GDG- Re: Rebel rags dirsrespected by Hays

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Lauri Schiller writes:


Alan  - I am not aware of any other times where such disrespect was paid to a 
 captured flag. I think this particular incident was a combination of Hays'  
personality and a general release of frustration by the AOP in finally beating 
 the ANV so completely. It must have been a tremendous psychological release 
to  see the Rebs on the run. I'm sure this didn't go over well with any  
Confederates who may have 
viewed it.



There were a few other times when captured CS flags were not given proper  
treatment by the captors.  First, as a reminder, all such flags were  supposed 
to have been sent to the War Department, but the farther away you were  from 
Washington the less likely this would happen.  Hundreds of CS flags  taken from 
1861-1865 out west were never sent to the WD; many went to state  collections 
(where some remain to this day) while others have simply never been  found 
again.  The latter were trophies of war that went home with generals,  
congressmen, etc.  None of the 85 flags taken at Vicksburg (Grant's claim)  ever made it 
to the War Department and we know where less than 10 of them are  today.  
None of the 18 flags taken at Corinth made it to the WD.  Same  for Ft. Donelson.
 
I do know that in the Confederate collapse at Missionary Ridge, where a  
large number of flags were taken, the Hardee battle flag of an Alabama  regiment 
was torn to shreds by the captors.  There are a few other examples  like this 
in the war, and at least one flag where the color bearer and captor  tore the 
flag in half, each man keeping his portion.  I forget the unit  offhand, but it 
is at the MOC today.
 
Some captured CS flags were also heavily souvenired by Union troops.   These 
are the flags you see today with squares or rectangles cut from them,  and as 
I state in my CS flags program, these were not done by square or  rectangular 
Union cannon balls!  Some flags taken at Atlanta and Franklin  bear such 
damage. 
 
In post-war times, the hue and cry by Union veterans against returning the  
flags both under President Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt (who did return them;  
Cleveland gave up thanks to the outrage) was still such that two Mississippi  
unit flags taken at Allatoona Pass in October, 1864, were torn up by the  
veterans in Minnesota after they had been turned into the state!   Thankfully, 
the flags had their pictures painted so we know what they looked  like.  On the 
way to a Indiana regiment's reunion, the captor of a Hardee  flag of a 
Tennessee regiment taken at Ft. Donelson had his flag on display on  the steamboat he 
was riding on and a fellow Union veteran stole it from his room  and tossed 
it into one of the personal stove/room heaters!!!!!
 
Hope this helps.
 
Greg Biggs
Flags geek