Confederate States of America 9 Star National Garrison Flag - New Orleans, 1862.
This flag was formerly part of the collection of Wall Street financier, businessman, and promoter of Anglo-American goodwill, Calvin Bullock. Bullock's 1 Wall Street offices in New York City contained the world's leading collections of memorabilia relating to Napoleon & Lord Nelson. In the 1930s he began seeking Confederate Flags and during World War II he acquired a representative collection of US, British, French and other allied ensigns from his many international, diplomatic, military, and naval acquaintances. He proudly displayed these flags in his offices, board room, and forum. After his death in 1944 his son, Hugh Bullock, kept the flags on display as a memorial to his late father.
This particular flag is a war trophy. War trophies have their beginnings in ancient Greece and Rome, where military victories were often formally commemorated with a display of captured arms, standards and cultural objects, collectively dubbed war trophies. In the Middle Ages, the European wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the Napoleonic Wars, variations of this practice were continued, with armies returning home often publicly displaying flags captured from the enemy. In a public space these war trophies were used to build morale, act as an overt symbol of victory, or merely as a reminder of a past martial or naval accomplishment. War trophies present in churches or other places of worship acted as a homage to the Divinity for granting victory, or as a symbol of the power of the providence of God for their cause.
In the American Civil War official protocols were evolved for the handling of captured colors. The acquisition of war trophies was applauded, and often considered worthy of decoration or promotion. More recently, during World Wars I and II the wholesale confiscation of enemy property, including flags, was commonly practiced. Additionally, in the 20th century it became common for individual soldiers to return home with trophies and souvenirs, such as enemy flags.
Regarding the flag itself, it is a large, garrison-sized Confederate flag bearing nine stars. The nine stars date this flags manufacture to the spring of 1861, and more specifically to the four day period after the admission of Arkansas to the Confederacy but before North Carolina ratified the Confederate Constitution.
This flag was acquired by Calvin Bullock from E.C. Bonaventure of New York on January 13th, 1936, who three days earlier had acquired it from the Rains Galleries, a dealer of rare books, manuscripts and autographs. Documents from the Rains Galleries show that this flag came from the estate of Lt. Colonel Alexander Warner of the 13th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. The 13th arrived in New Orleans after the surrender of the city. How Col. Warner acquired this flag remains unknown. However, Warner's regiment, due to its superior appearance, served as the Provost Guard for the City of New Orleans, and presumably had free rein over the entire city. Col. Warner also served as a special agent for the Treasury Department from 1863 to 1865. His service in New Orleans prompted him to return to Louisiana after the war where he became a planter.
This flag has been viewed, examined and authenticated by both Howard Madaus and Fonda Thomsen with very favorable comments from each.
Bullock documentation states:
CONFEDERATE FLAG-CAPTURED AT NEW ORLEANS
84 Confederate Flag. Captured at New Orleans at the end (sic) of the Civil War, and belonged to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Warner of the 13th Conn. Vol. The flag 12x18 feet in size, and is somewhat tattered, being battle worn and time worn.
The field is composed of three horizontal red and white wool/bunting bars, top bar red, the center bar white, and the bottom red. Inset into the upper, hoist corner and extending through the top two bars inions/canton 70 inches w. x 70-72 inches h. with a circle of 9 white cotton, five-pointed stars, 8.5 inches across, sewn on obverse and reverse sides. The hoist edge of the flag is finished with a 2.5 inch wide white canvas heading doubled over to form a sleeve through which runs a single rope, looped into an eyelet at the top and extended at the bottom for attaching to a halyard.
Nine Star Confederate Flags are extremely rare, perhaps the rarest of all of the variants of the First National Confederate Flags since they were only official from May 18 to May 21, 1861, a mere four days.
ZFC Significant Flag
Provenance:
• Captured in New Orleans, LA, by Lt. Colonel Alexander Warner of the 13th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, 1862/65.
• By Descent in Warner family, until circa 1930s.
• Rains Galleries, New York, NY, 1936.
• E.C. Bonaventure of New York, NY. 1936.
• Purchased by Calvin Bullock , kept until passing, 1944.
• By descent in Bullock family to daughter of Hugh Bullock, until 1997
• Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection via private treaty from estate Calvin Bullock of New York City, 1997.
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M., Robert D. Needham, The Battle Flags of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Museum, 1976.
Homer B. Sprague, History of the 13th Infantry Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers During the Great Rebellion, Hartford , Case, Lockwood & CO. ,1867.
Madaus, Howard Michael, correspondence to Martin Lane, 11 September 1997, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Madaus, Howard Michael, correspondence to Martin Lane, 22 October 1997, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
THE "STARS AND BARS" - THE FIRST CONFEDERATE NATIONAL FLAG , Flags of the Confederacy, 15 November 2011, from:
http://www.confederate-flags.org/confederate%20national%20flags.html
Flags of the Confederate States of America, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America
War Trophy, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_trophy
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
