This flag was part of the first set of headquarters flags that General Burnside ordered in the Spring of 1864 for the four divisions and the eight brigades of his 9th Army Corps Division. The badge in the flag's center identifies it as belonging to the 9th Army Corps, while the color of the field (white) identifies it as that of the headquarters of the 2nd Division of that corps. This flag was present in five major Civil War battles: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg, including the infamous battle of the Crater. It is one of the best documented designation flags of the Union Army and is one of the few specimens of this caliber still in private hands. Documented not only with historical records but also two photos of the period (1864) showing this flag with two of the Union Generals it served with at the time.
Brigadier General Robert B. Potter with the 9th Army Corps 2nd Division flag behind him. Of special note: The figure of Matthew Brady is visible in the uncropped image of this photograph
The field consists of a white wool/bunting rectangle with a dark blue bunting border on all four sides. In the center of the field is a medium blue cotton shield bearing an appliquéd red cotton anchor. The shield with crossed anchor and cannon were adopted in April of 1864 as the corps badge of the Union 9th Army Corps. A white canvas heading, 1.25 inches wide, finishes the staff edge, and serves as a sleeve for a single piece of rope that passes through the heading and is looped into the eyelet at each end where a pair of ties can pass through the looped eyelets for securing the flag to its staff.
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. 9th Corps. (NOTE: The actual surviving flag differs from the illustration,)
Provenance:
• 2nd Division, 9th Army Corps used by General Potter, 1864
• Retained by General Potter as a memento of service until passing,1887
• By descent in the Potter family.
• Acquired by Paul Millikan, Mattenoon, Mich from the Potter Family.
• Sold to Bob Walter, Arlington, Ill; by Paul Millikan.
• Acquired through purchase by Courtney Wilson, Baltimore, MD.
• Acquired by Barry Strohm, Washington, D.C. from Courtney Wilson.
• Offered through James D. Julia Auction and acquired by ZFC in 1998.
Deaccessed Heritage Auctions - 13 November 2023 - Auction 6276
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