First Georgia ANV & Regimental Flags

[Sox]

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ANV Battle Flag - On Dispaly at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia. Battle Honors at the time of Antietam would also have included.....Yorktown,Gaines Mill,Glendale,Second Manassas,Chantilly. *Note* Savage Station & Peach Orchard are actually one honour....Savage Station Peach Orchard. The Flag carried at the time of the regiments surrender was a 'Department of South Carolina,Georgia & Florida pattern, square with a white border having thirteen stars and a coloured sleeve', so clearly not the one in the photo.

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Regimental Flag. Unusual in that it had two sides, one being a version of the Georgia State, the other being the First National Flag.

This is a rectangular, two-sided silk regimental flag of the First Georgia Regulars measuring 65 by 77-inches. This flag with its inked and painted Coat of Arms on a cream-colored field is in very poor condition but sufficient elements of its design have remained for museum conservators to reconstruct its general appearance.This flag was presented to the regiment on June 19, 1861 at Savannah following a military review. Sgt. William H. Andrews gave the following account of its presentation and a description of the flag in his memoirs.

''After the review one of the handsomest state flags I have ever seen was presented to the regiment, the gift of Miss Howard of Columbus, Ga., Col. Charles Williams’ sister in law. It certainly was a beauty, made of costly silk with the First Confederate colors on one side, and the state of Georgia on the other. Just below the Coat of Arms in large gilt letters is “First Regiment Georgia Regulars.” It was a gift ever held sacred by the members of the regiment''.

[TrustyJam]

On my phone, but at a glance the battleflag bunting issue is a later one than appropriate for the Maryland Campaign.

Two-sided flags are common for early-war, homemade flags. Won't be seeing two sided flags in game, sadly.

Please check the update 121 notes. We just added support for two sided flags. :)

- Trusty

[Warboy]

Please check the update 121 notes. We just added support for two sided flags. :)

- Trusty

OHHH NICE!! can't wait for the day that the 1st GA regulars double sided flag is in the game, that gold state seal side looks soooooo niceeeeee. :cool:

[Sox]

On my phone, but at a glance the battleflag bunting issue is a later one than appropriate for the Maryland Campaign.

Two-sided flags are common for early-war, homemade flags. Won't be seeing two sided flags in game, sadly.

The chances that it's post Antietam are slim, as the Regiment left the Army of Northern Virginia very shortly after Fredericksburg & never returned. Most likely it's either first or second Bunting issue from 1862.

[A. P. Hill]

This is definitely not a 1st or 2nd bunting, but it could be a 3rd bunting and still have been at Antietam.

It likely could have been, but without all the battles listed on post Antietam (aka Sharpsburg.) Which Sharpsburg wouldn't be on it either at the time. But I agree, this is definitely a post 1862 banner.

Most units that came to join the Army of Northern Virginia received the ANV battle flag.

[Sox]

This is definitely not a 1st or 2nd bunting, but it could be a 3rd bunting and still have been at Antietam.

Andersons Brigade never recieved the 3rd bunting issue (nor did any of Longstreets troops), and by the time of the fourth bunting issue the 1st Georgia were no longer with the Army of Northern Virginia, having left shortly after Fredericksburg. Plus, regiments were loathe to retire their old colours, even when presented with brand a new one, so this is more than likely the first one they had been issued.

[Sox]

Some of Longstreet's troops had 3rd Issues at Antietam. The 11th Alabama's 3rd Issue is probably the one photographed with Lincoln and McClellan. What's your source? I was at Ft. Pulaski just a few months ago, don't remember seeing the flag, sadly.

The source is the photo itself, it's a trimmed down shot of the flag in it's display case. I found it via the Georgia Historical Society (where I first found images of the regimental flag) who were kind enough to point me in the Direction of Fort Pulaski. In the original photgraph you can actually see the plaque at the side of the display case, on which it says that at first it was thought to be the flag of The Oglethorpe Light Infantry (who went on to become the 1st Georgia Infantry, and never served with the Army of Northern Virginia, and the 8th Georgia Infantry who's flag would have incuded all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia as well as Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Knoxville.), but later evidence showed it to be the flag of the 1st Georgia Regulars.

Researching Georgia regiments from the civil war can be very confusing, for example there were over thirty (yes thirty lol) units with the designation 'First Georgia'.

[Sox]

If you're interested in battle flags outside of 1st Georgia's, I bet you would really enjoy an out of print book called The Damned Red Flags of the Rebellion: The Confederate Battle Flag at Gettysburg. I'm thinking about picking up a second, back-up copy of this book before it is too late. If CG decided to do Gettysburg, this would be absolutely required reading for the flag guys.

Well the only other flags I'd researched before this, were those of The Washington Artillery & The Sixy Ninth New York (both a long time ago). Looking into the Georgia flags though I did learn about some things I'd previously never heard of, such as the acts of Congress that tried to enforce the return of captured Confederate battle flags, and an interesting discovery of a Company battle flag that belonged to Company B of the First Georgia Regulars. I really had never heard of individual Companies carrying a flag, outside of the guidons that NCO's sometimes carried.
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[Sox]

Yeah, a lot of companies were given homemade flags (usually by their ladies) before marching off to their respective departments. Sadly, most of them have not survived but fortunately a lot of them were sent home once regimental flags were issued. The 6th Louisiana has a couple that still exist, including my Tensas Rifles (Co. D) and the Orleans Rifles (Co. H). I've thought about doing a paper on the icons (cotton, the cross, the personification of liberty, stars, etc.) and slogans (Noli Me Tangere, HOME, Liberty or Death, Sic Semper Tyrannis, etc.) of these Early War flags for graduate school, which would give me an excuse to hang out with flag conservators and be paid for it. ;)

Actually found out a little bit more. The Company B flag was indeed handmade, also the ANV battle flag carried by the regiment at the time of surrender was ' a Department of South Carolina,Georgia & Florida pattern, square with a white border having thirteen stars and a coloured sleeve'. At the surrender of the Army of the Tennessee they were actually allowed to keep their colours, and even flew it on the march home.

[Sox]

Well the Regiment left the Army of Northern Virginia very shortly after Fredericksburg, and you'll notice that there are no more battle honours on that flag later than Fredericksburg, even though the regiment fought in many engagements after their departure. I think that this flag was most likely retired when they left the ANV, and that the flag described at the surrender was a replacement.

If you examine the picture closely, it quite clearly has a full white border but no sleeve, in fact you can see the three holes by which it was attatched to the pole (the top one having been torn off). Also the white battle honours have definately been stenciled (the R's match) and so have the darker battle honours, but with a different,smaller, stencil (again the R's match). I think the uneven stars and their non standard shape, the very uneven stitching, are the hallmarks of a hand sewn homemade flag.

[Sox]

I wish we could solve this mystery, I'd love to see 1st Georgia (Regulars) carrying the correct flag. Probably the safe bet is a two-sided 1st National.

Mystery solved. I've been in touch with the head of historical research at Fort Pulaski for the last few weeks who has confirmed the following, including one big suprise.

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The above is a third bunting issue ANV battle flag, and was presented to the regiment sometime between July & August 1862. The two honours in blue are divisional, meaning that even though the First Georgia were there, they took no part in the fighting. The reverse of the flag is devoid of any battle honours. The reason you can't see this flag on display any longer is because it was put into safe storage away from Fort Pulaski due to hurricanes.

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Now for the surprise. According to the book 'Footprints of a Regiment' the Regimental Flag (above) was only used for reviews and parades. During restoration work in 2002 however, battle damage AND blood was found to be present, so it may actually have seen some action. A smaller surprise is that the stars on the reverse are not actually white, but light blue.

[John Jones]

Mystery solved. I've been in touch with the head of historical research at Fort Pulaski for the last few weeks who has confirmed the following, including one big suprise.

9450

The above is a third bunting issue ANV battle flag, and was presented to the regiment sometime between July & August 1862. The two honours in blue are divisional, meaning that even though the First Georgia were there, they took no part in the fighting. The reverse of the flag is devoid of any battle honours. The reason you can't see this flag on display any longer is because it was put into safe storage away from Fort Pulaski due to hurricanes.

9451 9452

Now for the surprise. According to the book 'Footprints of a Regiment' the Regimental Flag (above) was only used for reviews and parades. During restoration work in 2002 however, battle damage AND blood was found to be present, so it may actually have seen some action. A smaller surprise is that the stars on the reverse are not actually white, but light blue.

Sir,
Excellent research by yourself and the museum - my congratulations. Yet again an example of a little bit of digging that disproves our dogmatic understanding of the past.
Your obedient servant,
J Jones