I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust… A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Psalm 91:2,7
For two and a half years, Gabriel Shank carried Virginia’s flag at the head of the 10th VA Infantry regiment. By God’s protection, he survived thirteen major battles and many more skirmishes with only two minor wounds. He carried the flag until it was shot to pieces, and saved it from capture on more than one occasion.
Knowing that he would be excommunicated from his Mennonite church, Shank enlisted in the Confederate army and applied for membership in the Presbyterian church. In June of 1861 he was enrolled as a private in Co. G, 10th VA Volunteer Infantry. After fighting for nearly a year, Gabriel was promoted to color sergeant. His regiment fought with Jackson in the Valley Campaign, and in Lee’s Peninsular campaign. While the band played and Stonewall Jackson watched from the riverbank, he carried Virginia’s banner in the vanguard as theArmy of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac into Maryland. The 10th was stationed at Harper’s Ferry to guard captured supplies and did not participate in the battle of Sharpsburg.
At the battle of Chancellorsville, he fought in Jackson’s flank attack on the first day. He was wounded and captured on the second day while defending a line of earthworks. Before he was captured, however, Shank carefully rolled up the flag and concealed it between two wounded men. Soon the tide of the battle turned, and his comrades recovered the banner from its hiding place. About a week later Gabriel was exchanged, and he returned to his regiment and the flag he had saved.
The 10th Virginia went on to fight at Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania (Gabriel was not present at this battle), Grant’s campaign against Richmond, and Cold Harbor. The regiment was with Early’s march on Washington, and the Valley Campaign of ’64. At the battle of Fisher’s Hill on September 22, 1864, the thin line of Southerners was routed from their position. As the men of Early’s corps were retreating, Gabriel ran to a nearby farmhouse and left the old flag with Virginians who promised to keep the flag safe. He then returned to his regiment and was captured not long after. He was taken to the Federal prison at Fort Delaware, where he lived for six months before he contracted smallpox and died.
“…While we bow with resignation to the hand of Providence we are filled with the deepest regret at the loss of one who so worthily bore the name of Christian whom we knew as an efficient member of our association: as a true and gallant officer: and as a truly humble, sincere and devoted follower of the cross: as one who bore into all the relations of Life the principles that characterize the Christian, the soldier, and the gentleman.”
C.S. Christian Association of Prisoners, Ft. Delaware, March 24th 1865
Since the War, Gabriel Shank’s story along with the letters he wrote to his wife, have been passed down through his family. He married Annie A. Kieffer during the war and had two daughters, one being born just after he died in prison.
Around 1878, the flag was returned to the family. The story is best summed up by this quote from a newspaper article:
“Then one day Mrs. John H. Geil, Shank’s daughter, who now resides at Sweet Home, Oregon, overheard a certain conversation in a village store that shed great light on the whereabouts of the escutsceon .
She overheard a man by the name of Price telling the storekeeper about an old flag which he had, how he had received it from the hands of a young soldier during the flight of troops from Fisher’s Hill in 1864. Mrs. Geil instantly made herself known and the upshot of the matter was that she received the flag from the man who had hidden and guarded it.”
The Oregonian, April 15, 1928
The flag was kept in the family for over one hundred years, until it was donated to the National Park Service in 1981. It is now part of a display at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor’s Center. In more recent years, another flag has been uncovered that may have been carried by Shank; this flag is on display at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society. John P. Mann IV of Mt. Solon, Virginia has compiled convincing evidence that both flags are authentic, and were probably carried by Gabriel Shank of the 10th Virginia Infantry.
Pictures:
First on left: A photo that is thought to be Gabriel Shank
First on right: The seal of the flag on display at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society. There is a good chance that this was Gabriel's first flag.
Second on left: The flag that Gabriel saved at Fisher's Hill. This flag was passed through the family, and we are certain that he carried this flag.
Second on right: A replica of the Virginia State flag that Gabriel Shank carried, made by some of his descendants, Pam Forster and Daniel Forster, for living history events.
Copyright 2003 by Daniel Forster
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