EXTREMELY RARE CONFEDERATE ARMY OF TENNESSEE, 1862 CONTRACT BATTLE-FLAG OF THE 4th TENNESSEE INFANTRY.

EXTREMELY RARE CONFEDERATE ARMY OF TENNESSEE, 1862 CONTRACT BATTLE-FLAG OF THE 4th TENNESSEE INFANTRY. One of only two known “artillery” size, Beauregard pattern, battle flags from New Orleans contractor Henry Cassidy delivered to the Confederate Army of the Mississippi (afterward the Confederate Army of Tennessee), and issued to the 4th Tennessee Infantry in April of 1862. In November and December of 1861, General P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston introduced the design of the now famous “Confederate Battle Flag” to the forces in Virginia. Thereafter, the design spread laterally to other Confederate forces, primarily as a result of the initiatives of Beauregard and Johnston. When Beauregard was transferred to Mississippi in early 1862, he attempted to supplant existing flags with the “battle flag” he had introduced in Virginia months earlier. Three contracts were entered into with sail maker and ship’s chandler, Henry Cassidy of New Orleans, totaling 132 battle flags, delivered in three lots in February and March of 1862. The first and the third lots included respectively 30 and 31 infantry size battle flags as well as 12 each and 8 each of battle flags of the artillery size and cavalry size flags respectively. Although manufactured branch specific in terms of their size, the flags would be issued indiscriminately to the infantry and artillery of the army as needed. The last set of flags issued had been made for Major-General Leonidas Polk’s “Corps”, but because the set was temporarily lost in transit, Polk did not receive them until after the battle of Shiloh and continued to fly the old blue silk flags issued to his command in January of 1862 from Memphis. This “artillery size” Cassidy contract battle flag was issued to the 4th Tennessee Infantry of Polk’s “Corps” at some time between Shiloh and the Army’s departure for Chattanooga in June of 1862. This battle flag, as well as the silk flag the unit had received from Memphis., were later present (and photographed) when the survivors of the 4th Tennessee met at Shiloh in 1900. In common with the other Cassidy made flags, the battle flag of the 4th Tennessee Infantry is made with a field composed from a red cotton-wool warp/weft field, traversed by a 5-1/2” wide, dark blue, woolen St. Andrew’s cross, edged on its sides with strips of white cotton, 3/4” wide. Twelve (12) white, SIX POINTED silk stars are sewn at 4-1/2” intervals on the obverse side of the cross, and the blue cut away on the reverse (where the stars are only 2-3/4” to 3” across their points) to expose the white on the opposite side. A yellow, twill weave serge woolen border, 3-1/4” wide border is sewn to the three exterior sides, and a 2-1/8” wide cotton heading, pierced with five (5) hand-whipped buttonhole eyelets, finishes the fourth (staff) side. The overall resultant flag measures 35-1/2” on the staff by 37” on the fly (“Artillery” size flags were supposed to measure 36” square). With the flag (and once attached to it) is a white cotton swallowtail shaped streamer, 8” wide at the hoist and 44-1/2” wide on the fly to the streamer’s points (and 40” to the cut of the swallowtail). This streamer, which 1900 photographs show was originally attached to the blue silk, Memphis issue flag of the 4th Tennessee, is painted with the inscription “4.TH. TENN. INF.”, in black, 5-1/2” and 3-1/2” high, Roman, capital letters. Both the battle flag and the accompanying streamer descended though the last commanding officer of the 4th Tennessee Infantry- Colonel [name to follow]. CONDITION: Battle flag is in good condition but with numerous holes in the red field due to mothing of the wool. On the other hand the blue cross is in fine condition, and its silk stars show only minor cracking and splitting. Serge border also shows some moth holing but is otherwise intact. Streamer, with the unit designation, is in good condition. However, the paint used to apply the abbreviation has rotted portions of the material beneath the paint, particularly under the figures “4th”. 8-76133 HMM (90,000-120,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3091	$115,000.00	EXTREMELY RARE CONFEDERATE ARMY OF TENNESSEE, 1862 CONTRACT BATTLE-FLAG OF THE 4th TENNESSEE INFANTRY. One of only two known “artillery” size, Beauregard pattern, battle flags from New Orleans contractor Henry Cassidy delivered to the Confederate Army of the Mississippi (afterward the Confederate Army of Tennessee), and issued to the 4th Tennessee Infantry in April of 1862. In November and December of 1861, General P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston introduced the design of the now famous “Confederate Battle Flag” to the forces in Virginia. Thereafter, the design spread laterally to other Confederate forces, primarily as a result of the initiatives of Beauregard and Johnston. When Beauregard was transferred to Mississippi in early 1862, he attempted to supplant existing flags with the “battle flag” he had introduced in Virginia months earlier. Three contracts were entered into with sail maker and ship’s chandler, Henry Cassidy of New Orleans, totaling 132 battle flags, delivered in three lots in February and March of 1862. The first and the third lots included respectively 30 and 31 infantry size battle flags as well as 12 each and 8 each of battle flags of the artillery size and cavalry size flags respectively. Although manufactured branch specific in terms of their size, the flags would be issued indiscriminately to the infantry and artillery of the army as needed. The last set of flags issued had been made for Major-General Leonidas Polk’s “Corps”, but because the set was temporarily lost in transit, Polk did not receive them until after the battle of Shiloh and continued to fly the old blue silk flags issued to his command in January of 1862 from Memphis. This “artillery size” Cassidy contract battle flag was issued to the 4th Tennessee Infantry of Polk’s “Corps” at some time between Shiloh and the Army’s departure for Chattanooga in June of 1862. This battle flag, as well as the silk flag the unit had received from Memphis., were later present (and photographed) when the survivors of the 4th Tennessee met at Shiloh in 1900. In common with the other Cassidy made flags, the battle flag of the 4th Tennessee Infantry is made with a field composed from a red cotton-wool warp/weft field, traversed by a 5-1/2” wide, dark blue, woolen St. Andrew’s cross, edged on its sides with strips of white cotton, 3/4” wide. Twelve (12) white, SIX POINTED silk stars are sewn at 4-1/2” intervals on the obverse side of the cross, and the blue cut away on the reverse (where the stars are only 2-3/4” to 3” across their points) to expose the white on the opposite side. A yellow, twill weave serge woolen border, 3-1/4” wide border is sewn to the three exterior sides, and a 2-1/8” wide cotton heading, pierced with five (5) hand-whipped buttonhole eyelets, finishes the fourth (staff) side. The overall resultant flag measures 35-1/2” on the staff by 37” on the fly (“Artillery” size flags were supposed to measure 36” square). With the flag (and once attached to it) is a white cotton swallowtail shaped streamer, 8” wide at the hoist and 44-1/2” wide on the fly to the streamer’s points (and 40” to the cut of the swallowtail). This streamer, which 1900 photographs show was originally attached to the blue silk, Memphis issue flag of the 4th Tennessee, is painted with the inscription “4.TH. TENN. INF.”, in black, 5-1/2” and 3-1/2” high, Roman, capital letters. Both the battle flag and the accompanying streamer descended though the last commanding officer of the 4th Tennessee Infantry- Colonel [name to follow]. CONDITION: Battle flag is in good condition but with numerous holes in the red field due to mothing of the wool. On the other hand the blue cross is in fine condition, and its silk stars show only minor cracking and splitting. Serge border also shows some moth holing but is otherwise intact. Streamer, with the unit designation, is in good condition. However, the paint used to apply the abbreviation has rotted portions of the material beneath the paint, particularly under the figures “4th”. 8-76133 HMM (90,000-120,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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