Historic Flags of the Texas State Library and Archives
Click image for larger view
Wool, 67 X 67 inches
Conserved
1998 Conservator's report - Textile Preservation Associates
1905 letter from Secretary of War William Howard Taft on the return of war flags to Texas
More Online Exhibits:
Under the Rebel Flag: Life in Texas During the Civil War
TSLAC 306-4041
First Texas Infantry Regiment
This oversized Confederate battle flag with the St. Andrew’s cross design is another rare variant. Except for its size, it conforms to the “Fourth Bunting Issue” of the flag with 13 stars. The center star on this flag is missing.
After being virtually destroyed in the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, the 1st Texas Regiment was reformed. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the regiment suffered 20% casualties on the second day during the engagement known as Devil’s Den. By the end of the war, the regiment had seen action in all of the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia with the exception of Chancellorsville. At war’s end, there were only 133 men and 16 officers surviving. This flag was captured by a New York cavalry officer near Appomattox just one day before Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. It was returned to the state of Texas in 1905.
<< Previous Flag | Next Flag >>
Home | Complete List of Flags | Suggested Reading | Feedback