13 Star, Confederate States of America - Lt. Artillery - reverses traditional U.S red over white, with staff, 1863, extremely rare 1 of 2.
This flag is a Confederate Light Artillery or Cavalry Guidon. It was first discovered in the attic of Corp. James L. Sheehan, furled around its staff with its red painted tin "halberd head" finial (see ZFC2508). Sheehan, a former member of the 127th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, captured this guidon and brought it home as a battlefield trophy from Fort Hindman, Arkansas (Arkansas Post on the Mississippi River during Grant's siege of Vicksburg in January 1863). This flag is very similar to the guidon of "Hill's Cavalry" (7th Tennessee Cavalry), captured at Island No. 10 in April 1862.
The rare Confederate guidon has a swallowtail configuration and still includes its original blue lanyard. It measures 30" on its staff by 39" on the fly (29 1/4" from staff to cut of swallowtail), and is composed of two horizontal wool bunting bars, white over red, with a dark blue wool bunting canton (14 1/2" high by 10 1/2" wide) inset into the upper staff corner. It bears thirteen white cotton (machine sewn applique) stars, with the center star 3 3/4" across its points, and the twelve remaining stars, each one 2 1/4" across its points, surrounding it in an ellipse. The flag is finished on the hoist edge by a white canvas duck sleeve which is 2 1/2" wide when flat for the staff. The flag was secured to its staff with the aforementioned blue silk lanyard, extending from the top and bottom of the sleeve.
This guidon's star pattern is reminiscent of the popular belief that original United States 13 Star flags were in a circle, a theory that research into flag designs from the American Revolution has supported.
See ZFC2508 for the guidon lance for this flag.
Authentication: Letters of authenticity and research from renowned Civil War flag expert and author Howard Madaus.
Provenance:
• Captured by Corp. Sheehan, 127th Illinois Volunteers
• Acquired by Daniel Potochniak of Hanover Park, Illinois from a descendant of 127th Illinois Volunteers veteran.
• Acquired by J.A. Hummel, Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Acquired by Richard H. Keller of Great War Militaria, Chambersburg, PA, until 1985.
• Crow Art Partnership Collection, Dallas Texas, until 2007.
• Acquired at auction from the Crow Art Partnership Collection, Dallas, Texas, via Heritage Auction Inc., at the 24 June 2007, Civil War Grand Format Auction, in Gettysburg, PA.
ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M., Robert D. Needham, The Battle Flags of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Museum, 1976.
J.A. Hummel, Research & Correspondence to R.H. Keller, Great War Militaria, Chambersburg, PA.
Howard Madaus Letter of Authenticity to Heritage Auction Galleries, 22 June 2007, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
127th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/127th_Illinois_Volunteer_Infantry_Regiment
Battle of Fort Hindman, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Hindman
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
