Robert J. Patterson's Medal of Honor for Cold Harbor Valor

Jan 17 , 2026

Robert J. Patterson's Medal of Honor for Cold Harbor Valor

Robert J. Patterson stood alone on that shattered ridge, smoke choking the air, comrades bleeding all around. The enemy’s fire hammered down like relentless thunder. The regiment’s line wavered. Break. Collapse. Death.

But Patterson did not falter. He grabbed the colors, lifted them higher, and charged through the hail of lead.

The Boy from Ohio: Faith Forged in Simpler Times

Born in 1838 in rural Ohio, Patterson was raised in a world where hard work and faith tethered a man’s honor. His parents instilled a sense of duty rooted deep in scripture and Scripture alone. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he once said—though in the roar of battle, peace seemed a distant dream.[1]

His faith was quiet but ironclad. A soldier’s code molded by Sunday school and sweat-streaked fields before the war consumed the nation. It was this inner armor that steadied him amidst chaos.

July 30, 1864: The Battle That Defined Robert J. Patterson

Cold Harbor, Virginia. A name drenched in blood and grit, where the Union’s hope collided with brutal Confederate trenches.

Patterson was a Corporal in Company I, 110th Ohio Infantry. On this hot summer afternoon, hundreds of Union soldiers fell under withering fire. The line began to break—men scattered, fear ignited.

Amidst that deadly storm, Patterson saw the regimental colors teetering, then drop. Seconds later, he lunged forward. Grasping the flag, he shouted for the men to rally. His voice carved a path through the gunfire like a rifle shot.

Holding the colors high, he led a countercharge against the fading enemy grip, buying crucial time. Wounded yet unbowed, Patterson’s grit turned tide enough to save countless lives that day.[2]

His valor didn’t go unnoticed. This single act wasn’t just bravery—it was leadership under fire, where grit met sacrifice in purest form.

Medal of Honor: Valor Etched in History

For his gallantry at Cold Harbor, Patterson received the Medal of Honor on November 27, 1899. The citation was brief, but its words seared into history:

“...for extraordinary heroism on 30 July 1864, while serving with Company I, 110th Ohio Infantry. Corporal Patterson, under heavy fire, seized the regimental colors and led the regiment forward, inspiring his comrades to hold their ground.”

Fellow veterans remembered him not just for that day, but for the steady courage he carried through the war’s brutal grind. Lieutenant Colonel James A. Smith remarked,

“In Robert, I saw a man untouched by fear—a force that rallied the broken and inspired the weary. That flag was more than cloth; it was hope.”[3]

Legacy: The Cost, the Courage, the Cause

Patterson’s story is not polished glory. It is the raw truth of war—the sweat, the blood, the broken men who hold the line when all hope seems lost.

His steadfastness reminds every combat vet and civilian alike that courage isn’t absence of fear. It is the refusal to surrender despite it.

He bore scars unseen—mental wounds carried long after musket smoke cleared. But through faith and the brotherhood formed in hell, he found redemption.

“He leads me beside still waters,” he once murmured in camp. His legacy is that faith can nourish the fiercest fires born on battlefields.

The colors he saved are silent now, but the spirit they represent burns eternal. Robert J. Patterson did not just fight for land or country—he fought for the men beside him, for duty, and for a future that demanded sacrifice.

In a world hungry for heroes, his story is a bloodstained prayer: that courage, sacrifice, and faith—woven into one—can redeem even the darkest of wars.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Sources

1. Ohio Historical Society, Civil War Soldiers of Ohio 2. Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Vol. 41, Part 1 3. Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (U.S. Army Center of Military History)