Description:

This silk national flag was carried by the First Michigan Sharpshooters.  The flag has a series of battle honors painted on streamers.  During the Civil War, battle honors were typically painted directly on the flag, but this flag was so tattered by action during the war, the regiment was given special permission to paint their battle honors on streamers.  Only about 1/3 of the original flag is left and almost the entirety of the canton is gone as is most of the fly edge.  The thirteen battle honors are in varying condition, some being quite intact and others more fractured.  They are painted on red and white silk streamers, though the red streamers have faded to almost the same color as the white.  The streamers read “FORT STEADMAN,” “ASSULT ON PETERSBURG,” “WILDERNESS,” “FIRST FLAG IN PETERSBURG” “SPOTTSYLVANIA,” “1ST REGT MICH SHARPSHOOTERS” “NORTH ANNA,” “CAPTURE OF PETERSBURG,” “COAL HARBOR,” “HATCHER’S RUN” “PETERSBURG,” “WELDON RAIL ROAD,” “POPLAR SPRINGS CHURCH,”.  Weldon Rail Road, Hatcher’s Run, Coal Harbor, and First Flag in Petersburg are in particularly tattered condition, with some of the letters missing or partially missing.  A gold-colored fringe is attached to the top and bottom edge of what remains of the flag.  The hoist edge was fashioned into a sleeve for attachment to the staff.

The staff, which measures 89” by 1.25”, is topped by a spade-shaped finial.  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 “1st Sharp Shooters”.

The flag has blue and white twisted silk cord with two blue and white tassels.

Prior to the formation of Save the Flags, the flag was conserved by being sewn between layers of dyed crepeline fabric.  Over time the crepeline had started to fray, exposing the original fabric.  At this time, the streamers were also sewn to the hoist edge, obscuring the flag beneath.  The flag and streamers are currently undergoing more modern conservation efforts.  This project started in 2023.  Fran Faile, is conserving the flag and conservation specialists at the Michigan State Capitol are conserving the streamers.  The previous treatment is being removed and the flag and streamers are being humidified where needed to relax the fibers and help straighten and realign them.  The flag and streamers are then encapsulated between layers of fine nylon tulle.