabbed the Southern colors, and, as was traditional in the Union army, received the Medal of Honor for his action.

Submitted by
Frederick Sineath on Jun. 16, 2024
Historian of the Civil War era and involved in Vexiollogy of Historical flags

In Brief... The battle flag of the 14th Va that Shiflett was carrying that day was not captured at Gettysburg.

In the initial battle reports of Gettysburg were listings of captured flags, that many historians have echoed over the many decades void of further research. Many of the captured flags were discovered to be misidentified. Picketts Division on the eve of Gettysburg Campaign had received brand new flags in May-Jun 1863. These flags ordered out of the Richmond Depot were of the ANV 3rd Bunting Pattern. Each one of these were Unit Identified with the respective regiment in white paint upon the hoist and fly quadrants added at the depot. This was the only time and issue of flags of this particular style. The 14th Va had one of these, they carried to Gettysburg.

At Gettysburg when Shiflett was wounded, there are witness accounts that another member of the unit picked up the 14th flag and carried it back to safety and it was not captured. Of the 15 Regimental Flags of Picketts Division at Gettysburg all but three were captured. Those not captured were the 14th, 24th, and 38th Va flags.

Replacement flags for those lost in Picketts Division were issued in Sept 1863. These were also ANV 3rd Bunting flags but were unmarked. The unit painted ID style was not repeated this time.

As mentioned the initial captured flag listings and the many errors within. Both the 19th Mass and the 7th Ohio claimed to have captured the flag of the 14th Va. The engagement area of the 7th Ohio was not even close to where the 14th Va was. This record was later corrected that the 7th Ohio actually captured the flag of the 4th Va. The flag that Joseph DeCastro of the 19th Mass captured (picked up) off the battlefield was also initially identified as that of the 14th Va. This particular flag was not of the pattern/style that the 14th had been issued, and did not have unit identification on it. His Medal of Honor citation was amended from "14th Va" to simply "Confederate Battle Flag". This was later amended once again later to designate the captured flag as belonging to the 19th Va, which version still remains in record.

The Pickett style (Jun 63) flag was was issued to the 14th with the unit ID upon it, was later captured at the Battle of Five Forks in April 1865, by the 11th Pa. This given flag is in the collection of the MOC, and is indeed the unit ID'd Pickett style marked flag they had been issued in 1863, and survived through Gettysburg. This is the same flag that Shiflett had carried.