Travelers who take side roads sometimes find themselves driving back in time to a small town bedecked with American flags, like a movie set for “The Music Man.” Such a town in western New York State bears the celestial name of Angelica. It comes complete with a town square, spired churches, antique stores and plenty… continue
As the ongoing sesquicentennial of the Civil War rotates through its succession of battles, from Bull Run to Gettysburg and the Wilderness, regimental flags and banners are being remembered as an important part of that history. But who designed and painted the gallant standards that were carried into hellish gunfire and wicked shelling? … continue
On March 5, 1864, eight months after Northern victories in Gettysburg and Vicksburg, members of the newly-formed Twentieth United States Colored Troops assembled in New York City for a send-off ceremony that featured flags and ovations from tens of thousands of white people. The New York Times described the ceremony as “a thousand men, with… continue
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