Historic Flag Exhibit Opens in New York State Capitol

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LATHAM, NY (11/15/2007)(readMedia)-- A display of Civil War battle flags that highlight the pride New York communities had in the volunteers who marched away to fight for the Union has opened in the New York State Capitol.

“Flags from the Heart & Home”, an exhibit mounted by the New York State Military History Museum at the New York State Capitol, features tens flags that were presented to local volunteer regiments and signified the community’s devotion to its sons and the soldier’s dedication to their hometowns.

The exhibit, in the second floor lobby of the Capitol, will run through October 2008.

More than 400,000 New Yorkers served in the Union armies during the Civil War, and the state owns 850 battle flags from the regiments that fought in the war.

“The unit colors have always held an emotional place for Soldiers in all ages,” Major General Taluto said. “Just as the Civil War Soldiers had specially commissioned battle flags, the New York Army National Guard Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry commissioned their own special flag incorporating the division motto, “Never Forget”, when they went to war in Iraq in 2005.”

“Preserving these historic flags, helps preserve their legacy,” Taluto said.

The exhibit includes homemade and specially commissioned flags that were sent off with the local units. These flags were typically presented in public ceremonies, before large crowds, and accompanied by passionate speeches made by the local dignitaries.

The flags represent infantry, cavalry and artillery units from all parts of New York.

New York’s famous Tiffany & Co. made the “Ulster Guard” flag presented to the 20th New York State Militia Regiment from Saugerties, Ulster County, which served at the Battle of Gettysburg, while 14 “heroic sisters and sacrificing mothers” from Mount Morris in Livingston County made the American flag carried by Company H of the 27th New York Volunteer Infantry.

Other flags on display belong to the 48th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 27th New York Independent Artillery Battery, 7th Regiment Cavalry, 144th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 8th Regiment Cavalry, the “Rochester Regiment”, 133rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 17th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the 27th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

At the end of the Civil War these flags were furled and stored in glass cases in the Capitol. More than 100 years in storage subjected the flags to the harmful effects of humidity, light, gravity and temperature changes.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Peebles Island Resource Center is working with the Division of Military and Naval Affairs to preserve and store the state’s 1,850 battle flags.

"The State Historic Preservation Office is dedicated to ensuring that New York's priceless battle flag collection receives the extensive care and attention that is needed to protect these unique historic treasures,” said Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash.

“The Civil War flags serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices in defense of freedom made throughout history and are a significant part of our State's rich heritage that have been safely preserved for the benefit future generations,” Commissioner Ash said.

This is the eighth exhibit of restored flags which the New York State Military Museum has mounted in the Capitol. The exhibits are designed to raise awareness about the collection’s conservation and storage needs which sharing their beauty with visitors to the Capitol.