The 100th Indiana’s Flag
160 years ago this month, the 100th Indiana Volunteers joined Federal service. The regiment (known as the Persimmon Regiment after fall 1862) saw action in the Vicksburg Campaign, the Battles for Chattanooga, and then in all campaigns of the Army of the Tennessee’s XV Corps to war’s end. At the Grand Review in May 1865, the regiment had the honor of leading Sherman’s troops down Pennsylvania Avenue.
At the end of the war, the men recorded on the 100th’s national color in detail their service. It is today at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis.
Note in the lower right the last, unique, battle honor – War Ended Here.
Full disclosure: I had a relative in this unit, Abraham Eiman of Company C, who served from September 1862 until muster out in June 1865.
Regimental colors in use during the Civil War, by both sides, were often items of beauty, as well as symbols possessing inherent power, value and functionality. The National Color of the 100th Indiana Infantry (featured above) was representative of the 35-star flag available from the Army Quartermaster after Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs took command of that Department in May 1861. As Meigs got on top of priorities (weapons, ammunition and foodstuffs) he expanded the production and availability of other necessities: uniforms, brogans, tents, blankets, stands of colors… As well as the National Color, the 100th Indiana would have been issued with a blue Regimental Color of approximately the same size and shape [details page 475, item 1438 U.S. Army Regulations, revised 1862.]
As regards “the record of battles, meritoriously engaged in by regiments,” the inscription of those honors upon the colors is described by “Changes and Additions to Army Regulations” item 11.
This is awesome and yhank you for sharing! My 4th Great Grandfather, Thomas Price Jr., was in Company D from August 1862 through June 1865.