On Nov. 25, 1863, an 18-year-old Union lieutenant from Wisconsin grabbed the flag of his regiment (the 24th Wisconsin) from an exhausted color bearer and exhorted his men to continue their valiant charge up the steep slope of Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga, Tenn.
The remarkable charge by Union troops under the command of Gen. George H. Thomas was the culmination of the Battle of Chattanooga, during which Union forces seized control of eastern Tennessee, setting the stage for the campaign to take Atlanta and Gen. William T. Sherman’s famous March to the Sea. That young lieutenant, Arthur MacArthur, would again demonstrate remarkable courage and leadership at Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864 and the Battle of Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864.
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