Preserving Our Heritage

36th Pennsylvania Infantry (7th Pennsylvania Reserves)


http://www.pacivilwarflags.org/stories/7thReserves.cfm

"The 36th Pennsylvania Infantry (more commonly known as the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves) was organized in June 1861 at West Chester, PA. Upon receiving their flag, Private Adam Wray of Danville, Pennsylvania was selected as bearer, primarily because of his previous service in such capacity during the Mexican War. The regiment saw its first heavy fighting in the Battle of the Seven Days on the York-James Peninsula. On June 30, 1862 at New Market Crossroads all members of the color-guard were either killed or wounded. Private Wray was gravely wounded and as a result discharged from the service, dying soon after. Private Rheuben Schell of Company D was promoted to Corporal and given the honor of carrying the flag. He was later promoted to Sergeant, but it was not until September 17, 1862 the Schell recognized the dangers of bearing the color. Schell's regiment was engaged in the fierce fighting at "The Cornfield" at Antietam. Schell came through unscathed, but men on both sides of him were killed or wounded and the flag was hit by at least eight bullets. At Fredericksburg, Schell was hit by a spent ball that fortunately struck his belt buckle. The private who picked up the fallen color was immediately killed. Schell recovered from his minor wound and continued to carry the flag until the entire regiment was surrounded during the battle of the Wilderness. He wept openly when the second state color was taken from him. He was imprisoned at Andersonville for five months before being transferred to other southern prisons. After the war he returned to Lock Haven, PA but was so wracked by diseases from his imprisonment that he could not effectively undertake manual labor. He eventually found a job as the bookkeeper at the West Branch Tannery and worked there until his death in April of 1909."


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When we talk flags, most people think Regimental Battle flags. They forget many individual Companies went to War in 1861-1862 with their own flags.

Pictured below is the flag for the Southern Grays, Company C, 10th Virginia Volunteers and the Battle flag of the 10th Virginia.


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http://georgiahistory.com/education...s/conquered-banners-georgias-civil-war-flags/


The Georgia Historical Society is pleased to present “Conquered Banners: Georgia’s Civil War Flags.” This 12-month exhibit of rare flags made and carried during the first year of the Civil War will be on display in the reading room of GHS’s Hodgson Hall. The six beautifully-conserved flags, on loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National Monument, will rotate for display every three months throughout 2011 – the first year of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Touch Her If You Dare
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“Touch Her if You Dare” Banner, 1860
Joseph Louis Fermin Cerveau (1812-1896)
Oil on linen
On Loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National MonumentCarried through the streets of Savannah on the night of Dec. 26, 1860, this banner represents regional support of South Carolina’s decision to secede from the United States six days earlier. Prompted by the perceived threat posed by Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party to the institution of slavery, South Carolina was the first to secede and declare its independence following Lincoln’s election as president the previous November. Six other states in the Deep South, including Georgia, followed suit during the early months of 1861. They would form a Southern Confederacy in March of that year.


The scene on the banner depicts a metaphor of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi protecting South Carolina from attack by the United States. An American eagle symbolizes the Federal government, poised to strike against a woman cleaving a sword (South Carolina), protected by another woman with a sword and carrying the scales of justice and representing the other Deep South states. “Touch her if you dare” was a warning to the United States that if it tried to coerce South Carolina back into the Union, the other states would secede and defend her.

The artist, Fermin Cerveau, is best known for his painting of Savannah in 1837 (also on display in the reading room).

Montgomery Cross Guards
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Montgomery Guards Irish Banner, 1862
Attributed to the Sisters of Mercy
Silk and chenille<
On loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National MonumentCommissioned by Captain Lawrence Guilmartin to the Sisters of Mercy, the Montgomery Guards banner was presented to the company at Fort Pulaski on March 17, 1862. The front of the banner features a cross of gold chenille above which appears the motto “In hoc signo vinces” (in this sign you will conquer) and below, the words, “God and our rights.” The reverse of the banner shows a harp entwined with a shamrock, the name of the company, and twelve stars representing the Confederacy.


In a letter to General Moxley Sorrell dated Dec. 7, 1885, Charles F. Prendergast, recording Secretary of the Hibernian Society, places the flag on deposit with the Georgia Historical Society and describes the survival of the flag as follows:

This flag is a striking and interesting example of the proverbial
devotion of true soldiers to their colors. Captured by the Federal
forces at Fort Pulaski in April, 1862, it was, with extra ordinary
skill and daring, saved by concealment about the persons of the
men, who, after enduring many close examinations, and a long
confinement in Northern prisons, brought it back triumphantly
to the Confederate lines, when the command was exchanged in
the following September. At General Johnston’s surrender, three
years later, the flag (which had seen service from Fort Pulaski
to Bentonville,) was saved again, tho’ the circumstances then
were less remarkable than in 1862.


The Montgomery Guards were organized in Savannah in July of 1861 and initially served with the 1st Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment. They were part of the garrison at Fort Pulaski (where they were surrendered) and later served as Co. E of the 22nd Battalion Georgia Siege Artillery.

Savannah Cadets
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Savannah Cadets Banner
Creator unknown
Silk
On loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National MonumentThe Savannah Cadets company was organized on May 17, 1861 for home protection of Savannah, Ga., and its surrounding area. Membership was limited to boys between the ages of 14 and 17. The company was accepted into the service of the State of Georgia in February 1862 and joined the 54th Regiment of Georgia Volunteer, Confederate States Army, in May 1862 for the remainder of the Civil War. They surrendered with the army of General Joseph E. Johnston on April 27, 1865 in North Carolina. During the Spanish-American War, the company, enlisted as Company E of the 1st Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, mustered into the U.S. Army on May 12, 1898, as Company K, 1st Infantry Regiment of U.S. Volunteers.


The Cadets served in 1917 on the Mexican border, and when the National Guard of Georgia entered into World War I, the Savannah Cadets joined as Battery B, 118th Field Artillery, of the 31st Division. They served in France, commanded by Captains J.A. Bailey and Jas. Phillips. After the return of the 118th Field Artillery, the Savannah Cadets were not reorganized.

1st Regiment Georgia Regulars
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1st Regiment Georgia Regulars Flag
Creator Unknown
Silk
On loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National Monument1st Georgia Regulars Infantry Regiment completed its organization at Macon, Ga., in April, 1861, and soon moved to Virginia. The men were from Atlanta and Brunswick, and Glynn and Montgomery counties. It was brigaded under General Toombs and in April, 1862, contained 367 effectives. Transferred to G.T. Anderson’s Brigade, the unit fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days’ Battles to Fredericksburg. It then was ordered to Florida, assigned to G.P. Harrison’s Brigade, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and fought at Olustee. During the summer of 1864, it was stationed in the Charleston area and later saw action at Savannah and in North Carolina. Only 45 officers and men were left to surrender with the Army of Tennessee.
Effingham Guards
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Effingham Guards Banner, 1861
Joseph Louis Fermin Cerveau (1812-1896)
Oil on Silk
On loan from the National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National MonumentPainted by Fermin Cerveau after being commissioned by Jane Eliza Stanton, wife of Effingham Guards Captain, Patrick H. Stanton.

Photos courtesy of The National Park Service, Fort Pulaski National Monument
 
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We were perhaps less knowledgeable about preservation, but I'd be interested to know how and why other countries managed to do it and this country didn't.

We as a country simply don't care. Especially if it costs money.
 
We were perhaps less knowledgeable about preservation, but I'd be interested to know how and why other countries managed to do it and this country didn't.

We as a country simply don't care. Especially if it costs money.


Respectfully gentlemen, it's not just about money.

In comparison to such countries as England and France, the United States is a relatively young nation. Americans have a great deal to learn about history, heritage and traditions.
 
https://www.kshs.org/p/save-the-flags/12268


Save the Flags - KSHS
Save the Flags
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Tattered and torn, these irreplaceable pieces of Kansas' past need your help. About 75 flags from Kansas' involvement in the Civil War are in the collections of the Kansas Historical Society.

Most are battle flags of various Kansas regiments, but there also are confederate and border ruffian flags and political banners. Some of the flags show damage from their service in battle, while all have suffered the effects of time and environment. Many have been furled for decades. Now brittle with age, the flags need treatment by specialists before they can be unfurled and made available for research and public viewing.

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Help preserve flags such as:

Adopt a flag by underwriting its preservation either fully or in part. All donations are tax exempt and are placed in fund for flag preservation.

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These flags have already been preserved:

Please contact Tom Ellis, Museum Store Online. Specify "Save the Flags" in the drop-down menu.

Home Full Site
 
Flag restoration is expensive and time consuming. Taking into consideration the condition of these flags, the results are amazing.

http://mdah.state.ms.us/senseofplace/tag/textiles/page/3/


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This photo shows the flag before conservation. The flag had undergone previous repairs and treatment including the use of an adhesive which had to be removed.

This 1st National pattern flag belonged to the 22nd Mississippi Infantry, Company E, the “Liberty Guards.” The Liberty Guards organized in Amite County in April of 1861 and were mustered into Confederate service in July at Liberty. Veterans of Company E preserved the flag and donated it to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 1907.

By 2010, time and wear had taken its toll on this fragile silk flag. Thanks to a very generous donation from the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the flag has been stabilized and conserved by Textile Preservation Associates in Ranson, West Virginia. These photographs show the flag during the conservation process.

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This photo shows the conservator conducting a technical examination of the canton of the flag. The flag was badly soiled and much of the fabric was weak and powdering.

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The canton was more stable than the bars of the fly. This photo shows the conservator piecing part of the red silk that had become weak, brittle, and separated.

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The final photo shows the flag after the conservation process was completed.

The flag was put in a pressure mount frame which will provide uniform support throughout the entire surface and create a stable environment that will protect it from outside contaminants. The entire conservation treatment process took 260 hours to complete.

All photos are courtesy of Textile Preservation Associates.

Artifacts from the Museum Division collection that are not on exhibit are available for viewing by appointment. Please contact Nan Prince, Assistant Director of Collections, by email to schedule an appointment.
 
http://www.mass54thcompany-a.com/history/index.html


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William Harvey Carney (February 29, 1840 – December 8, 1908)

The regiment gained recognition on July 18, 1863, when it spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. At this battle, Colonel Shaw was killed, along with one-hundred and sixteen of his men. Another hundred and fifty-six were wounded or captured.

The total casualties of 272 would be the highest total for the 54th in a single engagement during the war. Although the Union was not able to take and hold the fort, the 54th was widely acclaimed for its valor, and the event helped encourage the further enlistment and mobilization of African-American troops, a key development that President Abraham Lincoln once noted as helping to secure the final victory.

Sergeant William Harvey Carney was the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Although he was not presented with the honor until nearly 37 years after his acts of bravery. Carney rescued the U.S. flag as the flag bearer fell, carrying the flag to the enemy ramparts and back, and saying "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground!" While other African-Americans had since been granted the award, Carney's is the earliest action for which the Medal of Honor was awarded to an African-American.

Carney was born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia, but escaped to Massachusetts like his father through the Underground Railroad. They later bought the rest of the family out of slavery.

In later life, Carney was a postal employee and popular speaker at patriotic events. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, and is buried in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Engraved on his stone monument is a gold image of the Medal of Honor.
 
I highly recommend visiting the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum when in New Orleans.


http://confederatemuseum.com/collections/flags/



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Flags
There are over 140 flags in the collection of Memorial Hall, most of which are from Louisiana regiments. Many restored flags are always on display. Notable examples include the flag that adorned the coffin of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, that of the Washington Artillery, famed artillery unit of New Orleans, the First Florida Infantry which saw action along side many Louisiana units at Shiloh, and the Sixth Louisiana (Orleans Rifles) embroidered with the inscription “Let Us Alone, Trust In God.” There is an active flag restoration program and donors may contribute funds to be used toward the restoration of any flag. Click on images to enlarge.



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http://www.brettschulte.net/CWBlog/2008/04/28/alabama-flags-need-restoration/

Alabama Flags Need Restoration
by FRED RAY on APRIL 28, 2008 · 0 COMMENTS

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A nice article on Civil War flag restoration in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Confederate flags — 86 of them — are dirtied, blood-stained and tattered by musket fire, time and the elements.

Alabama lays claim to a collection of Civil War banners that historians rank the third largest in the world. Only the North Carolina State Museum in Raleigh and the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va., have more.

“Many of our flags … were in the thick of many hard fought battles,” said Robert Bradley of the Department of Archives and History, where the collection is housed.

“If they could speak, they would probably all let out a very loud Rebel yell,” he said.

All but 14 of the flags, though, need to be conserved — a time-consuming and expensive process. Of the 14 already restored, only four are on display.

You can see a slide show of several of the flags here, such as the one carried by the Magnolia Cadets above), later part of the Fourth Alabama.

“Selma’s Magnolia cadets began the war with a force of more than 1,400 men that marched under a silk banner made by two Dallas County sisters, Elo-die Todd and Martha Todd White, the half-sisters of Mary Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln’s wife,” he said.

The cadets were assigned to the 4th Alabama and saw combat in most of the bloodiest battles, Bradley said. Only 202 of 1,422 cadets survived the war.

The banner is made of off-white silk with a magnolia wreath painted on it along with its company name and the year it was organized, 1861.

The company received the flag April 24, 1861, and departed for Georgia, where the flag drew the attention of the Columbus Daily Sun in its May 4, 1861, edition.

“The Magnolia cadets and Capt. N.H.R. Dawson from Selma, Ala. passed through Atlanta a few days ago, on their way to Virginia, carrying a beautiful flag, which was made and presented to them by a sister of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln.”
 
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I highly recommend visiting the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum when in New Orleans.


http://confederatemuseum.com/collections/flags/



ConfederateMemorialHall-logo175px.png


Flags
There are over 140 flags in the collection of Memorial Hall, most of which are from Louisiana regiments. Many restored flags are always on display. Notable examples include the flag that adorned the coffin of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, that of the Washington Artillery, famed artillery unit of New Orleans, the First Florida Infantry which saw action along side many Louisiana units at Shiloh, and the Sixth Louisiana (Orleans Rifles) embroidered with the inscription “Let Us Alone, Trust In God.” There is an active flag restoration program and donors may contribute funds to be used toward the restoration of any flag. Click on images to enlarge.



[Show as slideshow]
thumbs_confederatememorialhall_flags-01.jpg

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I've bookmarked the site and a visit there is definitely on the to-do list. My father has been there and recommended it too.
 
Those held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin can be viewed online here:
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/flags/

As for books, I highly recommend Texas Flags Robert Maberry Jr.
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Thank you for that link. Thought I already had it but I hadn't bookmarked it. Wonder where the other surviving Texas flags are?
 
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