bottlebugs
Well-Known Member
When I was a youth growing up on the prairies, I was introduced to Civil War
regalia. My neighbours had an old trunk full of the stuff. Years later, I started
collecting what I could find. It was scarce as hen's teeth. One of my items
was what initially looked like a kid's pirate flag. It was neatly wrapped up in
tissue and resurfaced with other discoveries in my old barracks box the other
day.
I was also fortunate to be in contact with a curator at the Smithsonian the year
I found it. We wrote back and forth (no email back then) and I included detailed
photos and its provenance.
I had bought it from a picker that frequented Florida during the winter months.
Probably one of those huge flea markets that dotted the south.
This gentleman from the Smithsonian had helped me identify other period flags
that I had found. He was truly an expert.
He responded with a surprising conclusion. The flag was too small for a ship
and made of materials only found in the south or in France. It was made of a
black satiny fabric called chiffon, and was likely from the civil war period.
The skull and cross bones were blanket stitched and bore the hallmarks of a
military involvement. The warp of the hanger string was definitely southern civil
war period based on the number and direction of the twists. The flag was
pennant sized and would be shown should the regiment offer no quarter to its
opposition.
Only one Civil War officer was known for offering no quarter (kill every one you
capture); that he could think of. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Boy this curator knew
his stuff!
I put it away but not before being offered big bucks from Civil War collectors
and Black memorabilia collectors. I wondered why it was of interest to the
Black community.
Who was Nathan Bedford Forrest? Ask Forrest Gump! He was named after him.
The movie explained what I was soon to find out. A recent Google post explained
it even better.
"Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate cavalry commander during the American
Civil War. He and his troops were responsible for the massacre of Black Union troops
stationed at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in April 1864, and he was the first grand wizard of
the Ku Klux Klan."
Apparently, when he encountered Black Union soldiers he raised a Jolly Roger on his
pennant to serve as a warning to the advancing troops. I think I'll keep it wrapped up
and hide it in the trunk.
regalia. My neighbours had an old trunk full of the stuff. Years later, I started
collecting what I could find. It was scarce as hen's teeth. One of my items
was what initially looked like a kid's pirate flag. It was neatly wrapped up in
tissue and resurfaced with other discoveries in my old barracks box the other
day.
I was also fortunate to be in contact with a curator at the Smithsonian the year
I found it. We wrote back and forth (no email back then) and I included detailed
photos and its provenance.
I had bought it from a picker that frequented Florida during the winter months.
Probably one of those huge flea markets that dotted the south.
This gentleman from the Smithsonian had helped me identify other period flags
that I had found. He was truly an expert.
He responded with a surprising conclusion. The flag was too small for a ship
and made of materials only found in the south or in France. It was made of a
black satiny fabric called chiffon, and was likely from the civil war period.
The skull and cross bones were blanket stitched and bore the hallmarks of a
military involvement. The warp of the hanger string was definitely southern civil
war period based on the number and direction of the twists. The flag was
pennant sized and would be shown should the regiment offer no quarter to its
opposition.
Only one Civil War officer was known for offering no quarter (kill every one you
capture); that he could think of. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Boy this curator knew
his stuff!
I put it away but not before being offered big bucks from Civil War collectors
and Black memorabilia collectors. I wondered why it was of interest to the
Black community.
Who was Nathan Bedford Forrest? Ask Forrest Gump! He was named after him.
The movie explained what I was soon to find out. A recent Google post explained
it even better.
"Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate cavalry commander during the American
Civil War. He and his troops were responsible for the massacre of Black Union troops
stationed at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in April 1864, and he was the first grand wizard of
the Ku Klux Klan."
Apparently, when he encountered Black Union soldiers he raised a Jolly Roger on his
pennant to serve as a warning to the advancing troops. I think I'll keep it wrapped up
and hide it in the trunk.
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