Flags Feared Flags

[bayouace]

What flags caused soldiers to cringe when they saw those flags opposing them in battle?

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Maybe someone can confirm the truth of this, but I was told by someone that outside Petersburg, Pickett was examining the Union line through field glasses and saw the flag of the Irish Brigade and his comment was, "It's that damned green flag again! "

 

[nc native]

A black flag flown by any sized unit would give me apprehension about the coming fight to say the least!

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

A black flag flown by any sized unit would give me apprehension about the coming fight to say the least!

I'm going to go with what might be a stupid question here, but were black flags really flown by any units in the civil war?

 

[Fairfield]

I'm going to go with what might be a stupid question here, but were black flags really flown by any units in the civil war?

I've read that guerilla fighters (Quantrill) in the west flew a black flag. Historians Jay Prier and Daniel Sutherland make that argument (Pirer's work is even titled Under the Black Flag). I believe that a black flag meant that no prisoners would be taken.

 

[Fairfield]

Maybe someone can confirm the truth of this, but I was told by someone that outside Petersburg, Pickett was examining the Union line through field glasses and saw the flag of the Irish Brigade and his comment was, "It's that damned green flag again! "

Perhaps it was Malvern Hill.

 

[nc native]

Perhaps it was Malvern Hill.

Pickett was out of commission recovering from a shoulder wound received at Gaines Mill while Malvern Hill was being fought. Perhaps it was Gettysburg or any of the battles that his division participated in after that. Pickett's Division was lightly engaged at Fredericksburg and at Suffolk with Longstreet when Chancellorsville was being fought. At Gettysburg, the Irish Brigade was engaged on the second day of fighting and Pickett's Division made its charge on the third day so it probably wasn't that brigade he faced when that comment
was made. Pickett's Division did run up against the Pennsylvania Irish Brigade on July 3rd at Gettysburg and if they flew a green flag
it may be that brigade he was speaking of.

 

[Fairfield]

Pickett was out of commission recovering from a shoulder wound received at Gaines Mill while Malvern Hill was being fought. Perhaps it was Gettysburg or any of the battles that his division participated in after that. Pickett's Division was lightly engaged at Fredericksburg and at Suffolk with Longstreet when Chancellorsville was being fought. At Gettysburg, the Irish Brigade was engaged on the second day of fighting and Pickett's Division made its charge on the third day so it probably wasn't that brigade he faced when that comment
was made. Pickett's Division did run up against the Pennsylvania Irish Brigade on July 3rd at Gettysburg and if they flew a green flag
it may be that brigade he was speaking of.

The Damned Green Flag became first a poem and then a song among the Fenians or visa versa). Here is a sourced description: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~mruddy/genealogy/GreeenFlag1.htm

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Pickett was out of commission recovering from a shoulder wound received at Gaines Mill while Malvern Hill was being fought. Perhaps it was Gettysburg or any of the battles that his division participated in after that. Pickett's Division was lightly engaged at Fredericksburg and at Suffolk with Longstreet when Chancellorsville was being fought. At Gettysburg, the Irish Brigade was engaged on the second day of fighting and Pickett's Division made its charge on the third day so it probably wasn't that brigade he faced when that comment
was made. Pickett's Division did run up against the Pennsylvania Irish Brigade on July 3rd at Gettysburg and if they flew a green flag
it may be that brigade he was speaking of.

Given the valor the Irish Brigade displayed (yeah, I'm part Irish ) no doubt any number of men on any number of battlefields voiced that sentiment. I'm also thinking the Iron Brigade's flag would have caused some consternation - or was it only their hats that were their unique identifers?

 

[bayouace]

I'm going to offer the Full Moon on Blue of Cleburne's Division. Officially the Hardee Battle Flag, it was actually designed by General Simon Buckner, I believe, and was certainly known by Union forces in the Western Theater. Cleburne's Division continued carrying the Full Moon even when a St. Andrew's Cross was later substituted for the Full Moon.

 

[Fairfield]

The ferocity with which various Maine units regarded their own flags was, I'm sure, duplicated all over both armies. I've posted numerous times about the shredding of its own flag by the 3rd Maine to prevent it from falling into enemy hands (bits of it still surface from time to time in the families of the descendants). These flags were often stitched by local women, kin to the soldiers. The 19th Maine captured--and hung on to--the flag of the 33rd Virginia; it was returned to the VA historical society only in the 20th century. I believe that the state of Minnesota still hangs on to another captured Virginia flag which it stubbornly & absolutely refuses to send back.

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

I'll start with The Hardee Flag.

 

[Booner]

I've read that guerilla fighters (Quantrill) in the west flew a black flag. Historians Jay Prier and Daniel Sutherland make that argument (Pirer's work is even titled Under the Black Flag). I believe that a black flag meant that no prisoners would be taken.

Flying a black flag meant "No Quarter" will be given.

During the Second Battle of Boonville, Mo. (Sept. 1861), the Union Home Guard in their fort thought that the Mo. State Guard attacking them were flying the black flag. In reality, due the the falling rain, the MSG had encased their flag in a black fabric covered case to prevent the flag from getting wet.

Quantrill was supposed to have ridden under the Black Flag several times, but both Cole Younger and Frank James said that the rumor was false, they never rode under any type of flag. There are two versions of this supposed black flag the Quantrill used. One has an all black flag with "Quantrell" (note the miss-spelled name), written across the flag in red letters, the other flag is again of black fabric with a capital "Q" in the upper left quadrant.

However, in times past, at several University of Missouri / Kansas University football games, both of the above flags attributed to Quantrill have been seen flying in the Missouri section.

 

[UCVRelics]

The one below would scare most yankee cav troops.

 

[Cavalier]

In regards to Pickett's remark, the 69 th. Pennsylvania of the Philadelphia Brigade, at the copse of trees, did carry a green flag if I not mistaken.

John

 

[Fairfield]

Pickett is often credited with the remark but, I believe, the original speaker may have been an unidentified Confederate officer at Malvern Hill. The Green Flag was carried at Seven Pines, Malvern Hill and Antietam.

 

[bayouace]

The one below would scare most yankee cav troops.

View attachment 406584

Oh, yes. Sturgis and Grierson surely had thoughts about it.

 

[Pollaco]

The one below would scare most yankee cav troops.

View attachment 406584

That's pretty much the way I understood it. To the Yankees it meant "Look out Forrest is on the field, in person".

 

[mofederal]

Supposedly a US flag with a black border was captured at Baxter Spring by Quantrill. It was said to be General James Blunt's personal colors.

 

[The Walking Dead]

What flags caused soldiers to cringe when they saw those flags opposing them in battle?

Green troops perhaps, but not seasoned veterans.