| RE .0:
In the ACW, there was a "normal" usage of flags, and then there were
the exceptions... :^)
A Federal infantry regiment had two flags - a U.S. flag and a
regimental flag (often based on the state flag where the regiment was
raised). The "regular" regiments had regimental flags, too, whose
design was officially prescribed.
A cavalry regiment also had national and regimental flags, but
individual troops (= infantry company) or squadrons (= battalion) might
carry small flags that looked like a rectangle with a notch cut out of
the fly end.
I'm not sure about artillery units - I don't think they had national
flags, but they might have used battery flags like the cavalry troop/
squadron flags.
Divisions and corps had their own distinctive flags which were carried
by the headquarters, and in addition there were small flags for general
officers.
On the Confederate side, units at the start of the war carried both a
Confederate national flag and a regimental flag - but at 1st Manassas,
confusion between the Stars & Stripes and the Stars & Bars caused the
Confederates to shift to variations of the well-known battle flag (the
blue "X" on a red background). I do _not_ know how many Confederate
units carried the battle flag _and_ a regimental flag; I believe in
some cases the battle flag was the only one carried.
As to use, the regimental and national colors were carried by some of
the toughest NCOs in the outfit. They marked the center of the
regiment's line, and were both a guide and a rallying point. It was
considered a disgrace to have your regimental colors captured - so much
so, that when one Union regiment was surrounded at Gettysburg, the
color bearer went along the line and each man tore off a piece of the
flag before they dispersed (I think something like 37 of them were able
to reassemble in the Union lines that night).
The opposing side could used the colors as an aiming point for a
volley...
As to density of flags: though a regiment was _supposed_ to have 1,000
men, none of them ever campaigned with that many. 300 - 400 was more
normal for a veteran regiment later in the war, and some got below 200.
Few regiments ever recruited many replacements, so to make a brigade
have something like the right amount of manpower, there might be five
or six regiments (each with its own set of colors) in line rather than
two or three.
What tends to happen in reenactments is that there are small numbers of
people representing larger units, so you can have a higher density of
flags than you would even see on a battlefield.
MikeR
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Many of the CW Medal of Honor winners received it for capturing an
enemy flag, or in some cases saving their own flag under fire. I
believe George Custer's brother Tom Custer won two, both for capturing
enemy flags.
It would be interesting to know what the life expectancy for someone
"honored" to carry the flag in battle was. I'll bet it was quite short.
Sort of like walking around with a giant bull's eye on your chest.
TD
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| RE .2:
Well, like anything else in war, it varied. If memory serves,
there was one regiment that lost three color bearers in five minutes,
while in another one sergeant carried the colors for the entire war.
MikeR
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In case I forget, I will enter a note here soon about the unique
flag of Cleburne's division in the Army of Tennessee.
When flags were being standardised in the the CSA, this division
petitioned to be allowed keep its own battle flag, and its
request was approved. I think this was unique in the CSA.
Toby
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