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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF FLAGS
OF THE
ARTILLERY RESERVES, ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
Artillery Reserve Headquarters Flag
General Orders No. 119, 30 April 1862,
A five foot by six foot rectangular red flag with a white star in its center.
Artillery Reserve Headquarters Flag
General Orders No. 53, 12 May 1863,
A red swallow-tailed Guidon, of the same dimensions as other Corps flags, six feet on the fly by two feet on the hoist, with a pair white crossed cannon on its center.
Brigadier-General Henry J. Hunt, Army of the Potomac, Chief of Artillery
Adapted for a personal flag, 1864, Blue Guidon, same dimentions as Corps flags, with a red Roman letter A surmounting a pair of white crossed cannon.
Brigade Headquarters Flags for the Artillery Reserve.
Flags are to be Red, five feet six inches on the fly, to four feet on the hoist.
General Orders No. 102, 24th March 1862
Artillery Batterys are to carry a red triangular flag 6ft. on the fly by 3ft. to the ferrule, with the colors of the division assigned.
General Orders No. 53 (Paragraph Artillery), 12th May 1863
Head-Quarters Artillery Brigade of assigned Corps will be marked with a red triangular flag 6ft. on the fly by 3ft. to the ferrule with the corps insignia in its field.
Horse Artillery Brigade
October 1864,
A blue triangular flag, five feet six inches on the fly, to four feet on the hoist, with red crossed cannon, and the letters H above the cannon, and an A under them.
Colors of Artillery Regiments
National Flag
43rd Regiment PA Volunteers
Light Artillery
Standard Regimental Colors
Mexican War / Early War Style Field
1st Regiment Light Artillery NY
Volunteers Regimental Color
79" hoist x 77" fly
3rd Pa. Regiment. Heavy Artillery
Regimental Color
National Flag 1st Illinois Artillery
"Chicago Mercantile Battery D"
National Flag 1st Illinois Artillery
"John T. Cheney's Battery F"
(Front and Back View)
Regimental Colors of the 1st Independent Battery, O.V.L.A.
Bridges Battery Illinois Artillery
Regimental Flag
4th Regiment NY Volunteer Artillery
Regimental Color
74 1/2" hoist x 79 1/2" fly
2nd Regiment Vol. Heavy Artillery
Regimental Color
3rd U.S. Regiment. Heavy Artillery
Regimental Color
6th NY. Independant Light Artillery
Regimental Color
Each regiment of Artillery shall have two silken colors. The first, or the national color of stars and stripes, as described for the garrison flag. The number and name of the regiment to be embroidered with gold on the centre stripe. The second, or regimental color, to be yellow, of the same dimensions as the first, bearing in the center two cannon crossing, with the letters U.S. above, and the number of the regiment below; fringe yellow. Each color to be six feet inches fly, and six feet deep on the pike. The pike, including the spear and ferrule, to be nine feet ten inches in length. Cords and tassels, red and yellow silk intermixed.
Camp Colors & Flank Markers
The Camp Colors are of bunting, eighteen inches square; white for infantry, and red for artillery, with the number of the regiment on them. The pole eight feet long.
General Orders No.4, 18 January 1862,
'Camp Colors... made of bunting, eighteen inches square; will be made like the United States flag, with stars and stripes'.
This type of flag was made poorly and was printed upon a roll of light weight bunting, and meerly cut from the roll and distributed.
Was not uncommon to also be use of a generic flank marker during the war.
14th Regiment Heavy Artillery
NY Volunteers Camp Colors
19” hoist x 26 1/4” fly
1st Regiment Light Artillery
NY Volunteers Flank Marker
29” hoist x 29 1/2” fly
1st Light Artillery Battery I
NY Volunteers Flank Marker
36” hoist x 35 1/2” fly
6th Regiment Heavy Artillery NY Volunteers Flank Marker
32 1/4" hoist x 44 1/2" fly
Phillip's 2nd Illinois Art.
Battery M, Flank Marker
12” hoist x 30” fly
1st Ohio Vol. Lt. Art..
Battery C, Flank Marker
18 1/2” hoist x 17 3/4” fly
1st Regt. Ohio Vol. Lt. Art..
Flank Marker
Standards and Guidons
Each regiment will have a silken standard, and each company a silken guidon. The standard to bear the arms of the United States, embroidered in silk, on a blue ground, with the number and name of the regiment, in a scroll underneath the eagle. The flag of the standard to be two feet five inches wide, and two feet three inches on the lance, and to be edged with yellow silk fringe.
3rd U.S. Light Artillery
Company C
Early War Guidon
11th Ohio Light Artillery
"Sands Battery"
Early War Guidon
9th Mass. Light Artillery
"Bigelow's Battery
Early War Guidon
34th Independent Battery L
Early War Guidon
The flag of the guidon is swallow-tailed, three feet five inches from the lance to the end of the swallow-tail; fifteen inches to the fork of the swallow-tail, and two feet three inches on the lance. To be half red and half white, dividing at the fork, the red above. On the red, the letters U.S. in the white; and on the white, the letter of the company in red. The lance of the standards and guidons to be nine feet long, including spear and ferrule.'
General Orders No. 4, 18 January 1862,
Guidons and Camp Colors for the Army will be made like the United States flag, with stars and stripes.'
U.S. "Regulation" Light Artillery Guidon
27" hoist x 41" fly
1st Illinois Light Artillery Battery C Guidon
22"hoist x 36" fly
1th Independent Battery N.Y. Vol. Guidon
29 1/2" hoist x 41" fly
Battery A, 3rd NY Volunteers Light Artillery Guidon
27 1/8” hoist x 41” fly
Battle Honors
General Orders No. 19, 22 February 1862:
'It has been orderd that there shall be inscribed upon the colors or guidons of all regiments and batteries in the service of the United States the names of the battle in which they have borne a meritorious part.'
Black & White image of 3rd US Artillery, Battery C
1st U.S. Artillery Battery L
Black & White image of 2nd US Artillery, Battery D
Batteries of Regular US Army Regiments
Unofficial flag, similar in design throught the Eastern Theatre. All generally three feet by four feet with a two inch gold fringe. Fields were red, battle honors painted in rows in yellow or gold, in small capital letters. Center design was a pair of crossed cannons within or without a laurel wreath with the battery letter and regimental number arranged at the intersection of the gun tubes. The US was intertwined on top of the gun tubes at there intersection. Grommets or button holes were placed along the hoist for attachment. These flags appeared in late 1863 and early 1864, and was limited to the Army of the Potomac, the James, and Shenandoah.
Information was complied by field reports, orders, as well as books noted:
Flags of the Civil War, by Philip Katcher, Echoes of Glory (Union),
Flags of the Army of the United States, by Gen, C McKeever Quartermaster General 1887
All reproduction flags are made and owned exclusively by R. Dennis under original photographs, research, and gov. specs.
All Rights Reserved 2007
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