Tag: Civil War

History Lessons

‘Scars of honor and not disgrace’

By James Breig During the Civil War 150 years ago, flag-bearers were targets. On battlefields from Gettysburg to Petersburg, they were in the crosshairs of their opponents. The reason for that is that they played such a pivotal role when a battle was joined. Soldiers looked to flags, including their regimental colors, to show them… continue

History Lessons

Flags unite, flags divide

By James Breig Given their nature and purpose, flags can be saluted or slandered, waved or waved away, raised up or torn down from flagpoles. That duality occurred during the Civil War, when battles in places like Gettysburg, Pa., brought brother into conflict with brother, each of whom saluted a different banner. There, as on… continue

History Lessons

Flags fly amid battles

By James Breig The just-concluded 150th anniversary of the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg brought renewed attention to the role flags played during Civil War conflicts. When cannons and muskets began firing, regimental and other flags became essential ways of communicating amid the smoke and chaos. The banners rallied troops to common points on the… continue

History Lessons

Twin victories on Fourth of July

A commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1913

By James Breig This year’s Fourth of July marks not only the 237th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but also the 150th anniversary of two seminal battles of the Civil War: Gettysburg and Vicksburg. If you subtract 150 from 237, you get a number associated with Abraham Lincoln. The twin historic conflicts, which spanned… continue

History Lessons

Vicksburg inspired flag salutes

By James Breig Americans are familiar with the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union victory 150 years ago that turned back a Confederate attempt to invade the North. Less well known is the simultaneous Union triumph in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As a result, the upcoming July 1-4 sesquicentennial of those dual turning points in the Civil War… continue