Frederick C. Anderson

Frederick Charles Anderson (March 24, 1842 – October 6, 1882) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and orphaned at a young age, Anderson was adopted by a farming family in rural Raynham. He enlisted in the Union Army shortly after the start of the war and, as a private in the 18th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, participated in several major battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate battle flag during the Battle of Globe Tavern on August 21, 1864. Transferred to the 32nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and wounded in the Siege of Petersburg, he returned to the field in time to witness the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. After the war, he returned to Massachusetts, working and raising a family until his sudden death at age 40.

Early life

Anderson was born on March 24, 1842, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Frederick C. and Elizabeth Anderson. By age eight he was living in a South Boston workhouse called the House of Industry. The facility was later described as "n asylum for the insane and refuge for the deserted and the most destitute children of the city". It is unclear what happened to Anderson's parents, although their complete disappearance from public records suggests that they were deceased.

At age 14, Anderson was sent on the Orphan Train, which transported orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children from large East Coast cities to rural areas, where they were taken in by families and put to work. When the train reached Raynham, Massachusetts, Anderson was selected by Stilman Wilber, a local farmer. He lived and worked on the Wilber farm until his enlistment in the military. In regimental records, he was described as "5 foot 3 inches in height, with a light complexion, blue eyes and sandy hair".

In August 1864, the second month of the Siege of Petersburg, Union forces, including Anderson's regiment, cut the Weldon Railroad which supplied Petersburg and the Confederate capital of Richmond. On the morning of August 21, the Confederates attacked in an attempt to regain control of the railway. The 18th Massachusetts lead a counterattack against the smaller Confederate force, and during this action, which came to be known as the Battle of Globe Tavern, Anderson captured the 27th South Carolina Infantry Regiment's flag and flag bearer. Regimental flags were an important means of communication and identification during the war; the loss of a flag was a great blow to a regiment's morale, and the capture of an enemy flag was seen as a sign of bravery in close-quarters fighting.