Description
Extremely rare Civil War silk flag, hand painted National Eagle with a banner below and 34 gold stars above. The banner is not filled in with any regimental information, which is not uncommon. As an early War item, it could have been put into service before the unit name was painted on–or it could have been a replacement for a lost color in battle. Less than forty of these are known to still exist today and most are in museum and institutional collections…the 6’x6′ Infantry type. The actual measurements are 6′ on the hoist and 6’5″ on the fly (leaving room for the attachment to a pole via cords).
Every Union regiment would have been issued a set of colors–this flag and an American flag of the same size.
During the American Civil War, large national and regimental colors were used both ceremonially and tactically. The tradition of distinctive military flags as a rally point on the field of combat can be traced to ancient times where troops would rally to the flags. The modern practice of unit flags originated in medieval Europe, and was carried through to their use by the United States Army and other armed forces.
During the American Civil War, the U.S. infantry and artillery regiments carried two extremely large silk colors, a national and a regimental flag. A single regimental color of any kind in private hands is a rarity today and this would be the centerpiece of even a museum grade collection. The silk is a bit fragile and fragmented but has been stabilized with a backing of archival beva film and is ready to mount and frame as it is.
The United States National 34-Star flag was adopted with the admission of Kansas as the 34th state in January 1861. It was used until 1863 when West Virginia became a state.
This flag would have been around for the ENTIRE Civil War! A very rare opportunity for an investment of a lifetime.
