- Joined
- Jul 12, 2015
http://iowavalor.com/news.php?default.0.460
In 1919, shortly before his death, Willard Baker (a Private in Company "C" 20th Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War) who was at the time residing at the Iowa Soldiers Home in Marshalltown presented the Iowa State Historical Society with a memento of his wartime service to the Republic. That memento was a flag. A large, red field, flag with a stylized white "Palmetto" design positioned squarely in the center of the 86 inch by 123 inch flag. In the upper left hand portion of the field there is a white "crescent moon" that, curiously, has its "horns" positioned so that it faces inward and down toward the "palmetto". (Most early South Carolina "secessionist" flags of this style have a blue field, and if the crescent moon in present, the horns face outward toward the left hand border (or 'hoist') of the flags where they would have been attached to a staff.
Stating only that he had, "procured" the flag in the area of Mobile, Alabama, toward the end of the war, Baker left no other indication of precisely how, where, when, and from whom he obtained this flag. A fact that leaves room for considerable conjecture.
Partly because of it's unknown background (what historians call it's "provenance") the flag remained a part of the Iowa State Historical Society's collection of "Battle Flags" from the time of it's gifting until February of 2010, without ever being placed upon public display.
It was brought out of storage, and placed on public display for only a four hour period on February 12th of this year during the celebration of President Abraham Lincoln's two-hundred-first birthday; and, Company "A" 49th Iowa V.I.R., "The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles", was honored to provide the official Honor Guard for this single showing of the flag that has been named "Big Red" as a result of the information that I am about to impart. (see prior article on this showing)
For the past year or more, this grand old flag has been the subject of intense scrutiny and no small amount of controversy in the historical community, but before bringing this on, let me impart what is known about this flag.
According to Sheila Hanke, Conservator for the Iowa Battle Flags Project, the flag is, "constructed of panels of red wool with the appliqué of the cotton 'palmetto' and 'crescent moon' sewn onto the red field. A combination of machine and hand stitching were used to construct the flag, and fabric analysis of the material and thread definitely date it to the time period, indicating that it is most probably an early 'secessionist flag' and probably from South Carolina". Beyond that nothing concrete can be stated.
Having worked closely with this flag during it's preparation for shipment, this writer can add, by way of personal observation, that the two attaching hand-sewn 'grommets' (holes in the flag on the "hoist" area where it would have been tied to a pole or staff) do not appear to indicate that it was often "flown" because there isn't a great deal of wear that one would expect to find were this a banner that often caught the breeze while flying from a staff. Also, the "fly end" (extreme right border opposite the 'hoist') that would have been the most violently 'beaten' by the wind while being flown is intact, perhaps also indicating that this flag was not unfurled often. While there is some incidental staining on various areas of the flag, the colors remain remarkably bright and crisp considering its undoubted age. (Interestingly, Sheila informs me that microscopic analysis of some of these stained areas indicate that the flag was exposed to salt water at some point in it's journey through history).
Enter the Citadel
On January 9th, 1861, a merchant ship, named "The Star of the West" operating at the behest of the United States government, attempted to bring supplies to the garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. As the ship passed under the guns on Morris Island it was fired upon by batteries of field artillery manned by Cadets from the Citadel Military Academy and though not significantly damaged by the barrage, was forced to withdraw before reaching Sumter; helping to seal the fate of that doomed Federal outpost in what was then, effectively, the foreign nation of Secessionist South Carolina.
According to historical research conducted by members of the "Citadel Historical Council" a red-field "spirit flag" bearing a white palmetto design (based upon apparent eye-witness accounts, was flying over these batteries at the time of the aforementioned engagement, which some historians credit as being the actual opening of the American Civil War (other arguments can, of course, be made that the war actually began in 1858 when United State Marine Private Luke Quinn died trying to evict John Brown from the Federal Armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia).
To make a very long and convoluted story short, the Citadel Historical Council conducted what they feel to be an exhaustive research study of the available evidence to attempt to determine whether the flag in the possession of the Iowa State Historical Society, and the flag that allegedly flew over the secessionist batteries of Morris Island on that fateful day in 1861 were one and the same. They have concluded that it is, indeed, the "Big Red" of Citadel legend. Many prominent and significantly well credentialed historians disagree with that conclusion. (It is recommended that interested persons visit the Citadels website and locate the "Big Red Report: Research, Analysis, Findings, and Recommendations, April 2009" that can be found thereupon in order to form your own conclusions) but the folks at the Citadel believe it.
Exit the Flag.
Once officials from the Citadel concluded that, in their opinion, the flag at the Museum in Des Moines was, in fact, the flag of legend, negotiations were entered into with the Iowa State Historical Society to procure the flag on "long-term loan" to be hung in the Alumni Building on the Citadel Campus located in Charleston, South Carolina for the period of the Sesquicentennial events that are planned for the period commencing in March, 2010 and running through April 2014, at which time the flag is supposed to be returned to the Iowa Historical Museum.
After agreeing upon terms, a "loan contract" was reached with all concerned parties for the movement of the flag to South Carolina, and the task then fell to Conservator Hanke and her staff to prepare the flag for its journey to the Citadel.
The Heavy Lifting Begins
A special framework was constructed upon which to rest the artifact by Guardsmen of the Iowa Air National Guard using light weight (relatively speaking) aircraft aluminum, wood, and Plexiglas, which was then picked up at the Des Moines Airport and transported to the basement of the museum by staff members and volunteers from the museum for further construction work on the frame before the flag itself could be seated, sealed and shipped.
For three days last week, Sheila Hanke, Sarah Carlson and two volunteers in the Battle Flag Conservation Lab, David Thompson and this writer (both members of the "The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles" of Company "A", 49th Iowa V.I.R.) worked to construct the "bed" upon which the flag will rest for the next four years while on public display at the Citadel. (photographs of this rather long and complicated process are attached).
To the aluminum framework large sheets of a plastic core bedding board were attached and all joints and screw caps were then covered with linen tape so that no sharp edges of anything could possibly cone into contact with the flag once it was brought from storage and laid upon the bed. The plastic core sheeting was then covered with a thick layer of pure cotton gauze that was hot-glued into place before a final layer of muslin was stretched over the gauze and thoroughly vacuumed to assure a relatively clean environment for the flag itself to rest upon.
While this was being done, Carpenters in the shop next door to the conservation area were attaching the huge sheet of Plexiglas to the top frame and constructing a reinforced wooden crate that measured 9 by 12 feet and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,200 pounds once the flag would be secured inside.
Once the bed was constructed, and the top frame was finished, the flag was carefully transported from its light-tight storage and gingerly placed on the bed that had been lovingly made for it over the two days that it took to construct. The top frame was then thoroughly cleaned one last time before being fitted down onto the waiting base containing the flag and secured into place, thus sealing the flag into its new "home".
Calling upon all four of us from the Conservation Lab, two Carpenters from the Museums Carpentry Shop, and joined by Michael O. Smith, the Museum's Curator, and being aided by a fork-lift, we were able to move the crated flag up a gigantic service elevator to the loading dock where a 53 foot semi trailer awaited the loading of the container for it's trip to Charleston.
Sheila was kept apprised of the progress of the flag as it wound its way South by Southeast until being informed on Friday of the safe arrival of the container at its destination. The flag is slated to be mounted in a climate controlled setting, protected from sunlight, and inclement weather at the Alumni Building and is to be visible to the visiting public beginning on March 19th with an unveiling ceremony.
I cannot begin to impart the sense of honor and privilege that David Thompson and I feel at being allowed to assist the Battle Flag Conservators and the Iowa State Historical Museum, in projects such as these; or, the privilege that we feel on a daily basis to be allowed to work on these tangible pieces of our military history. I think that we are constantly awed by these grand old flags, and daily reminded of our own mortality. It is we who are passing through, while these pieces ARE history, made of silk, and wool, and paint. To be this close to these historic artifacts and to know where they have been, and what they have witnessed is an enormously moving and rewarding experience.
Respectfully Submitted,
David M. Lamb
David L. Thompson
Volunteer Assistants to the Conservators
Iowa Battle Flag Project
"The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles"
In 1919, shortly before his death, Willard Baker (a Private in Company "C" 20th Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War) who was at the time residing at the Iowa Soldiers Home in Marshalltown presented the Iowa State Historical Society with a memento of his wartime service to the Republic. That memento was a flag. A large, red field, flag with a stylized white "Palmetto" design positioned squarely in the center of the 86 inch by 123 inch flag. In the upper left hand portion of the field there is a white "crescent moon" that, curiously, has its "horns" positioned so that it faces inward and down toward the "palmetto". (Most early South Carolina "secessionist" flags of this style have a blue field, and if the crescent moon in present, the horns face outward toward the left hand border (or 'hoist') of the flags where they would have been attached to a staff.
Stating only that he had, "procured" the flag in the area of Mobile, Alabama, toward the end of the war, Baker left no other indication of precisely how, where, when, and from whom he obtained this flag. A fact that leaves room for considerable conjecture.
Partly because of it's unknown background (what historians call it's "provenance") the flag remained a part of the Iowa State Historical Society's collection of "Battle Flags" from the time of it's gifting until February of 2010, without ever being placed upon public display.
It was brought out of storage, and placed on public display for only a four hour period on February 12th of this year during the celebration of President Abraham Lincoln's two-hundred-first birthday; and, Company "A" 49th Iowa V.I.R., "The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles", was honored to provide the official Honor Guard for this single showing of the flag that has been named "Big Red" as a result of the information that I am about to impart. (see prior article on this showing)
For the past year or more, this grand old flag has been the subject of intense scrutiny and no small amount of controversy in the historical community, but before bringing this on, let me impart what is known about this flag.
According to Sheila Hanke, Conservator for the Iowa Battle Flags Project, the flag is, "constructed of panels of red wool with the appliqué of the cotton 'palmetto' and 'crescent moon' sewn onto the red field. A combination of machine and hand stitching were used to construct the flag, and fabric analysis of the material and thread definitely date it to the time period, indicating that it is most probably an early 'secessionist flag' and probably from South Carolina". Beyond that nothing concrete can be stated.
Having worked closely with this flag during it's preparation for shipment, this writer can add, by way of personal observation, that the two attaching hand-sewn 'grommets' (holes in the flag on the "hoist" area where it would have been tied to a pole or staff) do not appear to indicate that it was often "flown" because there isn't a great deal of wear that one would expect to find were this a banner that often caught the breeze while flying from a staff. Also, the "fly end" (extreme right border opposite the 'hoist') that would have been the most violently 'beaten' by the wind while being flown is intact, perhaps also indicating that this flag was not unfurled often. While there is some incidental staining on various areas of the flag, the colors remain remarkably bright and crisp considering its undoubted age. (Interestingly, Sheila informs me that microscopic analysis of some of these stained areas indicate that the flag was exposed to salt water at some point in it's journey through history).
Enter the Citadel
On January 9th, 1861, a merchant ship, named "The Star of the West" operating at the behest of the United States government, attempted to bring supplies to the garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. As the ship passed under the guns on Morris Island it was fired upon by batteries of field artillery manned by Cadets from the Citadel Military Academy and though not significantly damaged by the barrage, was forced to withdraw before reaching Sumter; helping to seal the fate of that doomed Federal outpost in what was then, effectively, the foreign nation of Secessionist South Carolina.
According to historical research conducted by members of the "Citadel Historical Council" a red-field "spirit flag" bearing a white palmetto design (based upon apparent eye-witness accounts, was flying over these batteries at the time of the aforementioned engagement, which some historians credit as being the actual opening of the American Civil War (other arguments can, of course, be made that the war actually began in 1858 when United State Marine Private Luke Quinn died trying to evict John Brown from the Federal Armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia).
To make a very long and convoluted story short, the Citadel Historical Council conducted what they feel to be an exhaustive research study of the available evidence to attempt to determine whether the flag in the possession of the Iowa State Historical Society, and the flag that allegedly flew over the secessionist batteries of Morris Island on that fateful day in 1861 were one and the same. They have concluded that it is, indeed, the "Big Red" of Citadel legend. Many prominent and significantly well credentialed historians disagree with that conclusion. (It is recommended that interested persons visit the Citadels website and locate the "Big Red Report: Research, Analysis, Findings, and Recommendations, April 2009" that can be found thereupon in order to form your own conclusions) but the folks at the Citadel believe it.
Exit the Flag.
Once officials from the Citadel concluded that, in their opinion, the flag at the Museum in Des Moines was, in fact, the flag of legend, negotiations were entered into with the Iowa State Historical Society to procure the flag on "long-term loan" to be hung in the Alumni Building on the Citadel Campus located in Charleston, South Carolina for the period of the Sesquicentennial events that are planned for the period commencing in March, 2010 and running through April 2014, at which time the flag is supposed to be returned to the Iowa Historical Museum.
After agreeing upon terms, a "loan contract" was reached with all concerned parties for the movement of the flag to South Carolina, and the task then fell to Conservator Hanke and her staff to prepare the flag for its journey to the Citadel.
The Heavy Lifting Begins
A special framework was constructed upon which to rest the artifact by Guardsmen of the Iowa Air National Guard using light weight (relatively speaking) aircraft aluminum, wood, and Plexiglas, which was then picked up at the Des Moines Airport and transported to the basement of the museum by staff members and volunteers from the museum for further construction work on the frame before the flag itself could be seated, sealed and shipped.
For three days last week, Sheila Hanke, Sarah Carlson and two volunteers in the Battle Flag Conservation Lab, David Thompson and this writer (both members of the "The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles" of Company "A", 49th Iowa V.I.R.) worked to construct the "bed" upon which the flag will rest for the next four years while on public display at the Citadel. (photographs of this rather long and complicated process are attached).
To the aluminum framework large sheets of a plastic core bedding board were attached and all joints and screw caps were then covered with linen tape so that no sharp edges of anything could possibly cone into contact with the flag once it was brought from storage and laid upon the bed. The plastic core sheeting was then covered with a thick layer of pure cotton gauze that was hot-glued into place before a final layer of muslin was stretched over the gauze and thoroughly vacuumed to assure a relatively clean environment for the flag itself to rest upon.
While this was being done, Carpenters in the shop next door to the conservation area were attaching the huge sheet of Plexiglas to the top frame and constructing a reinforced wooden crate that measured 9 by 12 feet and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,200 pounds once the flag would be secured inside.
Once the bed was constructed, and the top frame was finished, the flag was carefully transported from its light-tight storage and gingerly placed on the bed that had been lovingly made for it over the two days that it took to construct. The top frame was then thoroughly cleaned one last time before being fitted down onto the waiting base containing the flag and secured into place, thus sealing the flag into its new "home".
Calling upon all four of us from the Conservation Lab, two Carpenters from the Museums Carpentry Shop, and joined by Michael O. Smith, the Museum's Curator, and being aided by a fork-lift, we were able to move the crated flag up a gigantic service elevator to the loading dock where a 53 foot semi trailer awaited the loading of the container for it's trip to Charleston.
Sheila was kept apprised of the progress of the flag as it wound its way South by Southeast until being informed on Friday of the safe arrival of the container at its destination. The flag is slated to be mounted in a climate controlled setting, protected from sunlight, and inclement weather at the Alumni Building and is to be visible to the visiting public beginning on March 19th with an unveiling ceremony.
I cannot begin to impart the sense of honor and privilege that David Thompson and I feel at being allowed to assist the Battle Flag Conservators and the Iowa State Historical Museum, in projects such as these; or, the privilege that we feel on a daily basis to be allowed to work on these tangible pieces of our military history. I think that we are constantly awed by these grand old flags, and daily reminded of our own mortality. It is we who are passing through, while these pieces ARE history, made of silk, and wool, and paint. To be this close to these historic artifacts and to know where they have been, and what they have witnessed is an enormously moving and rewarding experience.
Respectfully Submitted,
David M. Lamb
David L. Thompson
Volunteer Assistants to the Conservators
Iowa Battle Flag Project
"The Governor's Own Iowa Rifles"
Bringing the