The flag remnant came from one of the Regimental flags used by the 61st Pennsylvania Volunteers during the Civil War. While this regiment did not win specific acclaim for turning the course of a battle, it was a workhorse unit that participated in the vast majority of the battles fought by the Army of the Potomac and it also fought briefly in the Army of the Shenandoah.
The major battles the unit fought in were: Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Marye's Heights,Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Appomattox Court House. At Fair Oaks the unit was mauled by Micah Jenkins' Confederates and lost 263 men and all the field officers were killed, wounded, or captured. The unit lost 151 men at the Wilderness and 139 at Spotsylvania. The 61st lost more officers in combat than any other Federal regiment and the battle deaths were the 15th highest of the 2,000 Federal regiments that fought in the war.
In spite of tremendous losses the 61st never lost a battle flag and was mustered out in Pittsburgh ending the tragedy and suffering of its tired men. The photo above shows Federal troops staging before the Battle of Fair Oaks where the 61st suffered their greatest losses in soldiers and officers.
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