Robeson-Cumberland-Sampson County NcArchives Military Records.....McKethan, Col Hector 51st North Carolina Troops ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Tim Bradshaw timbradsjr@yahoo.com November 25, 2010, 6:31 pm Battle Flag Of The 51st North Carolina Troops Many of the men from Robeson and surrounding counties served in the 51st North Carolina Troops. That regiment was commanded by Colonel Hector Mckethan. A very important item to any regiment in the Civil War was their regimental flag. The following includes information that I have researched and collected on the battle flag of the 51st North Carolina Troops. At one time I had this as part of my website featuring the 51st North Carolina Troops under Geocities. That service was discontinued, hopefully some day I will be able to rebuild that website. I felt this is an important piece of history that needs to be shared, especially with those who had ancestors who fought in the 51st. The first part of this is a letter written by Colonel McKethan concerning the need for a replacement for the flag that was damaged during the battle on the night of the 18th of July, 1863. The men of the 51st regiment bore the blunt of the attack that evening. Headquarters 51st Rgt. N.C. Troops Long Island, S.C. September 29, 1863 Capt. White A.A. Genl. Capt. In compliance with circular dated report that we now have in our possession the only colors we took to Battery Wagner. It was sadly torn by shell while mounted on top the Battery on the night of 18 July. I would be glad that the Q.M. would supply us with a new one as it is impossible to repair the one we have, torn in four places by shell. I am Capt. Yours Truly H. McKethan Colonel The following information I would like to submit in memory of Mr. Howard Michael Madaus. A few years after he provided me with information on the flag of the 51st, he passed away. I especially would like to thank Mr. Edgar Malpass for introducing him to me. I wish to thank Edgar Malpass a fellow descendant of the 51st NCT (Sgt. Hanson Malpass of Co. A, 1845-1919) and a friend of mine, for the photograph of the battle flag. The following information as well as the sketch is courtesy of Mr. Howard Michael Madaus, Civil War Vexillological Services. This is some detailed and interesting information on the flag of the 51st. NCT. Mr. Madaus is in the final phases of a long awaited publication, The "Southern Cross", a trilogy cataloguing and illustrating all know flags of the Confederacy. The following information on the flag of the 51st NCT is a sample of the research and development Mr. Madaus is putting into his book. The battle flag of the 51st NCT is one of five surviving Richmond Depot Quartermaster battle flags of the fifth bunting pattern produced by that depot. Fifth bunting issued battle flags appeared about September or October of 1864. The earliest datable flags of the fifth bunting issue are those of the 8th and the 51st North Carolina, both of which evidently replaced the earlier Charleston Depot battle flags that had been issued in April of 1863, lost in their unsuccessful attempt to recapture Fort Harrison on September 30, 1864. The unusual thing about this flag is the lacking of the state markings under the star. The distinguishing characteristics of the fifth bunting issue battle flags is the return to a 5" width for the blue cross and the corresponding diminishing of the star diameter from the 5 1/2" of the fourth bunting issue to the 4 1/2". The fifth bunting issue flags would space these stars at 9" intervals. Mr. Madaus states that "I should note that the flag depicted is that issued to the regiment after the loss of its earlier battle flag at fort Harrison, Virginia on 30 September 1864. The flag lost on that occasion was probably an unmarked Charleston Depot pattern battle flag (very similar in configuration to those flags issued at the Richmond Clothing Depot but with some differences in materials and internal dimensions. Recent evidence indicates that Colquitt's Brigade received Charleston Depot battle flags in April of 1863. That is the style of flags they would have been carrying at Battery Wagner in July of 1863. Prior to the presentation of the new flags in April of 1863, I would assume that the 51st (and other units of Colquitt's Brigade) were carrying Army of Northern Virginia battle flags, either of the 2nd or the 3rd pattern issued by the Richmond Clothing Depot. However, no flag from an earlier issue has been identified. As another alternative, they may have been using the state flags that had been provided through the North Carolina quartermaster's department." From the Diary of Lieutenant-Colonel John G. Pressley Southern Historical Society Papers - 1886 - Volume 14 - page 51 "A grand review of troops held to-day by General Beauregard, in the field near Freer's house, and not far from our camp. After the review and before the troops were dismissed the General presented a battle flag to each regiment, battalion and battery. The "stars and bars" had been so often mistaken for the "stars and stripes" that a change of the standard became a necessity. The troops present were Brigadier-General Clingman's North Carolina brigade of four regiments, a brigade commanded by Colonel C.H. Stevens, composed of the Twenty- fourth and Twenty-fifth South Carolina Volunteers, Second regiment of South Carolina Volunteer Artillery, Eighth Georgia Battalion, Lucas' Battalion of Regulars, two companies of White's Battalion, five batteries of artillery, and three companies of cavalry." A final note from Mr. Madaus Of these units, the battle flag of the 24th South Carolina Infantry survives in the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Museum, and it is of the Charleston Depot pattern. In further support of this occasion as the first issue of battle flags within the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida are the bills of Hayden & Whilden of Charleston. On 10 February of 1863, flags were purchased from this manufacturer that have been confirmed to have been of the "Stars and Bars" pattern. On 2 April 1863, this same firm sold the Confederate quartermaster department "4 Battle Flag staffs"-- evidently for the ceremonies that transpired on 20 April. I doubt, however, that these staffs were for Clingman's four North Carolina regiments (8th, 31st, 51st, and 61st North Carolina). One other document has recently been brought to my attention. In the 1949 issues of North Carolina Historical Review is an article by Thomas E. Blades and John W. Wike entitled "Career of a Flag". This is the story of the U.S. flag carried by a company of the 12th U.S. Infantry from North Carolina in the Mexican War. The staff of that flag was later used by the 51 st North Carolina. To quote page 444 of the Review-. "Prior to the burial of the standard [U.S. flag of the 12th U.S. lnf.], Cantwell's brother, John 1. Cantwell, a colonel of the Fifty-first North Carolina Troops, Confederate States Army, had taken the staff off the flag and placed the colors of his regiment upon it and these had been captured by Union forces in Virginia." I have not been able to locate that staff, which (I presume) would identify the flag that the 51 st North Carolina lost at Fort Harrison on 30 September 1864. Prior to the issue of the Charleston Depot battle flags, it is most likely that the units of Clingman's Brigade carried the state flags that had been issued to them (though in the case of the 8th North Carolina, its state flag had been captured on Roanoke Island in February of 1862, so it must have had a different flag). The state flag of the 61 st North Carolina Infantry survives in the collections of the North Carolina State History Museum in Raleigh Statistics of the flag: Battle Honors are painted in black block letters, 1 " high on obverse only Unit Numbers are painted in yellow figures, 1 3/4" high on obverse only, above the center star Field is red Cross is dark blue, 5" - 5 1/2" wide Edge is white, 3/4" wide Stars (13) are white, 5 pointed, each 5" in diameter Border is white, 2 1/4" wide Material is bunting with exception of the edge and stars which are cotton Method of attachment are three whipped eyelets piercing the white canvas heading, 2 1/4" wide Star separation is, center first: 8 3/4"; center-2nd: 17 1/2"; center 3rd; 26 1/2" Additional Comments: The flag in the accompanying photograph is located in the Museum at the Bennet House where Johnston surrendered to Sherman. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/robeson/photos/military//other/mckethan578mt.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/robeson/military//other/mckethan578mt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ncfiles/ File size: 9.0 Kb