One huge obstacle is- you guessed it-WATER! The job comes with many obstacles that firemen must overcome to save and preserve property. Help us preserve other Civil War flags in the collection by donating to Save the Flags.Fighting fire is a very hard and stressful task. #Oklahomas national colol professionalThese two Civil War flags received professional conservation treatment with funding from private donations and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C.įor more on Civil War flags see the online exhibit, Keep the Flag to the Front. The First Kansas Battery was mustered out in August 1865. The other exception is that the stripes are painted with 11 battle honors, including Osceola, Prairie Grove, and Nashville. The field of stars is embroidered with crossed cannon barrels, illustrating the unit's role as a battery. The First Kansas flag is like the United States' traditional "Stars and Stripes" with two exceptions. Perhaps they were sent east as reinforcements in case the campaign became a major offensive. This might explain why the Adjutant General reported their role in the Morgan's Raid campaign of Indiana and Ohio. In July 1863 they were stationed at Columbus, Kentucky, on the Mississippi River. The Battery stayed west of the Mississippi for the first half of the war, taking part in the battle of Prairie Grove in 1862. Osceola has been credited as one of the reasons for William Quantrill's raid on Lawrence in 1863. This goes unmentioned in other sources.Įarly in the war, recruits for the battery participated in James Lane's raid on Osceola, Missouri, which resulted in the looting and burning of the town. There is some confusion about the service of this regiment, as the Kansas Adjutant General's report gives little information but suggests the battery was involved in the pursuit of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan in Indiana. The First Kansas Battery began organizing in July 1861, but was not fully functional until the following year. National Color of the First Kansas Battery The Second Kansas Cavalry was mustered out in August 1865. Particularly striking are the 22 battle honors painted on the flag, all from places in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Ribbons painted on the flag identify the regiment and include the national motto, E Pluribus Unum. The flag measures 6 feet 6 inches by 6 feet. These engagements are significant because blacks, whites, and Native Americans all fought on the same battlefield. Though not among the flag's battle honors, the unit also fought at Cabin Creek and Honey Springs in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Its soldiers fought at the battle of Prairie Grove and took part in the Camden Campaign (both in Arkansas.) The latter included the battles of Jenkins Ferry and Poison Springs. This unit stayed west of the Mississippi. Because of this, battle honors from the infantry regiment are also included on the flag. Among its recruits were many who had seen service in the Second Kansas Infantry, a 90-day regiment at the battle of Wilson's Creek. Originally intended as an infantry regiment, it was mustered in as cavalry the following spring. The Second Kansas Cavalry organized in October 1861. Regimental Color of the Second Kansas Cavalry This work was done through the Historical Society's Save the Flags! project, and made possible by private donations as well as a federal grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services. Professional conservation treatment was completed during the spring of 2008, and the flags can again be viewed almost as the soldiers last saw them, when they were turned over to the state in 1866. The Kansas Historical Society had serious concerns about the condition of these flags, which had been furled on their staffs for over 100 years. Nearly all are west of the Mississippi River. These two flags show a total of 33 battle honors (places where the units saw service). Testimony to this are two flags: the regimental color of the Second Kansas Cavalry, and the national color of the First Kansas Battery. Thanks in part to the fighting that took place on the Kansas-Missouri border prior to the war (see Bleeding Kansas), the bitterness between troops in the West was comparable to that in the East, and arguably worse. The war in the trans-Mississippi West has often been overlooked because the area lacked battles involving large numbers of troops, such as Gettysburg, Antietam or Shiloh. These flags were carried by Kansas troops who fought in many of those western battles. The Civil War was fought in a thousand places, but it is easy to forget that some of them were west of the Mississippi River.
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