MICH. MONUMENT COMMISSION MICH. AT GETTY.

H.S. Seage’s Letter
Color-bearer 4^th Mich. Vols

Col. Jno. B. Bachelder
Supt. &c Hyde Park, Mass

Dear Sir:

Yours of the 18^th at hand this a.m. and in the hope that this may reach you before you start for Gettysburg. I write without delay. Had I known of this meeting sooner I could have arranged to have met at the battlefield with you. In regards to Col. Jeffords I probably can give you as much information as anyone with the exception of my brother Major R. Watson Seage Jersey City N.J. In addition to that which came under my own observation I give that related to me by my brother. He is the only one living who was a participant with Col. Jeffords in the capture of our regimental flag. The facts are these. After the Rebs had broken through between our brigade and the brigade on our right. (Where was a space allowed by Col. Barnes temporarily commanding the division) We found ourselves almost surrounded by the rebs. Col. Jeffords gave the order for the left of the regiment to pivot on the line while the right should swing back into the wheat-field and so form a new line while in the act of this movement we became mixed up with the Rebs. Of course it was "every man for himself" It is reported that just at juncture our color bearer Thos. Tarsney either surrendered or threw down the colors and ran. Col. Jeffords seeing our colors (close by) in the possession of the Rebs called on my brother who was adjutant of the regiment and 1^st Lieutenant M.J. Vreeland commanding Co. I (since died) to rescue the colors – Those three made a dash for the colors. The Colonel secured the colors or at least had his left hand on the staff, when my brother made a swinging cut at the Reb (who had the staff in his left hand) striking him in the neck – killing him instantly. In the fight the colors were torn in shreds (what little remained). By this time these three were surrounded by Rebs, and in the act of fighting their way out, Col. Jeffords was killed, by bayonet thrust through the body – My brother was shot through both breasts and bayoneted in the left leg. Lieut. Vreeland was shot through the left breast and right arm and scalp wound by a clubbed musket – These three fell as they fought, side by side – After our regiment had taken up a new position, I was permitted to go over the field in search of my brother’s body which I found about daylight the following morn, insensible but still alive – We carried him back to a field hospital, of what corps I can’t now tell. On the way and out of the wheat-field to the rear we came across the body of Col. Jeffords – whither it had been carried by some stretcher bearers (who probably discovering that he was dead have left the body).

I doubt very much if the spot where those three fell fighting for the colors could be indicated. It might be nearly so perhaps, but I know of no one other than my brother who could locate the spot. Each man had all he could attend to to look out for himself and could not observe what was going on only in his immediate presence. These are the facts in brief relative to the acts and death of Col. Jeffords.

I often wonder how it was that so many of us crossed that wheatfield and live to tell the story.

This document was written by Color Sergeant Henry Seage to address the issue of the Regimental Flag that was "lost" during the Battle of the Wheatfield at Gettysburg to the Michigan Monument Commission. Please contact the webpage owner with any comments or observations.

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