Reed received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for actions taken on July 2, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Reed was born into a well-off Boston family and attended private schools where he studied art.

On the second day of fighting, the Captain of the battery, John Bigelow, was shot and wounded between enemy lines.

Over thirty years later, in 1895, Bigelow would recommend Reed to the adjutant general of the United States for a Medal of Honor, which was approved in August, 1895.

[4] The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Bugler Charles Wellington Reed, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with Battery 9, Massachusetts Light Artillery, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.