Medals of Honor at Slaughter Pen Farm

On December 13, 1862, in the field near Fredericksburg, Virginia, that would come to be known as “Slaughter Pen Farm,” a veritable hell on Earth erupted and unfolded. It’s in the midst of such horrific battle that men sometimes find a courage that compels them to unthinkable acts of honor, and that was the case here. Five soldiers were later bestowed the Medal of Honor for their actions on this field on that bloody day: George Maynard of the 13th Massachusetts, Charles Collis of the 114th Pennsylvania, Philip Petty of the 136th Pennsylvania and Martin Schubert and Joseph Keene of the 26th New York Infantry.

Born in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1836, George Maynard worked as a watchmaker before enlisting in the 13th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in July of 1861. His regiment participated in many of the war’s early battles, including the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Ox Hill and Antietam. On December 13, 1862, the regiment’s Col. Samuel Leonard ordered four companies to support Capt. James Hall’s Second Maine Battery on Gen. George Meade’s right flank, with the rest of the companies, including Maynard’s, to fall back to Bowling Green Road. When Maynard reached the road and realized his comrade Charles Armstrong was missing, he went back into the fray to find him. Armstrong was badly wounded in the thigh. Maynard tied a tourniquet around Armstrong’s leg and carried him back to the Union lines. In 1898, Maynard would receive the Medal of Honor for this selfless act, with the citation reading: “A wounded and helpless comrade, having been left on the skirmish line, this soldier voluntarily returned to the front under a severe fire and carried the wounded man to a place of safety.” Armstrong would not survive, however, and died later that night at a field hospital.

In March 1863, Maynard mustered out for promotion to first lieutenant in the Fifth U.S. Volunteers, later the 82nd United States Colored Troops, of which he later became a captain. Late in his service, he contracted malaria and suffered from scurvy, both of which impacted the rest of his life. He mustered out in September of 1866 and returned to being a watchmaker. Maynard was granted a pension for his ailments, including the loss of most of his teeth.

On May 5, 1868, Maynard married Harriet Elizabeth Henry of Boston. They had seven children together, four of whom died in childhood and three of whom died in their early 20s. Maynard became a member of the military organization the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts in 1875. He died in 1927, at the age of 91, having outlived his wife and all his children. He’s buried in the Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham.

“A Critical Moment”

On February 4, 1838, Charles Henry Tucker Collis was born in Cork, Ireland, the first son of William and Mary Collis. The family eventually moved to England, where Mary bore five more children. In the spring of 1853, 15-year-old Collis and his father set sail for Philadelphia. On March 1, 1854, Mary and the other five children set sail to join them, but the ship never made it. His mother, two brothers, and three sisters were lost at sea. It’s believed the ship sank after hitting an iceberg. Collis and his father were forced to find a new life without them. 

Fortunately for Collis, he landed under the tutelage of influential local attorney and politician John Meredith Read. By 1859, he was admitted to the bar. Shortly before the war broke out, he married Septima Levy. Eager to defend the Union, he enlisted with the 18th Pennsylvania upon Abraham Lincoln’s Call for Volunteers in April 1861. The 18th Pennsylvania spent much of its three-month term of enlistment stationed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. They returned home and he mustered out on August 7, 1861. Immediately, Collis set out to raise a company of Zouaves d’Afriques and was soon granted approval. The Zouave craze had swept the nation, and Collis outfitted his men with the French-influenced uniform: baggy red pantaloons, a short blue Zouave jacket with a lighter blue cuff, white leggings and a light blue merino sash around the waist, topped by a red fez and white turban.

In January 1862, with the help of now Judge Read, Collis was authorized to raise a battalion that would soon move south. In late May, Collis’s men joined Capt. Robert Hampton’s First Pennsylvania Artillery, a small force of cavalry and additional infantry in a skirmish with Gen. Thomas Jackson’s men in Middletown, Virginia. Their presence successfully rerouted Jackson toward Strasburg, instead of Winchester. On September 1, 1862, Collis was promoted to colonel and instructed to recruit a regiment, which became the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry. 

As the fighting raged on December 13, 1862, Collis’s Zouaves, many untested by battle, crossed the lower pontoon bridge on the Rappahannock in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and made their way to the field now known as Slaughter Pen Farm. Gen. John C. Robinson rode in front of the 114th Pennsylvania to guide them into their first battle. As he did, a solid shot ripped through his horse, sending Robinson to the ground. The explosion of another artillery shell killed his bugler, and Pvt. Samuel Hamilton “had his head shot off,” one of the Zouaves later recounted. Stunned and horrified, the Zouaves recoiled. Colonel Collis raced to the front, grabbed the regimental flag and rode to the center of the line to rouse his men, shouting, “Remember the stone wall at Middletown!” The 114th rallied and swept into the fire. “Nothing was to be seen but smoke and dirt flying from cannon balls,” a Zouave later wrote. “I have heard of hot places; I now know what they are.” 

On March 10, 1893, Collis received the Medal of Honor; the citation reading: “Gallantly led his regiment in battle at a critical moment.” 

In May 1863, Collis was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville and contracted typhoid. In August 1863, he became a brigade commander under Maj. Gen. David B. Birney. On December 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln nominated Collis for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers to rank from October 28, 1864, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1865. Collis was mustered out of the army on May 29, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Collis for appointment to the brevet grade of major general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. 

After the war, Collis returned to law. He died on May 11, 1902, and is buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery.