Charles Franklin Rand
1839 – 1908
Brevet Captain, U.S. Volunteers

Genesee County's most decorated soldier, Charles Rand, was born in Batavia on January 19, 1839. On April 15, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to fight in the War of the Rebellion. Major Glowacki spoke at a crowded meeting at the Eagle Hotel, and asked who wanted to be the first volunteer. Rand said, "I will," and signed his name to the volunteer list, becoming the supposed first union volunteer of the Civil War.

On July 18, 1861, Rand refused to retreat when his regiment broke ranks. Rand called this his trail by fire. He said, "I stood there, too afraid to run for fear that my back would be filled with bullets." For this action, on October 23 1897, he received the Medal of Honor. His citation reads, "Remained in action when a part of his regiment broke in disorder, joined another company, and fought with it through the remainder of the engagement." His Medal of Honor is on display at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Wounded in action, Rand earned a promotion to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Veteran Reserve Corps by the direct action of the President. While serving in the V.R.C. he reached the rank of Captain. After the war he continued in government service, having been appointed military governor of the town of Gilmer in Upshur County, Texas. Unlike many Northerners in the Reconstruction period, Rand was respected and admired by the community for his professional and personal conduct. For his part, Captain Rand wrote favorable reports about Gilmer during the time he was posted there (1867-1868).

Returning to Batavia after his seven years in military service, he established his medical practice and settled down in Genesee County.

The Order of the First Volunteer medal, on display at the museum.

In the 1890s, citizens of New York State presented a medal to Rand to honor him for being the first volunteer of the Union Army. Charles Rand's medal, "The Order of the First Volunteer," is now on permanent exhibit at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Charles Rand died October 13, 1908. He is buried in Section One of Arlington National Cemetery.