U.S. 24 Star Pennsylvania Militia color 1822-1836

U.S. 24 Star Pennsylvania Militia color 1822 - 1836 - 6 Point Silver Stars.
The Civil War History connected to this flag makes it one of the more interesting from that war. An unknown Pennsylvania militia unit took what was then a 30 to 40 year old militia color into battle against Rebel forces that captured the colors either from an unknown militia unit in the first year of the American Civil War or was a result of all the local militia units that were activated during the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863. The unit, time and place of its capture are unknown.

Later in the conflict, April 2, 1865, the 54th Pa. Volunteers broke through the siege lines around Petersburg, Va. at Fort Gregg. During their movement within Confederate lines they recaptured this flag in Petersburg from the Rebels. The fighting at Ft. Gregg was heavy, the 54th lost 20 men in the assault.

Originally given to the museum by the widow of J. A. Heckert, a member of the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. The accompanying provenance states,"Old Glory. This flag was captured and recaptured during the Civil War between the North and South from 1861 to 1865. The present owner prizes it highly as a relic for which thousands of lives were sacrificed to keep it unsullied. It was captured from a Pennsylvania Regiment by the Confederates during some engagement and taken to Petersburg, Virginia for safe keeping when it was recaptured by a Comrade of my company "C", 54th PA, Volunteer Regiment after the evacuation of the city by the Confederates in April, 1865. The first Union troops to enter the city was a portion of the 24th Army Corps Commanded by General O. E. C. Ord., of which I was a member. The flag was presented to me by Nelson Meyers in 1869. The Number of the Regiment was defaced when recaptured. But its condition shows that it passed through many hard fought battles as it bears many Honorable marks. J. A. Heckert. 54th PA Vol. Inf. Regt. Author of the Story. Presented to Soldiers Memorial By the Widow Mrs. J. A. Heckert".

It was there when the institution was created by the Grand Army of the Republic in the 1890s to recognize the sacrifice, valor and patriotism of the Civil War service of soldiers and sailors from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Later the institution transformed its mission into honoring all the men and women of Pennsylvania who have served any branch of the United States military, in any conflict.

As an interesting anecdote to the recent history of this flag Ben Zaricor recounts his first visit to Soldier and Sailor's Museum around 1997; "Upon arriving at the museum I was invited into one of the large rooms on the first or basement floor. I was shown a United States flag and told it was a flag from the Civil War 1861 - 65. I looked very quickly at the number of stars on the canton and knew that there were fewer stars on the flag than should have been for the period of the American Civil War which would be 33 to 36 stars. I said this to the gentlemen in the room and proposed that we count the stars together. We did and it was revealed there were only 24 stars in a circle far fewer than a Civil War flag make it a much older U.S. flag than it was thought. That was the last time I saw this flag until the auction we acquired it in October 2007.

When the Julia Auction House offered the flag for sale it was identified as a 25 star flag and not a 24 star flag. I discovered the error after I had purchased the flag and was going over in my mind the events of the auction and I decided to count the stars (my second time) in the photo in the catalog and for the second time in ten years I had discovered an error in the dating of the flag."

It should be noted that there are stories and some documentation of other accounts where older flags, some dating back to the American Revolution, were taken by Militia units for use in the early part of the American Civil War. To be able to document a surviving example is rare.

Companion piece to ZFC3195.

Exhibition History:
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, 1908 to 2007

University of California - Santa Cruz
Board of Councilors Meeting, Rare Flags Exhibit
Santa Cruz, CA
7 June 2012


Publication History:
Saures, Richard A., Advance The Colors: Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags, Harrisburg, The Capitol Preservation Committee, 1987. P.5.


Provenance:
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 1822 to 1861-1863
• Capture by unidentified Confederate soldiers 1861-1863 to 1865
• Recaptured by Sgt Nelson Meyers, 54th PA. Vol. Infantry, 2 April 1865
• Gifted to Quartermaster Sgt. Josiah. A. Heckert, 54th PA. Vol. Infantry, 1869
• By descent in the Heckert family until donated by widow of J.A. Heckert, 1890s
• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, until deaccession, 2007
• Sold via James D. Julia Auctions of Fairfield, ME to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2007.


Sources:

---

Saures, Richard A., Advance The Colors: Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags, Harrisburg, The Capitol Preservation Committee, 1987.

Museum, The Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum,10 November 2011, from: http://soldiersandsailorshall.org/museum.html

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Wikipedia, 10 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Army_of_the_Republic

Third Battle of Petersburg, Wikipedia, 9 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Petersburg

54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Wikipedia, 9 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Pennsylvania_Infantry

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
Mastai Flag Collection

CSG
MLC
MLF

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	48
Length of Fly	72

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	24 six point stars, single ring pattern

Stripes
Size of Hoist	2.5

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	52.5
Frame Length	84
Comments on Frame	TPA Frame Fluted Gold anodized aluminum

Stars
Number of Stars	24
How are the stars embeded?	Painted
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Comments on Stars	Silver gilt stars faded dark grey
Star Pattern	single ring around a cartouche

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Crest/Emblem
Description of Crest/Emblem	PA militia cartouche

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Silk
Comments on Fabric	fractured

Stitching
Stitching	Hand

Thread
Type of Thread	Needs Analysis
Thread Material	Needs Analysis

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	Sleeve is blue
Method of Attachment	Sleeve

Applica
Applique Sides	Double Sided = Two sides different

Documentation
Drawings
Research Documents

Condition
Condition	Fair
Damage	Used, worn, fracturing. Trending to good Silk has numerous tears. Much of fly end of flag is missing. Canton is intact; however, as can be seen in photographs, several large chips of paint from central device are missing. Painted areas on canton are glued to a backing piece of paper in shadowbox.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1822

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

Flag was formerly Displayed at the Soldiers and Sailors Museum in Pittsburgh, PA University of California - Santa Cruz Board of Councilors Meeting, 7 June 2012 U.S. 24 Star Pennsylvania Militia Color Capture/Recapture Civil War Date: 1822 Media: Silk, oil and silver-gilt paint. Comment: During the American Civil War an unidentified Pennsylvania militia unit took what was already a 40 year old, 24 star militia national color into battle against rebel forces. The Confederates captured this color, either in the first year of the war or when Pennsylvania militia units were again activated during the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863. The unit, time, and place of its capture are not recorded. Later at the Siege of Petersburg, on 2 April 1865, the 54th Pa. Volunteer Infantry broke through the siege lines around Petersburg, VA at Fort Gregg. During their movement within Confederate lines, Sergeant Nelson Meyers Company "C" of the 54th recaptured this flag from the Rebels, and he returned the color to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where it was ultimately presented to the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA. Subsequently, it was identified as third oldest Pennsylvania Militia color extant. Of special note are the flags 24 silver-gilt, six-pointed stars, a rarity on surviving flags from this era. It should be noted that there are stories and other period accounts of other similar older flags, some dating back to the American Revolution, that were taken by Militia units for use in the American Civil War. To be able to document a surviving example is extremely rare. Provenance: Acquired in 2007 by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC2509), from the collection of The Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA; via James D. Julia Auctions, Fairfield, Maine. www.FlagCollection.com Rare Flags Exhibit Santa Cruz, CA, June 7, 2012: The Zaricor Flag Collection exhibited 34 flags and artifacts at the University of California Santa Cruz Campus for the Board of Councilors Meeting.

Publications
Publication Copy	Saures, Richard A., Advance The Colors: Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags, Harrisburg, The Capitol Preservation Committee, 1987. p. 5. "The law describing these colors was amended on March 30, 1824, to read, "In the future, every stand of colors for a militia regiment, shall be marked 'Pennsylvania Militia' and not with the number of the regiment."One of these militia regimental flags has survived and is now owned by the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh. This flag contains twenty-four six-pointed stars, which dates the flag to sometime during the period 1822-1836. The central scroll-work surrounds the word "Regt." in white letters, and "Pennsylvania" in gold letters on a red scroll. Thus, it is not quite regulation. The number of the regiment does not appear on the flag, although a slight tear and evidence of defacing suggests that it might have been painted on at one time."
Publication Images	Cover P. 5