By 1863 the Mississippi River was proving to be a vital route for Confederate supplies and communication. The river town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was strategically positioned on that route, making it attractive to both the Union and the Confederacy. According to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, holding Vicksburg was crucial for keeping the two halves of the South together. In Washington, President Lincoln agreed, saying the war could never end until Vicksburg was in Union control. It was inevitable that the two sides would clash at some point in Vicksburg.

In the spring of 1863 Union General Ulysses Grant began a movement down the Mississippi River, where he met up with Rear Admiral David Porter’s Union fleet, which would transport Grant’s troops across the river into Confederate territory. 

After Union victories at Champion Hill and Big Black River, the Confederates pulled back to fortifications at Vicksburg. There, the South’s 33,000 troops under Genera John C. Pemberton faced 77,000 from the Union. Grant’s first attempt at taking the city began on May 18, 1863. It would take him 47 days, several assaults, and a siege to finally gain control on July 4. With Vicksburg now in Union control, the South was effectively cut in two. Coupled with another major Union victory the day before at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the fall of Vicksburg marked a major turning point in the war.

Corporal Isaac Harrison Carmin, Company A, 48^th Ohio Infantry

By James Gindlesperger, historical author

Isaac Harrison Carmin was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey on November 17, 1841. His name appears as Carmen and Carman in various sources, reflecting the quality of record keeping during the Civil War. However his name is spelled, it is known that he joined the 48^th Ohio Infantry at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, in September 1861. The regiment officially mustered in for three years’ service under the command of Colonel Peter J. Sullivan on February 17, 1862. Carmin and the 48^th Ohio would fight at such places as Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Arkansas Post, Magnolia Hills, and Champion Hill before being a part of the Union army’s advance on Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.

At mid-morning on that date, Carmin and the 48^th Ohio were a part of an assault on the Confederate fort, with the regiment capturing numerous prisoners and planting its flag on the fort’s walls. Simultaneously, the 77^th Illinois Infantry was doing the same. As part of the color guard, Carmin remained with the flag as the rest of the regiment reassembled a short distance away.

Control of the fort was tenuous, with the Ohioans coming under fire from both armies. Using his bayonet, Carmin dug a small trench near the regimental colors, rolling into it to gain some relief from the incoming fire. When one of the men from the 77^th Illinois crawled into a shell hole adjacent to Carmin’s trench, the two agreed that the man from Illinois would reload the guns, allowing Carmin to continue his fire.

After several hours, however, the Confederates were able to mass a large number of troops close enough for Carmin to hear their commands. Fearing an assault by the rebels, Carmin rushed to Captain Francis Posegate to warn him of the coming attack. Posegate told Carmin to rescue the colors if possible. Carmin returned to his position just in time to see the attackers capture the 77^th Illinois flag, which had been planted nearly adjacent to that of the 48^th Ohio.

Carmin grabbed the 48^th’s colors at the same time a shell landed practically at his feet, the fuse still burning. He paused long enough to grab the shell and throw it back toward the onrushing Southerners, then began a dash under heavy fire in an effort to gain the safety of the rest of the regiment. In so doing, he inadvertently ran into the bayonet of one of the men from his own company, with the entire length of the bayonet driven through his thigh. The pain caused him to nearly lose consciousness, but he had the presence of mind to drive the flagstaff into the ground and hang onto it, refusing to relinquish it until he was taken to the rear for treatment.

Carmin’s actions were credited with saving not only the regiment’s flag, but also the lives of several of his comrades.

On April 8, 1864, Carmin was taken captive, along with nearly the entirety of the 48^th Ohio, at the Battle of Sabine Crossroads. He remained a prisoner of war until November 3, 1864, when he was part of a prisoner exchange. He mustered out a month later, on December 1, 1864.

Carmin’s heroics at Vicksburg were officially recognized on February 25, 1895, when he was presented with the Medal of Honor, his citation reading, “Saved his regimental flag; also seized and threw a shell, with burning fuse, from among his comrades.”

Corporal Isaac Harrison Carmin died on June 3, 1919, in Fayette County, Ohio. He was laid to rest in Washington Cemetery, Washington Courthouse, Ohio.

Further Reading:

• CMOHS, Isaac Harrison Carmin, https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/isaac-h-carmin, Accessed April 21, 2025.
• Ohio Civil War, 48^th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, https://www.ohiocivilwarcentral.com/48th-regiment-ohio-volunteer-infantry/, Accessed April 21, 2025.
• American Battlefield Trust, Vicksburg, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/vicksburg, Accessed April 21, 2025.
• Beyer, W.F., and Keydel, O.F., editors, Deeds of Valor, (Detroit:  Perrien-Keydel Co, 1903), 201-02.
• Roster Commission, Ohio General Assembly, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. IV, (Akron:  The Werner Ptg. And Mfg. Co., 1887) 435.

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