Carrie Sheads Had Company; " Some Ladies Of The Town " Save The 6th Wisconsin's Colors

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
sheads house two ladies.JPG

Using an image a little perfect for the thread, an enlarged snip from an LoC photo. Two ladies are crossing Chambersburg Pike, in front of Elias Shead's house, Gettysburg. Oak Ridge Seminary is elsewhere, this was the Shead's family home. Principal of the school, Carrie famously hid 97th New York's Lt. Col Wheelock's sword after a demand by a Confederate officer Wheelock surrender it. Reclaimed later, the story made Sheads a national heroine. We had several more of the same ilk but who listens to Rufus Dawes?

It's a mere mention in Dawe's report, but as notable. WHO were they?

dawes 1.JPG

Dawes' battle within the battle, at the Railroad Cut has been told and re-told a thousand times since July 1863. His succinct account is priceless.


dawes 2 top.jpg


dawes 2 ladies.jpg

Sergeant William Evans, 6th Wisconsin Co. I probably knew the names of these ladies- if we had the whole story Carrie and Wheelock would share space in legend with ' some ladies of the town '.

flag 6th wis.jpg

6th Wisconsin, no idea if this is the same flag- some were so shredded through the war they had to be retired while a new flag took its place. This is from Pinterest although you can find it elsewhere.

dawes 3.JPG


flag 6th wisconsin starts n stripes.jpg

GAR flag? Hatcher's Run was only a few months before Appomatox, last battle emblazoned on this flag. And there's Gettysburg, ' some ladies ' behind the story of 6th Wisconsin's history there.

Apologies @pamc153PA , feel free to move this to the Gettysburg forum! We ladies need all the help we can get getting ourselves noticed, swiped this for Ladies Tea.

sheads house two ladies snip.JPG
 
View attachment 301512
Using an image a little perfect for the thread, an enlarged snip from an LoC photo. Two ladies are crossing Chambersburg Pike, in front of Elias Shead's house, Gettysburg. Oak Ridge Seminary is elsewhere, this was the Shead's family home. Principal of the school, Carrie famously hid 97th New York's Lt. Col Wheelock's sword after a demand by a Confederate officer Wheelock surrender it. Reclaimed later, the story made Sheads a national heroine. We had several more of the same ilk but who listens to Rufus Dawes?

It's a mere mention in Dawe's report, but as notable. WHO were they?

View attachment 301506
Dawes' battle within the battle, at the Railroad Cut has been told and re-told a thousand times since July 1863. His succinct account is priceless.


View attachment 301508

View attachment 301507
Sergeant William Evans, 6th Wisconsin Co. I probably knew the names of these ladies- if we had the whole story Carrie and Wheelock would share space in legend with ' some ladies of the town '.

View attachment 301514
6th Wisconsin, no idea if this is the same flag- some were so shredded through the war they had to be retired while a new flag took its place. This is from Pinterest although you can find it elsewhere.

View attachment 301509

View attachment 301515
GAR flag? Hatcher's Run was only a few months before Appomatox, last battle emblazoned on this flag. And there's Gettysburg, ' some ladies ' behind the story of 6th Wisconsin's history there.

Apologies @pamc153PA , feel free to move this to the Gettysburg forum! We ladies need all the help we can get getting ourselves noticed, swiped this for Ladies Tea.

View attachment 301511

Hello,

A large nummber of new flags were made and presented to Union regiments at war's end for parade, etc, purposes. These would have listed battle honors through the last battles of the war - just like the 6th Wisconsin National colors you depict. Many were carried in the big parade in Washington City before Grant, Sherman etc.

Flag Guy
 
Hello,

A large nummber of new flags were made and presented to Union regiments at war's end for parade, etc, purposes. These would have listed battle honors through the last battles of the war - just like the 6th Wisconsin National colors you depict. Many were carried in the big parade in Washington City before Grant, Sherman etc.

Flag Guy

So that's the genesis of flags listing battles? They were presented to regiments, not ordered ( from whomever produced these?) by some regimental organization? I'd assumed the latter, thanks for the information!

Since your user name seems to indicate you probably know this stuff, any idea where an image of the 6th Wisconsin's flag may be, if there is one please? Looked all the heck all over and not ' just ' websites- old books, museum collections etc., still couldn't find it. I'm terrible with flags though and it's unsurprising it didn't turn up.
 
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