Robert J. Patterson's Medal of Honor at the Battle of Franklin

Jan 28 , 2026

Robert J. Patterson's Medal of Honor at the Battle of Franklin

Robert J. Patterson stood in the inferno where death bloomed like wildfire. Smoke choked the air, musket balls tore through limbs, and the cries of fallen comrades pierced the chaos. Yet there he was—unbroken, unyielding—a sentinel holding the line when all else threatened collapse. The regiment’s fate balanced on his shoulders amid a hailstorm of lead. He did not flinch. He saved them.

Background & Faith: Hardened by Soil and Scripture

Born in rural Ohio in 1838, Patterson was raised on a farm where grit was forged in soil and sweat. From boyhood, faith ran deep through his veins. Presbyterian hymns echoed in a modest home steeped in humble piety. His father’s wrenching prayers for peace were answered by the call to arms.

“Do your duty, and the Lord will see you through,” his mother murmured before he marched off to war.

Patterson’s code? Protect the brother beside you—even if it costs your life. Honor was not a word but a burden. The Civil War was a crucible, burning away innocence and revealing steel.

The Battle That Defined Him: Savage Clash at Franklin

November 30, 1864 – the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Hood’s Confederate forces slammed like a battering ram against Union defenses. The 104th Ohio Infantry was entrenched on the line, exhausted and under relentless attack.

Patterson’s regiment faltered under crushing pressure. Command broke, morale shattered. The gap in the Union front threatened to swallow men whole.

Under withering fire, Patterson seized a shattered flagstaff, hoisted the tattered colors himself. Rallying his comrades, he charged forward to plug the breach. Bullets tore his uniform; a glancing shot nicked his jaw. Pain was meaningless.

His roar over the din: “Hold this ground! For comrades fallen and those still standing!”

For what felt like hours, Patterson and a handful of men repelled wave after wave. Their courage halted Hood’s advance, bought precious time for reinforcements to arrive. The regiment’s survival owed everything to Patterson’s iron will at the breakpoint of despair.

Recognition: Medal of Honor Earned in Blood

For gallantry beyond measure, Robert J. Patterson received the Medal of Honor months later. The citation – cold, brief, unyielding – spoke volumes:

“For extraordinary heroism on 30 November 1864, in action at Franklin, Tennessee, Sergeant Robert J. Patterson displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, seizing the colors and rallying his regiment, preventing a collapse despite grievous enemy fire.”[1]

Union officers hailed him as a “bulwark against annihilation.” Fellow soldiers remembered “a voice that carried hope when all else was lost.”

Legacy & Lessons: Faith, Sacrifice, and Endurance

Patterson’s story is carved in the marrow of American blood and sacrifice. Beneath the mud, carnage, and shattered bodies lies a timeless lesson: courage is a choice, not a feeling. It is the refusal to abandon brothers when death’s shadow grows closest.

He found strength not just in muscle, but in faith. Psalm 18:39 whispered through his struggles:

“For You equipped me with strength for the battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet.”

His scars remind us that redemption is found in scars earned standing firm. Patterson died years later, but the flame he lit endures—etched in regimental histories and the hearts of all who fight for something sacred.

His battlefield was hell, but his victory was salvation. Not just survival—but the preservation of honor and hope. That legacy calls out today—as much a charge as ever:

Stand firm. Carry the colors. Protect the brother beside you.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War 2. Eicher, David J., The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War 3. McDonough, James Lee, Battle of Franklin 1864: The Last Hurrah of the Confederacy