U.S. 34 Star guidon from the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers.
A significant Company "L" guidon from the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers who fought in Florida in February of 1864 capturing a Confederate artillery battle flag as well as a Stars and Bars camp flag during the Civil War. A detailed narrative of this action is as follows:
In Benjamin W. Crowninshield's book, A History of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers, on Feb. 5th, 1864, a battalion comprised of A, B, C (with a quondam of I, K, and L) embarked on the Steamer Charles Houghton on the 6th started for Florida, arriving at Jacksonville at 4 p.m. on the 7th of Feb. While landing the steamer, General Hunter was fired on by the enemy's pickets. In a very short time, twenty mounted men were in pursuit and chased the pickets three miles over a rotten plank road, capturing a signal station and several prisoners. With these trophies and sundry-feathered rations, they returned to Jacksonville. Next afternoon, the advance started inland in two columns, one marching on Camp Finnegan, the other passing it and capturing Confederate pickets giving an alarm. About 1 a.m. on Feb. 8, an artillery camp was captured. Six Napoleon guns (cannons) and a large quaintly of stores and prisoners were captured. After a short rest, the advance was resumed, and on reaching Baldwin, where the two columns united, another gun and other arms were captured. Companies A, Band C (quondam I,K and L) were with this column, while company M marched with the main column.
The following is an excerpt from Facts and Memories of the Florida Campaign, BY SERGEANT A. J. CLEMENT, COMPANY M:
"When the army moved from Jacksonville on the afternoon of February 8th, 1864, company D of the Independent Battalion was detached from the Light Brigade and headed the column of infantry which was to march on the main road westward. With this column was the commander-in-chief, Brigadier-General T.A. Seymour."
"At Three Mile Run, company D charged, scattered a mounted picket force, and chased them several miles. Companies A, B, and C, followed by Elder's battery, moved out on the road towards Camp Finnegan, which was passed without being molested, although the enemy could be heard in the darkness giving orders to "fall in," for it was the intention of Colonel Henry to surprise an artillery camp further on. A detachment of company I was sent on ahead of the column, and as the light of the rebel picket-fires was seen along the road, they charged the post and captured the picket, thereby preventing any alarm being given to the rebel camp."
"About midnight the Independent Battalion arrived on a little rise overlooking the artillery camp, where the rebels were peacefully dreaming of the future great Confederacy. Colonel Henry halted the battalion and made his arrangements to charge the camp with one platoon, with another close behind for support. He ordered the bugler to sound the charge twice, and shouted to the men these words: 'If ever you yell in your lives, boys, yell now!' And in the language of the official report of that event, 'They charged with a yell that still lingers in the ears of those who heard it."
"Besides six guns and a number of prisoners captured, there was a quantity of ammunition, clothing, and other things, which had been run through the blockade."
"After resting a short time the line of march was resumed, and just at daylight the battalion charged into Baldwin, capturing a cannon mounted on a platform car. Here, also, large quantities of tobacco were captured, also cotton and resin. Early in the day, General Seymour arrived by the other road, with company D as escort, and the Light Brigade was then reunited."
"On the morning of the 10th the Light Brigade resumed its westward march, reaching the lofty eastern bank of St. Mary's River, at Barber's Ford, about twelve o'clock. There were no signs of the enemy, and the column moved down to cross the bridge, -- it and the river being totally shut out of view by a dense growth of forest along the banks. As the head of the column entered the forest at the brink of the rapid river, they were ambushed, and received a very heavy fire. It was then discovered that the bridge was destroyed, and the guide pointed out the ford a few rods below. Colonel Henry ordered Captain Webster to take his company (L) and flank the enemy. Companies I and K were dismounted as skirmishers. As company L moved down the narrow road which led to the fold, they became the target of Hank's guerrillas on the other side, and the road becoming filled with wounded men and horses, the order was given, "Fours left about." At this time Captain Webster had his horse shot, and one of his shoulder straps was shot off. The company reformed after getting out of the hushes, and returning pistols and drawing sabres, charged through the stream. The enemy scattered as we reached the opposite bank, leaving quite a large number of horses behind. As we moved on immediately we never learned what the loss of the enemy was. We went at a brisk gait, destroying the railroad at several points, and came to Sanderson early in the afternoon. We found the central portion wrapped in flames, for the rebels had fired a large stock of cotton and resin at the railroad depot, to prevent its capture."
"The brigade remained in Sanderson a few hours, and then moved steadily on till almost sundown the next day, February 11th, when we were reported to be close to Lake City, with a force with artillery to oppose us. Skirmishers from company D were sent forward, and received a volley from behind the railroad embankment, which convinced us that we were to be opposed vigorously. It was at this time that Johnson, of company D, was wounded. Darkness was now falling rapidly, the horses were jaded, and there were rations for neither man nor beast. We had already gone far beyond the original destination (Baldwin) of the expedition, and Colonel Henry decided to fall back a few miles for the night, as a heavy storm was impending. After marching back about five miles, we passed the night in the woods, in a torrent of rain. Next day, February 12, we returned to Sanderson, got rations, and met our infantry, which had followed in our track. The whole army then fell back to Barber's Ford and went into camp. It may be well to state here that it was then, and subsequently, understood that to occupy Jacksonville and capture Baldwin was the main object of the expedition. With Baldwin in our possession, all southern and eastern Florida were cut off from the enemy, and all cattle and other supplies lost to them from those sections."
"There is fullest proof that the second advance was contrary to orders, for Olustee had hardly been fought when orders came from Gillmore, at Hilton Head, forbidding the advance which led to the disaster."
"While the main body was resting at Barber's Ford, a detachment was sent out on February 14th, towards King's Ferry. Ga. Arriving next day, they met the enemy's cavalry, which they drove off. They destroyed two ferry boats and the telegraph station, and came back to Barber's Ford, February 17."
"We lay at Barber's Ford a full week, during which time our camp was full of bogus "Union" Floridians, and fully twenty of them were there on the Friday night when evident preparations were made for another advance. In fact, everybody knew of it two days before, and in this way, the rebels got the information, which led them to send down their regiments from Charleston and Savannah. We crossed the ford at daybreak Saturday, February 19th, and began the advance. In an hour we had a cavalry force in our front, which fell back slowly before us, with an occasional exchange of shots."
"About one P.M. a halt was called, to allow the infantry to come up, and the brigade rested, company D was advanced about half a mile, to a point where the highway crossed the railroad. The picket line was laid out, and the men posted. Only one rebel cavalryman was in sight, and he was at a safe distance, on the railroad track. And he remained there for General Seymour to look at two hours later."
"I am particularizing here, for at this point we (company D) discovered that the enemy were in great force."
"First we saw and counted, as one by one they jumped across the railroad, over one hundred infantrymen. We saw their long rifles flash in the sunlight. They were after the left of our thin picket line. Presently they opened on us, and kept it up till our men were hard pressed all along the line. From the extreme right, on the highway, came in Corporal Dennet, and minutely (indicated) how he had seen not less than three regiments march by a commanding officer whom all the regimental officers saluted. One can see a long distance through those forests of big pines, entirely free from under-growth."
"After what seemed a long time, the 7th New Hampshire came up, and went in as skirmishers, and the rebel fire ceased. All was silent, with that one cavalry man in sight, when General Seymour and staff came up, and with him the whole Light Brigade. All the facts were told to the commanding general. Captain Elder (of our Light Brigade horse battery) said with a sneer that he could see "just one man." It was a direct slur on us, and it had its effect, for the advance was at once ordered, the two regiments of infantry still keeping their skirmish line in the woods."
"We went slowly, and the rebel cavalry again appeared veraciously near, as though inviting us to charge after them. In less than ten minutes General Seymour ordered us to wheel to the left and halt, that he might send a shot up the road. To this shot there was no response, and the rebel cavalry had disappeared over a slight elevation of the road. A few rods further on we came to the edge of a clearing. Here, Elder fired another shot, and he got a prompt response that killed one of his horses. And here the fight began. We were on the chosen battle-ground, -- a pond on one side, a swamp on the other, soft, spongy ground to the rear, and in front a clearing, where the grade rose slightly. And it was just over the edge of this elevation that the enemy lay, with veteran troops, solid in force, partially entrenched, and all fresh and ready."
"We had Elder's U.S.A. horse battery with our brigade, and two regiments of infantry, to begin with. The rest of our small force was coming up, but much of it was still miles in the rear."
"We watched the 7th New Hampshire go up cheering, and come back fearfully used up. Then Captain Jack Hamilton's U.S.A. battery (old Sherman Mexican War Battery) went in with a rush. Every gun was at once taken, and Captain Hamilton was brought off wounded."
"The regiments came up singly, went in cheering, and stayed to be almost annihilated. Langdon's U.S.A. battery went in with a rush and lost four out of six guns. The colored troops went in grandly, and they fought like devils. (Next day Major Bogle was lying with his wounded colored troops at a mill a few miles to the rear, where the rebels slaughtered all the wounded "niggers" who had crawled there from the battle-field, -- about three hundred.)"
"We were soon too busy to observe particulars. We were wanted everywhere, especially on our left flank, where the rebel cavalry continually showed up. But they wouldn't stand to meet us. We tried them twice. Then, as the case became desperate, we were placed close to the guns of the one battery (Elder's horse battery, four Napoleon guns), which held its own, kept its guns, and saved the army by allowing our troops to draw out of the trap just as darkness came on. Darkness alone saved us."
"For an hour we clung to that battery, with a hail of fire that was mostly too high. Twice I thought we should use our sabres, as the yelling devils came down for those guns. But Elder (afterwards Grant's chief of artillery) was fearless, and kept his men at work gloriously. With black darkness the fighting ceased. The enemy seemed indisposed to push us. Perhaps Seymour's ruse of having each regiment give three times three cheers made them think we had fresh arrivals of troops."
"Company D stayed over two hours on the edge of that field, while the rest began the retreat. Then we followed slowly all night. It was fearful work to keep the men attentive. They didn't "care a damn" for anything. They believed we were sure to be gobbled anyway. But not a shot did they fire, nor did we discover that they followed us that night."
"We reached Barber's Ford at daybreak, and there got out of saddle for the first time in twenty-four hours, and fed our horses.
"Company D was the last to go through the ford as we left the heights to follow the army."
"We reached Baldwin that afternoon, with orders to hold it. We found there piles of infantry equipment, abandoned by the demoralized men, an immense quantity of our own army stores and ammunition, and untold quantities of cotton and resin. No enemy pushed us severely, though they hovered near. We stayed that night and to the night after, all vigilant and awake, no man leaving his horse except for necessary reasons.
"At midnight we fired the whole valuable mass, and soon the whole town was ablaze, as we marched away to the volleys of scores of cases of Spencer cartridges, which were among our military stores destroyed there. We burned every bridge at the many little "runs," and reached Camp Finnegan next morning. Our company was then relieved, but we at once were called out to skirmish. Finally, we reached Three Mile Run, where I had fired the first shot, on February 8, as we forced the picket on our first advance.
"Here the Light Brigade established the outpost line, while the infantry threw up earthworks around Jacksonville. We had one very serious skirmish a few days later, for they really tried to force us back. Lamont, of company B, was killed in this skirmish. After that, until weeks later, there was little done. Virtually our work was over, -- an inglorious termination of an expedition that started most auspiciously. Later we went up the St. John's River and captured Palatka (April 6). There four men were taken by the enemy while on picket, Lincoln, Poole, Jackson, and Sylvester of Co. I. They were sent to Andersonville, as we learned later. April 14 we crossed the river, made an all-day swamp march, and came out at St. Augustine. A day later we marched to opposite Jacksonville. There we gave up our horses to the 75th Ohio infantry, and took steamer to Hilton Head, arriving April 24th. Saw there some of our new comrades of the 4th regiment, robbed them of their horses, and took steamer for Newport News, where we arrived May 8. Started again, and reached City Point, Va., May 12. According to the officers' reports, we captured or destroyed over one and a half million dollars worth of cotton and resin."
Exhibition History
The Stripes and Stars
The Evolution of the American Flag, 1973
#63 The Great "L" Regimental Flag
(34 stars, 13 stripes). 1861
Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth Museum
This flag was made according to the style of Charles O. Eaton, a Boston flagmaker.
ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed
Publication History
Time Magazine, Volume 116, No.1,7 July 1980, Front Cover.
Provenance:
• Company "L", First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers, 1864.
• Acquired by Mr. & Mrs. Boleslaw & Marie-Louise d'Otrange Mastai, New York City, and Amagansett, NY, The Mastai Collection, until 2002.
• Sold via Sotheby's Auction in New York City to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2002.
Sources:
The First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers in Florida, Battle of Olustee, From: http://battleofolustee.org/letters/mass-cav.htm
Fresh to Market Antique Auctions, Gould Auctions, May 29, 2012, From: http://www.gouldauctions.com/arch_92306.htm
Captured in Florida: Confederate 1st National (Stars & Bars), Jeff R. Bridgman, May 29, 2012, From: http://www.jeffbridgman.com/inventory/index.php?page=out&id=189
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
Image of 13 Star Flag, Time Magazine, 7 July 1980, Volume 116, No.1, Cover.
