13th Alabama Infantry flag is back at Gettysburg for the first time since Pickett's Charge
Read all about its close call, intrepid color bearer, capture and conservation
A half mile away from where it was captured – but not before its color bearer inflicted an ugly wound on a Yankee – the battle flag of the 13th Alabama Infantry is on display at Gettysburg for the first time since the July 1863 battle.
The regiment, part of Archer’s Brigade, suffered a staggering 62 percent casualty rate in the three days of fighting; many members were captured during Pickett’s Charge, where the flag was lost to the 1st Delaware Infantry near the Angle.
Gettysburg National Military Park is showcasing the flag at the visitor center’s main museum gallery until February 2027.
“Cool to see this flag coming for a visit,” Civil War flag expert and researcher Greg Biggs told the Picket in an email.
The park reached out to the Alabama Department of Archives and History for the loan. The effort was assisted by the Gettysburg Foundation.
The flag has been at the Alabama Archives since 1905, when numerous Civil War flags were returned to states by order of President Theodore Roosevelt as a symbol of reconciliation. It was conserved in…
Hooray for Dixie!
That’s a really nice red.