2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry
SC-1-90: Silk national ▪ Dimensions: 73”x 75½” ▪ Cotton Fringe: 2”
Description:
This flag is likely the flag the Second Michigan Infantry hoisted over the captured city of Petersburg in April of 1865. It is a gold painted, thirty-four star national flag. The stars are arranged in two concentric ovals with nine stars on the inner oval, twenty stars in the outer oval, one star in each corner, and one star in the center. Between the two concentric ovals “2nd MICHIGAN” and “V. V. INFTY” are painted in gold. “V. V.” stands for Veteran Volunteer which dates the flag after regiment’s reenlistment date of January 1864. Peculiarly, the flag only has thirty-four stars when there were thirty-five states at the time. In addition, the perfectly spaced battle honors suggest that the flag was acquired after the Battle of Hatcher’s Run, October 27, 1864. The battle honors are painted in gold paint with block letters inside curving, banner-like outlines except for those written in block letters on the fourth red stripe. 1st row: “BLACKBURN’S FORD, 1st [B]ULL RUN, [YORK]TOW[N]”, 2nd row: “WILLIAMSBURG, FAIROAKS, [RICH]MOND”, 3rd row: “GLENDALE, [MA]LVERN Hill, [2nd BULL R]UN”, 4th row: “CHANTILLY, FREDERICKSBURG”, 5th row “SIEGE OF VICKSBURG, SPOTSYLVANIA, NORTH ANNA, BETHESDA, SE[IGE of] KN[OXVILLE]”, 6th Row: “WILDERNESS, JACKSON, BLUE SPRINGS, CAMPB[ELL] STA[TION]”, 7th Row: “SIEGE of PETERSBURG, WELDON RAILROAD, POPLAR SPRINGS CHURCH, REAM’S S[TATION], AND H[ATCHER’S RUN]”. The fabric on the hoist was fashioned into a sleeve for attachment to the staff.
The staff, which measures 97” x 1.5” in diameter is topped with a regulation brass spade finial and stamped with “E.H.” (the mark of Evans and Hassal Co.). The staffs of flags returned to the state at the 1866 Detroit ceremony marking the end of the war all bear identical brass plaques. The brass plaque reads in Spencerian script “2nd Mich. Infantry”.
The flag has a 10’ long blue and white silk cord and two blue and white silk tassels. A black piece of crepe is tied to one of the tassels, probably as a symbol of mourning after the assassination of President Lincoln.
The flag was netted (sewn between layers of dyed net) in the 1960s in an early attempt at conservation.
Adoption:
May 3, 2002 - Mattawan Later Elementary School
August 30, 2012 - Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, General Israel B. Richardson Camp #2 and Webster Elementary School and Hazel Park Junior High
2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry
SC-8-90: Silk national ▪ Dimensions: 70”x 65½”
Description:
A gold painted, thirty-four star national flag made of a single piece of silk. The stars are arranged in two concentric ovals within the canton with ten stars in the inner oval, nineteen stars in the outer oval, one star in each corner, and one star in the center. Some of the stars are missing due to silk loss. Battle honors are painted in gold paint over the stripes, however much of the fly end of the flag is missing due to silk loss. It is likely that the flag initially had more honors than can now be deciphered. The visible battle honors read from top to bottom: “BLACK B[U]R[N’S FORD], [BULL RUN], WILLIAMSBURG, [FA]IR OAKS, RICHMOND,2nd MICH. I[NFANTRY], [MA]LVERN HILL, BULL RUN, FREDERICKSBURG, EAST TEN[ESSEE], BLUE SPRINGS, CAMP[BELL]” “VICKSBURG” is painted on the hoist side of the flag, running vertically below the canton.
The staff measures 8’2” x 1 ½ in in diameter and is topped with a brass spade finial. The staff of flags returned to the state in the 1866 Detroit ceremony marking the end of the war all bear identical brass plaques. The plaque reads in Spencerian script, “2nd Mich. Infantry”.
The flag has an 11’ long blue and white silk cord with two blue and white tassels. The tassels are 2.25” wound over a wood base.
The flag was netted (sewn between layers of dyed net) in the 1960s in an early attempt at conservation.
Adoption:
May 17, 1996 - National Society Daughters of Founders & Patriots of America
June 4, 1998 - Beechview Elementary School and Christopher Britten
June 19, 2010 - Daughters of Unions Veterans of the Civil War, Juliet E. Stevens Tent 14
2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry
SC-16-90: Silk ▪ Dimensions: 73”x 102” ▪ Cotton Fringe: 2”
Description:
This flag may have been the flag presented to the regiment by the ladies of Niles, as the motto and description fit that given by one of the men of the regiment, but there are some inconsistencies between later war descriptions of damage to the presentation flag and the present condition of this flag. It is a curious flag with a canton in the upper right corner bearing a regimental design and is unusually large. Painted on the canton is a federal eagle. The word “MICHIGAN” is painted above along with thirty-four stars. In its beak, the eagle holds a banner reading “at the union’s sacred call her Patriot Sons will Peril all”. The field either had no red stripes to begin with or they were bleached over time (the red visible in the picture is from netting used to stabilize the flag). On the fourth red stripe, embroidered in gold bullion thread, is the designation “2nd Regt. Mich. Infantry.” The unusual dimensions and arrangement of the flag has led to speculation that the canton may have been designed as its own flag at one point in time and the rest of the material added later. The flag is mostly intact with the exception of some wear at the fly end (in this case the fly end being the on the left when the flag reads right).
The staff which measures 93.5” x 1.5” diameter appears to be too short for the dimensions of the flag. The staff has four groves along its length. The groves are 3/8” wide and are spaced 12” apart. The sleeve on the staff is too small for this staff, suggesting that the staff may not have originally accompanied this flag. At some point in time, a modification was made adding ½” blue and red twill tape ties to the flag to allow it to be tied to the staff.
The flag has an 82” blue and white silk cord and tassel.
The flag was netted (sewn between layers of dyed net) in the 1960s in an early attempt at conservation.
Adoption:
June 8, 1993 - 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment
February 21, 1994 - Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 110
April 14, 2011 - Sons of the American Revolution, Oaks Chapter, Michigan Society
2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry
93.57.1: Wool National ▪ Dimensions: 41”x 70”
Description:
This flag is not a standard regulation flag. It is a personal flag made of wool and appears to be handmade and was donated to the collection in 1995 by the children of John C. Hardy, a soldier in the regiment. Hardy told his children that the flag we given to him by Austin Blair, Michigan’s Civil War Governor. The flag has twenty-six stars. One of the easiest ways to date a flag is by the number of stars. A twenty-six star flag was in use from 1837-1846. However, given the history connected to the flag, in this instance, the twenty-six stars may be a tribute to Michigan’s place as the twenty-sixth state. The stars are arranged in rows in a 6-5-6-5-4 pattern. They are linen and sewn to both sides of the canton. Three holes on a reinforcing material strip on the hoist end provide a place for rope (some of which is still intact) to be threaded and attached to a flagstaff. Velcro was later hand sewed to this reinforcing material strip as yet another display method. On the back side of the hoist are the words “J. C. Hardy” and “3rd Cutter” written in what appears to be ink. These two phrases were written by different hands and in different inks. The flag has many holes in it and is tattered on the fly end. A dark residue covers the flag which appears to be leftover staining from mold or mildew which was remediated at some point.
There is no staff, finial, cord, or tassels accompanying this flag.
Adoption: