History 269 The Civil War and Reconstruction
Flags of the Civil War

		"The flag never goes down until I am down!" Color Sgt. William Lamb of the 3rd South Carolina (at Gettysburg)   [illustrations below]
		Union Flags
		Confederate Flags
		Confederate Flag Controversy

“Battle flags . . . were not just brightly colored rags.  For soldiers, especially those fighting far from home, the banners held deep emotional meaning, serving as tangible reminders of their communities and families.  Attachments to these pieces of cloth were fierce, and men treated their flags with reverence.  Soldiers who bore the banners never let them touch the ground, even in battle.  No greater disgrace could befall a regiment than permitting the enemy to capture its colors. . . .  The head of a regiment’s color company exercised great care in selecting the soldiers who would carry the battle flag.  The post of flag bearer was important, not only for sentimental reasons but for practical ones as well.  When soldiers marched into combat, they looked to the flag bearer to guide them.  Their eyes always sought the flag, floating above the smoke and confusion of battle, to signal where to go, when they were to press on, and when they were to fall back.  Color bearers had to be tall and strong, able to hold the flag high in the thick of combat.  Above all, they had to be fearless.  Carrying the flag was an honor reserved for the regiment’s best and bravest men.  Serving as a color bearer was also a deadly job.  In the heat of battle, enemy troops invariably concentrated their fire toward the flags and the men who carried them in an attempt to bring down the colors to disrupt and discourage the foe.” --Gordon C. Rhea, Carrying the Flag

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Union Flags 
 

21st Maine Regimental Flag 

 

20th Michigan Infantry Regimental Flag
 
 

 
47th Pennsylvania Regimental Battle Flag
 
 

 
23rd New Jersey Volunteers
 

111th New York Infantry Battle Flag
 

 

Confederate Flags
 

First Confederate National Flag (1861)
 
 

Confederate Battle Flag

 
42nd Virginia Regimental Battle Flag
 

Second Confederate National Flag (1863)
 

Third Confederate National Flag (1865)

 
HIS 269 Exhibits