Charles H. Marsh

Born in Milford, Connecticut, Marsh was raised in the Lanesville district of New Milford.[1][2] He enlisted in the Army from New Milford on October 21, 1861, and served as a private in Company D, 1st Connecticut Cavalry.[2][3]

In October 1862, one year after his enlistment, Marsh was captured by Confederates near Haymarket, Virginia. He was found with a letter which indicated to the Confederates that he may be a spy, and he was jailed at Castle Thunder, a facility in Richmond for civilian prisoners and Union agents. Marsh protested to Confederate Secretary of War James Seddon, arguing that the area where he was captured was Union-held, and he should thus be considered a prisoner of war rather than a spy. His argument was rejected, but he was nevertheless released in a prisoner exchange in December of that year.[1]

Marsh rejoined the 1st Connecticut Cavalry and participated in the Valley Campaigns of 1864. On July 31, 1864, in the Back Creek valley of western Virginia, his unit conducted a raid on Confederate General Jubal Early's troops. During the skirmish, Marsh captured a color bearer and his flag.[1] For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on January 23, 1865. His official citation reads "Capture of flag and its bearer."[3]

Marsh took part in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House of May 1864 and reached the rank of corporal before leaving the military in August 1865.[1][4] He moved to Pawling, New York, where he died at age 27 of tuberculosis, which he had contracted in the Army.[1][2] He was buried at Quaker Cemetery in New Milford.[4]

Marsh Bridge, spanning the Housatonic River in New Milford, is named in his honor.[2] He is one of only two Milford residents to have received the Medal of Honor, the other being Indian Wars officer George W. Baird.[1]

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P