X-IT the Union: Confederate Prototype Flag

From the April 2021 Civil War Times magazine by Dana B. Shoaf.

This flag recently sold at auction for $50,787.50. 

The Confederate flag in question here is a curious hybrid of the United States banner and the Southern battle flag.

The colorful flag is 33" by 52" inches in size, is made of red, white and blue cotton fabric with13 white stars, for the seceded states and two border states, applied in an "X" pattern to each side of the canton.

Its exact origin is not known.

A similar version was carried by the 22md/20th Arkansas Infantry and is part of Little Rock's Old State House Museum.

It is also possible that the flag, sold by Heritage Auctions, is an early prototype for the Confederate National Flag, and was one of several designs considered by Confederate Jefferson Davis.

--Old Secesh

The Last Time 'Insurgents' Got This Close to US Capitol-- Part 2: This Close to a Win Back in '64

 Confederate general Jubal Early commanded the 2nd Corps of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia which fought under a square flag of the rectangular one so often flown today (the Confederate Naval Ensign).

At the time of the attack, the chances of the Confederacy were greatly in decline and it was hoped this sudden feint might convince Union to send troops from the Petersburg, Virginia, front to defend the capital.

As soon as the target of this Confederate attack was known to Grant, he sent some 17,000 troops to the capital's defense.  In the meantime, back in D.C., Union officers started scrounging up as many troops as they could from the wounded soldiers recovering and government clerks, essentially anyone who could carry a weapon.  They were sent out to man the defenses.

Early ordered his leading division of troops to immediately begin an attack on Fort Stevens.  At one point, Confederates did find a gap in the Union defenses that could have been a huge turnaround in the battle.  Had they been able to exploit it  they would have had a direct route to the Washington Navy Yard, the U.S. Treasury as well as a myriad of  warehouses with food, medicine and ordnance.

However, Early's troops had been on the march for quite awhile and were too exhausted to make good on the break.

--Old Secesh

Troops Came to U.S. Capitol in 1861 and Wrecked It-- Part 2: Different From 160 Years Ago

The most recent chapter in the history of the U.S. Capitol took place 160 years later.

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, photos showed  the halls of the building filled with thousands of rifle-toting National Guard troops tasked with securing the nation's capital city.  They rested on floors that just a week earlier rioters had overrun.  And some even carried Confederate flags.

But, this time they will not be staying in the Capitol, but put up in local hotels.

Troops also stayed overnight in the Capitol building during World War II and after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in 1968 during black riots.  According to U.S. senate history, they had also been called on to maintain order on at least three other times.

The scene this past Wednesday was also remarkably different than 160 years ago.  A bust of Lincoln and a plaque commemorating the earlier quartered regiments were located above napping guard members.  A group of black guardsmen took photos with a statue of Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks.

Most wore face masks, and many observed social distancing amid the virus epidemic.

--Old Secesh

Robert Cogdill Gilchrist's Proposal for a Confederate Flag in 1861

Since I have been writing about this man's construction of the first suspension bridge over the Hudson River in the state of New York, I also found this interesting tidbit.

From Confederate Flags.org.

The proposal of Robert C. Gilchrist of Charleston, South Carolina,  was sent by express courier to Christopher G. Memminger on 4 February 1861, the day the Montgomery Convention which created the Confederacy opened.

Retaining the idea of the Stars and Stripes, Gilchrist removed the canton and placed the stars on a blue cross which spread across the red and white stripes.

This early design by a prominent citizen who had been Commissioner of the United States District Court and the U.S. Court of Claims for the District of South Carolina received wide  publicity.

However, in a letter  to the South Carolina delegation dated 7 February 1861, signed by Charles H. Moise, the Jewish congregations of South Carolina objected to the adoption of a sectarian symbol as the flag of the new country.

Interesting flag design.  I'd never seen it before or heard of Robert C. Gilchrist before I made the blog entries about Gilchrist's bridge across the Hudson River in 1871.

--Old Secesh

Presidential Visits to Antietam Battlefield-- Part 1: McKinley and Lincoln

Today, I wrote about the speech President William McKinley gave at the Antietam Battlefield for Decoration Day (it was called this before changing to Memorial Day) in 1900 where he stressed he unification of the North and South after the bloody Civil War.  This was in my Civil War II blog.  Sadly, events today where certain groups are trying to erase any and all things Confederate, was not that way back 120 years ago.  The word was reunification and let bygones be bygones.

From the National Park Service:  Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland, "Presidential Visits to Antietam."

There is a strong presidential connection to Antietam battlefield ranging from  future president William McKinley being there during the battle and no less than eight sitting presidents have visited the site.

**  The first, of course, was Abraham Lincoln, who spent four days traveling over the battlefield in October 1862, just two weeks after the battle.  He met with his general, McClellan and tried to prod him to action.  While there, the president met with other generals and thousands of wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate.

His trip is well documented with many photographs, including that one in the tent conversing with McClellan.  Until recently, I had not noticed the Confederate flag on the ground behind Lincoln until someone in Civil War Talk pointed it out.

--Old Abe to Little Mac.  --Old Secesh

Sgt. Major William B. Hincks, 14th Connecticut Awarded Medal of Honor at Battle of Gettysburg

From Wikipedia.

Date of Action:  July 3, 1863
Date of Medal of  Honor Issue:  December 1, 1864

"The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Major William B. Hincks, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on July 3, 1863, while serving with the 14th Connecticut Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

"During the high water mark of Pickett's charge on 3 July 1863 the colors of the 14th Tennessee Infantry C.S.A. were planted 50 yards in front of the center of Sergeant Major Hincks' regiment.  There were no Confederates standing near it but several were lying down around it.

" 'Major Ellis called for volunteers to capture the flag and instantly Major Hincks, Major Broatch and Lieutenant Brigham leaped the wall.  Brigham was shot down by a retreating rebel, but the other two sped on.  Hincks finally outstripping Broatch, ran straight and swift for the color, amid a storm of shot.

"Swing his saber over the prostrate Confederates and uttering a terrific yell, he seized the flag and hastily returned to the line.'

"The 14th Tennessee carried 12 battle honors on its flag.  The devotion of duty showed by Sergeant Major Hincks gave encouragement to many of his comrades at a crucial moment in the battle."

Capturing the Flag, Possible MoH.  --Old Secesh

Illinois' Gov. "Toilets" Bans Confederate Railroad Band

In the last post I mentioned this group being cancelled at a county fair.

The governor banned the country group Confederate Railroad from playing at the Illinois State Fair in August because of the name and Confederate flag on their logo.  He also banned them from the Du Quoin State Fair.

I guess, in truth, the governor, known for his love of toilets, was fearful that the overflow crowds who would come  out to see  the band would be too much for the state fair bathrooms and to avoid an unpleasant scene, he had them cancelled.

However, they will be playing at the Black Diamond Harley-Davidson party in Marion, Illinois, on September 5.

And, Liz and I had been considering going to the Illinois State Fair this year.

Not Now.  --Old Secesh

Threats Over Civil War Days Investigated-- Part 5: So, What Is Mr. Kyle?

Continued from July 3, 2019.

Matt Evans said Ralph Peterson Jr was a racist for some of his remarks in local news stories and his Facebook live post.

Forest Preserve president is Angelo Kyle, who is a black man, originally called for the event to be canceled after describing  how he attended a past Civil War Days encampment at Lakewood Forest Preserve and saw  "a considerable number of Confederate flags and a number of other things" that concerned him.

Those other things would be Confederate re-enactors.

This makes Mr. Kyle a racist.

It Is So Sad Wgen Black racism Hits An Event Like This.  --Old Secesh

U.S. Zouave Cadets and Elmer Ellsworth-- Part 1

From the Smithsonian.

This will be the topic of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table presentation tonight in Woodstock, Illinois.

Most know Elmer E. Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the war on May 24, 1861, when he took down the Confederate flag from the roof of the hotel in Alexandria, Virginia.  But not so many know about the group that brought him to military prominence, the Zouave Cadets.

The U.S. Zouave Cadets were organized by Ellsworth in Chicago 1859-1860.  They were noted for their precision drills and colorful uniforms.  They toured the United States in 1860, putting on shows and in August 1860 were invited to the White House to put on a performance for President James Buchanan and his popular niece, Harriet Lane.

--Old Secesh

Monuments Around the South Carolina Statehouse

Last week I wrote about a movement to erect a statue of Robert Smalls, a slave who commandeered the Confederate transport Planter in Charleston Harbor, on the grounds of the S.C. statehouse.  This is where the confrontation over  the Confederate Flag started.

Statues on the grounds include an African-American monument, Robert E. Lee tree memorial, Confederate Women memorial, Confederate soldier monument, Wade Hampton (Confederate general) and Dr. J. Marlon Sims.  I have written about Dr. Sims before and his questionable experiments on black women in gynecology so would not have a problem with his statue coming down.

The Statehouse also has bronze star markers where it was struck by Union artillery in 1865.

Again, I would like to see a statue for Robert Smalls there.

--Old Secesh

Lake County CWRT: Confederate Flags Presentation-- Part 4:

Every Confederate state had flags even though most didn't before the war.  South Carolina had three state flags during the conflict.  The Bonnie Blue Flag even had a song about it.  It was the second-most popular in the Confederacy after the song "Dixie."

Mississippi's state flag used during the war remained until the 1890s, when the present embattled one was adopted.

The Hardee Pattern Flag used by some unites was an all-blue flag with a white oval at the center which had the unit's name and number.  There was also a mostly red Van Dorn Pattern.

Hood's Texas Brigade took the Texas state flag in its unit flag.  This unit sustained heavy casualties throughout the war.

--Old Secesh

Lake County CWRT-- Part 3: Confederate Flags

Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard commissioned William Miles to come up with another design.  His design, referred to as the Second nation banner, or "The Stainless Banner" was used for two years.  It featured a white field with the more familiar Confederate Battle Flag as a square in the upper right hand corner.  The problem with this flag is that when hanging limp, it does resemble and could be confused with a surrender white flag.

The 3rd National Flag was then designed.  It was the same as the second national except for a vertical red stripe opposite the Confederate Flag.  It wasn't used long as it was adopted March 4, 1865, as the Confederacy rapidly drew to an end.  It is referred to as the "Blood-Stained Banner."  It was designed by Arthur Rogers.

--Old Secesh

Lake County CWRT-- Part 2: Flags of the Confederacy

On March 9, 2017, I went to the Lake County Civil War Round Table meeting in Grayslake, Illinois.  It is held at the village's Heritage and Museum.

A presentation was given by Rich Garling on Confederate flags.

During the Civil War, flags were often a rallying point in the smoke and confusion of battle.  There was nothing more disgraceful to a unit than losing its flag and a huge morale boost if the enemy's flag (s) were captured.  Mr. Garling read Joshua Chamberlain's quote on the flags at the Appomattox surrender.

Nichola Marschall (1822-1920) designed the original Confederate National Flag  It kind of resembled the Austrian National Flag at the time.  However, it was determined by the South that it too much resembled the flag of the United States.

It was decided that a new design was needed.

--Old Flag

The Colonel Ellsworth Flag-- Part 2: Who Has What

The New York State Museum and Veterans Research Center in Saratoga Springs has most of the flag and the colonel's uniform, which still shows the hole left in it by the fatal shot.

The Fort Ward Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, has a whole section dedicated to Ellsworth including the kepi he was wearing when killed.  In addition, they have envelopes that appeared afterwards with his likeness on them, a piece of the Confederate flag he died over (still showing his blood) and the "O" from the Marshall House which a soldier took as a souvenir.

--Old Secesh

The Colonel Ellsworth Flag-- Part 1: Pieces for Sale

From Wikipedia.

Relics associated with Col. Elmer Ellsworth's death became prized souvenirs.

The Smithsonian and Bates College Special Collections Library have pieces of the flag.  Evidently, so does the San Bernardino County Museum.

In 1894, Brownell's widow offered small pieces of the flag for sale for $10 and $15 each.

She was the wife of Corporal Francis E. Brownell of Troy, New York.  This soldier was the one who immediately shot James Jackson (or stabbed him with his bayonet) after the shooting.  He later received a Medal of Honor for his role in the incident.

--Old Secesh

About That Mississippi State Flag

I can understand why blacks are offended by the flag what with its incorporation of the Confederate Flag in it.

My solution to the problem is to have a state-wide vote on it.  If the majority vote to change it, I would accept that vote.  However, if the majority vote to keep it the way it is, then the opponents would have to agree to leave it alone until another vote can be arranged.

Personally, I think it is a really nice-looking flag, a whole lot better than some state flags.

Keep the Flag (Or Vote It Away).  --Old Secesh

How Did a Small Piece of the Ellsworth Flag End Up in California?-- Part 5

According to the museum curator, "The flag had been heavily 'souvenired' at the time."

Fragments of it are at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian), the Fort Ward Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, and the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

The rest of the flag has been in the possession of a military museum since the end of the Civil War.  It was briefly on public exhibit in New York from 2011-2012 for the 150th anniversary of the incident.

--Old Secesh

How Did a Small Piece of the Ellsworth Flag Get to California?-- Part 4: "Piece of the First Rebel Flag Captured"

The San Bernardino County Museum has no specific details on how they got the piece of the flag.  It had been buried deep in their collection and they only found it when looking for items to put in their exhibit.

There was a tag on it, however, reading:  "Piece of the First Rebel Flag Captured."

It is possible that the piece came from Ellsworth's father, Ephraim Daniel Ellsworth, who cut off some pieces of the flag and gave them to friends and family.  Ephraim was later commissioned a captain by Lincoln and served throughout the war.

--Old Secesh

How Did a Small Piece of the Ellsworth Flag End Up in California?-- Part 3: Death of Ellsworth

Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth became the first Union officer killed in line of duty in the Civil War.  His body lied in state at the White House.  Then the body and blood-soaked flag was taken home to Mechanicsville, New York, for burial.

His death became a rallying point for recruiting.

How Did a Small Piece of the Ellsworth Flag End Up in California?-- Part 2

Union soldiers were sent across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to occupy Alexandria on May 24, 1861, the day after Virginia seceded from the Union.  They were led by Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth who'd been a law clerk for Lincoln before entering the Army.

Angered that the flag could be easily seen from the White House, he climbed to the top of the Marshall House Hotel and took it down.  On his way back down, James Jackson grabbed his shotgun and killed Ellsworth.  Moments later, Jackson also lay dead, killed by Ellsworth's soldiers.

--Old Secesh