U.S. Mid-Atlantic Flag Sling, 118th N.Y. Inf., American Civil War.
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 Collection in 2000. This sub-collection attempts to present 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 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.
These are accessories for a "Stand of Colors". The Madaus collection of American Civil War Flags also includes flag staffs, cords & tassels, and flag slings. The collection includes six Civil War identified flag staffs, six sets of cords & tassels- four of Civil War vintage and two from a later period, and twenty variations of flag slings and belts, dating from before the war, through Civil War and on into the first two decades of the twentieth century.
This flag sling was acquired from Frederick Benkovic of Milwaukee, WI in 1972. It originates from Walter Holloway via descendents of Sgt. Hugh Carey of 161th NY Infantry and is attributed to the 188th NY Vol. Infantry.
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M., The Accessories for a "Stand of Colors" The Madaus Collection of Staffs, Cords & Tassels and Flag Slings, research for Ben Zaricor, September 2001, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
