When were flags unfurled?

[air1mtm]

Were flags kept furled unless on the march?
Were they kept furled in Camp?
Were they unfurled when moving into Battle Line?

 

[rpkennedy]

It depended. Generally, the flags would be cased while marching although they may be uncased and unfurled when marching through a friendly town. When preparing for action, the colors were unfurled and usually kept unfurled through the battle although there were a few instances where the flag was cased during the fighting. At Gettysburg, after more than half a dozen men fell carrying the colors, Lt. East furled and cased the flags when he saw the amount of fire that they were attracting. In anger, Sergeant-Major Blanchard grabbed the national flag and began to wave it when he a bullet cut his femoral artery and he died within minutes. Don Troiani did an excellent painting which depicts this event.

Ryan

 

[Michael C. Hardy]

Yes. Typically flags were kept furled and in the colonel's tent unless needed. There is actually a very prescribe way for the color guard to go and pick up the flags from the colonel's tent.