The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of Confederate flags. Conservation of these banners requires expensive, specialized textile treatment. To help fund this need, the museum has formed a partnership with the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, the state’s largest Civil War re-enactment group.
During a Jan. 21 presentation at the Museum of History, the 26th Regiment unveiled the sixth flag it has helped conserve: the battle flag of the 16th Regiment North Carolina Troops. Carried into the Battle of Gettysburg, the banner was captured during the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge on July 3, 1863, by a soldier from the 14th Connecticut Volunteers. The regiment’s colors were sent to the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., and returned to North Carolina in 1905.
The 16th Regiment suffered terrible battle losses on July 3, the final and bloodiest day at Gettysburg. The regiment was part of Brig. Gen. Alfred Moore Scales’ Brigade in Maj. Gen. William Dorsey Pender’s Division at Gettysburg.
“The 26th Regiment has been raising funds since 2004 to help the Museum of History preserve our state’s Civil War artifacts,” said Skip Smith, Colonel of the 26th Regiment. “The 16th Regiment lost 118 men during the three-day battle at Gettysburg. It is our honor to dedicate their flag that was captured during the final fight on July 3 to the men who dressed the colors on that fateful day.”
In 2004 the Museum of History initiated a flag conservation project to raise funds for its Civil War banners that were not in stable enough condition to place on exhibit. With private funding support from organizations and individuals, the museum has now conserved, or has the funding to conserve, 14 flags in its collection.
“The 26th Regiment was the first organization to step forward to support the flag conservation effort, and now it has provided funds for seven flags,” remarked Jackson Marshall, Associate Director at the Museum of History. “Without the support of private organizations and individual citizens, few, if any, of these treasured artifacts would be preserved for future generations to see and appreciate.”
The 16th Regiment’s third wool bunting-issue battle flag has 12 battle honors painted in blue letters; the unit designation is yellow. When in the possession of the 14th Connecticut Volunteers, notes about the flag’s capture were inscribed on the staff heading and a sewn-on cloth note.
During the Jan. 21 presentation at the museum, Alan C. Leonard, First Lieutenant in the 26th, noted that the 16th Regiment North Carolina Troops, originally organized as the 6th Regiment North Carolina Volunteers, was the first regiment composed of companies from western North Carolina.
“They came from the counties of Madison, Yancey, Rutherford, Burke, Buncombe, Macon, Henderson, Polk and Haywood,” Leonard said. “One company was from Gaston County in the Piedmont.”
It is anticipated that the flag will be on exhibit at the Museum of History during the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, which continues through 2015. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is presenting programs in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina. For a calendar of events, go to the Civil War website www.nccivilwar150.com.
For more information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access www.ncmuseumofhistory.org. To learn about the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, go to www.26nc.org.
About the N.C. Museum of History
The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported symphony orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com