A Humanitarian Act
After each Union assault on June 27, hundreds of casualties were left between the lines. By afternoon wounded Union soldiers lying hapless near faced a new danger; flames, started by the battle's gunfire, crept steadily toward them.
Lt. Col. William P. Martin, commanding the 1st & 15th Consolidated Arkansas Regiment, jumped onto the earthworks and ordered his Confederates to cease fire. Waving a white flag of truce, Martin shouted to the Federals, “Come and remove your wounded. They are burning to death.” For a brief time, Northern and Southerners alike rescued the wounded and put out the fires.
The next day, Union officers presented Colonel Martin with a pair of Colt revolvers in appreciation for his humanitarian act.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.