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History CSI
The State Historical Society of Iowa is using forensic science possibly to link an Iowa City man to traces of blood on a Civil War battle flag.
John Elson wants to know if the blood on the flag belonged to his great-great-uncle, Sgt. James Elson, who, according to historical reports, carried the flag during the battle of Vicksburg. Elson came to the State Historical Museum April 19 to meet Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation DNA expert Mike Peterson. Swabs from Elson’s cheek will be matched with blood samples from the flag to determine a match. Results will be available in a few weeks.
In
May 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant launched what he hoped would be
a crushing assault against Vicksburg, Mississippi. Considered one of the
most brilliant military campaigns of the Civil War, the battle to control
the Mississippi River town lasted nearly seven weeks before the Confederate
army, under the direction of Lt. Gen. John Pemberton, surrendered.
On the morning of May 22, Union forces attacked along a three-mile front, causing the death of 3,000 soldiers. It was during this time that Sergeant James Elson, of Shellsburg, carried the Company C Ninth Infantry flag to advance his regiment. Alone and ahead of his fellow soldiers, Elson was shot down while attempting to plant the flag in enemy territory. State Historical Society research reveals that Elson was wounded in the thigh, and likely landed on the flag. Despite his wound, Elson was able to pass the flag back to fellow soldiers and it was saved.
Ninety-seven Union soldiers who participated in the battle that day earned
Congressional Medals of Honor, the second largest single-day total in history.
Elson was one of them. Although he survived the Battle of Vicksburg, he
continued as a Union soldier and was again wounded in 1864. He carried that
bullet in his body until he died March 26, 1894, at the age of 55.
