U.S. Army Red over White Guidon Paxton's 4th Virginia Cavalry.
This is an extremely rare Model 1833 dragoon guidon which was utilized as a cavalry guidon by troops of the new state West Virginia, admitted to the Union in the summer of 1863. This is the only known surviving Model 1833 guidon used by West Virginia troops; and the only one known to be in private hands.
Of the less than three dozen surviving West Virginia Union Civil War flags, all of them, except this guidon, comply with regulations which were enforced for mounted troops in the January of 1862, wherein all guidons were to be swallow-tailed stars & stripes guidons.
One unit, Company D, 4th Virginia Calvary, took the opportunity to promote both its namesake and unit designation instead of showing the stars and stripes. This was likely an unissued Model 1833 guidon pressed into service as a filed expedient guidon for the unit, named for a local hero, Col. John C. Paxton of the 2nd West Virginia; the first unit from the state to enlist for the duration.
The 4th West Virginia Cavalry was stationed at Parkersburg and Wheeling, West Virginia and then attached to Wilkinson's Brigade, the Army of West Virginia up until December, 1863. In 1864 they spent time serving in the 2nd Division and Kelly's Command, Reserve Division of West Virginia.
During these tours, D company were primarily involved in escort and guard duties at Parkersburg, Clarksburg, Grafton, New Creek and other points on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad until June of 1864. During their service they also conducted operations against guerrillas. They fought the battles at Salt Lick Bridge on October 11th and 14th in 1863 and conducted operations in Hampshire and Hardy Counties from January 27th to February 7th, 1864, during which they saw action at Medley, Williamsport, and Moorefield. They disbanded from U. S. service on June 23rd, 1864, with many members re-enlisting in other regiments. In total, they suffered 30 casualties, all due to disease.
This guidon is fabricated of silk, white under red panels, which has faded to a light purplish hue. This guidon is also a significant item owing to the fact that the artist who painted it also signed it; making it one of only two such flags in the whole Zaricor Flag Collection. The signature of the flag painter, 'TURTON', appears immediately beneath the third line of his work: PAXTON GUARDS / Co. D. / 4th VA. CAVALRY. The gold leaf lettering on the flag has been professionally restored. On the hoist, minute areas of worn silk reveal red wool-worsted cording, similar to regulation artillery hat cords. The entire guidon is pressure-mounted in an archaically-prepared, elegant frame.
This guidon was preserved by 1st Lieut. William L. Theis, of the Paxton Guards who passed it down within his family where it eventually ended up in the hands of Mr. Jerry Devol of Washington County, Ohio. Mr. Devol served in the Korean War, and upon his return from service he discovered that the guidon had vanished until a Civil War collector rediscovered it decades later in a Parkersburg antiques store, buried in a bag of old silks. It was returned to Mr. Devol, who by then had become an author, a philatelist and the historian of Washington County.
It was sold in the Devol estate auction in June 1997, when it was acquired by one Mrs. Hammond, who sought to have it conserved. In July of 2002 the conservation and framing of the guidon was completed by Intremuseum Conservation Association of Cleveland, Ohio; and in May of 2003 it was consigned for auction to Wes Cowan of Cincinnati, Ohio, but it did not sell.
It was consigned again, this time in October of 2007 to James D. Julia of Freeport, Maine, when it was acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection.
ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed
Provenance:
• "Paxton Guards" 4th VA (Union) cavalry until 1865.
• Preserved by 1st Lieut. William L. Theis until passing.
• By descent in the Theis family until conveyed to Mr. Jerry Devol.
• Mr. Jerry Devol until passing in 1997.
• Acquired by purchase from Devol Estate by Mrs. Hammond, 1997.
• Sold via James D. Julia Auctions of Fairfield, ME to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2007.
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.
US Army Quartermaster General, 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, Washington, D.C., 1887.
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, 4th Regiment West Virginia Cavalry, Wikipedia, 12 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Regiment_West_Virginia_Cavalry
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
