U.S. Army Flag "Forty Rounds", 1865.

U.S. Army Flag "Forty Rounds", 1865.
The Howard Michael Madaus sub-collection of Civil War Military Flags was assembled from a variety of sources over a thirty year period of collecting (1970-2000) before being acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in the year 2000. The sub-collection attempts to represent an example of each of the major types of depot contractor regulation flags and colors carried by Union forces at the basic unit level, i.e. regiment, battalion, company, and battery, as well as the types of general military flags.

This sub-collection (Howard Michael Madaus collection) added to the Zaricor Civil War collection is the largest and (while not complete) most comprehensive collection of the military flags carried by the Union Army during the Civil War outside of state repositories designated by the War Department for the disposition of these flags after the War or in public museum collections. In fact this private collection is larger and more comprehensive than many of the public museum collections in the United States.

This is an American Civil War Union designation flag from the 2nd Brigade, Third Division, 15th Corps of the Army of the Tennessee. This Flag was made under an open market agreement with Horstmann Brothers & Co. of Philadelphia of 2 May 1865, and was utilized in the Grand Review of the Armies of the United States in Washington D.C. on 24-25 May 1865. The flag conforms to General Orders from the Headquarters of the 15th Army Corps, dated April, 1865.

The field is shaped swallow-tailed and measures 46.5" on the hoist by 59" to 62" on the fly to the points of the swallowtail and 38" to the cut of the swallowtail, exclusive of the 1.5" deep yellow twisted cotton fringe that surrounds all but the staff edge of the flag. The field is made from three sections of dark blue wool bunting (17.5" wide, 4.25" wide, and 17" wide, top to bottom, joined horizontally by machine sewn flat felled seams, with a white wool bunting border, 3.75" to 4" wide, on all but the staff edge. In the center of the dark blue field is a painted rendition of the U.S. M1839 cartridge box with brass (yellow painted) oval "U.S." plate on its cover, all painted in black with grey shading, surmounted with the yellow painted motto "FORTY ROUNDS", arced over the cartridge box in 2.5" high block letters, all painted on the obverse and in reverse on the reverse. A 3" wide (when flag) tan linen sleeve, lined with white cotton finishes the staff edge for the staff.

The flag conforms to the other two surviving Brigade flags now in the collections of the U.S. Army Department of Military History in Washington D.C.

Flag is accompanied by a 9'3" flagpole and finial (ZFC2580).

Publication History:
Wright, Horatio, editor, Flags of the Army of the United States Carried During The War of the Rebellion 1861-1865, To Designate the Headquarters of the different Armies, Army Corps, Divisions and Brigades, or "Designating Flags of the United States Army, 1861-1865", Philadelphia, Burk & McFetridge, 1887/1888, P. Cavalry Corps.

Provenance:
• Made under open market agreement with Horstmann Bros. & Co. of Philadelphia, May 1865
• Paraded at the Grand Review of the Armies of the U.S., May 24-26, 1865.
• Retained as a memento of service by Colonel John Eaton Tourtellotte commanding 4th Minnesota Infantry, 1865
• By descent in the Tourtellotte Family.
• Acquired by Tim Prize from the descendants of Colonel John Eaton Tourtellotte.
• Acquired by Howard Madaus through internet auction from Tim Prize, 2004.
• Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection from the Madaus Flag Collection, 2004
Deaccessed at auction via Bonham's 21 November 2023, Auction #BOK23110NY, - 28447 - Lot #105



Sources:

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Madaus, Howard M., correspondence to Ben Zaricor, 30 April 2004, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Wright, Horatio, editor, Flags of the Army of the United States Carried During The War of the Rebellion 1861-1865, To Designate the Headquarters of the different Armies, Army Corps, Divisions and Brigades, or "Designating Flags of the United States Army, 1861-1865", Philadelphia, Burk & McFetridge, 1887/1888

Todd, Frederick P., American Military Equipage 1851-1872, Volume 2, Providence, The Company of Military Historians, 1977.

Woodhead, Henry, ed., Flags, Echoes of Glory: Arms and Equipment of The Union, New York, Time Life Books, 1998.

Katcher, Phillip, Flags of the American Civil War, 2: Union, London, Osprey, 1993.

XV Corps (Union Army), Wikipedia, 13 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XV_Corps_%28Union_Army%29

Military Finials (U.S.), Flags of the World, 6 October 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Efin.html

Grand Review of the Armies, Wikipedia, 6 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Review_of_the_Armies



(Formerly in the Howard M. Madaus - Civil War & 19th Century Military Collection.)

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	46.5
Length of Fly	62

Stripes
Size of Hoist	3

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Are there stars on obverse?	no
Are there stars on reverse?	no

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

Crest/Emblem
Description of Crest/Emblem	American Civil War Union Cartridge box & motto "40 rounds" White (now gray) border & formewrly yellow fringe (now gray

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Wool

Stitching
Stitching	Combination
Comments on Stitching	Hand & Machine stitching

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	linnen
Method of Attachment	Sleeve

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents
Drawings
Research Documents

Condition
Condition	Good
Damage	light, used, soiled some repairs and holes
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1865

Publications
Publication Images	Cover Frontispiece datail Note: Gen. Sheridan's Battle Flags Gen. Custer's Flags Artillery Regimental Infantry Regimental Cavalry & Light Artillery 9th Army Corps 15th Army Corps Cavalry corps